----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Halo Map Tools by MonoxideC v0.3b - 9/13/2003 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Whats's New/Fixed - Changed the name to 'Halo Map Tools' since now more resources are supported and even more will be supported in future releases. - Fixed error in sound channel info. - Added texture extraction and injection in the same easy interface. - Enabled sound extraction (see note below) - Added batch extraction of all textures and sounds in a map. * Since there are already tools out there that allow the extraction of sounds as well as textures, I saw no point in disabling that feature any longer, so from now on extraction will be fully enabled! Also note that many textures (about 1/4) are not readable yet, but most major textures work fine. Because of that, i decided to go ahead and release this version and do more research and testing in the meantime. Haven't done much with this project in the last week, so no reason to withhold it any longer :) BTW: I'm not using any of KornKob's bansinject injection code so any problems with either of our apps are completely unrelated. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FAQ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Q: What is it? A: A tool that allow you to extract as well as inject over any existing sound or texture in a Halo Xbox map file. Q: I get an error when I launch the program! WHY? A: You probably don't have the .NET framework installed. Yes it's required. Q: When I try to play an extracted sound it gives me an error! A: You need the Xbox ADPCM Codec to play extracted sounds, and you'll have to find it yourself. Try one of "the usual places" Q: When I goto the XBADPCM Encode GUI, it says that the encoder was not found. A: xbadpcmencode.exe is an app thats compiled from code that's included with the XDK, thus it can't be legally distributed. I use it for quick and easy encoding of PCM standard linear wav files. If you have this tool, you may find the GUI useful. If not, however, you can still save XBOX ADPCM from your favorite sound editor as long as you have the codec installed. Q: How do i read these DDS files? You'll need either the DirectX Texture App/something similar or a plugin for your favorite imaging app (assuming that it doesn't support dds natively) Nvidia has a great set of DDS tools available on their website. (do a search for 'nvidia dds tools' or something similar) Q: I don't understand how to use this shit! A: Wow you obviously didn't try very hard. Q: What's all this track and chunk bullshit? A: A given sound structure in a map is split into tracks, and each track is composed of one or more chunks. Q: Why? A: Because. Q: Are there any Easter Eggs in this app? A: Well there is, but it's impossible to get to at the moment becuase of some interface changes ;) Q: Where can I report bugs? A: Find me in #halohacker on freenode - bug reports will be appreciated! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Credit goes out to everyone involved in the Halo hacking scene! Especially Slayer for giving everyone something to work off of. Extra credit to Slayer in this release for bitmap metadata info. Again, thanks to Boll for more great Beta testing. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- :: 09-13-2003 ::