New WAE to MOFI Level Converter - What would you like in it?

jafo1015 · Post by **jafo1015** » Mon Jan 03, 2011 8:30 pm

Hey all,

It looks like I've re-learned enough object oriented programming to make a level converter that will support the WOPs I recently posted (RetroScouge, RetroUfo, RetroZBot, and tentacles.) I will also make it capable of handling chloopy's WOP's as well, so you will only need one program to convert them all.

So, since I'm making a new program from scratch, I thought I'd ask everyone's opinion what they'd like to see in this program. So far, my ideas are:

1: Support for cbloopy's WOPs as well as mine.
2: Easily add more WOPs if more are discovered (conversion data will be stored in a separate file)
3: Multi-file conversion support
4: Select custom music

I may also add hub conversion support on a later version, but right now I just want to get the converter done. Still, I'll take suggestions for a user-friendly hub converter. My idea so far:

In addition to the master.dat editor, put objects in the hub levels themselves that the converter would use to set the master.dat files. For example, something like a general command button that the converter would use to set the coordinates for win and lose conditions and any commands to be executed.

Let me know what you think, or even if you want a new conversion program at all.

Guppy Star · Post by **Guppy Star** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:00 am

Instead of master dat editor, you can make some options in ADVENTURE STAR.wop

ID
ACTIVE
DAT0
Z ADJUST
can you add following?

Lose X goal
Lose Y goal
Lose room no
Win X goal
Win Y goal
Win room no
First Command
Data1
Data2
Data3
Data4
Second Command
...
Third Command
...
more commands if possible

Please?

Qloof234 · Post by **Qloof234** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 10:22 am

Guppy Star wrote:Instead of master dat editor, you can make some options in ADVENTURE STAR.wop

ID
ACTIVE
DAT0
Z ADJUST
can you add following?

Lose X goal
Lose Y goal
Lose room no
Win X goal
Win Y goal
Win room no
First Command
Data1
Data2
Data3
Data4
Second Command
...
Third Command
...
more commands if possible

Please?

Not possible. That'd be changing key components of WA, which is something we are not capable of, physically or legally. The best we can do right now is if someone made a Master.dat editor for the entire thing (that could edit those variables as well).

jafo1015 · Post by **jafo1015** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 2:39 pm

Guppy Star wrote:Instead of master dat editor, you can make some options in ADVENTURE STAR.wop

ID
ACTIVE
DAT0
Z ADJUST
can you add following?

Lose X goal
Lose Y goal
Lose room no
Win X goal
Win Y goal
Win room no
First Command
Data1
Data2
Data3
Data4
Second Command
...
Third Command
...
more commands if possible

Please?

This is actually one of my plans for a hub converter. It appears the adventure star has enough unused data bytes to store "Win X,Y,Room and Lose X,Y,Room." I can't label them as such, they will instead be labeled as something like "Data2,Data3, etc." But it should still be easier than having to edit each master.dat file for every adventure.

As for the commands, think I can modify a general command button so that it's inactive and cannot be activated. The hub converter would then search for this object, take what data it needs from it, and put it in the master.dat file. Also, I'll keep the master.dat editor part, but add options to change to a custom music file, or change the win condition to include "rescue baby boomers" and "capture all crabs."

Right now, I have actual work to do, so I'm just concentrating on getting the level converter part done. Hub converter will have to wait until my work lets up a bit. But don't worry, my son will keep pestering me to do it, so I won't put it off forever.

P.S. It looks like we've figured out the Magic Mirror thingy. Testing.....

Guppy Star · Post by **Guppy Star** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 3:16 pm

jafo1015 wrote:
Right now, I have actual work to do, so I'm just concentrating on getting the level converter part done. Hub converter will have to wait until my work lets up a bit. But don't worry, my son will keep pestering me to do it, so I won't put it off forever.

P.S. It looks like we've figured out the Magic Mirror thingy. Testing.....

Which is your son's username in the forum if he has one?
How do you edit wonderland and do all converter work?

jafo1015 · Post by **jafo1015** » Tue Jan 04, 2011 4:22 pm

Guppy Star wrote:
Which is your son's username in the forum if he has one?
How do you edit wonderland and do all converter work?

My son's still a little young to be unleashed upon internet bulletin boards, so he shares my username.

To make the converter programs, I'm using Microsoft Visual Studio Express 2010, it's free as long as you don't mind having a Windows Live account, and it supports Basic, C++, C# and Javascript.

The WOPs are a result of looking in a .wlv file with a HEX editor until we find the object we want, such as "!RetroScouge". Then, copy the chunk of data for it into a new file and name it "whatever.wop" We usually have to play around with the data bytes a little to figure out what byte controls what property, and we have to erase the x and y coordinates before we have a useful WOP. Since the WA Editor was made before MOFI, it doesn't recognize !RetroScouge, and crashes. So, we replace that with something like !Scritter, which it does know, but keep the logic for the Scouge. The converter program simply replaces !Scritter back to !RetroScouge, so it will play correctly in the game. All of this finding and replacing can be done manually in a HEX editor, but that would be a real pain if you have a lot of MOFI objects. For that matter, you can write an entire level from scratch with nothing but a HEX editor, provided you know what all the data bytes mean, but that would just be INSANE.

Guppy Star · Post by **Guppy Star** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 9:34 am

You can edit cblopy's mofi level converter to add your new WOP's and support both his and yours, or edit the hacked editor as well, similarly

jafo1015 · Post by **jafo1015** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:32 pm

Guppy Star wrote:You can edit cblopy's mofi level converter to add your new WOP's and support both his and yours, or edit the hacked editor as well, similarly

I can't modify cbloopy's converter without the source code, and I have no idea how he hacked the editor. That took programming knowledge way beyond what I have.

tyteen4a03 · Post by **tyteen4a03** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 3:38 pm

What programming language will this be in?

jafo1015 · Post by **jafo1015** » Wed Jan 05, 2011 5:10 pm

tyteen4a03 wrote:What programming language will this be in?

This will be in Visual Basic since I don't know c++ or c#.

Guppy Star · Post by **Guppy Star** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 12:53 pm

How is your converter going?

jafo1015 · Post by **jafo1015** » Wed Jan 12, 2011 4:19 pm

Guppy Star wrote:How is your converter going?

Making progress. Should be done with the converter part by the end of this week or beginning of next. I'll release it then and add other features later.

DEEMAN223344 · Post by **DEEMAN223344** » Mon Jan 17, 2011 9:55 pm

jafo1015 wrote:
Guppy Star wrote:Instead of master dat editor, you can make some options in ADVENTURE STAR.wop

ID
ACTIVE
DAT0
Z ADJUST
can you add following?

Lose X goal
Lose Y goal
Lose room no
Win X goal
Win Y goal
Win room no
First Command
Data1
Data2
Data3
Data4
Second Command
...
Third Command
...
more commands if possible

Please?
This is actually one of my plans for a hub converter. It appears the adventure star has enough unused data bytes to store "Win X,Y,Room and Lose X,Y,Room." I can't label them as such, they will instead be labeled as something like "Data2,Data3, etc." But it should still be easier than having to edit each master.dat file for every adventure.

As for the commands, think I can modify a general command button so that it's inactive and cannot be activated. The hub converter would then search for this object, take what data it needs from it, and put it in the master.dat file. Also, I'll keep the master.dat editor part, but add options to change to a custom music file, or change the win condition to include "rescue baby boomers" and "capture all crabs."

Right now, I have actual work to do, so I'm just concentrating on getting the level converter part done. Hub converter will have to wait until my work lets up a bit. But don't worry, my son will keep pestering me to do it, so I won't put it off forever.

P.S. It looks like we've figured out the Magic Mirror thingy. Testing.....

That's impossible, because that data is stored in the master.dat's not adventure stars. And that's the only way it would work.