Extracting maps as bmps?

[makotech222]

Hello everyone. I'm a long time user in the IE modding scene, first time modder. I was wondering if it would be possible to extract the PS:T maps into readable .BMP files? In addition, is it possible to extract the character models, and are they in an easy to use 3d model format?

[Jarno Mikkola]

Near Infinity can export the .tis(aka the tilesets) files in a .png format easily, which can then be turned into a .bmp or what ever format you wish with other tools. The NI is a java tool.

And nope, the character models are false colored compilations of overlays constructed from .bam files. They are not ... easy to work with.

[makotech222]

So the characters models are all 2d sprites?

 

How about voice/music/sounds? can they be extracted to an easy format as well?

[Jarno Mikkola]

Yep, 2d sprites.

 

The voices and sounds are easy, the game stores them as .wav files(or in a compressed .wavc files). Near Infinity can export them from the games storage files( the .bif) really easily, and the .wav files can be converted to .mp3, .ogg and .wma's with online converters etc. There shouldn't be much problem there.

Music files are a bit more harder, cause the game tries to use continuous tracks and those consist of .mus -files and .acm files. The .acm files can be exported as .wav files, but to then gain the music you of course have to recompile them using the .mus structure as play list and so forth.

[makotech222]

Thank you very much, i'm getting the things i need. I have a few more:

 

1. Map pathing nodes. Is that stored in the files as well?

2. Map interactive items (like barrels, chests). Are their locations stored?

3. How are dialogues stored?

[Jarno Mikkola]

1. Map pathing nodes. Is that stored in the files as well?

2. Map interactive items (like barrels, chests). Are their locations stored?

To be perfectly honest, I can't guarantee that my info is legit on these two(as in, I have not personally utilized these), or how you are going to be able to utilize it but:

1. The info should be stored as a search map .bmp referred in the area overview files. As in, there's no actual pathing node info, just what nodes that can be occupied.

2. Those too are stored in the .are -files, in the containers section.

 

3. How are dialogues stored?

They consist of actual .dlg files, that just refer to the text index(dialog.tlk file that Fiann refers) the while game used for everything and dialog. You are likely better off by editing/making new .d files and trying to compile them as the .dlg's with Weidu, yeah, the readme is really long and you'll learn a lot about editing the games... not that you have to actually know any of it. There's NPC building guides etc... but to guide towards those I would need to know a bit more on what you want with all this ?

Yey, finally a few seconds better at ninja'ing.

[Fiann of the Silver Hand]

1. no clue

2. All sorts of things (spawns, traps, containers, screen text info, etc) on a map are described in ARE files by delineating the outline (usually a trapezoid) corners, then a script for what to do when the area is clicked or entered by a creature.

3. All text is in the dialog.tlk file, with an index for each entry.

 

<Fiann now summons an imp to both correct and distract from the original question.>

 

edit: ninja'd!

[makotech222]

Proof of concept stuff. Thank you for the help. This will be the first place i post if i succeed in anything.

[Avenger]

If BMP is your goal, DLTCEP directly exports/imports tis to bmp.

 

1. Map pathing nodes: they are generated by the game from the searchmap (*SR.BMP)

2. Interactive items: most are stored in the .are file. Door covers (and other covers - we call them wallgroups) are stored in the .wed file.

3. sound format is .acm or .wavc can be converted to normal .wav by commandline tool acm2wav or DLTCEP, or maybe NI.