Removing ingame text (console modding) (Solved)

In this forum you will find and post information regarding the modding of Star Wars Battlefront 2. DO NOT POST MOD IDEAS/REQUESTS.

Moderator: Moderators

Post Reply
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Removing ingame text (console modding) (Solved)

Post by xII DM IIx »

Is it possible to remove the ingame popup text such as: "Player 1 killed Unit 790", or "Republic captured the NE Main Platform"?

I apologize if this topic has already been answered, and thanks in advance.
Last edited by xII DM IIx on Sat Sep 05, 2009 7:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Par3210
Jedi
Jedi
Posts: 1033
Joined: Sun Jun 14, 2009 10:31 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Owning people in SWBF2
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by Par3210 »

yep.
Just go to editlocalize.bat and then game then keep customizing the sub-sub text to make it blank.
RogueKnight
Space Ranger
Posts: 2512
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:50 pm
Projects :: Life. Work.
Games I'm Playing :: League of Legends
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Washington, US

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by RogueKnight »

It can't be done for the game itself, but you can do it in any mod you make.
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

DarthRogueKnight wrote:It can't be done for the game itself...
I'm not exactly sure what you meant by that statement. Every string used by the game is stored in the localisation files. If you mess with those, you can mess with any string. If you're lucky enough to get your mod's addme.lua loaded by the game last, you will even change any non-built shell string.

The game merges all the map's strings together when it processes the addmes (when you read in your core.lvl). This is how it gets your map's name and description. New localisations are added to the game (such as your map's name) and any existing strings are overwritten with the new read strings (everything else you see from editlocalize). If a key doesn't exist in your localisation files, then that string isn't overwritten. By default, all the other localisation strings are exactly the same, so it appears that your map didn't change anything, when in fact it changed almost everything.

However, a bunch of the shell screens are already created before the addmes are processed, so you can't get your strings loaded before the game reads its localisation database. If you attempted to rebuild those screens after all the maps were processed, they would display the strings from the combined addmes.

One way to reduce your map's file size is to delete all strings for the localisation files that aren't displayed ingame.
RogueKnight
Space Ranger
Posts: 2512
Joined: Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:50 pm
Projects :: Life. Work.
Games I'm Playing :: League of Legends
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Washington, US

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by RogueKnight »

Wait, so does that mean we can re-localize stock sides to have more accurate names?
User avatar
Frisbeetarian
Jedi
Jedi
Posts: 1233
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2007 3:13 pm

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by Frisbeetarian »

[RDH]Zerted wrote:If you're lucky enough to get your mod's addme.lua loaded by the game last...
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by xII DM IIx »

So when you munge it, which .lvl file does it appear in?
AQT
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 4910
Joined: Sat Nov 03, 2007 4:55 pm
Location: SoCal, USA

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by AQT »

The core.lvl file.
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

DarthRogueKnight wrote:...we can re-localize stock sides to have more accurate names?
You control all the strings from the point when your map's loading screen is built to when another map is loaded or when you return to the shell. Use editlocalize.bat to change them.

So yes xII DM IIx, just delete those related strings from your localisation files.
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text

Post by xII DM IIx »

Thank you guys for all your help. However, I can't use, let alone even try, the suggestions you all...well...suggested to me. I can only modify the mission.lvl (pretty much) as I'm doing console modding.
This brings me to the following questions:
Instead of editing the localization files to say nothing, is there some string that tells the game to access the localization files when an event occurs (If Player kills Unit X, then display game.infomsg.killed) that I can remove?
OR
Is there a specific gamefont type the game uses to display the infomsgs that I can simply delete?
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

I wish we could edit events like that, but we can't. I've never looked at console modding. Can you add files? If so, you could try creating a core.lvl (which contains all the strings) and reading it in in the map's ScriptInit function. I don't know if that will work, but it might.
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by xII DM IIx »

What do you mean by adding files? Do you mean side.lvls and stuff like that? If so, then no, I don't think so. The only thing I've been able to add in is the mission.lvl. :|

Just to clarify, I'm trying to get these settings to apply to the original game, like the stock maps and such. I'm not even trying to add in a new map. :P
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

I meant instead of replacing an existing file, you add a one to where ever the game is stored.
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by xII DM IIx »

I'm afraid I don't understand. Wouldn't adding the file overwrite the existing one, which would be the same as replacing it?
User avatar
DarthD.U.C.K.
Master of the Force
Master of the Force
Posts: 6027
Joined: Wed Sep 27, 2006 11:05 am
Location: Duckburg, Germany

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by DarthD.U.C.K. »

replacing: the original file is gone, it is being replaced by the new file
overriding: the original file is loaded, but afterwards the new file which overrides the original file because it is loaded afterwards
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by xII DM IIx »

I still don't get this. I think I understand that you edit the strings in editlocalize.bat, then you munge it, and...I'm pretty much lost after that.
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

...and the file VisualMunge creates is named core.lvl. Put this file anywhere on console. Now in the map's mission script, use ReadDataFile and load that core.lvl. Try loading it from ScriptInit(). If that doesn't work, try loading it in the first lines of the map's Lua script.
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by xII DM IIx »

Well, I tried what you suggested (probably not correctly), but the level crashed before even loading halfway. I can think of many potential things that went wrong:

1) My core.lvl is only 2.2 mb, while the original core.lvl is 3.07 mb. This is because I don't know what files are necessary, nor where to place said files, in order to recreate a core.lvl similar to the original

2) I renamed my core.lvl to core1.lvl and placed it in the SIDE folder

3) I entered the script ReadDataFile("core1.lvl") underneath ReadDataFile("ingame.lvl") and before ReadDataFile("sound\\myg.lvl;myg1cw"), so it looks like this:

ReadDataFile("ingame.lvl")

ReadDataFile("core1.lvl")

ReadDataFile("sound\\myg.lvl;myg1cw")

Well, that's pretty much it. Any problems you can see?
User avatar
[RDH]Zerted
Gametoast Staff
Gametoast Staff
Posts: 2982
Joined: Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:36 am
Projects :: Bos Wars AI - a RTS game
Games I'm Playing :: SWBF2 and Bos Wars
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: USA
Contact:

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by [RDH]Zerted »

The different core.lvl sizes isn't a problem as your custom core only has the localization strings.

Rename the core1.lvl back to core.lvl. I'm not sure if it matters, but it is best to be safe.

Your ReadDataFile line is wrong. If your core is in sides, then you have to read it from there: ReadDataFile("SIDE\\core.lvl")
User avatar
xII DM IIx
Private First Class
Posts: 77
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:10 am
Projects :: No Mod project currently.
Games I'm Playing :: I have not listed any games yet
xbox live or psn: No gamertag set
Location: Italy

Re: Removing ingame text (console modding)

Post by xII DM IIx »

Well, it didn't crash this time, however the text still displayed while in game. I hope I'm doing the munge process right...

*EDIT*
For some reason it isn't reading the localizations that I've set up in the modified core.lvl, if it's even reading the modified core.lvl itself at all. Any ideas on what could be wrong?

*EDIT* *EDIT*
Figured out an alternative way to modify the localization files. I just Hex-Edited the original core.lvl file. :P Thank you all for your helpful suggestions! :D
Post Reply