13-11-19, 01:00 | #1 |
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 651
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Modyfing the TR1 EXE ( ATI , DOSBOX )
Hello there once again fellow raiders!
Taking in account that Feder is going on with his TR1 project I dare myself to investigate a little bit the TR1 EXE. Most of the setup features of the engine are harcoded within the exe ( strings, paths, secrets ) so it's possible -more or less- to hack the file and find some interisting things. First of all the you have to unpack the file in the same folder where the main game files are. It works for both versions: ATI and DOS BOX. -What this tool I called "TR1 modifier" does is to change the name strings of each level by another of the same length ( or less ). The length of each string is harcoded somewhere but not possible to modify. -Following the string of the level name is a field where you can modify the number of secrets per level . The exe allows an amount of 127 sectres per level, so the range goes from zero ( none ) to 127. ( one byte storage ) -Finally, the level path can be replaced by another path string of the same length.. ( length harcoded)..in the example, level1.phd was changed to caves.phd You can see -in game- the name TEST replacing the string Caves. Also the number of secrets was modified to 100. FINAL NOTE Either tombati.exe, Tomb-V.exe or Tomb.exe must be marked as NON Read-Only, otherwise saving procedure won't take effect. Select tombati.exe, Tomb-V or tomb.exe, right click and select properties. Then uncheck Read only if it is marked. Well, I guess that's all for now. I think that this is the most relevant about hacking the TR1: level names, numbr of secrets... of course it is possible to go even far and discover lot of things but that would require an exhaustive work and I'm not a hex engineer just a programmer with some common sense about tomb raider stuff. DOWNLOAD Version 2.2 Updated 14/09/2020 MEDIAFIRE LINK ( RAR ) : http://www.mediafire.com/file/855ha6...+v2.2.rar/file GOOGLE DRIVE LINK ( EXE ): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V53...ew?usp=sharing MEGA LINK ( EXE ): https://mega.nz/file/DY1hyYxL#rXk9oD...8GU7NMl63L4Oyo Last edited by DaroRaider; 14-09-20 at 15:08. |
15-11-19, 17:22 | #2 |
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Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 413
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Daro, what would we do without you? Over the last year you provide us with lots of useful tools, investing your own time and for free! So thank you for all your effort and hats off for this accomplishment my friend
Now my Nordic Adventure will have proper level names and free placement of secrets |
17-11-19, 15:10 | #3 | |
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 651
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Quote:
As long as this help us to keep motivated building levels, I will try to follow contributing to keep that enthusiasm high. Hope we are still aboard for long long time. ----------------------------------- I was a bit lazy but I finally finished making the tool in its final version. UPDATE: Support to change the name of keys and items for both ATI and DOSBOX version. NOTE: The tool allows you to change the strings only. The string configuration to appear at a certain level is harcoded. The strings of the items only appear in the levels for which it is configured, sorry. Download updated at first post. Good luck! Last edited by DaroRaider; 23-02-20 at 23:26. |
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17-04-20, 23:40 | #4 |
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Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 7,001
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Hey DaroRaider!
Want to thank you for this little tool! Gone are the days of particular, string limit hex editing in tomb.exe haha! May I ask though (I'm not on PC to test) If you were to change level1s data folder assignment from data/level1.phd to data/cut1.phd within your tool - would the game then force Cut1 to play? Or would all its cutscene properties be hardcoded to that specific level slot That extends to anyway- did you come across anything about GAMEFLOW in your studies? A few of us are quite curious to know if TR1 uses a gameflow process like TR2, yet embedded. The potential for changing flags like All Level Select, and possibly even DOZY. |
20-04-20, 18:46 | #5 | |
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 651
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Quote:
thank for all your kind words and interest in my tool. What you ask me about gameflow properties is harcoded and I have no chances to study all in detail. Every thing I discovered was using a simple logic. I'm not an advanced hex engineer to make a fully tool to patch the TR1 exe in all their functions. I apologize in advance if I cannot assist with all your concerns or needs. The tool will be polished little by little as I have more data precision and time to study the exe file in depth during this quarantine period we are living. ------------------------------------------------- Update to version 2.1 New update come with the chance to modify now both: Tomb.exe and Tomb-V.exe file executables. Tomb.exe runs the Basic Version of DOS BOX, Tomb-V.exe runs GLIDE version. -Download the TR1 modifier 2.1 version in the same directory where tomb.exe and Tomb-V.exe are. -Open the file tr1 modifier 2.1.exe and a dialog box will ask if you want to work on the executable of the Basic version of DOS BOX (Tomb.exe) or on the GLIDE version of DOS BOX (Tomb-V.exe) Download links in the first post. Last edited by DaroRaider; 23-04-20 at 00:08. |
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24-04-20, 00:48 | #6 | |
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Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 8,922
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Quote:
Hopefully this development will spark interest in the analysis of other classic executables such as TOMB3.EXE and maybe one day we'll be able to patch it to allow different weather conditions in different levels (snow in London, rain in Antartica, etc.). |
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24-04-20, 02:01 | #7 | |
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Joined: Apr 2012
Posts: 10,346
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Quote:
And I complain about TRNG being buggy |
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24-04-20, 06:02 | #8 |
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Joined: Jan 2006
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24-04-20, 06:16 | #9 |
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24-04-20, 07:42 | #10 |
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Joined: Aug 2013
Posts: 686
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Amusingly enough in the PS1 version of TR3 the executable doesn't need to be modified to change weather conditions, as in that version the weather is stored as a code module in the level file itself. Although there are only three weather conditions in the whole game. Rain, snow, and the underwater speckle-things. By modifying this I've managed to make it snow in Lara's Home at one point.
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