.lvl files -

DJ9000DEVIL · #**481** 08-19-2009, 07:03 AM

:

Okay so i've decided to postpone my Spy Taunt killing video to have time to record my CamTool tutorial/level building guide. Watch out for in about 1 week from now...I will post it here.

Sweet!!!
thanx bro!

:

Usually the game will lock up if you remove/replace animation files. Replacing screens with screens from other levels works quite well though (just the .cam file) and sometimes it retains some of that screens features (mudokons rescued/killed boards, anything that uses text).

If you replace files from the ps1 (demo was the one I knew how to find .lvl's for) version of the game and use them in the pc version surprisingly it works and the files are smaller, so you can replace all of the pc ones with ps1 ones and it'll be like 3 mb or something. I've also noticed that you can get Abe to have the really slow hop (demo hop) in the PC version and the roll from the demo in the pc version by switching some ban files around.

Might go back to editting it and trying it out later. Oh yeah also, it works vice versa, so you can put stuff from the pc version INTO the ps1 version. If you want to understand more or something just pm me.

Sweeet! can u teach us that?!?! plz

RoryF · #**482** 08-19-2009, 09:34 AM

About the sprite replacing thing it doesn't seem to work on vista because if anything goes slightly wrong it just quits the program! >

But using an old os (I used Windows 98 on a virtual machine!) it makes it able to continue running because old os' does not have the auto safty shutdown! So, you can continue with the sprites in the wrong place. XD

joshkrz · #**483** 08-20-2009, 03:26 PM

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About the sprite replacing thing it doesn't seem to work on vista because if anything goes slightly wrong it just quits the program! >

But using an old os (I used Windows 98 on a virtual machine!) it makes it able to continue running because old os' does not have the auto safty shutdown! So, you can continue with the sprites in the wrong place. XD

How about turning UAC off, running it as an admin or use Windows XP?

Windows 98 is a bit excessive like.

DJ9000DEVIL · #**484** 08-21-2009, 01:09 AM

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How about turning UAC off, running it as an admin or use Windows XP?

Windows 98 is a bit excessive like.

I have vista! and i ALWAYS Run it as admin! and it works fine! without any crashes!!!
BTW. i am looking for a easy way to replace levels/sprites using CE

RoryF · #**485** 08-21-2009, 05:59 AM

I never really tried turning UAC off but it's not my PC so I can't.

I managed to run windows 98 in a vpc, so I still have vista! Although, my Camtool is glitched I must get to it I know how it works but it crashes. Maybe it's the auto crash system.

DJ9000DEVIL · #**486** 08-24-2009, 03:34 AM

:

Okay so i've decided to postpone my Spy Taunt killing video to have time to record my CamTool tutorial/level building guide. Watch out for in about 1 week from now...I will post it here.

Umm... Chubfish when r u going to put that vid.?

Fuzzle Guy · #**487** 08-24-2009, 05:28 AM

Soon, hopefully. Seeings as he intends on leaving here in a month or so.

RoryF · #**488** 08-24-2009, 08:30 AM

:

Soon, hopefully. Seeings as he intends on leaving here in a month or so.

Who's leaving?

***Xavier*** · #**489** 08-24-2009, 09:24 AM

Chubfish apparently:
http://www.oddworldforums.net/poll.p...lts&pollid=702

RoryF · #**490** 08-24-2009, 12:59 PM

Nooo not chubfish!!!

Anyway, I'm fixing my files for the mo' I broke them whilst editing!
I don't know if it's just my pc but if I leave Abe's Exoddus in the background running it crashes. Also, I found a mudokon position code. It says: Mud01 x245 y16. I'm going to see if I can delete the mudokon.

Edit: Don't delete the mudokon because the game super glitches. However you can move the mudokon!

Edit: What I mean by super glitches is the colours go funny.

CakeSnatcher · #**491** 09-12-2009, 12:55 PM

I just started reading this thread and I just found out that these games are editable.

This may sound like a nooby question, but how can I create my own cams using the CamTool? Can you tell me or give me a link to somewhere please?

Paul · #**492** 09-14-2009, 11:22 AM

Wow this thread is STILL going?

***Wil*** · #**493** 09-14-2009, 12:04 PM

Oh Paul, you should have contacted us to help you access your existing account instead of creating a new one. I'm going to reset your password for you, because we don't like users operating multiple accounts.

And YES this thread is still going. You drove people crazy when you promised so much and then disappeared!

Paul · #**494** 09-14-2009, 12:12 PM

If yer could switch it over to the email this account is on that would be cool. And my broken promises where due to some seriously badly and hackily enginnered game engine known as A.L.I.V.E

.........

However! After looking on here at some guys 3D renderings of Zulag One of Rupture Farms I think ripping the orignal sprites as place holders and writing a new engine is fairly decent idea.

***Wil*** · #**495** 09-14-2009, 12:44 PM

I have merged the two accounts. You should receive an email. If not, let me know.

Yes, I expect the A.L.I.V.E. engine is highly convoluted, being as it was never really meant to be unraveled. Especially AE's engine, which was probably built up like a shanty town. But you know how much I'd love the backgrounds from AE? Like, from the very bottom of my beating heart. =P

Chubfish · #**496** 09-14-2009, 01:46 PM

Oh thank god Paul returned.

I was actually still working on the guide.

I only put that I would leave in one month to see who actually cared. /whore

ps: i'll never "leave"

CakeSnatcher · #**497** 09-14-2009, 02:27 PM

Cool I really wanna see that guide.

Paul · #**498** 09-15-2009, 09:42 AM

A guide?

CakeSnatcher · #**499** 09-15-2009, 10:46 AM

Guide for Odd editing.

Paul · #**500** 09-15-2009, 12:00 PM

:

I have merged the two accounts. You should receive an email. If not, let me know.

Yes, I expect the A.L.I.V.E. engine is highly convoluted, being as it was never really meant to be unraveled. Especially AE's engine, which was probably built up like a shanty town. But you know how much I'd love the backgrounds from AE? Like, from the very bottom of my beating heart. =P

Its just bad in every sense of the word, anyhoo I started reversing the few functions that decode the AE background files a while ago but gave up.

I think it uses MDEC compression which is some piece of hardware in the ps1. But on a PC it seems to be emulating some massive lookup/matrix table that would have been there via hardware on PS1.

So you have this massive amount of data for decoding the compressed background image segments, where it came from and what exactly it is I don't know and will prolly never know.

But there are open source MDEC decompression libs that are used in EPSXE and the likes, since its likely not *exactly* MDEC (its prolly MDEC with a twist) its not trival to figure out. What I was doing was trying to rip the massive hard coded array and then use that as a guide to figure out how it was being used to decode the data.

That part is possible but then it gets very hacky because there is ANOTHER massive array of hard coded magic, only this time it has unrolled loops and junk which makes it even harder to understand.. oh and that function is recursive as well just to top it off

***Wil*** · #**501** 09-15-2009, 12:07 PM

Sheesh. Maybe you could find one of the programmers and get them to help you. I believe Killy had support from Michael Bross when ripping the Munch's Oddysee soundtrack.

Paul · #**502** 09-15-2009, 12:16 PM

Really? Im sure that would violate their NDA? I have asked them before, basically they said that all the coders are dead and gone :/

CakeSnatcher · #**503** 09-15-2009, 12:39 PM

Is it actually possible to change the backgrounds in game properly yet?

Paul · #**504** 09-15-2009, 12:48 PM

In abes oddysee you can change them yeah, not sure what you mean by "properly" though.

Edit: If its any use to anyone the game copies the AE background data segment into buffer prefixed with "VLC " I think this means "Variable Length Code" which means that it is actually using Huffman compression which makes me more conviced that it is MDEC format image. Maybe that insane array of data is the VLC table?

CakeSnatcher · #**505** 09-15-2009, 01:02 PM

I'm not sure how to get the bmps back into the game.

Paul · #**506** 09-15-2009, 01:05 PM

1. Extract the files from the lvl archive
2. Use cam tool to get the orignal bitmap from the cam file you're trying to edit
3. Edit the bitmap to how you want it
4. Use cam tool to replace the background image in the cam file with your new bitmap
5. Put that cam file back into the lvl archive
6. Play the game and go to the cam/screen you edited
7. Pray it works

CakeSnatcher · #**507** 09-15-2009, 01:19 PM

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4. Use cam tool to replace the background image in the cam file with your new bitmap

Not too sure how.

Paul · #**508** 09-15-2009, 01:28 PM

If you check the readme I wrote it should be in there.

CakeSnatcher · #**509** 09-15-2009, 01:35 PM

Oh the Cam Tool I downloaded didn't have a readme.

Paul · #**510** 09-15-2009, 01:39 PM

if you get the one in this thread it will do