Warhammer 40k: Dawn of War 2 Message Board  

OK, wargear mod up 'n running, thanks for that.
And, I'm a, amateur programmer if you mean langs like C, C++, but not games, so if you'd be willling to make an effort I'd sure like to give it a go.

ok....lets see if i can describe this right

first things first....get all those apps
second, backup the files

gameattrib.sga - contains all unit/item data
gamedefault.sga - contains most importantly squads.lua
gamedefault_delta.sga - contains the most current version of the 1st mission

third, extact the files
1) open up the sga reader, set the directory drop down to extract
2) open gameattrib.sga
3) click on attrib in the left pane
4) double click on any folders present here in the right pane
5) set the extract path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\attrib\
6) open gamedefault.sga
7) double click on any folders present here in the right pane
8) set the extract path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\data\
9) open gamedefault_delta.sga
10) double click on any folders present here in the right pane
11) set the extract path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\data\


ok...everything is now extracted and where it needs to be

step 4, edit files
- *.rbf files need to be converted to text, and back to *.rbf when you are done editing....no other files need conversion
- ill go into more details on this if you really need it in another post

step 5, repackage files
1) open DK - SGA Archive GUI.exe
2) set it to sga version 5
3) open the settings go to the version five tab and pack sure all files types in the data folder are listed, as well as *.rbf (the only files type in attrib)
- these should include
*.abp,*.ai,*.api,*.atmospherepreset,*.bfx,*.bsc,*.camp,
*.coverbox,*.csf,*.dds,*.ems,*.fnt,*.fsb,*.fxo,*.gfx,*.hkanim,
*.hkx,*.info,*.lua,*.marker,*.model,*.module,*.motiontree,
*.mua,*.muax,*.nis,*.rbf,*.rbp,*.rga,*.rgd,*.rgo,*.rgt,*.rmg,
*.scar,*.scenario,*.scenariomarker,*.sga,*.sgb,*.shader,
*.simbox,*.squadai,*.str,*.sua,*.tga,*.ttf,*.txt,*.vgr,
*.vmg,*.wb-scenario,*.xml
4) set the archive name to gameattrib
5) set the archive type to attrib
6) set the input path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\attrib\
7) set the output path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\archives\
7b) dont forget to back up the original files before proceeding
8) create the sga
9) set the archive name to gamedefault_delta
10) set the archive type to data
11) set the input path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\data\
12) set the output path to \dawn of war 2\gameassets\archives\
12b) dont forget to back up the original files before proceeding
13) create the sga

alrighty then, assuming you want to be able to use the wargear mod without using the "-dev" option then you would need to replace the file:
"\dawn of war 2\GameAssets\DATA\campaign\space_marines\missions\ss1_sep1.lua"

with the one from the mod, or you could make your own

lua files are usually table style data, and lua is usually from the python language - i first encountered this with the game "blade of darkness", which i also did some modding of

in attrib:
wargear is the items in game
weapons is the damage, family, and damage type of the weapon wargear
sbps is the base "Squad BluePrintS" - used for seting the max attribute values, and squad memebers
ebps is the base "Entity BluePrintS" - used for a heck of a lot of stuff, most importantly default equipment....they will never be able to remove this equipment but you can drop another equipment over it....kinda like the default armor and weapons - note: this also controls what the PC looks like on the start screen of the game - and can be buggy if say you set the default armor to terminator armor

upgrades - should be self explantory what is here
abilities - should be self explantory what is here

tuning - one of the more important things, the one and only file in here will control, among other things, the default number of accsory slots, how many you get on upgrade, and the rewards for gaining a level and what is required to do so
note: the accessory slots have a max of 3 total, and having a higher number does nothing

in data:
dawn of war 2\GameAssets\DATA\campaign\space_marines\default_profile\squads.lua
controls the starting equipment for the 5 different squads you can control, and thier base experience and attribute points
-note, scripted squads, like cyrus,avitus,thadeus, and davion may or may not have the equipment you assign them here on thier first mission, but they will have it on the next mission and on

so....this is all ive experimented with - anything else feel free to mention, somewhere in all that data should be the settings for darn near everything that isn't hard coded...

[Edited by MJALowe, 9/23/2009 8:25:52 PM]

[Edited by MJALowe, 9/23/2009 8:27:36 PM]

oh ya, you can also add new items, i haven't bothered figuring out how to change names or descriptions....but new items are possible...with new bonuses, better damage, beter AC, etc - they just have the same name as the old one that it was "based" off of

also keep in mind you probably wont be able to play multiplayer after doing this without restoring the default files (assuming the game programmers did thier job right), and if you are able to you will probably get a disconnect or de-sync or some such if you accidentally get anything that you added to the game...like say a new weapon

[Edited by MJALowe, 9/23/2009 8:35:00 PM]

OK, it all went off like clockwork(it's a miracle). Sorry I couldn't get in touch earlier, was in hospital with typhoid. Anyway, thnaks man, my gaming experience completely changed with this, I can now attack on two fronts at once now. BTW, where do you guys learn this stuff? i've researched this sorta thing on the net, but to no avail.