Enemy Within: Items slots modding.

[TheOldOne822]

That fix was posted before I finished downloading EW so I assumed it was needed. It was my understanding that the hex edit was still needed for DGC.INI but no longer needed for UPK mods.

[Drakous79]

Just for clarification (because I am not running EW myself), from other reports it appeared that EW was reading modified loose INI files like the XEW\DGC.INI without requiring a mod to the EXE. Did you confirm that the EXE mod was necessary, or did you just assume it was needed and tracked down the fix?

 

My loose DGC.ini test failed. iType=eItem_ArmorKevlar, iHPBonus=10 did not work in new game (EW).

[jkjkhardcore]

So From what I understand. I need a hex editor to edit the Exe in order to use resource hacker. Download hex editor, open the exe then run this:

<Patch>
<!-- Read DefaultGameCore.ini from Config Folder -->
<Find> 25 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 49 00 6e 00 69 00 56 00 65 00 72 00 73 00 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 00 00 00 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 58 00 43 00 </Find>
<Replace>25 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 49 00 6e 00 69 00 56 00 65 00 72 00 73 00 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 00 00 00 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 57 00 43 00 </Replace>
</Patch>

 

I've never used a hex editor so I'm gonna take my time, read up on it and what not before I try this.

[Drakous79]

Yes. Open the exe, search for those hex values and do the change. Or use Mod Helper.

 

Basically, you're telling the game that it should use DefaultGameCore.ini from Config directrory instead of executable's resource cache.

 

More background can be found in Wiki's article: Recent Discoveries - Enabling INI loading, if you haven't read it yet.

[jkjkhardcore]

 

Just for clarification (because I am not running EW myself), from other reports it appeared that EW was reading modified loose INI files like the XEW\DGC.INI without requiring a mod to the EXE. Did you confirm that the EXE mod was necessary, or did you just assume it was needed and tracked down the fix?

 

My loose DGC.ini test failed. iType=eItem_ArmorKevlar, iHPBonus=10 did not work in new game (EW).

 

From my understanding, you used a hex edit and you still are not able to modify the DGC.ini?

 

EDIT: Well, I got hxd hex editor an replaced the values. Saved it and tried to run the game crashes lol. It's ok i'm giving up for now. spent too much time reading instead of playing Thank you all for trying to help.

Edited November 17, 2013 by jkjkhardcore

[Drakous79]

From my understanding, you used a hex edit and you still are not able to modify the DGC.ini?

 

EDIT: Well, I got hxd hex editor an replaced the values. Saved it and tried to run the game crashes lol. It's ok i'm giving up for now. spent too much time reading instead of playing Thank you all for trying to help.

 

Nope, I just tried modifying DGC.ini without doing hex edit. I wanted to see, if Firaxis put more settings into DGC for easier modding, but forgot to tell the game to actually use it :mellow:

 

Well, have you tried XCOM EU/EW Mod Helper with EWConfig.xml? It can do the change for you.

 

Or you can give hex edit another go :smile:

Open XComEW.exe in HxD (make sure you have working one before doing the edit).

In the top menu click View - Offset base - Hexadecimal

Double click into bottom left corner of HxD window on text Offset: and type 147874C (hex offset relative to begin) and the cursor should land at 58 hex (X).

 

Edit: EW Patch 1 changelist 398180 offset is 147831C.

 

On the right you should see X.C.o.m.G.a.m.e.\.C.o.n.f.i.g.\.D.e.f.a.u.l.t.G.a.m.e.C.o.r.e...i.n.i

Type 57 or select 58 with mouse and then type 57 (W). Altered values are marked with red color.

Save. Try the game. It worked for me fine, Kevlar had +10 HP bonus.

 

Another way to do it is to hit CTRL+R (search and replace), datatype hex values and:

Search for: 25 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 49 00 6e 00 69 00 56 00 65 00 72 00 73 00 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 00 00 00 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 58 00 43 00
Replace with: 25 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 49 00 6e 00 69 00 56 00 65 00 72 00 73 00 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 00 00 00 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 57 00 43 00

Edited December 6, 2013 by Drakous79

[jkjkhardcore]

 

From my understanding, you used a hex edit and you still are not able to modify the DGC.ini?

 

EDIT: Well, I got hxd hex editor an replaced the values. Saved it and tried to run the game crashes lol. It's ok i'm giving up for now. spent too much time reading instead of playing Thank you all for trying to help.

 

Nope, I just tried modifying DGC.ini without doing hex edit. I wanted to see, if Firaxis put more settings into DGC for easier modding, but forgot to tell the game to actually use it :mellow:

 

Well, have you tried XCOM EU/EW Mod Helper with EWConfig.xml? It can do the change for you.

 

Or you can give hex edit another go :smile:

Open EW executable in HxD (make sure you have working one before doing the edit).

In the top menu click View - Offset base - Hexadecimal

Double click into bottom left corner of HxD window on text Offset: and type 147874C (hex offset relative to begin) and the cursor should land at 58 hex (X).

On the right you should see X.C.o.m.G.a.m.e.\.C.o.n.f.i.g.\.D.e.f.a.u.l.t.G.a.m.e.C.o.r.e...i.n.i

Type 57 or select 58 with mouse and then type 57 (W). Altered values are marked with red color.

Save. Try the game. It worked for me fine, Kevlar had +10 HP bonus.

 

Another way to do it is to hit CTRL+R (search and replace), datatype hex values and:

Search for: 25 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 49 00 6e 00 69 00 56 00 65 00 72 00 73 00 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 00 00 00 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 58 00 43 00
Replace with: 25 00 64 00 00 00 00 00 49 00 6e 00 69 00 56 00 65 00 72 00 73 00 69 00 6f 00 6e 00 00 00 00 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 2e 00 2e 00 5c 00 57 00 43 00

Thank you for the information, but I'm just gonna use binding key hacks for now. There are way too many games and not enough time to play them all atm. Balder's gate 2 EE and total war rome 2 are both out (though the latter really sucks even with mods).

[akab20032002]

I read with interest the part relative to the grid view, I'd like to know what are the steps needed to implement it properly. In the specific case with the latest expansion Enemy Within.

I have already successfully performed some modifications with resourcehack, which at the moment seems to me the only tool that works with the latest version from Steam.

Thank you for any suggestions you can provide me :wink:

[TheOldOne822]

To manual install a ToolBoks custom mod (like the grid view for EW) you need to do a few things.

 

You need a way to decompress the UPK files (ToolBoks has one but will not do it for you ATM but I'll tell you haw to use it)

A hex editor (I use HxD for most stuff)

a text editor (you may be able to get away with windows notepad for some but I use Notepad++)

BACKUPS if somthing goes wrong

resourcehack is optional but if it's working for you use it (I tend to do the hex edit on the exe to load DGC.ini so I don't need yo use resourcehack)

 

Before you do anything with the EW files back them up.

 

Installing

 

Open the custom mod you want to install in a text editor (in this case "Item Grid EW.txt")

Look for any lines that start "UPK_FILE=" (in this case that's just UICollection_Strategy_SF.upk) backup those files and copy them from "\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\XEW\XComGame\CookedPCConsole" to wherever you have ToolBoks.

Decompress the copied upu files using decompress.exe (you should be able to just drag them to the exe to do that)

Move the upk files in the new unpacked folder to "\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\XEW\XComGame\CookedPCConsole" (rest of line not needed for UICollection_Strategy_SF.upk) and remove any corresponding .uncompressed_size files only the .uncompressed_size for UPKs you have decompressed.

Open the UPK files to be edited in your hex editor.

Go back to the text editor after the "UPK_FILE="line there is an "OFFSET=" line (That tells where to start the edit) copy the number and go back to your hex editor.

In HxD there is an OFFSET: in the bottom left you can double click on that to bring up the goto offset. Click the "dec" box and make sure the "begin" boes is checked than past the number copied form the mods "OFFSET=" line and click ok (it may be different in other hex editors)

go back to the text editor and under the { INSTALL } line select THE WHOLE LINE (it will be broken into multiple lines in windows notepad even if word wrap is off so use Notepadd++) and copy it

back in HxD press Ctrl+B or chose edit and select "Past Write" NOT Crtl+V OR "PAST INSERT"

Save

The "Item Grid EW.txt" is only set to change the item view. INI edits are needed to use mote items.

to use more items the DGC.ini lines for armors need to be changed. each armor has it's own "iSmallItems=" setting that controls how many item can be used with that armor (the game will crash if you go above 16 small items but remember there is the +1 small item upgrade so don't go above 15 here)

 

Custom mod DGC.ini edits are under [iNI] and just replace the equivalent INI lines in the DGC.ini file with whatever is in the mod.

[PROM3TH3US]

To manual install a ToolBoks custom mod (like the grid view for EW) you need to do a few things.

 

You need a way to decompress the UPK files (ToolBoks has one but will not do it for you ATM but I'll tell you haw to use it)

A hex editor (I use HxD for most stuff)

a text editor (you may be able to get away with windows notepad for some but I use Notepad++)

BACKUPS if somthing goes wrong

resourcehack is optional but if it's working for you use it (I tend to do the hex edit on the exe to load DGC.ini so I don't need yo use resourcehack)

 

Before you do anything with the EW files back them up.

 

Installing

 

Open the custom mod you want to install in a text editor (in this case "Item Grid EW.txt")

Look for any lines that start "UPK_FILE=" (in this case that's just UICollection_Strategy_SF.upk) backup those files and copy them from "\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\XEW\XComGame\CookedPCConsole" to wherever you have ToolBoks.

Decompress the copied upu files using decompress.exe (you should be able to just drag them to the exe to do that)

Move the upk files in the new unpacked folder to "\XCom-Enemy-Unknown\XEW\XComGame\CookedPCConsole" (rest of line not needed for UICollection_Strategy_SF.upk) and remove any corresponding .uncompressed_size files only the .uncompressed_size for UPKs you have decompressed.

Open the UPK files to be edited in your hex editor.

Go back to the text editor after the "UPK_FILE="line there is an "OFFSET=" line (That tells where to start the edit) copy the number and go back to your hex editor.

In HxD there is an OFFSET: in the bottom left you can double click on that to bring up the goto offset. Click the "dec" box and make sure the "begin" boes is checked than past the number copied form the mods "OFFSET=" line and click ok (it may be different in other hex editors)

go back to the text editor and under the { INSTALL } line select THE WHOLE LINE (it will be broken into multiple lines in windows notepad even if word wrap is off so use Notepadd++) and copy it

back in HxD press Ctrl+B or chose edit and select "Past Write" NOT Crtl+V OR "PAST INSERT"

Save

The "Item Grid EW.txt" is only set to change the item view. INI edits are needed to use mote items.

to use more items the DGC.ini lines for armors need to be changed. each armor has it's own "iSmallItems=" setting that controls how many item can be used with that armor (the game will crash if you go above 16 small items but remember there is the +1 small item upgrade so don't go above 15 here)

 

Custom mod DGC.ini edits are under [iNI] and just replace the equivalent INI lines in the DGC.ini file with whatever is in the mod.

Thanks. But I'm a bit lost without the visual references. Is there a easier way like can you upload that modded UICollection_Strategy_SF.upk so that we can try to overwrite the original one to see if it work or is it more to it than what we are reading?