ModEnc² - User contributions [en]

Rules.ini

2016-07-25T16:09:55Z

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The rules.ini (naming variations for expansions) is the core file of C&C modding. As indicated by the name, it contains the "rules" of the game – the properties of every object, weapon, warhead, etc. in the game. For any C&C game from {{Ra}} to {{Yr}}, this is the main modification file. For [[Generals]] and everything else based on the [[SAGE]] [[engine]], the INI-system is more complex and wide-spread.

Disregarding the side functions of the other various [[INIs|INI files]] (like [[ai.ini]] or [[art.ini]]), there is no way to make any changes to the game other than what the rules.ini allows for{{fnl|1}}. Not everything in the game is customizable. Features that cannot be modified are called [[hardcoded|"hardcoded"]] features.

==File Locations==
{| align="center" cellpadding="4" class="table_descrow"
!Game
!Location
!Notes
|-
|{{ra}}
|{{tt|redalert.mix}} {{Arr|r}} {{tt|local.mix}}
|
|-
|{{ts}}
|{{tt|tibsun.mix}} {{Arr|r}} {{tt|local.mix}}
|The patches add a new rules.ini to {{tt|patch.mix}}
|-
|{{fs}}
|{{tt|expand01.mix}}
|rules-equivalent is called {{tt|firestrm.ini}}, the mix also contains a new {{tt|rules.ini}} ''for regular TS''.
|-
|{{ra2}}
|{{tt|ra2.mix}} {{Arr|r}} {{tt|local.mix}}
|
|-
|{{yr}}
|{{tt|expandmd01.mix}}
|Called {{tt|rules'''md'''.ini}}, for '''m'''ission '''d'''isk.
|}

==Footnotes==
{{fn|1|An exception to this would be pd's [[RockPatch]].}}

== See Also ==
*[[Art.ini]]
*[[Sound.ini]]
*[[Hardcoded|Hardcoded features]]
*[[:Category:Rules(md).ini Sections|Rules(md).ini Sections]]
*[[:Category:Rules(md).ini Flags|Rules(md).ini Flags]]
*[[:Category:Lists_of_Applicable_INI_Flags|Lists of Applicable INI Flags]]

[[Category:General Editing Information]]
[[Category:INI Files]]

__NOTOC__

Recommended Utilities

2016-07-25T16:09:19Z

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== Tools ==

A categorized list of programs that are used by modders. For info about each of these file types, click each header.

=== [[File_Types#.MIX|.MIX editing]] ===

* [[XCC:Mixer|XCC Mixer]] - (by Olaf van der Spek) Part of the [[XCC|XCC Utilities]] suite of programs. ''The'' most important tool.

=== [[File_Types#.SHP|.SHP editing]] ===

* [[OS:SHP Builder|OS SHP Builder]] - (by Banshee & Stucuk).
* Many people prefer [[converting SHP files into PCX]] and editing them with standard, full-featured graphic programs such as [http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/main.html Photoshop], [http://www.corel.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=Corel3/Products/Display&pfid=1047024307383 Paint Shop Pro] and others. [[Irfanview|IrfanView]] can also help in this situation.

=== [[File_Types#.SHP|.SHP viewing]] ===
*[http://www.ppmsite.com/forum/index.php?f=372 SHP Shell Extension] - (by CnCVK)

=== [[File_Types#.VXL|.VXL editing]] ===

* [[OS:Voxel Section Editor III|Voxel Section Editor III]] - (by Will, Plasmadroid, Koen, Stucuk and Banshee).
* [[OS:Voxel Viewer|OS Voxel Viewer]] - (by Stucuk and Banshee).
* [http://www.ppmsite.com/#editing_tools Cube Normalizer] - (by Stucuk and Banshee).

=== [[File_Types#.HVA|.HVA editing]] ===

* [[OS:HVA Builder|OS HVA Builder]] - (by Stucuk and Banshee).
* DMZ's HVA Editor - (by DMZ).

=== [[File_Types#.INI|.INI editing]] ===

To edit INI files, all you need is a plain text editor, although additional functionality such as section listing or syntax highlighting is also quite useful:

* [http://www.textpad.com/products/textpad/index.html TextPad]
* [http://notepad-plus.sourceforge.net/uk/site.htm NotePad++]
* [http://www.editpadpro.com/ EditPad Pro]
* A lot more on the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_text_editors List of Text Editors on Wikipedia]

There are also several text oriented INI editors with functionality specifically tailored for editing the C&C games:

* INI Editor 2 - (by OmegaRed).
* XCC INI Editor - (by Olaf van der Spek), discontinued?.
* [http://dc.strategy-x.com/checker INI Checker] - (by DCoder) Used to debug your INI files for errors (does '''not''' support RockPatch or NPatch in any way, outdated).

You will also find a number of other INI Editors that provide you with a graphical interface to edit INI files by (e.g. TibEd, SunEdit 2K, SunForge etc...) It is recommended that modders '''do not use''' these for their editing needs, as they give you bad habits and make you lazy, as you will get used to the program doing a lot for you. There are a number of inherant disadvantages of using a graphical editing interface over pure text editing, in which any unique 'hacks' (like the [[particle-trick]]) cannot be carried out, and the program itself can have internal bugs which corrupt your work.

=== [[File_Types#.MAP, .MPR, .YRM, .YRO|Map editing]] ===

* [[Matze's tools|FinalAlert 2]] - (by Matze) For Yuri's Revenge. The one and only Final Alert 2. Use the latest version.
* [[Matze's tools|FinalSun]] - (by Matze) For Tiberian Sun / Firestorm.

=== [[File_Types#.TEM, .SNO, .URB, .UBN, .LUN, .DES|Terrain editing]] ===

* [[XCC:TMP Editor|XCC TMP Editor]] - The only terrain file editor available so far.

=== [[File_Types#.CSF| CSF String editing]] ===

* [http://xccu.sourceforge.net XCC String Table Editor] - (by Olaf Van Der Spek) The [[XCC:Mixer|XCC Mixer]] program includes a built-in string table editor.
* - RA2StrEdit.

=== [[File_Types#.BAG/.IDX|Bag Audio editing]] ===

* [[XCC:Main|XCC Mixer]] - The Mixer includes a built-in Sound Editor.

=== Sound related ===

* [http://marshall.cannis.net/ Playlist Modifier] - modify your in-game soundtrack with ease.
* [http://xccu.sourceforge.net XCC AUD/IMA ADPCM WAV Writer Plug-Ins] - WinAmp plugins which will convert souncds to [[File_Types#.AUD|AUD]] and [[File_Types#.WAV|IMA ADPCM WAV]] files.

=== [[File_Types#.VPL|.VPL editing]] ===

* [http://www.ppmsite.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30681 Starkku's VPLEdit]
* [http://ppmsite.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=30026&postorder=asc&start=99 Secondwtq's VPL Editor] (registration to PPM required to view this one)

=== Mod Launchers ===

* [http://xccu.sourceforge.net XCC Mod Creator/Launcher] - XCC MC/L. Most mods released nowadays use this launcher, as it is really convenient.
* [[LaunchBase:Overview|LaunchBase]] High advanced Mod Launcher with plugin system (Beta State).
* [http://www.federationstudios.net/index.php?page=xrml XRML Mod Launcher] - Saberhawk's plugin-based mod launcher. ''Still in development, not publicly available.''

=== .TLB viewing ===

* [http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=5233b70d-d9b2-4cb5-aeb6-45664be858b6&DisplayLang=en OLE View] - (by Microsoft)

=== Other ===

* [http://marshall.cannis.net/ Cleanup Program] - Cleans your RA2/YR directory from mod files which can conflict woith other mods.
* [http://dc.strategy-x.com/files/ Saberhawk's RA2/YR Update] - game launcher executables stripped from any non-essential code. Increases game start-up speed.

[[Category:Tools]]
[[Category:General Editing Information]]

Tiberian Sun

2016-07-25T16:08:37Z

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{{GameBar
|name=Tiberian Sun
|image=tsbox.jpg
|dev=Westwood Studios
|dates=27.08.1999
|version=2.03
|site=http://www.ea.com/official/cc/firstdecade/us/index.jsp
}}
Continuation of [[Tiberian Dawn]]. This is the second game in the Tiberian series, taking place in the 2030's, after C&C. Unlike C&C and Red Alert, Tiberian Sun took place in the third person. The player either assumed control of Commander McNeil (GDI), or General Anton Slavick (Nod. The campaigns, however, were still separate. The GDI campaign leads to Firestorm, and the Nod campaign would end the series. The game sticks out a lot compared to the other C&Cs, and dips its feet into the SciFi realm heavily, having battle mechs replace tanks, and the gloomier atmosphere. Deemed the 'black sheep' of C&C, Tiberian Sun wasen't as well recieved as its predecessors. The expansion pack, Firestorm, as a consequence, was relatively small. However, it seemed to gain a new life in the modding community in the early 2000s

==Development==
Tiberian Sun was based on an updated [[Red Alert]] engine which was also used (with significant changes) for [[Firestorm]], [[Red Alert 2]] and [[Yuri's Revenge]].

Tiberian Sun had a rough development. Spending four years in development, and losing its lead designer (Erik Yeo), halfway through. The acquisition of Westwood Studios by Electronic Arts had little to no affect on development, however. The replacement of Yeo with Adam Isgreen, however, did. Isgreen helped bring the project to closure, and by 1999, Tiberian Sun was finally released, however, not as 'perfect' as the previews made it seem.

It introduced NewIniFormat=4, VXL files, new SHP and MIX formats and new INI systems. The VXL files were used for vehicles and aircraft, whreas the SHP(ts) format was used for animations, buildings, and infantry/wildlife.

It contains 2 CDs, just like its predecessors - one required for GDI missions and another for Nod. Installation can be done with either CD, and is simply a matter of preference.

==New INI files==
New INI files: [[Art.ini|ART.INI]], [[Battle.ini|BATTLE.INI]], [[Mapsel.ini|MAPSEL.INI]], [[Ai.ini|AI.INI]], [[Theme.ini|THEME.INI]], [[Sound.ini|SOUND.INI]]

==Screenshots==
Beta TS versions 
[[Image:Ts01.jpg]] 
[[Image:Ts2.jpg]]

{{CnC Navigation
|prevgame=[[Red Alert]]
|nextgame=[[Red Alert 2]]
|prevadd=[[Aftermath]]
|nextadd=[[Firestorm]]
}}

RockPatch

2016-07-25T16:08:18Z

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{{RockPatch}}

The ''RockPatch'' was an unofficial patch or "exe hack" for [[Westwood]]'s [[Yuri's Revenge]], created by [[pd]] and later continued by [[VK]]. Major code contributions were also made by [[jonwil]], and [[Marshall]] frequently wrapped the releases into a convenient patcher, before he eventually created an automated program for the coders to do this themselves. RockPatch gained fame through the fact that, for the first time ever, someone overcame {{Ini|rules}} limitations and modded YR in a way that could not be done via INI modifications{{fnl|1}}. It was also revolutionary in a different kind of way: it finally proved that the key to extending or modding the engine were not the often-cited .TLB-files, but the {{tt|game(md).exe}} itself.

Having been created on January 14, 2005, RockPatch ran for two and a half years, until development was ceased on June 08, 2007. As of now, it has been superseded by the '''[[Portal:Ares|Ares]]''' project.

The highest created RockPatch version is 1.10, and it can be downloaded from [http://vk.cncguild.net/ VK's official site], as well as from mirrors [http://dc.strategy-x.com/_rp here] or [http://rtb.creativegaming.net/ here].

==The History of RockPatch==

===The original thread(s)===
"Who needs TLB files to modify the game?" - these were the magical first words spoken by pd to the DeeZire community, closely followed by "gamemd.exe hacked - new country added!", the name of his now legendary thread.
Although at first greeted with a little suspicion, due to the dozens of n00bs having claimed game hacks before, he talked more convincing than anyone before and, as the first one so far, actually provided proof for his claims. The modders celebrated. But this wouldn't be YR modding if it was that easy. Quickly, the usually lazy moderator-henchmen of DeeZire showed up, and, instead of protecting our holy grail from the n00b armies, laid waste to our hopes and closed the thread.

Luckily, this is the internet. Forums are replaceable. Within mere hours, a new thread was opened at Renegade's forums, and word was spread through instant messengers – when the thread was reopened not even 28 hours later, we had already migrated.

===The new thread===
Sheltered from DeeZire's evil influence, developement skyrocketed. Soon talks of a "real", community-issued YR 1.002 started, and more and more features were added to the game. The thread spawned [[RockPatch:Wishlist|a wishlist]] and several other pages at ModEnc{{fnl|2}}, and is currently the most-visited, most important and most-posted-in thread at the Renegade Projects Forums (1,267 replies, 64 pages).

===The Next Generation===
On September 15, 2006, pd [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=416 resigned from writing RockPatch], citing a lack of time and no motivation to continue working on it as the reasons. 
RockPatch was taken over by '''CnCVK''', who coded it simultaneously with [[ETS|The Extended Tiberian Sun Engine]]; unfortunately, VK and the community did not get along well, leading to constant fights over his coding and management style, his (lack of) documentation, support, and continuously broken compatibility. One problem in particular was the perceived bugginess of VK's releases - it was later revealed by himself that [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=741&pid=9537#pid9537 "[He] always test[s] only basic things; [he] assume[s] that other bugs will be found by [the] community."]. All in all, the amount of problems and anger was so big that even pd came back to post an angry thread asking [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=633 WHAT the hell is going on?].

As a response, VK seemed to have planned [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=661&pid=8611#pid8611 "RP Project Rules"], similar to the ones he uses for [[ETS]], which, among other things, declared that a bug was only a bug if it actually triggered an [[Internal Error]] (which, logically, would have drastically reduced the number of "bugs" RPCE had). These rules never came into being in this form, possibly because of the instant backlash right after their first mentioning, but he did post an even stricter set of rules with the release of RP 1.10.

Yet, the release of 1.10 was an adventurous ride on its own - things escalated when Renegade wrote and posted a ModEnc-page mapping VK's version names to version numbers similar to the ones used by pd: VK [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=741&pid=9469#pid9469 put development of RP 1.10 on hold], threatening to not resume until the page was deleted. Not going to let VK dictate what stays on his server and what doesn't, Renegade refused. The community was unevenly split between a large majority supporting VK, because they didn't care for the page and didn't want RockPatch to stop, and a minority telling VK he was overreacting, and that there was no reason to do this. 
Parallelly, an editing and revision war broke out on ModEnc, with VK trying to remove the content he didn't like, and the administration rolling back his edits, until the page was protected and VK was banned for vandalism. The matter was "resolved" after some time, when a compromise page was written that showed the "real" versioning on top, separately from the mapping, and [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=741&pid=9901#pid9901 VK declared all RockPatch Documentation on ModEnc unofficial].

With that and the release of RP 1.10, things finally seemed to have turned for the better - until it was clear that VK, in effort to keep down the negative comments about his work, was [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=781&pid=10022#pid10022 trying to prohibit ''any'' further discussion of RockPatch], and practically reduced support to elite modders who met very specific requirements. He also [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=781&pid=10038#pid10038 started to "blacklist" people] who violated these "rules". 
All of this, especially the ban of discussions, lead to another outbreak from pd...

===The End of RockPatch===
On June 05, 2007, [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=781&pid=10092#pid10092 pd revoked VK's right to use the name "RockPatch"]. VK ignored this, and released RP 1.10 #0036 a day later. After some more discussion, on June 08, 2007, VK [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=795&pid=10170#pid10170 declared the project ended] due to the technical limits of the YR engine being reached. In the same post, he announced that he was going to write his own engine (joining the ranks of several other projects already running). For some time, this seemed to have been the end of RockPatch. VK continued hacking the exe with his new "[[NPatch]]" project, a thinly-veiled continuation of RockPatch (using 1.10 as its basis), but as his style of work didn't change, the community mostly followed him out of necessity (him being the only exe hacker around) rather than enthusiasm.

===A New Hope===
After some work behind the scenes and a [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=888&pid=11016#pid11016 silent pre-announcement] a few days earlier, on October 19, 2007, pd officially announced [http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=892 the development of RockPatch 2] (currently known as '''[[Portal:Ares|Ares]]'''. Contrary to VK's "let the users find the bugs" mentality, pd made it a point to say {{quote|pd|RockPatch2 has been created from scratch, which means unlike in NPatch, none of my old code is left. 
The purpose of this should be clear: RockPatch2 is to be bug free, and I must say I have done a good job until now for that matter.}}
While this announcement is sure to win over the hearts of many who have loathed the bugfest that were the later RP versions, he also announced that he ''"will not do everything VK did for the NPatch and if you need a certain NPatch feature badly, you will have to use NPatch instead."'

===The Death of NPatch===
On November 6, 2008, after almost a year since the last release of NPatch, one of Revora's community members [http://forums.revora.net/index.php?showtopic=53248&view=findpost&p=647139 spoke with VK about the status of NPatch]. VK replied that he wouldn't return to finish NPatch, and declared it a dead project, and that if he returned, he would create his own engine.

==Footnotes==
{{fn|1|Truth to be told, there were actually some projects re-enabling the third campaign button through a similar method. However, there's a big difference between looking at game.exe, looking at gamemd.exe, and then filling the gaps, and adding entirely new code and features into the game.}}
{{fn|2|At the time of the original writing, the page "YR 1.001pd Wishlist" was actually the most popular page on ModEnc, with 7,589 views, followed by the Main Page with 5,025 views, and then by the other two RockPatch pages, YR 1.001pd Votelist (3,757 views) and YR 1.001pd Status (2,899 views); due to the deletion of these original pages after moving RockPatch to its own namespace, these statistics are lost.}}

===Trivia===
*After the closure at DeeZire.net, it actually took DeeZire ''one month'' to come by and state that he didn't have that much of a problem with the discussion. We were long gone.
*Back when the key to perfect [[normals]] was discovered, Renegade actually predicted full game hacks as the next big discovery - albeit still thinking of the old way. (Post lost through [[The Backup]], the uttered line was close to "Wow! First [x], now perfect normals...what's next? TLB hacks, anyone?")

==See also==
*[http://forums.renegadeprojects.com/showthread.php?tid=416 Original farewell thread at RenegadeProjects.com]
*[http://rtb.strategy-x.com Rock the Battlefield, pd's website]
*[http://dc.strategy-x.com/_rp DCoder's RockPatch Mirror]
*[http://rtb.creativegaming.net/ gordon-creAtive's Inofficial RockPatch Page]
*[http://vk.cncguild.net/ NPatch and ETS]

[[Category:RockPatch]][[Category:Mods and Patches]]
__NOTOC__
[[Category:Portals]]

Template:Ini

2016-07-25T16:06:21Z

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<includeonly>{{#switch:{{{2}}}|text|txt|t={{{1|rules}}}(md).ini|#default=[[{{{1|rules}}}.ini|{{{1|rules}}}(md).ini]]}}</includeonly><noinclude>
==Usage==

===Quick Link Generation===
{{Ini{{!}}''ini-name''}}
Copy and paste the code above and replace ''ini-name'' with the name of the [[INI]] file you want to link, without the file extension and the "md" suffix. If parameter 1 is omitted, it defaults to <code>rules</code>.

====Example====
<pre>{{Ini|rules}}</pre>
This code yields {{ini|rules}}.

===Formatted Text Generation===
This template can also be used to render standardized formatting of INI filenames as text.

====Example====
<pre>{{Ini|rules|txt}}</pre>
This code simply yields {{ini|rules|txt}}. This is used where standardized formatting is important. In most cases it would be easier to simply type it out.
</noinclude>