C&C MP Map to RA MP Map Converter?

[Rich Nagel 0]

...and yet another RA newbie question:

 

Is there a way (or utility) to convert multiplayer maps created for the original C&C so that they can be used in RA (something along the lines of a BIN/INI to MPR converter)?

Edited July 29, 2010 by Rich Nagel

[Doctor Destiny 41]

Map files for Red Alert are still just INI files (they're still INI files for up to YR). Should be able to copy and paste since the terrain and map setup is nearly identical. I'd need to check for any differences though.

[Rich Nagel 0]

Map files for Red Alert are still just INI files (they're still INI files for up to YR). Should be able to copy and paste since the terrain and map setup is nearly identical. I'd need to check for any differences though.

 

When I saved a blank map using the RA map editor the result was a single file with the extension of "MPR". After having a look at the file it indeed appears to be similar to C&C's INI files, but with the original C&C you need the INI file as well as a BIN file for the actual map terrain.

 

So's, I'm kind of confused... If I have a map for C&C with the filenames TEST.INI and TEST.BIN, do I simply rename the INI to TEST.MPR, and then copy both the MPR and the original BIN in RA's directory on my hard drive?

 

[Rich Nagel 0]

P.S. The RA MPR files (as well as the single-player mission INI files) appear not to have a matching terrain/overlay BIN file (like the original C&C does).

 

In the RA MPR and INI files there are two sections "[MapPack]" and "[OverlayPack]" (as well as a smaller section called "[Digest]"), and at first glance the entries below those sections appears to be BASE64 encoded data.

 

Edited July 30, 2010 by Rich Nagel

[Doctor Destiny 41]

I wonder if you can grab the terrain data as a BMP through the C&C Map Editor and import it into the RA Map Editor. I haven't tried this before so I'm not 100 percent on the process. This only works if the RA Map Editor allows importing BMP files.

[Nyerguds 102]

It's not possible, you have to remake the map manually. As for them both being inis, that's incorrect. In C&C1, the map information is in a binary (.bin) file, in RA it's compressed and put inside the ini format.

 

The only compatible thing in the 2 ini formats is probably the [Terrain] section, which contains trees and such. And even there I'm not sure, since the RA cells system might work differently than the C&C1 system, since C&C1 maps are ALWAYS 64x64.

[Rich Nagel 0]

It's not possible, you have to remake the map manually. As for them both being inis, that's incorrect. In C&C1, the map information is in a binary (.bin) file, in RA it's compressed and put inside the ini format.

 

Thanks for the info That would explain that BASE64 looking data that I saw in the RA MPR and INI files.