How does wkFileOverride work?

[littlebee]

Hiyagain!

I've been really, really enjoying WormNAT and all that WormKIT has to offer. With each successful... success... I am inspired to hack W:A a little further, but I am a bit confused about how Cybershadow's FileOverride (http://worms.thecybershadow.net/wormkit/) works.

This got me fairly excited:

You can edit missions in WA also, especially thanks to CyberShadow's wkFileOverride.(full thread (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showthread.php?t=30441)]

Even without achieving this, if I could understand how FileOverride works, I would be very pleased. Is there a simple document explaining how to install and overwrite/create files using FileOverride? Is there a website where people have employed this tool to overwrite/create missions in W:A?

[KRD]

Here, Mr. hacker. The contents of the readme file that comes with the module!

This module allows you to easily mod CD-ROM files.
Each time Worms tries to open a file from the CD, this module tries to
check to see if you have the same file in your DATA folder.
So, if Worms tries to open, for example, "D:\Data\Water\Blue\Water.dir",
wkFileOverride will see if you have a
"C:\Worms Armageddon\DATA\Water\Blue\Water.dir", and if you do, it
"substitutes" the CD-ROM file with that
(above example is assuming D: is your CD-ROM drive and you installed
Worms to "C:\Worms Armageddon\").
Note that this plug-in will NOT let you play without a CD-ROM -
either in your CD drive or mounted as an ISO :)

Oh, as far as I know, editing the mission files has so far only been used for cheating one's way through a mission they weren't capable of beating the normal way. There certainly isn't an easy-to-use mission editor for WA out there. Much less a community of enthusiasts. To my knowledge.

[littlebee]

Thank you! I am struggling with achieving the example. Have I placed the wkFileOverride.dll in the wrong place? (currently in C:/Team17/Worms Armageddon/)

I copied mission data from D:/WWP to C:/WA (those with identical file names) hoping for some accidents or effects to suggest that FileOverride was reading and having trouble mashing the files together. I'm not trying to break Worms, and I am aware that WWP files cannot be played in W:A, but I hoped to make something (good or bad) happen just to confirm that FileOverride was in effect. So far, it doesn't appear to be.

[franpa]

did you run the wormkit.exe or wa.exe?

[bonz]

currently in C:/Team17/Worms Armageddon/
C:/WA
There definitely is a discrepancy.

Whereever you installed W:A, you need to have these files in the same folder where wa.exe is:
WormKit.exe
madCHook.dll
HookLib.dll
(these 3 for Wormkit itself)

wkFileOverride.dll
(for the file override module)

Then simply start the via WormKit.exe instead of wa.exe.

If you want to replace mission files you must of course create the same folder structure in your install directory like it is on the CD.
I.e. create ..\Data\Mission folder.
I hoped to make something (good or bad) happen just to confirm that FileOverride was in effect.
Simply edit the mission0.wam.
Change the amount of a weapon to infinite for example, then play the first mission and see.
Oh, as far as I know, editing the mission files has so far only been used for cheating one's way through a mission they weren't capable of beating the normal way.
Not true.
I once edited my disc image to pass one of the missions where a nuke is launched, back in the day when the nuke bug crashed the game.

[littlebee]

Sorry, sloppy writing last time. I am very diligent about file names and locations, but double-checked and recopied all files from scratch. I am launching from wormkit.exe, with madCHook.dll and HookLib.dll placed with wa.exe.

I edited the "mission0.wam" in Notepad, changing variables such as turn time (45 to 90), and setting indestructible land and borders (0 to 1). No effect!

Tomorrow I will try a full reinstall, full patch and re-wormkit the whole thing, see what happens.

It's strange, because other wormkit tools work, so I don't know what is going wrong...

[franpa]

it doesnt work on 64bit windows...

[CyberShadow]

Recap.

1) You are running a 32-bit version of Windows 2000 or XP.

2) You downloaded the latest version of WormKit before trying this. (I fix some bugs time-to-time without updating the web page).

3) In C:\Team17\Worms Armageddon\, you have:

WA.exe
WormKit.exe
HookLib.dll
madCHook.dll
wkFileOverride.dll
(more files)


4) In C:\Team17\Worms Armageddon\DATA\Mission\, you have an edited Mission0.wam.

5) When you run C:\Team17\Worms Armageddon\WormKit.exe and attempt to play the 1st mission, the original mission from the CD plays.

Correct?

[littlebee]

Correct! Exactly!

[CyberShadow]

Have you been able to get any custom water working? (see the Water Colour Editor (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29333) thread)

[mr_awesome]

Is it possible to make your own mission? But it wouldn't show up in the mission selector would it?

[littlebee]

Have you been able to get any custom water working? (see the Water Colour Editor (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showthread.php?t=29333) thread)


Yup! Success there! Now I am all the more baffled...

I have tried once again to alter my missions... no luck.

Thanks again for the help. How strange!

[CyberShadow]

Ah, I see the problem now. After I fixed that bug (not being able to intercept mission script files, since those are accessed by a different API), I updated the zip on maplecenter.net - however, when I moved, I've uploaded the old version to worms.thecybershadow.net. Redownload the zip from http://thecybershadow.net/worms/wormkit/wormkit.zip - the wkFileOverride.dll from there should work.

[littlebee]

Fantastic! That did the trick!

I am now inspired to wildly manipulate levels and create new goals, i.e. set a crate at the end of a level and give a worm minimal weapons and try to get over there by whatever means. It doesn't look terribly difficult to add another human player as well! Although, at the moment it would only work offline...

Fun stuff! Thanks a million!