Source Code For lbxextract

Details about file formats, structure and contents in the original Master of Magic
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madtigger
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Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:11 pm

Source Code For lbxextract

Post by madtigger »

Hello,

First off, I want to compliment you on your work. I am a fellow programmer, and you have done a fair bit of work here working through these old files. Kudos.

I was wondering if you might consider sharing the source code for your lbxextract utility. I am working on some MoM struff, and I was hoping to port the utiltiy to .net and add some additional options (for example, you extract the unit animations into individual files. I'd like to keep them on their animation sheets for easier management). I'd be more than happy to give you the full source of the port, if you would like it. I'm big on the whole open source thing.

Your midi utility doesn't convert all of the .xni files properly. I have good .midi versions of all the midi files that were packed in the music .lbx, want a copy of them?

Thanks!
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Lucern
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Re: Source Code For lbxextract

Post by Lucern »

Hey madtigger,

As a fan of all things MoM, I have to ask: what kind of project are you working on?
madtigger
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Joined: Tue Apr 28, 2009 11:11 pm

Re: Source Code For lbxextract

Post by madtigger »

I am building client/server versions of MoM and Moo2. Using .NET and XNA, a lot of the infrastructure issues are resolved for you, and it is pretty easy to create a server that can host dozens of player (or games) at once. The server stuff is pretty easy, the only thing that is difficult (or rather time-consuming) is wiring up the client to behave EXACTLY like the originals and use all the graphics.

I need to be able to extract all the textures on their original animation sheets, because while it might be simpler from a programming point of view to draw individual sprites, its far more massive a project to track and manage each and every individual frame of animation by itself. I just did a fresh dump of all the .lbx files today, and i think there are something like 21k+ individual frames of animation! (Can't wait to do a full dump of all of Moo2's resources...,whee!)
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Tino Didriksen
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Re: Source Code For lbxextract

Post by Tino Didriksen »

.NET and XNA...well, that's a pity.

I really hope you open source it all so that others can port it to be cross-platform.
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Lucern
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Re: Source Code For lbxextract

Post by Lucern »

Cool madtigger, I hear shades of Implode's project in yours. MOO 2 was a great game as well.

Search these halls for a few tidbits about MoM's graphics and animations that might help you out in the meanwhile- there's a method to lbxextract's file naming, like files ending in 000 are walking, 001 are standing, 002 are 'flying', and 003 are attack frames. The first four files for any creature are facing up, the 2nd four facing up-right, etc. Additionally, since you're making clients that behave like MoM and MOO 2, there's a nice post somewhere around here about all of the errors and hidden extra effects of various spells in the game.

In any case, it's molasses around here, but please tell the world when you make progress. We'll send spell-locked flying invisible Paladins after you if you don't.
madtigger
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Re: Source Code For lbxextract

Post by madtigger »

Thanks for the info Lucern. Your comment about the undocumented bugs/features raises an interesting question...fix the features to work as they were intended or as they actually did. I might have to go back an introduce some of those features by hand if I want to include them, lol.
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Lucern
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Re: Source Code For lbxextract

Post by Lucern »

No problem.

As for the bugs...I say MoM was a great game despite its bugs, not because of them. If you're going through the effort, might as well clean house a little :)
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