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Nyerguds

1.06c Modding system

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This still needs some work, but seeing as I can show some cool stuff while I'm at it, I'll just do that... in fact, I'll start with that :P

 

probedroid.png

 

Whee! The first new unit in the Star Wars mod in.... hmm, 4 years? I've had this thing on my hard disk for ages, but now I had an excuse to use it.

 

So, let's take a closer look at this thing!

 

probe_2.gif

 

probe_zoom.png

It replaces the Visceroid, and since that uses the dino voices in 1.06c, I could replace those by these weird coded messages these things keep polluting the radio waves of Hoth with :)

 

The unit is unbuildable, but will be available and controllable in the Battle of Hoth mission, which, btw, will be completely revised by the time this is re-released.

 

-----------------------

 

Anyway, on to the REAL important stuff. The modding system.

 

The above screenshot is taken from C&C95 v1.06c. No classic sc*.mix modding has been performed on it. The added mixfiles of the star wars mod were called:

starwars.mix

starmain.mix

staricon.mix

starvocs.mix

starscen.mix

 

As you see, none of those would normally be read by C&C.

 

 

Now, the thing that made it all possible: C&C95.exe was started with command line parameter -mod:starwars

 

This command makes the game read starwars.mix, and once that's read, it'll look for a starwars.ini for mod changes.

 

The starwars.ini currently looks like this:

 

;
; C&C Meets Star Wars mod control file
;

; strings file and cursor are in CCLOCAL.MIX, a file with absolute priority.
; This means that in order to replace them, the strings extension and mouse
; cursor filename have to be modified.
[Settings]
StringsExt=stw
CDDir=starwars
PCXTitleLo=starhttl.pcx
PCXTitleHi=starxttl.pcx
MouseCursor=swmouse.shp

; added mixfiles will not override contents of updat*.mix (or sc*.mix) files.
; so make sure rules.ini and UI mods like radar logos are in the main mixfile.
[MixFiles]
1=starmain.mix
2=staricon.mix
3=starscen.mix
4=starvocs.mix
5=starmusc.mix
6=starvids.mix

The MixFiles keys are read in the same way as the briefing lines; it keeps reading new lines until it finds a line that's empty. So these numbers HAVE to be consecutive.

 

Note that I'll still make some changes in this logic. For example, it turns out to be REALLY annoying to have the added mixfiles read AFTER the sc*.mix files, since that means they can't override the game music (scores.mix is also an sc*.mix file) unless you put it all in starwars.mix itself, which isn't really handy. So yeah, that'll still change. I'm sure I can squeeze that somewhere in between. Most likely, they will also be read before the updat*.mix files, giving the mod maker absolute liberty. Well besides the cclocal.mix thing, but I really can't get around that.

 

Of course, when you think of modding, you think of rules.ini. So, let's take a look at that:

 

;;
;; RULES.INI
;;
;
; You expected awesome text-based modding settings here? Tough luck.
; I only split this because it became a mess in conquer.ini, and because many
; of these options cause desync errors in Multiplayer. So change these settings
; at your own risk.
;
; -Nyerguds

[Advanced]
; --== User interface options ==--
TrueNames=No; Show true names for civilians and civilian buildings
TreeTarget=No; Show attack cursor on trees (shows on invincible ones too)
BetaSounds=No; Use the beta sounds from ZOUNDS.MIX
NoEgoScreen=No; Don't show the score screen after winning a mission
RepeatBriefVid=Yes; Replay the briefing video when restarting a mission
; --== Game setup options ==--
LANPlayers=6; Set number of LAN players
ParanoidAI=No; AI players in LAN/Skirmish will not trust each other
CustomBuildlevel=Yes; In campaign, read buildlevel setting from the mission file
; --== Game behaviour options ==--
WheeledRotation=No; Makes wheeled vehicles not turn on the spot like tanks
SeparateHelipad=No; Build helipads without helicopters, for only $300
MCVUndeploy=No; Construction yard undeploys to MCV when you sell it.
NoBibs=No; Disable concrete foundations under buildings
CombatIQ=No; Units scatter when attacked (also applies to tanks)
TiberiumOverrun=No; Should make tiberium grow faster, but it doesn't work,
; and instead stops all spawning of tiberium on new cells.
Funpark=false; Enable hidden dinosaur missions mode (OBSOLETE)
; ===Unknown options===
Combat=No; unknown

[Music]
MainMenuTheme=MAP1
GDIMapTheme=MAP1
NodMapTheme=MAP1
GDIScoreTheme=WIN1
NodScoreTheme=WIN1
MultiplayerScoreTheme=WIN1
; score themes played on the score screen after the last mission
GDICreditsTheme=WIN1
NodCreditsTheme=WIN1
; default start theme for missions:
DefaultTheme=AOI
RemixScores=No; Enable music remixes and hidden themes
MultiplayMusic=Yes; Enable music in multiplayer/skirmish games
ShuffleStartMusic=Yes; Shuffle the start theme in single player
IncrementStartMusic=Yes; Correspond campaign start theme to the mission number
; (this overrides ShuffleStartMusic for the campaign)

 

So yeah, as you see, no rules.ini modding yet. In fact, the only reason the star wars mod has this rules.ini is to disable remix music, so its added music doesn't get overwritten by the remixes from the game, and to set the GDI and Nod score music to the same track (which is replaced by the Mos Eisley Cantina song).

 

rules.ini modding is definitely planned, but not for v1.06c. And when I get around to implementing it, I'm moving on to v1.07.

 

Note that I'm planning to add a rules option in the mod ini file too, so a mod can specify that the game uses a different filename than rules.ini. This way, a loose rules.ini in the game folder won't override the mod's settings.

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How did you manage to get the snow terrain in the original C&C game? Any way if the credits box go the top of the sidebar?

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How did you manage to get the snow terrain in the original C&C game? Any way if the credits box go the top of the sidebar?

 

I guess you have been ignorant of the awesome snow theater in 1.06 for a very long time? :P

 

The sidebar button is there to hide the sidebar so it would be kind of stupid to put the credits box there.....

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Yeah, snow is a standard theater since 1.06b :P

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very interesting :cc: !

Im reading this site since ages, finally a made my registration.

 

Taking a look at this topic - I was thinking about mods/modded campaigns i played through.

And than i found this:

 

 

nyer.jpg

 

Nyer! I would be really glad to see this o_Ô - since its the really best Campaign i ever played through!

And i would like to do it again!

 

 

 

 

 

Regards,

-V-

Edited by Venoxxis

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Oh yeah... that one's harder though, since it needs a bunch of data changes on the units. Which pretty much means the mod needs to be remade for each C&C version.

 

The 1.06c modding doesn't include real rules changes yet, after all...

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Oh yeah... that one's harder though, since it needs a bunch of data changes on the units. Which pretty much means the mod needs to be remade for each C&C version.

 

The 1.06c modding doesn't include real rules changes yet, after all...

 

Oha alright.

 

For which patch did you prepare it? And yea i understood what you mean.

But basicly, besides the great level design, exactly these new units made this campaign so awesome.

 

1142372896_fullres.jpg

 

 

Also, does anyone know any compareable campaigns?

 

At the moment i playing that huge mappack which was discovered by a great guy :) -> there are some really good maps indside, besides some crap of course :)

But the biowar was really the best thing i ever played through..

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Not likely I'll ever confuse those two, seeing as I made Chem War myself :P

 

You asked for "comparable campaigns", so I just gave you a link to the campaigns I got.

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Yea of course your right, and thank you very much therefore.

I just thought the Bio-war also contains to that list, since you said at cncnet that you made a "nice 'n clear" remake of it :)

But oh well maybe your remake is the chem war :)

 

 

 

Regards,

-V-

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Oh yeah, I did, but as I said, it'll need to be remade for each C&C version. Unless I go back to the byte patching system... hmm, could work. Might look into it later today.

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Ah now I remember... the main problem wasn't the exe edits, but the strings file. I've enlarged that file quite a bit for 1.06, and it ended up becoming uneditable with the DOS tool I used for automating string changes -_-

 

Wish I had another command line string editor for it...

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Ah now I remember... the main problem wasn't the exe edits, but the strings file. I've enlarged that file quite a bit for 1.06, and it ended up becoming uneditable with the DOS tool I used for automating string changes -_-

 

Wish I had another command line string editor for it...

 

ah okay alright.

Nevertheless thank you for the effort.. ;) !

 

So i gotta play it with the orignial gold patch, if i remeber that right, this will work.

 

 

 

 

Regards,

 

-V-

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Ah now I remember... the main problem wasn't the exe edits, but the strings file. I've enlarged that file quite a bit for 1.06, and it ended up becoming uneditable with the DOS tool I used for automating string changes -_-

 

Wish I had another command line string editor for it...

 

String file dont like being expanded?

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The strings file isn't the problem. It's the command line tool I use for script edits that can no longer load it, since it was designed for the considerably smaller original strings file. I got a different editor which can edit and expand it just fine, but I can't use that in a mod install script.

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A few quick suggestion, i remember you saying you would have to hardcode certain unit IDs like the mcv and the harvester

I was wondering about the possibility of harvester and mcv clones (the other stuff is more important you can put this on you "when I get bored" list) They may of course be almost impossible (and an mcv clone would be use less with out some way making the game choose which side gets which) however they would be beneficial for TC mods as well as those which want to recreate the seperate CY with the Nod and GDI logos on the roof.

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Technically, MCV clones are probably possible, but I don't see any way to make such a modification available through ini editing. I can probably do it with a lot of hacking in the exe, but that's it.

 

Mind you, I'd still have to do loads of research. I know the deploy and undeploy functions, but there's also multiplayer spawning to consider, and I don't have a clue where that is located.

 

As for harvester clones, no thanks. That AI units building function was hard enough without having to add extra exceptions into its automatic harvester rebuilding logic. Not even talking about the actual docking and undocking exceptions, on both the harvester and the refinery.

 

And then I'm not even considering the graphical side; the harvester docked in the refinery is part of the REFINERY graphics, not the unit's graphics.

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Found it. Fun stuff...

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Never check C&C95's, so im gonna guess its heavily based on *CellClass?

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I dunno, I just saw some familiar unit IDs (MCV, MHQ) and checks for familiar options (bases enabled, CTF, # of LAN units). Not a clue how they're positioned though.

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Do you think you could put in an option to add an extension to the save games for a mod, so you could have SAVEG_HI.000 for normal Command and Conquer and SAVEGSW_HI.000 for Star Wars (if the modder feels like seperating the mod's saves from the normal saves). It would default to SAVEG_HI.000, of course.

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