Patches are just byte replacements, those are available in the Info.txt file (bottom half). UI related changes can be replicated through Resource Hacker. Others are INI file changes. Ambient Calc tool (essentially done in about 15 minutes) source PPM link is available in its own text file. QUICK_EDIT
Damn, manually writing ASM and byte patching takes me back, very rarely have to do it these days.
So you're not using a workflow to patch the binary (like the ts-patches project for example)? I know there was one set-up for the FA2:YR by another person in the community, might be good to migrate to that? QUICK_EDIT
If there is already a setup like ts-patches, I am not aware of it. There was one syringe based DLL, probably not open source mainly to make FA2 read the so called protected mix files I guess. But unlike ts-patches, there is UI involved which is more of resource hacker stuff, byte replacements are few and small. QUICK_EDIT
Attaching a patched version of FA2 1.02 for RA2 only (No YR support). It disables the not so good YR map detection and sets it to work for RA2 maps only, useful for RA2 modders/mappers. YR map actions and events are disabled in FAData.ini. If no problems are reported, will move the attachment to first post.
Recently found out that FA2Ext.dll (from AlexB) which works with syringe is hosted at stuffhost. Don't know if it was publicly announced or I am the only one who is unaware of it. It adds YR script actions and YR specific parameters for script actions 0 (attack targettype) and 11 (new mission). It changes eva, sound01 and theme INI references to YR counterparts (*md) apart from other changes. Currently, it is compatible with the FA2 patches for YR that I have put together.
Edit: Updated attachment moved to first post. Last edited by E1 Elite on Mon Dec 14, 2020 11:56 am; edited 2 times in total QUICK_EDIT
For "no-YR" you also have to uncap the terrain limits if you add any custom terrain (RA2TileMax), and a few things I do in the one I distribute for SE editing. Furthermore the entire existence of what's classed as YR unit/buildings would have to go for the chance you imported the YR assets to your mod without changing their names. Likewise with the overlays that trigger YR mode, can't add more overlays, you can only replace existing ones.
Updated the attachment in the previous post. Now it ignores RA2TileMax, YRInfantry, YROverlay etc. and YR check in events/actions defined in FAData.ini. Only new theaters of YR will be flagged as needing YR. Test it now. QUICK_EDIT
Minor UI changes and updating FAData.ini with or without FA2Ext.dll doesn't affect reading overlays/tiles from game.
You are supposed to merge FAData.ini changes from TX FA2 and copy its marble.mix. Then, on first run of this FA2, point the location of the game to which contains TX changes. QUICK_EDIT
My friend, I have been trying for a long time to create a large map for RA2 using your Final Alert, but when I try to set a size larger than 208x208, the editor simply closes and nothing happens.
I have made attempts to create a large map using windows 7 and windows XP. The result is the same, the editor just closes.
Sometimes a message appears like the picture below.
It is the limitation of FA2, when it crosses certain number of cells in a map, it crashes or hangs. 208x209 or 209x208 is what it comes close to an equal width and height. Even with this limit you can have map sizes like 108x404, 124x352, 154x282, 174x250, 250x174, 282x154, 352x124, 404x108, 428x84, 448x64, 458x54 etc. When creating a new map with this patched FA2, calculation info is given in that window.
That problem with FA2 needs expertise in reverse engineering to fix, which is beyond my capability.
What you can do currently is that make a map of the maximum size that FA2 allows and increase the inner boundary to as much as possible and finish the map. Finally use the included MapResize tool to extend its outer boundary by a few more cells in width and height. Such maps won't open in FA2 anymore. If needed generate the preview with CnC Map Renderer for such maps. Even though the playable area will be close to 208x208, the total map size could be made like 232x232. QUICK_EDIT
This is a port of the patched FA2 to work with FA2sp.dll. Attaching a test build to play with. Run it with RunFA2sp.bat and check if it works. FA2sp is not compatible with FA2Ext, so don't put FA2Ext.dll in the FA2 folder.
FA2sp already has most features of current FA2Ext and has additional functionality, check details in readme at the github link above. Couldn't find the dropdown implementation of [ParamTypes] Superweapon (Ares) 39, used for event #77. There may be other trigger event/action dropdown differences between FA2Ext and FA2sp. Minor bugs like script action 16, 17, dropdown doesn't show the script/team name properly. Additional features are kept commented at top of FAData.ini which needs testing.
Source code changes from the base github repo of secsome (commit as of 2021-03-08 ) is attached. As UI preferences are of personal choice, haven't made a pull request. Will do PR if needed or the source code could be picked up from here and selectively merged as needed.
Edit: Attachments removed in favour of new releases. Last edited by E1 Elite on Sat May 08, 2021 5:53 am; edited 1 time in total QUICK_EDIT
Unzip FA2YRPsp_20210310.7z with tools like 7-zip to a folder of your choice. Then run RunFA2sp.bat. On first run select the RA2,exe from your YR installation. QUICK_EDIT
okay i did that, and it launches a version of fa2 with a slightly modified GUI... but the github entry shows improvements to fa2, for example;
Code:
Teamtypes and Scripttypes are now able to use Clone just as Triggers
House colors will be correctly drawn instead of using a hardcoded set of colors (for most, yellow)
Tile manager, can be helpful while you are having lots of tiles
Hope you are running it with the RunFA2sp.bat, not the FA2 exe directly.
There are clone buttons next to add in teams and script window, it makes copy of the current entry adding clone to its name. Tile manager button is in the split window bar, next to tiles and overlay dropdown. Also uncomment [Sides] section in FAData.ini. QUICK_EDIT
the clone button alone makes this an epic win for ra2 modding only 20 years too late. tile manager also could solve the insanity
that is working with several hundred tile sets at once... though ra2 in particular has had no real attempts at terrain expansion
to speak of.
anyways, this is quite an exiting development. thanks for showing me how to use it. QUICK_EDIT
This one is a test build. [ExtConfigs] working could be improved. You need OverlayFilter=yes to get overlay dropdown to fill up with entries, Should get all features of FA2Ext into this etc. to substitute FA2Ext with this. QUICK_EDIT
Another test build with changes to FA2sp.dll and FAData.ini.
Source code changes over the base github repo of secsome (commit as of 2021-03-11) is attached.
Edit: Attachments removed in favour of new releases. Check first post. Last edited by E1 Elite on Wed May 12, 2021 8:53 am; edited 1 time in total QUICK_EDIT
FA2sp changes in short from SECSOME, since last release include script action insert mode, move up/down, clone buttons for AITrigger, trigger event and action, drawing takeover of SHP, voxels (credit to library from Thomas), building outlines etc., correction to turrets, upgrades and palette usage, object visibility options in menu, autosave map, waypoint color options, able to run multiple instances of FA2, houses allies editor etc.
In the release, the sidebar enhancement with FA2sp is still kept switched off, it can be enabled with setting in FAData.ini as [ExtConfigs] BrowserRedraw=yes, BrowserRedraw.GuessMode=0 and BrowserRedraw.CleanUp=yes. Curently, with FA2sp, the sidebar doesn't refresh on house list changes, just save and reload the map (Ctrl+S, Ctrl+O) to get it updated. QUICK_EDIT
It uses syringe to inject FA2sp.dll code into FA2 exe (now with .dat extension). My old patched FA2 now takes advantage of the changes provided by FA2sp.dll. Now several UI elements need the DLL to function.
The FA2sp.dll (in main FA2 folder) should run with vanilla FA2 exe also but that would lack some changes provided by the patched FA2 exe.
Just run FA2SPLaunch.exe. You could use the RA2 only version. QUICK_EDIT
I just didn't see it clearly stated anywhere if the exe changes were rolled into the loader/syringe, or even what filename it looks for in the case people have the *_P.exe ... _________________ http://www.moddb.com/mods/scorched-earth-ra2-mod-with-smart-ai QUICK_EDIT
Those old *_P.exe are no longer fully compatible as several features are now FA2sp.dll dependent. So the FA2 exe is modified further and is now named as FinalAlert2YR.dat for YR and FinalAlertRA2.dat for RA2 only package.
All old patches are now part of the included .dat file and/or FA2sp.dll.
Launcher looks for FinalAlert2YR.exe, FinalAlert2YR.dat, FinalAlertRA2.exe and FinalAlertRA2.dat in that order, whichever is found first.
If you want to bring forward some changes in FAData.ini, it can be compared and added to the one included in the package. QUICK_EDIT
Ok I just installed the Syringe version to test, and it's not picking up my custom palettes in cache.mix ... is this an oversight or ?
Addendum: I mentioned before that the tile limits need to be increased for mods adding terrain, I notice in fadata.ini it's still some low values? I use 2000 in my previously modified ini. If these are entirely ignored that's fine, it's just not clear... _________________ http://www.moddb.com/mods/scorched-earth-ra2-mod-with-smart-ai QUICK_EDIT
As you mod RA2 only, use the patched FA2 for RA2 only (No YR). Run with FA2SPLaunch. On first run, select your mod installation folder for game path.
Palettes like isotem/unittem etc. gets picked up like any other file, even from ecache/expand mix files and it works properly. Just tested custom isotem.pal in expandXX.mix. Though FA2 might look for cache.mix inside ra2.mix only, if that is the case, copy your palette into expand mix etc..
RA2 only version ignores all checks for YR (including FAData entries and YR files present in the game folder) and considers the map to be RA2 only, except if the map is of new YR theaters like desert. QUICK_EDIT
1. I did obviously to install it
2. So is there no way to add a loose cache.mix to the list of files checked for palettes? For a RA2 mod it's the only way to change palettes
3. Ok _________________ http://www.moddb.com/mods/scorched-earth-ra2-mod-with-smart-ai QUICK_EDIT
2. Just make a copy of your cache.mix and rename it to like ecache88.mix. Because of game's mix loading order, RA2 should use cache.mix content over ecache and FA2 will use ecache content for the way it is coded. QUICK_EDIT
Guys, let's think together about how we can increase the size of the created map, at least up to 256X256. This would be the most revolutionary improvement to the FA2.
Are there people here who understand how to do this? QUICK_EDIT
Big map sizes like 256x256 is now possible with updated FA2sp.dll. I am not able to get into building the DLL myself. So the patched FA2 package could be updated with the following steps:
- preferable to use the package from here which has minor change in FAData.ini when compared to the package in first post of this thread.
- get the latest FA2sp.dll from here and replace the older one in the package.
- update FAData.ini if needed by checking the changelog from here. QUICK_EDIT
The updated voxel rendering code shows them at the right scale, but the offsets are all wrong when there's shrinkage. Also it appears to miscalculate TurretOffset.
where do i get a recent version of fadata.ini? i am trying to patch fa2 to test features from release 1.2.2; the release notes mention
a nonexistant section in my existing fadata and i cannot find the fadata ini that is supposed to go with the dll _________________ visit my moddb profile for .shp downloads and stuff QUICK_EDIT
Unfortunately, a map larger than 216x216 does not work correctly. The lower left corner has no height and surface type data. Any surface is replaced by grass with a height of 0.
Up to 216x216 works well.
This is not a problem with the editor, but with the game itself. QUICK_EDIT
The reason for it is that the game's decoder of IsoMapPack5 section hits an artificial buffer limit at over 9800+ lines in IsoMapPack5 section. Larger map size and/or more terrain details increase the IsoMapPack5 size.
It can be solved in 2 ways:
1. By reducing the number of lines in IsoMapPack5. After finishing the map in FA2, use latest map renderer and use its Compress Tiles Pack option to get the compressed map. If you edit the map again in FA2, it will undo the compression, so have to do it again in map renderer. MapResize can also do it if you are resizing the map.
2. Edit the YR game exe to raise the artificial limit for IsoMapPack5 decoding.
Code:
[IsoMapPack5Limit]
Name=Map IsoMapPack5 section's limit extension.
Description=Extends the number of lines limit from 9750 + few lines to about 3 times of it.
Type=YR
Offset=0xAD344
Original=90 01
Modified=00 03
Offset=0xAD349
Original=80 02
Modified=00 04
Offset=0xAD358
Original=D0 07
Modified=00 18
Both ts-patches (current TSClient) and Vinifera engine extension has this patch for TS.
Another option would be to make FA2 encode better. QUICK_EDIT
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