Wrote a pak file extractor, modified the game - Page 5

tibmaker · #**101** 08-31-2003, 08:18 AM

Praetorians 2 should have the invaders actually come to Rome which means you get buildings and structures

other than just 1...

BlackDoom · #**102** 08-31-2003, 12:32 PM

You should be all ashamed.
I know a little Pascal programming, enough for complex console tools.
It's imposible that anybody else to not know at least few things too. Read my replies above. Please accept this as a challenge.
Jason, Gorasonas, guys.
Let's do it.

Regards,

BlackDoom.

Pauldls · #**103** 08-31-2003, 02:22 PM

Doom you should write a ptx to bmp converter, i don't know any language otherwise I would. it shouldn't be hard at all, I converted one texture to a normal bmp with a hex editor. the ptx file just doesn't have the 40 byte info header as regualr bmps do.

BlackDoom · #**104** 09-01-2003, 08:32 PM

Well, I never said that I'm a good or lead programmer.
I am best at givin ideas, quite good at design, so I'm best more at support.
Also, I realy feel in my environment when I'm modifying something someone esle did. (I was and I still am mad after the concept of a Rules.ini file like in C&C-TiberianSun/RedAlert)
If You did converted that, then let's us all instal some hex editors and let's RIP ! We meet (here) and we divide the files (ptx) so that everybody gets almost the same number. OK ?
One question : can you do that in reverse? I don't think that Praetorians(the game engine) will ever eat a .bmp file instead of a .ptx.

So ? What do we do next ?

Pauldls · #**105** 09-02-2003, 09:24 PM

You're right it doesn't, I was surprised though. Sure you can do it in reverse but this is a fairly slow process, lol if only I remebered basic, I could probably write it. Maybe I can see what i can do.

Jason Novak · #**106** 09-02-2003, 09:34 PM

Wow ... for some reason I stopped getting notifications when new messages were posted. I just got the first one in about a week, I missed all the new updates from Jare. A converter shouldn't be too hard to do, I'll take a shot at it.

Jason Novak · #**107** 09-03-2003, 09:49 AM

Ok, I finished my converter, did a quick test and I was able to convert a PTX file to a bitmap, edit it, save it, convert it back to a PTX, and reinsert it into the game showing my changes.

http://www.merlinsoftware.com/praetorians/converter.zip

From readme:

"This converts PTX files into standard windows bitmaps and back again. Make sure you save them in the same format in
your graphics editor, ie no compression, same bits per pixel. Drag and drop one or more files into the main window
and it will convert them automatically. Below are two of the objects pak files, look in the textures subfolder. See
my pak file extractor for more details on how to extract and rebuild pak files. The obj_sm.pak seems to affect the game,
perhaps the other is for different resolutions?

Obj_sm.pak
Obj.pak"

Pauldls · #**108** 09-03-2003, 10:38 AM

Why to go Jason, good job! Even works with the tga.ptx files.

Gaius Julius · #**109** 09-04-2003, 07:07 PM

Jason,
I was just wondering if you're going to post any more "tutorials."
I hope you do.

BlackDoom · #**110** 09-04-2003, 07:39 PM

Jason, if you will ever post some tutorials again, and I hope you will, use the next maps:

The Battle of Alexandria
Te End of the Republic
One... More... Fight... (tourMundasss)

I am starting to learn Delphi (6 Personal).
I might write a program for Help (Maps names, maps Def-s, stuff).
Can anyone help me ?

Again, let's do the map editor.
PYRO Studios, Javier, where can we find that editor, or how can we design it ?
It should be something like the map editor of Warcraft III - Reign of Chaos from Blizzard.

So? What's next?

Jason Novak · #**111** 09-04-2003, 07:52 PM

What kind of tutorial do you have in mind?

I don't have much expierence with Delphi. I work in Visual Basic, but I don't have a lot of experience doing graphics work. I think if we had the file format for the pta files a plugin for a dedicated 3D program may be doable, like someone recommended.

I think the next goals for things that we can do now would be to make a new race ... it would have to use existing models but the unit names, stats, and skin could be changed. Someone suggested greeks before .... the pikemen could be re-skinned as a phalanax, etc.

Another goal would be to make a single player campaign. I've been toying with the idea of a mission or campaign based on trap and massacre in the Germany in 9 AD:

http://ancienthistory.about.com/libr...steutoberg.htm

I starting translating a script and figuring out the functions, it's a little slow though since everything is in spanish, and I have to write them in spanish... which I don't know

Another thing that would be interesting would be a tweaked single-player mission where you play it from the barbarian standpoint instead of roman.

aWaKeNiNG · #**112** 09-05-2003, 12:43 AM

Hi Jason, I am Bravehea. I am the one that I said the one to you to make a new race "Greek". The problem is that if re-skinned would be but or less equal the race than the others. Single we would have to ask Jare as we can open to the models 3D. I am Spanish and she does not cost to read I cosay to me of the archives. I could help to create a new race.

Pauldls · #**113** 09-05-2003, 08:44 AM

Unfortunatly I found out that you cannot add new abilties, they are hard coded. You can edit them though. I would be up for adding greece to the playable factions, since the models are so small we could pull it off with just texture and code, the phalax could just through pilums.

Anyone know about the diffrent types of greek soldeirs? We could start from there.

BlackDoom · #**114** 09-06-2003, 08:35 PM

If I remember correctly, tha Age of Empires had few races.
I don't remember very good. Seek some FAQs from the cheat sites lyke DLH ( dlh.net ), or try on Google.
I also heard something about Age of Mythology.
Anyone has an opinion about t ? I never got to play it.

About Delphi help... Recommending a good tutorial would be very nice. I got one from sepsi.za.net (if I'm not wrong) but the one about Pascal from the same site was better. So I didn't get too much.

Examples:

http://dlh.net/chtdb/chtview.php?lan...s=pc&disp=e121
http://dlh.net/chtdb/chtview.php?lan...s=pc&disp=e112
http://dlh.net/chtdb/chtview.php?lan...pc&disp=e27550
http://dlh.net/chtdb/chtview.php?lan...pc&disp=e26249

Mybe you'll find something...

I encountered some problems recently. The last time I got online a powerdown "killed" me for about 2 days (1 in fact).

So the map editor is to be a dream-only component.

I tried the Converter. Although I know how the Archers look or the Soldiers, I couldn't get nothing out of that texture. Quite hard...

Heavy greek Infantry unit : in romanian is called Hoplit, so that would mean in english Hoplit also. I konw the unit exists in the game (AoE)
but can't remember it now.

So. See you next time...
Regards,

BlackDoom · #**115** 09-09-2003, 08:53 PM

When the Wolf finds a Hunters unit, it will Freeze. Once it happened to me (in the last campaign mode mission) to send a Hawk above the Wolf detected Hunters unit; after a while, the hawk got stuck in the air, moving it's wings. Brrrr! The only way out of this mess is to kill the Explorer (hihi). That is not an option in a mission like "One More... Last... Fight..." when you have a light army with only 2 explorers. So, be carefull where you send your wolves.

Regards,

@m · #**116** 09-09-2003, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by BlackDoom
When the Wolf finds a Hunters unit, it will Freeze. Once it happened to me (in the last campaign mode mission) to send a Hawk above the Wolf detected Hunters unit; after a while, the hawk got stuck in the air, moving it's wings. Brrrr! The only way out of this mess is to kill the Explorer (hihi). That is not an option in a mission like "One More... Last... Fight..." when you have a light army with only 2 explorers. So, be carefull where you send your wolves.

Regards,

I thought the patch fixed that?

BlackDoom · #**117** 09-11-2003, 08:12 PM

Well, I somehow didn't got the patch (Dial-Up Connection, Max 3 kbps) and, strange, the exe's version is 1.02 .

pitbullKiller · #**118** 09-18-2003, 08:28 AM

Y got the patch v1.04 and this bug is fixed.

BlackDoom · #**119** 09-19-2003, 08:06 PM

Since the school started, one week ago, my life started to look like a RMX of the Beatels's:

It's been a hard week this week,
And I've studying like a dog,
It's been a harsh week this week,
And now I'm tired, like a log,

But when I think to the Net,
How can I forget,
That I need to get OnLine.
........................

My messages will appear sometimes, probably, onc a week, saturday morning (by my time).

Regards,

FV Constantinus · #**120** 09-20-2003, 03:34 PM

The 1.04 patch is actually very small. 2.5 mb maybe? I have dial-up also. The size made me happy, the Medal of Honor patches were like 50 mb.

SHADOW_PRAETORIAN · #**121** 10-07-2003, 04:50 AM

Ok.
Can Anyone Here Tell Me Exactly On How To Edit Units:
Numbers (eg: Legionarries + Warriors + Soldiers = 100 Men).
Attack And Defence Values.
Speed.
Mana/Stamina.

Also, Formations, Can New Formations Be Made And Can Existing Ones Be Edited?????

**sick** · #**122** 10-10-2003, 12:49 AM

guys, i have enough of modding the commandos games for a while now. gonna (try) modding prae, havnt started the game for a long time now and i think its time to do again...
can someone tell me what news things there are? else i have to read this whole tread...

Jason Novak · #**123** 10-10-2003, 07:16 AM

You can modify just about everything except the physical land scape (you can move around units, buildings, etc) and change the 3D models.

SHADOW_PRAETORIAN · #**124** 10-11-2003, 01:52 AM

I Know What Can Be Modded But I Wanna Know How.
I Read Back And I Understand Non Of It, Please Help Me Guyz.

Jason Novak · #**125** 10-11-2003, 08:26 AM

I did a little tutorial on how to modify an existing map, you can see the link in the first post of this thread

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