Jagged Alliance: Back in Action Message Board  

Download JARK from;

ja2smp.no-ip.org/projects/programs

Then follow the poster above instructions on how to extract.

From there reading around will let you work how/what to edit.

Just done it myself so will try to post back here if you get stuck

Apparently having more than 5 traits causes the game to crash (not tested this myself)

[Edited by monkeybob101, 4/8/2012 7:17:53 AM]

anyway to slow down spawning of enemy patrols or stop it all together

He spells it out pretty well in the first post.

And you do not need the jark program, just download the already converted files from the link he provides and create a configs folder in your game directory, mine is programfiles(86)/Steam/SteamApps/common/jabia/bin_win32/new folder I created called configs.

Then with a text editor, (notepad) you can change the values and save the file and the game will use those files instead of the default ones.

It took me all of 2 minutes to register on the site and download the files.

AVG says it's a safe site.

[Edited by sirchet, 5/1/2012 4:06:40 PM]

[Edited by sirchet, 5/1/2012 4:07:48 PM]

I have completed the game and I did alot of mods to the .txt files (characters.txt, items.txt, weapons.txt, clothings.txt and ammunition.txt, as well as main_locations.txt). However, I just now tried to start a new game at the v1.13 version of jabia and none of the modded files work any more.

The v1.13 update makes some pretty radical changes to game play options and I suspect that previously modded txt files are no longer read properly by the game.

I also downloaded the jark program to try to generate new txt files to mod that would be compatible with v1.13, but evidently I am not using the program correctly. When I click "Read from Memory" I simply get a line called "processes". So, how you get mod-able txt files from jark is not clear to me.Any insights on this would be appreciated.

So, if anyone has had success modding v1.13, please give me a clue.

Thanks

[Edited by Badbart586, 5/3/2012 9:11:38 AM]

Use pak_magick.exe to unpack configs_win32.pak.crypt You will get all the txt files and you will be able to modify them.

github.com/sbobovyc/JA-BiA-Tools/blob/master/dist/pak_magick.exe

Hello, I was unable to manage to find all the files needed to do that, so i came up with some other solution.
my issue was I truly do not like them cappying of level 10 on the mercs, so i found a way around it by editing the save games.

if you are here you want to at least know about it so here is how it works.
but before anything, this may corrupt your game, so you do it at your own risk.

I only changed the "experience" and "level" of the mercs even so i think i managed to understand all the other "attributes" of them.

So first, get into the game, find the exact name, experience and if possible all the attributes of the merc you want to change.
Second, save (so you know this file is the latest).
make a backup of this save (easier to check for "modified time" to know which one is really the last.
Open some exadecimal editor (can be free one, notepad ++ extension or whatever, but better if they can find.
also open the windows calculator in programming mode (or equivalent if you have any other OS).
Once you open the save game with the hexadecimal editor. Find the name of the merc you want to change. (this will change it after you recluted so you may not change it before).
you will notice that there are 2 names of it rather near each other, and a third one far away, for all that is needed you need the secon near one (they are separated by less than 32 bytes (less than 2 lines in the editor).
the second marks the start of it
From that exact point it will end with a number (not sure but that seem the number of order in the squad or of hired/reclutment), you will find 00 00 00, some normal data then some number and again 00 00 00, that last number before the second trio of 0's is the agility (if you put that number in hexa in the calculator, then you pass to decimal you may check its the agility), then all the attrubutes are in order.
I think (but never tried ) you can actually change that. I suggest not to raise above 100 as the game will notice you are chating if so.

now that for changing attributes (including skills).
for level/experience. you need to do a bit more, with the exact number of experience. place in the calculator (example 6045 -> gives 179D), the calculator will tell the hexadecimla, now there is a trick to this. you must shift this number in this way, 179D, you will be found as 9D17 (inverted 2 by 2), and you only need 2 because its capped to 23049,then you search for this number using binary search, but be sure to start from the merc name and not before, when you ind, check going just a bit up that is the same merc, you should put this to 0 (if you only change the level i am not sure this will not cause the game to crash). this will actually only substract experience (but not change all the points you already added).

now you need to also lower the level to level 1. for that make a back search from the position you just changed, searching for the level (in hexadecimal), remember that 10 is A the rest is 0n (n being the level). it should be a few bytes from the position you just changed then, save
and your merc will be of level 1 but with all the stats of level 10 (or whatever level it had). but it will pass levels again.

also do NOT rely on any position from one save to another, if you changed at some position in one save that position may change on other. so thats why its so important to actually know the data so you can search for it.

AGAIN IMPORTANT: this is truly not safe, so as i explained make a backup file in other folder and do not change the names to them. So if your game crashes, just delete the save and copy the backup to fix.
also altering any other position you may cause anything, so you will do at your own risk.