[ENG] Modding Tool Collection

Each Mega File begins with a header, followed by the Filename Table, the File Table and finally, the file data. All fields are in little-endian format.

Header:
+0000h numFilenames uint32 ; Number of filenames in the Filename Table
+0004h numFiles uint32 ; Number of files in the File Table

Filename Table record:
+0000h length uint16 ; Length of the filename, in characters
+0004h name length ; The ASCII filename

File Table record:
+0000h crc uint32 ; CRC-32 of the filename
+0004h index uint32 ; Index of this record in the table
+0008h size uint32 ; Size of the file, in bytes
+000Ch start uint32 ; Start of the file, in bytes , from the start of the Mega File
+0010h name uint32 ; Index in the Filename Table of the filename

This format is an extension on format #1 by adding extra fields in the header.

Each Mega File begins with a header, followed by the Filename Table, the File Table and finally, the file data. All fields are in little-endian format.

Header:
+0000h id1 uint32 ; Unknown field, always 0xFFFFFFFF
+0004h id2 uint32 ; Unknown field, always 0x3F7D70A4
+0008h dataStart uint32 ; Offset in file of start of data
+000Ch numFilenames uint32 ; Number of filenames in the Filename Table
+0010h numFiles uint32 ; Number of files in the File Table

Filename Table record:
+0000h length uint16 ; Length of the filename, in characters
+0004h name length ; The ASCII filename

File Table record:
+0000h crc uint32 ; CRC-32 of the filename
+0004h index uint32 ; Index of this record in the table
+0008h size uint32 ; Size of the file, in bytes
+000Ch start uint32 ; Start of the file, in bytes, from the start of the Mega File
+0010h name uint32 ; Index in the Filename Table of the filename

This format is an extension on format #2 by adding extra fields in the header and reformatting the file table record.

Each Mega File begins with a header, followed by the Filename Table, the File Table and finally, the file data. All fields are in little-endian format.

Header:
+0000h id1 uint32 ; Unknown field, always 0xFFFFFFFF
+0004h id2 uint32 ; Unknown field, always 0x3F7D70A4
+0008h dataStart uint32 ; Offset in file of start of data
+000Ch numFilenames uint32 ; Number of filenames in the Filename Table
+0010h numFiles uint32 ; Number of files in the File Table
+0014h filenamesSize uint32 ; Size, in bytes, of the Filename Table

Filename Table record:
+0000h length uint16 ; Length of the filename, in characters
+0004h name length ; The ASCII filename

File Table record:
+0000h zero uint16 ; Always zero
+0002h crc uint32 ; CRC-32 of the filename
+0006h index uint32 ; Index of this record in the table
+000Ah size uint32 ; Size of the file, in bytes
+000Eh start uint32 ; Start of the file, in bytes, from the start of the Mega File
+0012h name uint16 ; Index in the Filename Table of the filename

######################################################
### Star Wars: Empire at War - Mod Launcher v1.0.0 ###
######################################################


[Please read this README by opening 'readme.txt' included in the downloaded zip file of this mod with your preferred text editor. //removed most tabs and spaces to maintain filefront's text formatting standards]


So it's done, after more than 3000 lines of code this little project of mine is ready to be released to public.
I am kind of late to the party but maybe this mod launcher will still be usefull to some gamers out there.
~~BertHunter 2013


I) Features:

# Launches the Steam or Retail version of "Star Wars: Empire at War" or
"Star Wars: Empire at War: Forces of Corruption" with or without mods.

# Lists all found modifactions at the main launcher page. (Steam & Retail)

# Temporarily moves all files found in a subfolder of a modification called "Data_main" to the game's DATA folder while playing this mod.
(This was coded so that modded AIs or special custom maps do not interfere with other mods and the actual game folders stay clean.) (Steam & Retail)

# Supports easily switching between game languages by clicking on flag icons at the main launcher page. (Steam & Retail)

# Shows if a mod's language is not yet translated to the game's current language. (Steam & Retail)

# Language files backup. (Steam only)

# Opens the map editor, custom maps or savegame folders. (Steam & Retail)

# Supports passing of parameters to make your own custom shortcuts to mods without ever seeing the launcher GUI. (Steam & Retail)


II) FAQ & Details:

ModLauncher: How does the Steam mod launch work?
- The easiest method I finally found is the following one (see also "IV Known Issues"):
Steam.exe is called, passing "-applaunch 32470" and "MODPATH=" as parameters. FoC requires "runm2.dat" to temporarily replace "runme.dat".

ModLauncher: How does the "Data_main" feature work?
- The mod creators or you can create a new folder inside a mod's folder and name it "Data_main".
Everytime you start the mod using the launcher, all files inside "Data_main" will be moved to the Data folder of the game, while preserving folder structure.
If a file with the same name is already found inside the game's "Data" folder, it will be moved to a backup folder.
Once the the game closes, everything will be moved back.

ModLauncher: How does the launcher switch between languages?
- It checks if all necessary files are there and ...
...edits 'runme.dat' and 'runm2.dat'. (Steam)
...renames all 'MasterTextFile_***.dat' files and calls swfoc.exe with 'LANGUAGE=***' -- you can always restore your language files if you click on the [?] button at the main launcher page. (Retail)

ModLauncher: Why should I back up my Steam game languages?
- Steam will delete all non-English language files, each time you switch a language using Steam.
The launcher (see launcher info page) can make a backup inside the game's folder of all found non-English language files and automatically recover this backup if a language file is missing, for the launcher session only.
After the backup is created you can savely set your game language in Steam back to English to delete all non-English language files, to save disk space.

ModLauncher: How is Steam/Retail detected?
- The launcher will search the specific game registry entries and it's own folder (and up to 2 subfolders deep) for sweaw.exe and swfoc.exe.
All levels above these files will be searched for "SteamApps" folder and "Steam.dll".
If found, steammode is set to true, else it will be Retail.

ModLauncher: Why does the ModLauncher start so slowly?
- There are a lot of calculations done each start (e.g. 'Searching for game's exe files', 'Steam or retail version', 'Checking for valid language files', 'Checking for latest official patch installed', ... ).
Less powerfull machines may profit from placing 'EaWModLauncher.exe' into a folder above both game's main folders ('Star Wars Empire at War'/'GameData'; 'Star Wars Empire at War Forces of Corruption'/'corruption'); 'EaWModlauncher.exe').

ModLauncher: You did not support my language, am I able to use it either way?
- Sorry, never had access to your language files. Good news is: You can just copy your language files into your game's folders and back-up/delete all other MasterTextFile_***.DAT files. (Retail)
You can even copy your language files into your STEAM version's folders and rename the used language in these two files: 'runme.dat' and 'runm2.dat'.
A error message will appear saying 'Steam language not supported', but you can ignore it and start EaWModlauncher.exe with -NoWarnings="true" to skip this error message.

Why is every ingame string saying [MISSING]?
- You probably started a mod which is not yet translated to your game's language. Try changing the language at the main launcher page.
If you do not have the appropiate language files and have no way to download them you can always rename the mods "DataTextMasterTextFile_***.dat" to a language name you have the files for (although some soundfiles may not be working).
(e.g. "MasterTextFile_ENGLISH.dat" to "MasterTextFile_ITALIAN.dat")

I do have a fresh and fully patched EaW/FoC installed, why can't I play online with a steam user?
- You have to install the official RAM&Lobby fix as well. (This launcher is shipped with it and will ask you to install the fix if not found.)
If you installed mod files directly into your game's main folder instead of using this launcher's 'Data_main' feature, you have to back up and delete those files.
You should also back up and delete all your savegames, as some saved mod information tend to screw things up.

Why can't I save my game?
- If you get a error message from EaW/FoC while trying to save a game (e.g. "Failed to save game. Check available disk space."), it is most likley because EaW/FoC does not have write access to the save game folder, or your Windows username may have a not recognized symbol in it.
No write access: Find your game executables (sweaw.exe/swfoc.exe) with a click on the [?] button at the main launcher page.
Navigate to their locations using the windows explorer, right click the executable and select "Properties". Go to "Compatibilty" and select "Run this program as an administrator".
Do this for both executables and saving should work again.
Symbols in username: Either rename yours or add another user just to play EaW.


III) Useful Parameters:

Make a shortcut of this launcher and add one or more variables after the last quotation mark in the target field.
(e.g. C:Program Files (x86)SteamsteamappscommonStar Wars Empire at WarEAWModLauncher.exe -SteamWait="123" -DoRestart="true" -EaWModStart="<Vanilla>")

-Steam="true" This will force Steam mode. Useful if Steam detection fails or you installed EaW using a hardlink or junction.
-Steam="false" This will disable Steam mode.
-SteamWait="0-999" The launcher will wait this long in seconds for the Steam game to start, before showing error message "nsProcess::603". Default is 60 seconds.
-DoRestart="true" The launcher will be shown again after starting EaW/FoC/MapEditor.
-NoWarnings="true" This will disable circumstantial warnings: Does the registry entry point to EaW? Is the Steam game installed? Is the RAM fix installed? Do check for free disc space while building the Steam language backup? -- Use with caution.
-Securom="true/false" This will enable/disable the launcher&apos;s Securom mode. Newer versions of Securom protection will start the game a second time and the launcher has to keep track of that behavior. If this launcher&apos;s autodetection fails and you get a Securom error message AFTER closing the game, try using -Securom="false". Steam mode will ignore it.-- Use with caution.
-DataMain="false" The "Data_main" feature will not be used.
-EaWModStart="MyModFolderName" Launches a existing EaW mod without ever seeing the GUI. "<Vanilla>" launches unmodified EaW.
-FoCModStart="MyModFolderName" Launches a existing FoC mod without ever seeing the GUI. "<Vanilla>" launches unmodified FoC.


IV) Known Issues:

- Steam asks you again which game version (EaW/FoC) to start if the Steam GUI is not yet started. Unfortunately this can not be prevented.
The good news is that it does not matter what you click: the launcher will control which game and mod to start.
- Retail versions with more than one language installed but none specified by the launcher will not show if a mod is <untranslated>.
--> Just select your prefered language by clicking on one of the flag icons. If your language-flag is not available, just rename/delete other language files (only MasterTextFile_***.DAT is needed to be renamed/deleted) manual in your game&apos;s DataText folder.
- A message window (nsProcess::***) will be shown if your operating system is not supported by this program, or Steam took too long to start the game.
If it shows &apos;nsProcess::603&apos; you can adjust the wait time with the parameter "SteamWait" and please do not close the message window until you are done playing the game.



V) Copyright:

This is an unofficial free-to-use fan created application and should be treated as such: No warranty implied or given.
If something is not working as intended, please contact the creator of this application(Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein!) and not the following copyright holders: They are not involved at the creation or support of this application.
The game titels and images used by this program are protected by copyright: © 2006 Petroglyph Games and LucasArts.

Hello everyone. This is Anakin_Sklavenwalker from "Republic at War".

I know that there are many people who have lots of mods installed on their system and sometimes you can not decide which mod you want to play this time.

the mods you have installed the more links you might have on your desktop. For some users this is very disturbing. In the past Petroglyph and for example SMG tried to help us by developing a Mod-Launcher. As a matter of time they all worked for Windows XP but nearly all player now upgraded to Windows 7/8 and the systems are 64bit architecture. Now if you try to start their program it very often happens that the tool crashes. To solve this problem I created a new Launcher that will work with every Windows system. One of the main changes you will notice is that my tool does not have any cool looking graphics or sound effect. But do you really need this to launch a mod ? My primary task was to build a product that actually works on every machine instead of using some unnecessary effects that you can not even see when running any system higher that Windows XP.

So what exactly are the feature of the launcher:
Fully automatic detection of Forces of Corruption installation
Fully automatic detection and listing of installed Mod for Forces of Corruption
Run the launcher from everywhere on your Computer (e.g. Desktop)
Simple user-interface for effective work
Run a mod by just clicking the "Start Mod" button or simply double-click on the Mod
Possible to run FoC unmodified
Throws out detailed information IF something goes wrong

What you need:
Any Windows System (WinXP/WinXP_64/WinVista/WinVista_64/Win7/Win7_64/Win8/Win8_64)
Microsoft .NET Framework 4.0 (free to download on Microsoft.com)
27KB free space on hard disk

If you have any problems or found a bug please contact me
Anakin_Sklavenwalker - RaW-Staff

==================================================================
== ==
== ==
== Unofficial Petroglyph EaW/FoC Mod Launcher 1.0 ==
== www.petroglyphgames.com ==
== ==
== ==
==================================================================


1. Installation & Requirements
To run the launcher you need to have Microsoft Dot.NET Framework 2.0 installed
You can find it on the official Microsoft website

After you ensured you have the Framework 2.0 installed, place the Launcher wherever you want on your Computer. Starting the Launcher out of a network will cause errors.
No installation is required. It scans automaticly where you have Installed your EaW and FoC.

2. Usage
Make sure that you have every of your Mods for EaW and FoC in the "Mods" Folder.
If you patch your EaW/FoC installation to the lastest version, or install the mapeditor, these Folders will be created for you. If you wish to create them on your own, place the "Mods" folder for EaW in the "GameData" folder. For FoC place the "Mods" folder in the FoC root folder (where the swfoc.exe file is located). For each Mod you wish to use in EaW/FoC create it's own folder within the Mods folder, Or rename the Folders you allready have to a Name you know what mod it is. The Launcher scans the Mod folder, and shows you the name of the folders inside.

To launch the game, or a mod, just open the launcher by double clicking on it. The unmodded games are found as textlinks above the mod box. To start EaW or FoC make sure you have the correct disk in your ROM drive, and klick the name of the game.
To start a mod, choose it's name from the list. The tag in front of the mods name tells you wich disk you need to play it. Activate it by clicking on the name and then push the start button.
Your game will be launched modded

3. Questions & Suggestions
No questions had been asked so far.
If you have any questions or Suggestions feel free to post them in the steiner forums at forums.smg-modding.com or on www.petroglyphgames.com/forums in the tech support section. We'll answer your questions there.

License & Copyright
Picture and Sounds are taken from Petroglyph, thank's to Kevin Yu for allowing it's usage. Launcher was programmed by Mike_Ho from the SMG. RazielKanos, as repesentive from the SMG holds all rights to this launcher. Modification is not permitted. Feel free to spread the launcher wherever you like, as long as you don't take money for it, and this readme get's NOT removed.


Happy Holidays and Merry christmas to all of you!

Raziel Kanos & Mike_Ho
SMG-Modding.com

December 2006

The Launcher downloads and installs Stargate Pegasus Chronicles plus all released patches automatically. You don't need any kind of other installer/download.
The launcher will detect your language (German or English) automatically.
If you have questions about the installation please take a look at our FAQ .