Character/unit MOD question

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Mon Feb 21, 2005 5:05 am

This has probably been posted before, but I am havig no luck finding it. I am wanting to edit the republic sniper to have a jetpack.I thought it was a little ridiculous to have a sniper that doesn't have the tech to get to an advantage point, but another unit does and it does not have the capability to snipe. I need to know what files to edit, utilities to use, and instructions on how to do it. I also want to change the model to reflect the jetpack. If there are links to other sections, shoot them my way, will save time typing. Another side note, is there a way to add it without modifying an existing unit? Thinking about including another unit if this is possible. Main thing first though, how to mod the sniper. Thanks in advance.

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 1:54 am

You're right, but after fiddling around, found a way to do it. It was a pain to figure it out also and it was your tutorial at the Battlefront Modders Message Boards that pointed me in the right direction. I'm going to layout what I did as soon as I am finished writing it in plain english (my contribution that is). Is there a way to add six+ classes instead of five at the selection screen?

____________________________________________________________
Battlefront Modders Message Board: http://www.secretsociety.com/forum/disp ... asp?mid=76

Post by **guru** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 2:35 am

re : Battlefront Modders Message Boards

what is the url? is that http://www.swbattlefront.net/
or http://www.swbffiles.com/?

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 4:24 am

guru wrote:re : Battlefront Modders Message Boards

what is the url? is that http://www.swbattlefront.net/
or http://www.swbffiles.com/?

Link is below the line in my last mesage.
http://www.secretsociety.com/forum/disp ... asp?mid=76
It is about creating races, but it lit the dim lightbulb above my head. :idea:

psych0fred wrote:It's pretty easy to make the jettrooper a sniper, just retexture him with the sniper's texture and swap his weapons with those that the sniper uses. The jetpack itself has a separate texture so changing it's color is simple using a paintbucket.

It was pretty easy after I figured some things out. It was a pain in the rear because I:

1. Had to spend hours searching the web. Lucasarts and swbattlefront wouldn't let me search thier forums (earlier didn't have one, later had it disabled).

2. Had to teach myself how to hexedit. Never did it before and I kept getting errors. Found out you had to replace the values with the same length because any larger or shorter changes the entire format of the .msh file.

3. I am a stickler for details, so it was a long process just to satisfy myself. I used the mod tools, ultraedit32, and photoshop CS. Got the model perfect. After I'm finished tweaking the odf files, I'll post the mini-mod for everyone. Again stickler for details.

It probably would have been easier if Bconstructor was out. I would like to betatest it, but I am a terrible modeler, and because of that, skinning is all I would use it for, so I probably wouldn't be much help. If it is O.K. though, I would like to help by editing your instructions and add a few things to it myself. Don't want to do anything without your permission though since it was your work. You would get full credit after all, just in case that subject crosses your mind.

And I am probably a persistant little Diet Dr. Pepper, but...

Is there a way to add another class to the list without replacing the existing classes (I.E. have a selection for trooper, pilot, sharpshooter, jettrooper, Forgot the rocket class name, jedi, and droid, instead of just the standard five classes by themselves)?

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 11:15 am

Just to make sure I got this straight, you can have a total of six on screen, that's including a hero, but more than two sides can be chosen in single player.

imp_strikeforce · Post by **imp_strikeforce** » Tue Feb 22, 2005 5:18 pm

but you cant select the hero can you? the hero is just like, there. i guess you could replace the hero with something else if you wanted, but apparently that would still only mean 5 selectable classes right? (although it would be cool to have another class, like a heavy weapons or heavy assault class or spy)

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 12:39 am

That's basically what I'm wondering. Another thing that has me curious; is there a way to change the sounds of the characters themselves to make them universal (I.E. in the original levels). I was wanting to change the FireSound of the droideka shield which is labeled in the .odf file as cis_droideka_shield_on to one I created. Is this possible, or am I stuck with a pre-existing list hardcoded in the main executable or other pertanent uneditable file?

imp_strikeforce · Post by **imp_strikeforce** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:08 am

yes there is i think. to make anything universal for all levels you need to replace the original .lvl file, in the Sounds or in the SIDE folder or whatever, that's located in the data\_LVL_PC\folder for bf.

as to how you'd go about doing that, i 'm not too sure, i havn't really played with sound too much. i might be able to give you an idea, but if you want my advice, ask phsyc0fred. he knows everything!

lol

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 2:28 am

The only problem with that is I couldn't find any file named cis_droideka_shield_on in the modtools. I'm sure without an actual file I can't just replace it universally, anything that references that sound won't find it in the modified lvl, unless I missed something somewhere and I'm as blind as a bat.

imp_strikeforce · Post by **imp_strikeforce** » Thu Feb 24, 2005 7:39 pm

no yur not, i looked and couldnt find it either. in fact there are very few files in the assets\sound\ folder(s) with the tools, compared to the much larger files in the data\_LVL_PC\Sounds\ folder. i assume it would be in the cis.lvl file in Sounds, but in the tools there is no file to be found by that name in the cis folder! so i dunno really... like i said, yur best bet is to ask fred

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 8:50 am

It was what I suspected. According to psych0fred, you can not change the original sounds unless you develop an add-on level. So until someone develops a .LVL extractor/browser that extracts everything, then we are out of luck. As far as adding the sixth unit, I have not gotten a chance to test it, so it is still unknown.

Post by **guru** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 1:47 pm

re :
until someone develops a .LVL extractor/browser that extracts

nimlot has got his work cut out for him

imp_strikeforce · Post by **imp_strikeforce** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 2:43 pm

guru wrote: until someone develops a .LVL extractor/browser that extracts
nimlot has got his work cut out for him

lol guru, but its true. and its what i thought too, we need a way to extract all the original sounds(and any other .lvl file for that matter!) so we can change em and remunge with the new .lvl file.
so i guess we got nimlot's next project all lined up for him

what im hoping is that we can get something that will decode/extract the .lvl files just like you decode/extract a .zip file.

Post by **ShadowHawk** » Sat Feb 26, 2005 4:27 pm

That would be great. If I had programming skills, I would be glad to help nimlot. But the only useful skills I have is photoshop and writing, and only the later I am a professional at. And nimlot, if you read this, keep up the good work. We are all rooting for ya.

wwwavatar2 · Post by **wwwavatar2** » Sun May 15, 2005 11:01 pm

this is something im very intersted in... things like redistributing weapons... and such... making one template that has what i want in it...

where / what file, has the templates stored... where it says a rebal pilot has these features... these weapons...

i have the bf skd from lucas, and it has the platform specific abitity that i need, im doing xbox mods... but its not cooperating at all... any help with it would be appreciated.... specificaly the level pack program is killing me..

Leviathan · Post by **Leviathan** » Mon May 16, 2005 6:07 am

and its what i thought too, we need a way to extract all the original sounds(and any other .lvl file for that matter!) so we can change em and remunge with the new .lvl file.

Yeah, it would be great...

where it says a rebal pilot has these features... these weapons...

I think this file is "all_inf_pilot.odf"

wwwavatar2 · Post by **wwwavatar2** » Mon May 16, 2005 3:20 pm

thanks for the quick reply, but thats not the file set i mean..

not the dev odf files, but in the lvl files, what lvl file does that stuff get packed into...

Leviathan · Post by **Leviathan** » Tue May 17, 2005 1:23 pm

not the dev odf files, but in the lvl files, what lvl file does that stuff get packed into...

Does that mean you want to hex-edit "all.lvl" ?! (This is the file to modify)

wwwavatar2 · Post by **wwwavatar2** » Wed May 18, 2005 4:12 pm

iv looked at the all.lvl, but its a bit much atm... i was looking last at imp.lvl where i found 6 instances of 'power up dispenser' ,

im really out of practice at this...

but, anyway

those 6 hits look like at least two seperate things of which there are three identical copies of the imperial pilot data. but im not sure 100 percent on it... if i could paste the code here i would ,but i dunno if thats legal... posting the hex snips that is...

i am usre that the health score is there, also i think, but i could be wrong, that the heros have like 100k health, and i think 100k health replenishments.

iv just found that there are also 6 mentions of dispencer in the rep.lvl also...

dont know if that helps anyone... but should be a step to making a super sniper.

also, iv been using a program called strings to pull the txt out of the lvl files, it makes them a bit faster to navigate before hexing the actuall lvl files...

all my attempts are for xbox swbf not pc or other...

if anyone has another progy or set of progies to make this a little less cumbersome pls tell me....

also, i have previously posted as alpersona, but lost my login stuff...

anyone who wants the hoth xwing or hoth vader mod i did sound off and ill get out...
at least one of those is already fully documented on these forums.. simple hex edit...

wwwavatar2 · Post by **wwwavatar2** » Wed May 18, 2005 4:15 pm

also 10 mentions of up_dispenser in all.lvl....