Custom Logos for 31cc, GBL... and NetMech???

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Col.Kell
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Custom Logos for 31cc, GBL... and NetMech???

Post by Col.Kell »

Just thought of another wonderful idea: custom logos.

As some of you may know, in the file userstar.bwd, there are gamepiece spec codes that by using a special number, call out certain mech chassis and .MEK files (of course, if these values are set to "FE FF", the sim requires userstar.bwd to call out what files are to be used in 8-byte-long text value, that's... basicly the idea how KAM was made).
The userstar.bwd is a lot like a log, it registers what mech, what varient the player used, and how many starmates there were, and after each mission launch, the shell writes up a new userstar.bwd and erases the old.

Now, whenever you get ready to play a trial of grievance map, you know along with your choice of mech and starmates, you are also able to choose what clan insignia you want your sta, and the enemy star to use, right?
Well, whatever insignias you choose, those get written down to a file called "INSTMAP1.BWD" (I believe that's what it's called), and basicly, INSTMAP1.BWD is the same as USERSTAR.BWD, only instead of being a registry of last used mechs and starmates, it covers insignias. (of course, there is no INSTMAP1 in the campaign missions, as your insignia is predetermaned in the ****SCN1.BWD files)

I am very curious, what if custom logos could be made the same way KAM was made? Now I doubt you'd be able to use your own insignia in the campaigns, as the insignia's are not called out by an external-prj file, but you could most definetly have custom logos in the ToG maps if it does work out.

If this is true and it does work out, then I will include a custom logo patcher in a new version of KAM.

...one other thing, NetMech allows users to choose their own logo by the shell, so there may be a chance NetMech players will be able to use custom logos (again, asuming this does work, and if the people have the same logo .xel with them so they will be able to see it in the game).

I will get to this and see what can be done. I'll extract a few .XEL files from the PRJ and try this idea out.
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Re: Custom Logos for 31cc, GBL... and NetMech???

Post by Col.Kell »

Update;

Unfortunetly, unlike most files that can be given the FE FF tag that will make the sim look outside the PRJ, this does not apply to XEL files. :(

I still believe that custom logos could be made, but I imagine this would require modding the MW2_MAP.BWD file, which I have hardly any understanding of... and then after you get that modded, you would have to mod the SCN1 files so the sim could call out the modded MW2_MAP file...

...does anyone have any advice?
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Re: Custom Logos for 31cc, GBL... and NetMech???

Post by Slavick Kell »

Who says you have to make it usable outside the prj? Why not just make a patcher that will replace unused clan logos like nova cat or steel viper with new xel's? That way you could bypass all that trouble. :)
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