22. February 2018, 20:48:28

#10

dertsehaQuote

Interesting ideas there, JDoran.
Though, that tool would essentially be a "game starter" (requiring to set options as you'd have at "new game"), yet the created savegame would miss all the initial stuff that the engine does the first time hacker "enters" the first level. The engine most likely would not start various "scripts" when loading such a created game.

Either way, I've already extended this patcher to modify any already displaying screen across Citadel. Though, I currently don't have time to smoke test this - which is what I want to do before doing a "beta" release for any of you to test. So, it will take a few days.

And apart from that, I've already spent some time thinking about how to set up the starting archive to create a random code. This would then be a replacement of archive.dat file.
Having a quota of only 20 objects is tricky. I've come up with a script that does the first three digits using 17 objects, with the second three then planned for the second level. Yet I haven't checked whether lvl2 has this much space as well. All in good time.

By the way: would it be copyright infringement if I were to post a modified archive.dat ? It is after all the whole of Citadel (and the "game"), just missing all the resources.

22. February 2018, 21:23:28

#11

voodoo47Quote

the mods subforum is full of modified chunks of the original game(s), so it should be fine.

Acknowledged by: dertseha

28. February 2018, 20:40:11

#12

dertsehaQuote

Ok, I've released version 1.1.0 that includes now the command-line tool "reactor-rng", which randomizes the code on savegames. It can be run at any stage of the story.
I did not play the game in a linear fashion up to the relevant point to test it, I warped myself around levels, directly to the relevant spots to verify that the tool works as expected.

Next up I'll have a go at extending archive.dat to randomize a code from the start.

Acknowledged by: voodoo47

04. March 2018, 11:18:08

#13

dertsehaQuote

And here is the modified archive.dat file.

I tested the file with both the vanilla release, as well as the Enhanced Edition. I did not play through the entire story, I only tested the expected side-effects by looking at the save-games and then smoke-tested levels 1-6 by running through them on mission setting 0.

I am considering to record another video, describing the solution. Though, it may take some further time as I've got a cold right now.
Also: I did not manage to do it within the quota of 20 marker objects, I needed more and cheated a bit.  Still, I've also learned a few more things about the engine and how Citadel works - Which reminds me of the video series "Blueprints of Citadel" that I had in mind.

How to proceed now with this overall issue? Whenever (and wherever) a new post pops up about the code, redirect them to the tool & archive?

04. March 2018, 12:18:09

#14

voodoo47Quote

probably.

so let me get this right - using the modified archive.dat will randomize the code when starting a new game, and reactor-rng will do it on a game in progress (save), correct?