Doom3world

I've finally pulled all the information and thrown together a little guide.
Along with a proof of concept tweaks mod.
Grab it here:
http://www.filefront.com/14500291/risk-a5.zip

= Pre SDK Modding of Wolfenstein (2009) Single Player =
Author: Jarad Hansen aka TinMan aka Tex
Guide version: 3

= What =
A guide to pre-SDK modding of Wolfenstein (2009) Single Player
NOTE: modding the game this way would be outside the bounds of Activision Technical Support.
Basically don't request support if you are running a modded game.
This document assumes some knowledge of idTech 4 engines.

= The engine =
Raven seems to have made great strides with the original idTech 4 codebase, a huge am mount has been upgraded or extended with a focus on multiplied of what was originally a PC engine.
As such there is a file streaming system with new file format meaning jumping in straight from a previous idTech 4 knowledge base is not so simple.

= The usual method =
Usually you'd create a folder parallel to the games base folder, and just work on the files you want to edit there, then package the files into pk4 for release.
The problems currently are:
1. Loading a mod in a separate folder is unsupported (fs_game), apparently the new file streaming system doesn't fall back to looking for files in base.
2. si_pure was removed, the nearest equivalent fs_disablePK4s as the name suggests doesn't fall back to the files in the pk4s, so you need to extract all the files from pk4s rather than just the ones you want to modify

= Console Access =
Indispensable for the developer, accessing is also not so simple as in the past.
1. Start wolf2.exe with the command line +set com_allowConsole 1
2. When in game press Right Alt + Left Alt + `

= A mod folder =
Create a folder parallel to base
Wolfenstein\SP
\base
\mymod

= Decls =
1. Open Wolfenstein\SP\base\assets.pk4 in WinRAR. An error message about unexpected end of archive will pop up.
2. Choose 'Repair Archive' from the tools menu. 'Make sure treat corrupted archive as Zip' is selected.
3. This will create a rebuilt.assets.pk4, extract it to your mod folder folder. Messy, I know, but as mentioned above it's the best of the current situation.
4. There's still a few files missing, copy over the fonts folder that should be in the folder this txt file is in and also the def folder.

= Savepath =
Knowing where the engine saves things is naturally important.
On XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<UserName>\Local Settings\Application Data\id Software\WolfSP\
On Vista: C:\AppData\Local\id Software\WolfSP\
You'll seen in \base wolf.cfg and a savegames folder. This is also where the condump command saves to.
Create a folder in here for your mod, using the same name as the one you created in the game folder.
\WolfSP\
\base
\mymod
While you're at it, copy wolf.cfg and save files from base to the folder.

= More Files =
Copy the streampacks folder from base to your mod folder, as well as the maps folder (hope you've got enough space ~4gb ). This step is only necessary due to a pre-sdk limitation.

= Loading up the game for modding =
A couple of command line settings to add to a batch file or shortcut:
+set fs_game mymod (or whatever you called your mod folder).
+set com_SingleDeclFile 0
+set fs_disablepk4s 1

= Modding =
You may want to switch the game to window mode to easily tab in and out.

Edit the decls you want.
Type reloaddecls at the console.
This will usually reset your weapons to a default set, so you may want to load a save game.
Test the changes.
Repeat

If for whatever reason you find yourself at a full screen console without a map loaded enter this at the console:
map game/menu/menu.mpk

= Packaging =
Not so easy here, you don't really want to repackage all the decls, so it's a matter of doing a file search for the files you modified (unmodified files will have a July filestamp) and copying them to another folder to package.
See the Risk mod for further example, in respects to package layout, installation (described in read-me) and batch file to load mod. This mod is set up for installation in base.

= User Mod installation =
The issue here is the fs_game/streamloading problem.
Either we have them install the mod to your mod folder, and have them copy 4Gb from base (streampacks/maps).
Or we have them install the mod to base, which means there will be conflicts if more than one mod is installed as to which files from which mods will load. (See: http://www.modwiki.net/wiki/Id_Tech_4#File_system).

= Thanks and credits =
doom3world forums for method for console access.
seligkram at the Wolfenstein forums for method for extracting assets.pk4
Csimbi at xentax forums for the globals.decls unpacker Wolf2Dec.
ZippyDSMlee at Wolfenstein forums for bringing up a few points, leading to v2.
Sikkpin at doom3world for pointing out the missing post-process effects, thus leading to v3, I had not noticed -_-

Many thanks for this, doing a little mod. Will credit you for this .

There's some further point brought up here:
http://www.wolfenstein.com/board/viewto ... 761#p20761

Mainly me realising/remembering there will likely be conflicts with more than one mod in base heh.

Ok, I've done some def changes and packed for a mod:

- Increased number of corpses on screen from 5 to 10
- Decreased sprint head bobbling
- Decreased melee attack head bobbling on all weapons (except bayonetta)
- Decreased recoil head bobbling on MP40 and MP43

DOWNLOAD: http://www.neuro-lab.net/stuff/neurowolf_v01.zip

Installation instructions included on the file, but are the same TinMan posted above.

Awesome TinMan, that's really cool!

It's a neat problem- thinking up mods you can do with all that's available at this point. Would be neat to see a pure scripting horde mode for sp- something like:

go downtown,
pay 1000Gold,
If you can withstand 5 minutes of random spawning you get 5x the gold, or you lose it all if you die.
... profit?

Good work, TinMan. Now I'll see if there's anything that can be done about removing the tutorial bullshit ("Press [E] to Do Stuff"). Why, Raven, why? I want to play the game, not have my hand held. Even console player's, I'm sure, get tired of seeing that shit after they learn the controls. How hard would it have been to make it optional. With this kind of shit, it's more like playing Dragon's Lair instead of a first-person shooter.

Also. there is a rudimentary leaning mechanic in the game. I wonder if it can be fleshed out without an sdk.

yeah, a mod that removes any retarded tutorials, the annoying arrow-star on the compass and get rid or significantly reduces the veil amulet is a much needed thing.
leaning I miss the most, how many times I am right behind a wall, a door or something and instinctively try to lean but there is no such basic function ! you have to come out and take unneeded damage every time or cheat with the veil but I don´t like it that much and try to use the powers only when seriously outnumbered so leaning is really missed badly in this game.
I mean there is no cover system anyway so why not implement the good old leaning option is beyond me.
thumbs down on this one Raven !
funny thing is that the npc can and do lean all the time ! they properly take cover, lean and even blindly shoot out of cover gears of war style !

save option would be great too, autosaves is ok but why not implement a manual save funcion ?
I want to be able to quit the game exactly where I left it, now I have a save that brings me far too back and I have to rebuy upgrades and weapons and redo a couple of fights that I was already done with, lame ...
consolitis ..., consolitis ...., its seems mandatory nowadays

Thank you TinMan for all that hard work you always do !!!

I really HATE the way that Raven hides and makes modding his games very hard to do, previously do it with Quake 4 and this was partially the reason that Q4 wasn't a success and now they do the same and even more hard and more hidden and difficult to access the scripts, defs, materials files and so on with this new Wolfenstein game in 2k9 !

Why ¿??? Why Raven continues to not make things easier for the IdTech4 mod creators with his games !

Instead, Id Software, Human Head or Nerve, always make his IdTech4 games VERY easy to mod and to create anything you want !!! And i think this is the way to bring much longer life to a game and to make it more popular and to sell more copies of the game, because his life is increased, it has more diversity of play and so on...

Well, i hope that RAVEN would change his mind or i think it will not be worth to buy his games, at least to me.

I really hate the consoles alike things, like just for example...: Useless in game tutorials, treating users like if they where not smart or retarded !!!


Note !...: Yes, i like Q4 & Wolf 2k9 very much, not as i like D3 and ROE, but if only Raven will not cripple his games in any way... Please think more on PC and way less on consoles...

Quake 4 wasn't hidden and complicated. It was exactly the same as Doom 3.

precisely, + Q4 was and is a proper PC game, if you compare to wolf2 there are worlds between, the high-quality standards they used to have till Q4 are gone, sadly wolf2 is just a port, not a particularly poor one but not quite a decent one either.
to me this is also a clear statement to what to expect from Rage PC wise, if they have no problem releasing wolf2 as it is with the id logo on it, they will have zero problems releasing Rage more or less with the same "care" for PC users.
just sad ... and I mean they had plenty of time to do a better job for the PC, they just don´t care anymore .

Yeah the only thing that was "hard" to achieve were the weapons script and ai script wich are hardcoded, but not an issue is just a matter to recompile the source.

So I worked on this last night and was able to remove the tutorial, but, unfortunately, there is a huge problem with this method of "modding". It may just be me (and I kind of hope it is), but when using "com_SingleDeclFile 0", which is needed to read files in the pk4's, post processes no longer work. If you open the console you'll see a ton of warnings saying it can't find such and such post process decl. And it would seem that the post processes are what make wolf look as good as it does because without them, the game looks more Half-Life 2 quality. Can anyone else confirm that I'm not the only one with this problem? You just need to set "com_SingleDeclFile" to "0" (via command line, not cfg) to check. I would love to get this working and upload it?

Huh. You're right. I never noticed till you pointed it out. -_-
It appears there's .decls files in the maps streampacks too.
Unfortunately the tool for unpacking .decls files unpacks them in a way that's easy to repack, rather than the normal files.
And of course we are hitting the xenetax problem where we can't even contact the author to ask if he could fix up the output

Ah, and the avenue I was going to look at to get around streampack files
stream_loosefilemode
gives
Error during initialization: Loose file mode not supported in final build
Oh dear.

And the Wolfenstein forums didn't auto log me in today, and I can't seem to hit my password, possible I'm just misremembering it.
When I click 'I forgot my password' link and submit my email address it takes me to a page saying "You are not authorised to request a new password.
That's pretty baffling.

so there is no workaround for the post process problem ?
I set the FOV to 90 in my player.def and finally have the right Fov but all the eyecandy are gone ?!?
tried setting the FOV through cfg or start commands but it doesn´t work ...
sad, I thought we were ready for modding but this is a huge problem ...

Don't worry
Btw, has anyone seen a thompson? I didn't...

no thompson so far, strangely enough ...
but seriously why they set the FOV to 80 is beyond me, 90 looks and fells much, much better, just right.
and you can´t properly change such a basic thing without sdk ?!?!
why such mistakes in a company with such a long history ?
I mean WTF is that ?
If they managed to achieve such great state of things with idtech4 go figure how moddable is going to be Rage..
Doom 3 is still alive thanks to modders but this wolf2 is going to fall in oblivion in the next couple of weeks

the game is good but has many little flaws which modders could have fixed such as the retarded consolized menues and buttons, the tutorials, the fov, the failed veil amulet, head bob and so on.

:O
I still got the solution... 1) is Doom 3 or even wolf2 (sp) and the 2) is Quake 4. (mp)
ahhhh, the great modable engine (It wasn't that hard to add a thompson...even if it has wrong the hand due I exported it wrong.)
Really...

I gritted my teeth and pulled the post-process settings files together.
Guide (and mod) updated.

very good TinMan, well done, many, many thanks !!
just quickly checked your solution (def-postprocess) and it seems to work now.


now it`s green light to (pre-SDK) mod again !

great progress here

keep up the good work