Combining Mods & RePackaging New Factions

Started by Thor110, September 25, 2017, 06:00:07 AM

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September 25, 2017, 06:00:07 AM Last Edit: September 25, 2017, 11:24:21 AM by Thor110
Hi there

I am looking for anyone who might be interested in helping me start a few mods for Battlefront II as well as modify some current mods for the game.

The main thing I wanted to do was to combine the BF1 cockpit view mod with the Evolved Graphics mod as well as potentially using some of the Battlefront III Beta Assets.

I was also hoping to replace the Medical & Gonk droids in each map with the updated models from the Battlefront III Beta Maps.

As well as, as many other assets as possible, to be updated, replaced or combined.

One example being The Sith Lords II a faction / mod that works with all the Battlefront II maps, but counts towards the Mission Limit Counter as 0 missions.

I was hoping to take this effect and duplicate it into other faction mods.

Mod Pack's are often things I do for friends and people, the hardest part is always getting permission to use the mod, touching things up, getting access to source code and so on.

I would also like to take the new vehicles from one of the updated map / graphic packs and port them in to all of the other maps.

I realise this may be a lengthy project / process, but these are often things I undertake for myself and friends.

Thank you for any advice, help, links or thoughts on the idea.

Any criticism, constructive or otherwise welcome.

Thor110

Edit :

Republic Commando Mod : Compare and convert to a 0 mission Faction like The Sith Lords II
Prosecutor Map : Add other Factions and remove Dark Times
All Maps : Update Medical & Ammo Droids
Space Maps : Update Space Vehicle Models
Land Maps : Update Land Vehicle Models

All Maps : Port any rezzed textures to other maps that might work or are the same, as well as create new textures for some or all of the maps.

All Factions : Update Models & Textures : Pick a selection of the best models and textures from various faction mods and combine into one update.

Battlefront III Beta VS Evolved Assets
Battlefront III Droideka is much better looking
Evolved Super Battle Droid is my preferred model
Most of Evolved models are better
But the .lvl files they replace are also modified in the BF1 Cockpit View Mod, so I am looking to learn how to unpack and repack .lvl files for mods.

Combining them into one and adding faction compatibility to all or any maps relevant to the faction.

Again thank you for reading my super long post, I hope I can spark some interest as, even if it is just for me and friends I would enjoy both putting this together and sharing it if possible.

I took a 2 year course in Game Design and have worked with Unreal 2, 3 & 4, as well as various other game engines, experience with Maya & Photoshop etc, most of the basic skills I will need.

There is a tutorial video serious on youtube for creating a Mod for Battlefront II I will be following that in the next few days as well as reading up any other information I can find, but it seems that a lot of PDF tutorials and relevant information is no longer around on the internet, including many a Mod & Map seem to be no longer obtainable.

I absolutely love restoring old games to their former glory and know how much work has gone into making it possible from the community, I also know many people who, would still struggle to install a mod if I showed them how to do so every step of the way.

Hoping to combine all relevant patches and mods into one file / update for people, kind of like Battlefront II Ultimate Edition, but that is some wierd Russian mod package, I think it's fake too, didn't work for me, was detected as a virus and prevented from running before Instant Action, but that could just be AVG behaving the way it does.

That package also does not include the online patch from you guys, it also includes some awful maps and mods :p

Update :

I also thought best to post here rather than to start an actual mod topic until I know what I am doing with the mod tools and have played around making a few maps.

While gathering as much information as I can, my first aim is to create a set of four / five maps for the KotoR faction from the Conversion Pack.

Provided I manage, the maps will be of Taris from KotoR, Upper, Middle, Lower, Cantina and Apartments are the maps I was thinking of creating.

As well as hopefully lots more provided I can rally a bit of support and help along the way.

I will be reaching out to SWBFGamers, Gametoast and ModDB, especially CdtFox from ModDB as he is working on a mod for updated graphics and factions also, so hoping to team up with some people and get involved.

Wish me luck and feel free to drop suggestions, fire questions and offer advice.

My starting point / entry to this, will be learning how to view and edit maps for Battlefront 1 & 2, so that I can port the Gogo12 or Ginev Best Maps Pack from Battlefront 1 to Battlefront 2.

Thank You

Last Thing

Was also hoping to create and add a KotoR Mandalorian Faction to face off against the other two KotoR factions from the Conversion Pack.

So much in mind, often little will get done, but the ideas are there, all I need is somebody to guide me through the process so I can start tearing apart the files and creating maps / assets, I have the time, the skill and the desire to make this happen as do many here I am sure, but as many of you will know, learning your way into creating assets for a new engine or modding a new game can often be tricky.

I will sort these comments out sooner or later... :/
"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!" - Gray Fox

1. Does anybody know how to edit player profile files? player.profile?

I would like to offer the option to name the profile, instead of having Player 1.profile the completed profile from moddb.

2. Does anybody know how to edit the loading menu image / graphics?

I would like to alter the loading graphics, I will make something to say Star Wars Battlefront III.

3. Does anybody know how to modify the main game EXE?

I would like to remove Gamespy or replace it one day.

4. Does anybody know if there are any fixes for bloom & anti-aliasing alongside ReShade or ENB?

I was hoping to fix this for my mod.

5. Does anybody know if anyone has modded the exe/main menu to run at 1920 x 1080 without graphical problems?

Again I was hoping to update the menu for my mod.

There are some starting points/questions I would like to ask, incase anybody can give me the long or short answers without me having to do lots of work to find out some of these things might not be possible or at the least I already know they will be more difficult than they sound.

From there my starting point will be to create Korriban from KotoR 2 as a map for BF2.
Potentially including some spooky sith ghosts and jedi padawan as a new faction for the halloween competition, if I decide to do so.

thinking of titling the mod just "Star Wars Battlefront III" but also wanting to do some actual work / modification before making any official posts or announcements.

I have listed in depth some of the goals I hope to achieve for BF2, likely quite messy and difficult to read, but I am working on that.

Another question, does anybody know of any better tutorials, many of the fileshare links and tutorial links are outdated and no longer accessible, there is a series of videos for making a map on youtube, the bf2modtools documentation, then there is swbfgamers, gametoast and moddb.

There are many a detail I need to take in right now, things like poly count, texture resolution limits and so on.
Anyone able to give me the lowdown on some of these things without me having to do hours of meticulous research, trying to avoid making something and having it not work, though these things often still happen.
"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!" - Gray Fox

I might pick this project back up while I am re-creating the maps and learning to edit the maps for KotOR that is part of my current project for both KotOR games.

https://deadlystream.com/topic/6851-wipbeta-expanded-galaxy-project-k1-k2/

The idea was to add all of the maps from both of the KotOR games to Battlefront 2 for the Old Republic Era as well as combining mods and repackaging new factions, I will pick this project back up at some point while I am working on the Expanded Galaxy Project for both KotOR games.

It makes sense for me to pick it back up or at least prepare the maps while I am already working with the KotOR maps.

Thor110
"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!" - Gray Fox

Sorry no one has replied...but your project sounds nice, good luck  :cheers:
Quote from: Abraham Lincoln. on November 04, 1971, 12:34:40 PM
Don't believe everything you read on the internet

Perhaps you could move this to the BF2 Modding thread or a more relevant section as I still have all the files that I was preparing for the mod and am working with the KotOR maps once again.
"A cornered fox is more dangerous than a jackal!" - Gray Fox