Patching extra functionality into <gamemd.exe>

[Renegade]

Now imagine DZ had shut this all down months ago...

[pd]

YR wastes its engine.
It can do so much more... if tweaked a bit

Seeing wonderful things like the TS RMG routines, the EMP, and probably a lot more things we didn't discover yet, makes me kinda angry at WW.
They just lie in the game, fully functional, but just disabled.

I really would like to know how they would react if they saw all this.
Hopefully they notice it some time!

[Blade]

The ends of roads were different tiles in TS to what they are in RA2, if you convert a TS map to RA2, you get those tiles at the ends as well.

[Bobingabout]

whole damn post is freeking awsome :beta: :beta: :beta:

The ends of roads were different tiles in TS to what they are in RA2, if you convert a TS map to RA2, you get those tiles at the ends as well.
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Blade just loves explainging things that don't work how you'd have imagined. :???:

even if you just forget to mention something that he knows the answer to, he's post it.

its all usefull info though

[pd]

The ends of roads were different tiles in TS to what they are in RA2, if you convert a TS map to RA2, you get those tiles at the ends as well.
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Road end pieces do work, just not after curves, so I assume the game considers them ends.
I will see whether I can fix them.



BTW, I was able to make SuperAnims work for custom SWs
I think there aren't many bugs left except the chrono sound played by repair IFV (I dunno yet why that happens) and some EVA sounds not working for some SWs.

I will investigate about the IFV problem tomorrow.
The EVA might also get updated for 107.

[Blade]

Be thankful I confine my explainations and information to just RA2 modding, I'm sure you wouldn't want to be burdened with an explaination of how the female menstrual cycle works for example. If you did of course, here would probably not be the place to be looking

[Bobingabout]

Be thankful I confine my explainations and information to just RA2 modding, I'm sure you wouldn't want to be burdened with an explaination of how the female menstrual cycle works for example. If you did of course, here would probably not be the place to be looking
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:blink: nah....

your posts are fine. they have a purpose, and you know your shit.

[Bobingabout]

PD asked me to test the patch on windows 98. well, when it started, it didn't cause an IE.

aparantly, he's got sight and callspread fixed.

[pd]

to not cause misunderstanding here:
Sight is untouched by me.

but CellSpread is expanded, to 100 again.
and well, BobingAbout is posting really good news here
thanks for the testing!

I think i'm done with 1.07.
i don't have the ambition currently to fix that IFV sound bug, i hope you forgive me

school is really stressy atm and besides I gotta prepare my 18th birthday party on friday, which is also the release date for 1.07 btw

I think I will send that final version to Marshall today to make the patcher.
if there are any really important things to change, please tell me asap

[Marshall]

This post is mainly for pd's benefit and has little to do with the patch content, so my apologies.

I should be able to send the latest patcher program within a few hours of you sending the patch to me. However, I am going away on Friday afternoon and won't be back until Thursday. You've got 2 1/2 days until I'm away for 6 days.

Additionally, my work on the YRCRP and related projects has forced me to limit valid version number formats.

The Rock Patch (and the TX) must, from now on, have a version number format of "X.YY"
Where X is anything from 1 to infinity and YY is any 2-digit number (E.G. 00, 01, 10)
In short, the format "1.07" is fine but "1.07b" won't work.
"9024353463.00" would also be okay.
"9024353463.001" would not be okay.

The reason for this is that a version control ini file will keep a record of component versions and my latest project (yet to be revealed) will check for versions that are 'equal to or higher than' the minimum version. This check works on an integer. The Rock Patch version '1.07' would be stored as "RP=107"
The same system applies for the TX.




Regarding the patcher program, I have rewritten it to improve performance and have less risks:

1. A backup of gamemd.exe is no longer made.

2. gamemd.exe is automatically unpatched when you run the program.
Obviously, the program can't unpatch a non-Rock Patch gamemd.exe

3. You can then choose whether or not to keep the original gamemd, or patch to the latest version of the Rock Patch

4. gamemd.ini is no longer used. Instead, yrcrp.ini is used, which will also be used by the YRCRP

I have made 'unpatches' for versions 1.04 onwards and the program is still only 55KB.


I hope that that information was useful to more than just pd.
My apologies if not, for going off topic.

[Bobingabout]

i'll have to make the apropriate modifications to the ROTC installer, so yes, this is usefull to more than just PD

[pd]

good ideas & work Marshall

but i have maybe one thing.
due to shipping with mods, I compressed the gamemd.exe down to 1.64MB, and surely completely different from the original.

Will this be a problem so it's better to not compress it?
if so, it's no problem at all, I just though it'd be better for several mods.

Anyway, latest possible time i send the exe to you is tomorrow evening, so all that should work fine

[Bobingabout]

my mod only ever distributes the patcher of the latest version, and with it comes a check to make sure its not trying to overite an newer version.

however, renaming the ini file means older versions will try to overite a newer version...

[Marshall]

@ Bobingabout, et al:
The format of the yrcrp.ini after installation of the Rock Patch will be as follows:

[VERSIONS]
YRCRP=0
UMP=0
TX=0
RP=107
YRMAPS=0
ASSAULT=0
YRPM=0
CLEANUP=0

@Bobingabout:
What install system are you using, out of interest? What are the advantages and disadvantages of said system with regards to ROTC?
(PM me this if you'd prefer)

@pd:
Not sure what you mean.
I need the full ordinary gamemd.exe with the additions/changes you have made. If I get that from a zip file or from your own patching system that's fine.
I then make my own patch from [original gamemd 4.58MB] and [RP gamemd 4.67MB]
If you're saying you have modified the gamemd.exe itself so that it is smaller in size then I don't know how that will affect the patching system.
In my opinion, why would a mod ship with the gamemd.exe file? For newbs especially, that could potentially result in an overwritten original gamemd.exe. Bad bad bad!
Mods can just ship with my patching program if they want which is simple to use (now more than ever), only 55KB, and has built in 'unpatch' facility as well as supporting the YRCRP and version control.


Regarding version numbers, FS-21 has suggested expanding the valid format to X.YY.ZZ
However, this would require that YY and ZZ always be stated (EG. "1.07.00" and still must only consist of numbers. It looks more like a date to me than a version number and may confuse people.
If you want to change the Rock Patch format to change then tell me now.
I can have different version formats for different components but they must all be integers in the yrcrp.ini file.

[DCoder]

Mods don't need to ship a patched EXE, they only need to tell the users to "Download Rock Patch from rtb.strategy-x.com" ...
Rock Patch installer carries only the difference between the patched and original file versions. That is not much since most of the exe was not changed. Now that PD has compressed the EXE (btw, what did you use? ASPack? pk? UPX?), I can bet >99% of the contents are different. Thus enlarging the installer.
I think PD should send Marshall both versions, and if the installer growth in the compacted version is visible (which it will most likely be) Marshall should not use the patched version. People who want smaller EXEs can use ASPack or whatever else PD used.
Although, EXE compressors such as ASPack don't come without a price - such an EXE takes longer to start, cause the compressor has to unpack all its contents.
Also, compressed EXEs tend to cause Access Violations if you (or an installer) compress them again. That shouldn't be the case here, since Marshall's installer only carries the difference and not the compressed file itself, but who knows. I got that with my programs, so I don't use an installer for now.