Modding demand

[Binnatics]

Hello modders,

I have a demand. It might be a bit too much to ask, but I'd like a merc, modded in a way that it could be used in the map editor. If you guys could extract a merc from the SP content and give me the file, I'd be more than happy to spend some time trying to merge it into the map editor tool (I might also need a little help / advice with that)

I've no idea if this is even close to realistic, but the opportunities would be endless and great fun, and I have certain ideas to realise with these mercs. 

Just give me a hint if it's possible or not. I'd be more than happy already with a single merc that could pop up in an edited map where I can pop up as well.  >:D

[Binnatics]

Okay, I dived a bit into this, to understand if it's possible, and for what I understand now, is that the mapeditor file is an alternate executable that will open only the parts of the game accessible for map-editing. Same as the farcry2.exe will open the SP. I didn't find anything related to the editor so far between the data-cabinets, so I guess it takes its info from the same sources.

There's no way of getting access to the executable?

Oh, wait. That might not be necessary if I mod the created map :D I'm might be thinking in the wrong direction here I guess :-\\

Edit:
I kept thinking this way, and checked the Dunia tools in the modding directories. I found out the the application used to view DAT archieves has the same label as the Mapeditor-application is that a funny coincidence?
Anyway, I tried to rename a custom made map from *.fc2map into *.dat or into *.fat and tried to open it with the tool. But that didn't w@&k :-\\
It did recognize the file once I named it *.fat but couldn't do anything with it. I think this .fc2map-file should be transformed into both a *.dat and *.fat file to make that w@&k.
Let's first take a look at the inside of the editor....

[PZ]

Good luck Binn, if you can make it w@&k, a whole new experience might develop for FC2 fans.  It would be fun to explore maps if you could get the AI on the map.  I seem to recall someone in the past mentioning why this was not possible, but then again, at the time modding SP was not even thought of.

[Binnatics]

I wish I could manually unwrap these *.fc2map files :D

I'm like a fool reading a mathematics book. Google gets confused of me:

Google

413. That's an error.

Your client issued a request that was too large. That's all we know.

lol ^-^

[Binnatics]

I found a file in the bootstrap content called "object_inventory.xml" held in the directory C:\Program Files (x86)\Ubisoft\Far Cry 2\modding\original\patch\ingameeditor\

It seems editable. But does the bootstrap patcher also patch this content to the game once used?

If so, I could replace a bus-wreck with a buffalo for example. And who knows even with a merc ::)

[MariusLaru]

Okay, I've got one word.  COOP.  I have searched all over this forum and have found nothing about making a Far Cry 2 COOP mod, even though I heard that someone had  tried to go in that direction once and hit a roadblock?

Anyway, I know very little about modding, programming, etc., but I am an AVID COOP fan who is utterly and totally ADDICTED to Far Cry 2 single player, and I would WALK to the store and pay hard-earned money to buy a COOP add-on if there was such a thing in existence.  Do I need to even BEGIN to list the possibilities?  Diamond hunts, Checkpoints, Drive-By's, playing out the infinite number of scenarios that the campaign randomizer creates for each character you play (I've played thru the entire story with every character in the game and am now on my 8TH play-thru).

Anyway, I may not be a programming wiz but I have SOME resources in regards to audio engineering at the recording studio I w@&k at, and I do some web design and graphic arts on the side(like probably 90 percent of you reading this right now).. but the greatest and most valuable resource I could offer is TIME.  I have lots on my hands right now, and I would love to put it to use helping to make the Far Cry 2 COOP dream come to life.  I KNOW I'm not the only COOP' er out here who is SCREAMING for some FC2 multiplayer coop?? 

Please... someone let me know if this is possible, and if not, what do you need to MAKE it possible.

I will be waiting.

Ryan Marshall
Georgia, USA
E-mail:ryanlaw@cox.net
Xfire: MariusLaru
Yahoo: Asmorov
AIM: MariusLaru
MSN: mariuslaru@hotmail.com

[Binnatics]

Cool Marius, I had about the same desire. I don't have the time and patience to go through the entire modding experience to dig up the right code to change the game into coop. I was hoping for a way to be able to edit the multiplayer editor. In that way you could make your own coop game with spawning mercs and guardposts and gunboats etc. etc. I thought there might be a possibility to make that happen, since I see parallels in the modding tools Gibbed made , and the editor.

I took a closer look at the whole modding phenomena for one night, and found out that for me, 99% of the gamefiles and folders are abracadabra. And I have no clue how to make it readable and understandable. What I do expect is that the editor gets its info from the original game files so any mod would probably w@&k out in the multiplayer too. Now it's the question to test that out, and then find the place in the game where you can add or change merc spawning info, and make these extra possibilities accessible in the fc2editor. I'm sure this could be possible, but in the first place I'm too green in modding, and in the second place I don't have the patience to poke around in these endless game folders. I should probably learn to understand the mechanics of the modding program Gibbed made first.

Anyway, if you feel like trying, you can at least try to mod a somewhat smaller coop environment where you can coop to fight the spawning mercs ;)

[PZ]

I'm not good enough at major modding either but a cooperative game would be a fantastic hit.  We've been wanting something like that for a long time.  Binns idea of placing NPCs on MP maps seems like a reasonable one at least to begin coop missions using new maps if for nothing more than hunt and kill missions.

[Binnatics]

If I remember the fun I've had with Art roaming around in self-designed maps just without mercs to shoot, I'm sure the fun would be doubled with these fools around :-()
If anyone ever manages to make mercs available in mp map-editing, that would be fantastic. I have plenty map-ideas to make it worth a try 8)

[Art Blade]

coop would be nice indeed. I think it somehow should be easier to apply bots (mercs) to a MP map than to create a coop mod. Hehe, the legendary endless sniper session with Binnatics on the same map is still fresh in my memory  :-() :-X

[PZ]

You guys remember Pac!ent?  He developed many MP maps that were quite involved.  Using a map editor to even create pseudo co-op play would be cool.  For instance, if a group of 4 people played, two could w@&k together against the other two.  However, it would be great fun if one could place NPCs on the maps.

[Art Blade]

To me it seems as if you were thinking about co-op being a team MP game. To me co-op means to do SP missions with a team of at least two players versus AI. The difference would be the story behind SP to be solved by more than one player as opposed to playing together with two teams opposing each other.

With that in mind, there are team-based MP game types and the map editor allows for creating respective maps. :)

[Binnatics]

I think if we want to re-create the story for coop, it should be necessary to get some of the original FC2 devs on board at least. But trying to create bots is a nice way of thinking. Something should w@&k for the editor ????