[MOD] [TC/AP] X3 Rebalance Mod (XRM) - Total conversion - v1.30d (02.12.13)

InFlamesForEver · Post by **InFlamesForEver** » Sun, 26. May 13, 17:47

Gray Carlyle wrote:Hello,

Awesome mod so far, but I got a problem with the paranids. Even with a high rating and a police license some of the paranid patrols are red and attacking my property. Any clues why that does happen, and how I can stop that?

Have you tried apologising to them?

D1g1talDragon · Post by **D1g1talDragon** » Sun, 26. May 13, 18:25

adrianx wrote:
adrianx wrote:
paulwheeler wrote:pck is simply the compression format. I've not bothered compressing XRM textures as they are already compressed in their native format. For some reason, Egosoft change the extesions of their dds files to txt.
Yes, I understood that, thanks. What confused me was, what is the difference between the .jpg file and the .txt file. The JPEG has this in it :-

Artifacts:
filename: startJS.txt
verbose: true

but I haven't been able to find out what that means for jpeg yet (too many google hits).

So, after reading that the Artifacts displayed in Imagemagick is a way to add "per-image controls and settings that should NOT be saved with the image" :-

http://www.imagemagick.org/discourse-se ... 4&start=15

I went back into "X3 modmanager" and deleted the pck files associated with the jpg files (in L/true) and was able to start load a new "Advanced Start" game !!

I'll report this to the Linux thread. It still leaves the question what "per-image controls and settings" are in these pck files, and why do they cause that error in Linux ?

Sweet, you found them. I was doing the same and had trouble tracking the portraits down.

Wonder whats in those pck files as well. Especially since they don't cause issues in Windows OpenGL.

adrianx · Post by **adrianx** » Sun, 26. May 13, 18:34

D1g1talDragon wrote: Wonder whats in those pck files as well. Especially since they don't cause issues in Windows OpenGL.

Does the Windows version use OpenGL - there is a DirectX9 directory in the Linux version; I assumed leftover while porting.

gilboa · Post by **gilboa** » Sun, 26. May 13, 18:39

xenicle wrote: Here is my original message : http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... 14#4063614

Thanks. I'll follow the discussion there.

- Gilboa

Gray Carlyle · Post by **Gray Carlyle** » Sun, 26. May 13, 18:39

InFlamesForEver wrote:Have you tried apologising to them?

Cannot do that. The option is not available in the com menu.

gilboa · Post by **gilboa** » Sun, 26. May 13, 18:42

adrianx wrote:
D1g1talDragon wrote: Wonder whats in those pck files as well. Especially since they don't cause issues in Windows OpenGL.
Does the Windows version use OpenGL - there is a DirectX9 directory in the Linux version; I assumed leftover while porting.

As far as I know, X? is DirectX based.
(Specifically, X3R/TC/AP are DX9)

- Gilboa

adrianx · Post by **adrianx** » Sun, 26. May 13, 20:28

gilboa wrote: As far as I know, X? is DirectX based.
(Specifically, X3R/TC/AP are DX9)

- Gilboa

Exactly, in which case the only people that might have come across this problem before will have been Mac users, oh, that is assuming there was a X3TC version for Mac earlier (there wasn't for linux).

Another problem I'm currently looking at is the lack of station announcements when XRM is installed; using base steam install you get the usual docking announcement, but with XRM there is only a few seconds silence then a scratching sound (like amp/speaker being turned off/on). The option is enabled for station announcements.

There maybe another problem related to linux or it may just be I screwed up something when installing.

adrianx · Post by **adrianx** » Sun, 26. May 13, 21:16

adrianx wrote: Another problem I'm currently looking at is the lack of station announcements when XRM is installed; using base steam install you get the usual docking announcement, but with XRM there is only a few seconds silence then a scratching sound (like amp/speaker being turned off/on). The option is enabled for station announcements.

There maybe another problem related to linux or it may just be I screwed up something when installing.

Okay, found out where I think these sounds are located mov/0144.dat. This is where it gets interesting, for the Linux port this file has been converted to "Ogg Vorbis audio (audio/x-vorbis+ogg)" whereas the XRM version (presumably based upon the base version) is "ASF video (video/x-ms-asf)". I'll ask on the Linux thread about this but I assume there was a good reason for using ogg (able to support using standard libraries/codecs perhaps).

At any rate, I'm trying currently to convert the XRM file to ogg (oggconvert which uses gstreamer is creating oggs with static - ffmpeg next) to see if it works correctly then. If so, well, I'm not sure how to procede !

Maj. Tom · Post by **Maj. Tom** » Sun, 26. May 13, 21:46

adrianx wrote: Okay, found out where I think these sounds are located mov/0144.dat. This is where it gets interesting, for the Linux port this file has been converted to "Ogg Vorbis audio (audio/x-vorbis+ogg)" whereas the XRM version (presumably based upon the base version) is "ASF video (video/x-ms-asf)". I'll ask on the Linux thread about this but I assume there was a good reason for using ogg (able to support using standard libraries/codecs perhaps).

At any rate, I'm trying currently to convert the XRM file to ogg (oggconvert which uses gstreamer is creating oggs with static - ffmpeg next) to see if it works correctly then. If so, well, I'm not sure how to procede !

The orginal and XRM version of 00144.dat and 00244.dat are 48 kbps WMA files. If you're having trouble, I may be able to get around to encoding an OGG for you.

Edit: Right.... WMA is ASF... Anyway, I may be able to make an OGG for you.

adrianx · Post by **adrianx** » Sun, 26. May 13, 22:01

Maj. Tom wrote:
adrianx wrote: At any rate, I'm trying currently to convert the XRM file to ogg (oggconvert which uses gstreamer is creating oggs with static - ffmpeg next) to see if it works correctly then. If so, well, I'm not sure how to procede !
The orginal and XRM version of 00144.dat and 00244.dat are 48 kbps WMA files. If you're having trouble, I may be able to get around to encoding an OGG for you.

Thanks but I sorted it out myself, well 00144 only currently to test; converted to ogg using ffmpeg with external libvorbis codec :-

ffmpeg -i 00144.dat -acodec libvorbis -b 48k 00144.ogg

and the docking sounds are back at least so I'll assume that its working.

I don't understand how X knows where to find each sound in the file, and was concerned that converting would change offsets, thus giving the wrong sounds (presumably converting with the correct bitrate produces a file with the same offsets ?).

Will do the same with 00244.dat now. So the question is, are these the only WMA files in XRM, and will it be possible to include vorbis-ogg versions for us poor Linux cousins

so they'll be kept up to date if any changes are made or is it easier to keep an external archive for them ?

Post by **X2-Illuminatus** » Sun, 26. May 13, 22:11

I don't understand how X knows where to find each sound in the file

00044.pck (in the mov folder) is the reference file from the texts in the main text file 0001-L044.xml to the soundfiles (00144.dat and 00244.dat).

Maj. Tom · Post by **Maj. Tom** » Sun, 26. May 13, 22:17

adrianx wrote:So the question is, are these the only WMA files in XRM, and will it be possible to include vorbis-ogg versions for us poor Linux cousins so they'll be kept up to date if any changes are made or is it easier to keep an external archive for them ?

The dialog (00144 and 00244) files are the only WMAs in XRM, and as far as I know the only ones in all of X3. The weapon and misc effects are all MP3s, except for the jump drive sounds which are mixed into the 00144 file. As for including OGGs, that would be up to Paul. It's really not a huge deal for me to encode an OGG as well as a WMA with every release. Not sure if he would want to though- may just add confusion. We'll have to wait and see.

Everything should be OGG anyway for games. WMA and MP3 are poor choices for game sound effects for various reasons.

adrianx · Post by **adrianx** » Sun, 26. May 13, 22:29

X2-Illuminatus wrote:
I don't understand how X knows where to find each sound in the file
00044.pck (in the mov folder) is the reference file from the texts in the main text file 0001-L044.xml to the soundfiles (00144.dat and 00244.dat).

Thanks, and sorry, should have researched a bit more - a quick google now gave me more than enough information about this and many other topics I'll leave til another day.

Smart_Bomb · Post by **Smart_Bomb** » Sun, 26. May 13, 22:35

Paulwheeler, have you ever considered making a youtube video on how to install it step by step for those of us that are better at seeing and doing rather than reading and doing?

You could also show some in game features of the mod to give people who might be interested in trying it a good idea of how awesome it is and the differences between it and vanilla.

Also I dont know what to do with Part 2's: XRM1.29b_PART_2 & the .dat file since there wasn't any instructions I read to do anything with them.

*edit I figured out where it should have gone and now the mod works

D1g1talDragon · Post by **D1g1talDragon** » Sun, 26. May 13, 22:59

adrianx wrote:
X2-Illuminatus wrote:
I don't understand how X knows where to find each sound in the file
00044.pck (in the mov folder) is the reference file from the texts in the main text file 0001-L044.xml to the soundfiles (00144.dat and 00244.dat).
Thanks, and sorry, should have researched a bit more - a quick google now gave me more than enough information about this and many other topics I'll leave til another day.

Not sure that's an XRM specific issue. I didn't have station announcements either until I had Steam verify the TC files, then re-verify AP. But that bug should have been squashed in build 2.

paulwheeler · Post by **paulwheeler** » Sun, 26. May 13, 23:08

Smart_Bomb wrote:Paulwheeler, have you ever considered making a youtube video on how to install it step by step for those of us that are better at seeing and doing rather than reading and doing?

You could also show some in game features of the mod to give people who might be interested in trying it a good idea of how awesome it is and the differences between it and vanilla.

Also I dont know what to do with Part 2's: XRM1.29b_PART_2 & the .dat file since there wasn't any instructions I read to do anything with them.

I'd love to, but I really don't have the time to make videos.

The XRM1.29_PART_2 is the .cat of the cat/dat pair which you are supposed to rename as per the installation instructions - the same for part 1.

Turn on file extensions in Windows and it will all make sense. In Explorer, click "organise", then "folder and search options". On the "view" tab, uncheck "hide extensions for known file types".

paulwheeler · Post by **paulwheeler** » Sun, 26. May 13, 23:10

D1g1talDragon wrote:
Not sure that's an XRM specific issue. I didn't have station announcements either until I had Steam verify the TC files, then re-verify AP. But that bug should have been squashed in build 2.

Verifying Steam will put back the 00044 file into the "mov" folder that you removed as part of the XRM installation.

If you hear silence after removing the 00044 file, then Part 2 of the XRM is incorrectly installed and you are not actually playing the XRM at the moment - you will need to restart your game once you fix this.

Aelhis · Post by **Aelhis** » Sun, 26. May 13, 23:19

Hey guys anyone know wich file I need to edit so that the Phaon Corp is started by default? I mean no need ot go to the AL settings and start it manually?

I'm doing lots of savegames and always forget to activate it until i'm too far ahead...

D1g1talDragon · Post by **D1g1talDragon** » Sun, 26. May 13, 23:25

paulwheeler wrote:
D1g1talDragon wrote:
Not sure that's an XRM specific issue. I didn't have station announcements either until I had Steam verify the TC files, then re-verify AP. But that bug should have been squashed in build 2.
Verifying Steam will put back the 00044 file into the "mov" folder that you removed as part of the XRM installation.

If you hear silence after removing the 00044 file, then Part 2 of the XRM is incorrectly installed and you are not actually playing the XRM at the moment - you will need to restart your game once you fix this.

Ah yes, good point. The missing sound fix in my case was from launching vanilla Linux AP. For XRM you of course need to follow the install instructions, but try verifying TC first and see if sound comes back.

Huillam · Post by **Huillam** » Sun, 26. May 13, 23:40

Any suggestion for a ship to use a TraderMk3 or a CLG (CGS? CLS? Can't remember their name)?
The universe is much more dangerous with XRM and I'm certain than a TS will not survive for long. A Springblossom maybe? Was working properly in vanilla.