Mac Information First: Editing Tricks to customize scenarios / games: (0) Editing gold within the gamefile: (1) Making the scenario unique: Open a copy of the scenario with ResEdit, and customize the following resources: NAME (both the name resource and the name of the name resource, which you can change via Get Info!) SCEN (you can fix the text in the various places) It's strongly recommended that you not change the *length* of the name, as there are many byte-headers that indicate the length which also need to be changed in that case. (2) Editing Player Starting Gold: [ Max gold for one side is at least 16309 in Classic. ] (Notes from Matt Hills) > I poked around the SCENARIO file last night and confirmed what I >suspected might have been going on -- the @#! SSG folks encoded >the data with low-byte first. (the mac usually has high-byte first, >so they must have done something weird to aim for more similarity to >the DOS scheme) > > Anyways, I haven't gotten around to fixing WarCart yet, and I >need to find out where else this is a factor. You can edit it by >hand in the SCENARIO file, if you want: > > Open the scenario file with ResEdit, and open the 'SCN ' resource. > The side information begins at address 0x000182 > Each side has a record of 20 bytes. > The first 2 bytes, I believe, encode the side # (0 .. 7) > The next byte should be 00 <== I was using this byte as the high byte > for gold, before > The 4th byte is the low byte of the starting gold > (set it to 0x0..ff to correspond to 0..255) > The 5th byte is the high byte of the starting gold > (set it to 0x1..7f to correspond to 256..32576 + low_byte) > >Let me know if you need any help in this (in case you aren't familiar >with hex, ResEdit, etc...) (3) Editing the Ruin Contents: Open the saved game file with HexEdit (NOT ResEdit, you need the data fork). Around 0x000330 you should start to see (slightly garbled) the names of all the ruins. Before the names are the ruin map coordinates and after the names are the codes for the ruin contents. I've dissected most of the format: Ruin Data Format: the hex data for each ruin looks like this: 00 xx 00 yy Name-of-Ruin Fn 00 rs ct it ut ?? ?????? FF Where: xx = x coordinate of ruin on map yy = y coordinate of ruin on map Name-of-Ruin = variable # of characters for ruin name, with gibberish Fn = some high hex number (1st char F, 2nd some number n, where n+3 = total characters in name-of-ruin). rs = code for ruin or stronghold. Ruins have rs = 02 or 03 (02 can't ever be strongholds, and 03 can?) Strongholds 0E,0D,15,17, etc.; (maybe keyed to sage assignments?) ****NOTE: There can be technical problems if you change a 02 ruin to a stronghold, because the nature of the rest of the ruin data depends on the 02/03 code. See below for details... ct = content type. (KEY!) 02 = item, 03 = sage, 04 = gold, and 05 = allies. it = item code (KEY!) 00 = no item 08,09,0A,...0F,10,...,15 = item codes (in hex) To determine the item code for a particular item, scan down below the ruin data in the game file. There's a list of items (Knight Standard, ..., etc.). The items are listed *in numerical order*, so just count down to the item you want (starting with 00 for the Knight Standard, so the Evil Standard is 07, and then the rest of the items start at 08) ut = type of unit; (KEY!) This code specifies either the defender encountered 01=troll, 02=giant, 03=wolf, 04=goblin, 05=dragon, 06=demon, 07=devil, 08=wizard, and 09=ghost or the ally found (using the ally's picture code from army set) For army sets based on the default army pictures, these are: 17 = Wizards 14 = Giant Worms 18 = Ghosts 1A = Demons 16 = Elementals 1B = Devils 13 = Archons 19 = Dragons ?? = some invariant hex code that doesn't change from game to game, but isn't exactly unique to the ruin either. Disappears if rs=02. ?????? = 3 hex codes of unknown meaning If rs=02 or 03, have something high-hex, 00, some low-hex. If stronghold, goes 00, 01, 00. These codes do not change from one game to another using a fixed scenario, except insofar as the location flips from ruin to stronghold; and even then the initial high-hex spot stays the same (for rs = 3 ruins). FF = end code. **** Note on converting ruin types (1) You can't make extra temples this way. (2) You can't switch rs=02 and rs=03 ruins around except by moving them around in the scenario. (3) Try to avoid converting strongholds into ruins. If you do need to do this, you have to create a *new* game where that place *is* a ruin, and extract the ?? and ?????? codes for that ruin. Use whatever rs code you get in that game file. If rs = 02, you have to delete the 00 ?? code from the stronghold. That shortens the game data, which means somewhere else you have to find an rs=02 ruin and convert it to a stronghold (which adds a 00 back) in order to keep the size of the ruin data constant. (4) To convert an rs=03 ruin into a stronghold, simply change rs to 0E (etc.) and ?????? to 00 01 00. You *must* look up what the stronghold code (0E, etc) is from a saved game where that ruin is a stronghold. (5) Try not to convert rs=02 ruins into strongholds. If you do need to do this, you have to add a "00" for the ?? code which the stronghold has but the ruin doesn't, you have to change the ?????? code to 00 01 00, and (as with rs=03 ruins) you have to get the rs code for the stronghold from another incarnation of the game where that site *is* a stronghold. But *then* you have to find *another* stronghold with a 00 for the ?? code and convert that to an rs=02 ruin, in order to keep the size of the ruin data constant. **** Game File note: If you have trouble opening the saved-game file after making a change, (typically an out-of-memory error at around 70% loaded), you goofed something up. Back up to the last working copy and try again, perhaps being more careful to follow the rules! The best (but most tedious) way to do it is to make incremental changes, a few ruins at a time, and open the game file up after each change to see if it still works. Also, it's often difficult to open a newly-edited saved-game file from another machine. Before sending the game file to anyone else it's best to open it and re-save it on your own machine. That usually fixes the problem. PC-Deluxe Information: X-Sender: bbrook@rna.bio.mq.edu.au Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 16:34:45 To:, rfheeter@phoenix.princeton.edu, Bob.Heeter From: "Barry W. Brook" Subject: Hex editing the ruins / items Mime-Version: 1.0 Hi Ivan, Bob - >If you get a chance Barry, can you write me up a brief description? >I'm not sure whether the differences in a Mac or PC game file will make >any difference - but I was informed at one point that changing ruins >and strongholds can be a problem (strongholds had an extra byte or two, >if I remember correctly....) In the PC version at least, strongholds and ruins contain the same number of bytes, A single hex byte specifies whether it is a ruin or stronghold. The hex data for each "ruin" looks like this: 00 xx 00 yy Name-of-Ruin+blank filler "00" then rs ct it ut 00 00 FF (this may be in a different order in the Mac). xx = x coordinate of ruin on map yy = y coordinate of ruin on map rs = code for ruin or stronghold. Ruins have an rs of 02, strongholds can be lots of different values (maybe keyed to sage assignments?) The rest you must already know. However, as I just discovered the, end "00 00 FF" is missing in "invisible" strongholds. So, with quests on, when you change a stronghold to a ruin, you must ensure that the "00 00 FF" is there, or their descriptions will remain invisible... For editing items: make sure you keep the string lenghts the same. 20 bytes are allowed for the name. On the 21st byte after the name begins, the hex looks like this: Flight items: 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 Other items: tp bn ?? no 00 00 00 00 00, where tp = item type (eg 02 for command items), bn = item bonus (eg. 01, 02), no = Item number in the list (for ruin reference, so you won't need to change this). That's it! Any questions, just ask. >> Thus the only really solution is for the gamefile >>editors to edit the item list, but as I said, this will not be a problem as >Cool - I'll just cheat and use cut and paste from the gamefile you send >me! ;-) In fact, I'll try a couple of gamefiles with the beta >gamefiles for practice.... Lazy! ;) Regards, Bazz Barry W. Brook Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University N.S.W. 2109 AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 2 9850-9266 For PC-Classic: X-Sender: patd@209.136.173.5 Date: Wed, 28 Jan 1998 10:07:23 -0600 To: "Robert F. Heeter" From: "Patrick W. Domning" Subject: Re: Hex editing the ruins / items Mime-Version: 1.0 Hey Bob, this isn't right! Look at my changes... In the PC version at least, strongholds and ruins contain the same number of bytes, A single hex byte specifies whether it is a ruin or stronghold The hex data for each "ruin" looks like this: 00 xx 00 yy Name-of-Ruin+blank filler "00" then rc it ut r/s 00 FF >> >>xx = x coordinate of ruin on map >>yy = y coordinate of ruin on map >> rc = ruin contents where: 01 = nothing? 02 = an item 03 = sage 04 = gold 05 = allies it = item number (type index) Each of the items has a different hex code. To work this out, scroll down to the items list, and *count* from the first standard (ie. white standard is hex 00, first non-standard item is hex 08 etc.). ut = defender type (hex between 01 and 09) Defender list is located after items. If rc=05 (Allies) ut=code for which ally. This code changes based on army set. For tournament army set use codes below. r/s = ruin or stronghold. 00 = ruin 01 = stronghold (if stronghold and quests are on. Some may be hidden) 00 FF = ruin terminator sequence. >>>Ally codes: >>>Giant Worms = 14 >>>Elementals = 16 >>>Demons = 1A >>>Dragons = 19 >>>Wizards = 17 >>>Archons = 13 >>>Devils = 1B >>>Ghosts = 18 >>> In my save file, I have editted the guardian names. Such that: Guardian Angel - guards - Miraculous & Angel's Eyrie Chosen People - guards - Moses' Tomb & The Lost Ark Hera's Maiden - guards - Hermeshome & Vulcan's Forge Apollo's Guard - guards - Apollonia Pharoah's Snake - guards - Alexandria & Ra's Pyramid Genie - guards - AeroSmithy Mad Scientist - guards - Smithsonian and Physics Lab Politician - guards - Pentagone & Fort Knox Hellhound - guards - Satan's Den and Hades' Gate At 07:54 PM 1/19/1998 +0000, you wrote: >>X-Sender: bbrook@rna.bio.mq.edu.au >>Date: Mon, 19 Jan 1998 16:34:45 >>To: , rfheeter@phoenix.princeton.edu, Bob.Heeter >>From: "Barry W. Brook" >>Subject: Hex editing the ruins / items >>Mime-Version: 1.0 >> >>Hi Ivan, Bob - >> >>>If you get a chance Barry, can you write me up a brief description? >>>I'm not sure whether the differences in a Mac or PC game file will make >>>any difference - but I was informed at one point that changing ruins >>>and strongholds can be a problem (strongholds had an extra byte or two, >>>if I remember correctly....) >> >>In the PC version at least, strongholds and ruins contain the same number >>of bytes, A >>single hex byte specifies whether it is a ruin or stronghold. >>The hex data for each "ruin" looks like this: >> >>00 xx 00 yy Name-of-Ruin+blank filler "00" then rs ct it ut 00 00 FF >>(this may be in a different order in the Mac). >> >>xx = x coordinate of ruin on map >>yy = y coordinate of ruin on map >> >>rs = code for ruin or stronghold. Ruins have an rs of 02, strongholds can >>be lots of >>different values (maybe keyed to sage assignments?) >> >>The rest you must already know. However, as I just discovered the, end "00 >>00 FF" is >>missing in "invisible" strongholds. So, with quests on, when you change a >>stronghold to >>a ruin, you must ensure that the "00 00 FF" is there, or their descriptions >>will remain >>invisible... >> >>For editing items: make sure you keep the string lenghts the same. Make sure you terminate your names with a Null <00> character. >>20 bytes are allowed for the name. On the 21st byte after the name begins, >>the hex >>looks like this: >>Flight items: 05 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 >>Other items: tp bn ?? no 00 00 00 00 00, where tp = item type (eg 02 for >>command items), >>bn = item bonus (eg. 01, 02), no = Item number in the list (for ruin >>reference, so you >>won't need to change this). >> >>That's it! Any questions, just ask. >> >>>> Thus the only really solution is for the gamefile >>>>editors to edit the item list, but as I said, this will not be a problem as >> >>>Cool - I'll just cheat and use cut and paste from the gamefile you send >>>me! ;-) In fact, I'll try a couple of gamefiles with the beta >>>gamefiles for practice.... >> >>Lazy! ;) >> >>Regards, >>Bazz >> >>Barry W. Brook >>Key Centre for Biodiversity and Bioresources >>School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University >>N.S.W. 2109 AUSTRALIA Ph: +61 2 9850-9266 >> > >** Robert F. Heeter (Bob) | Email: rheeter@pppl.gov / rheeter@jet.uk ** >** PPPL/JET Collaboration | Phone: 609-243-2856 (PPPL Office S222) ** >** Fusion Energy Researcher, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory ** >** http://FusEdWeb.pppl.gov http://www.princeton.edu/~rfheeter ** > >
Back to the W2 Players' Encyclopedia
For bug reports, questions, comments, suggestions, etc, my email address
is:
Legal and Historical Disclaimers:
This site began in 1994 as Eugene Lee's
Warlords II Home Page in Australia. It has evolved steadily since then,
and now includes material by a variety of authors, including Bob Heeter,
Eugene Lee, Elam Birnbaum, Glen Barnett, Dirk Pellett, Vern Vaillancourt,
Gary Best, and others where indicated.
A number of graphics are copyright by SSG; copyright and other
rights to the Web source are reserved by the appropriate authors.
(This site is not the Official
Warlords Site by SSG.)