String Data

[SilPho]

While exploring the worms file structure both on the hard drive and on the disk, I can't seem to locate where the strings used in the game are stored. Some games store strings in separate files, some (I think) encode them into the game exe file, but for worms I can't figure it out.

All I'm doing is exploring the hex values of the files. So if the game uses even the most simplistic of algorithms to extract the characters it would explain why I can't see it straight away.

I guess you'd wonder why on earth I'd want to know where to find this information, simply put I'd love to be able to change some of the in game sentences. For example, instead of saying "xxxxx sank like the titanic" I could change it to "xxxxx has fallen to his watery doom" or something like that.

It's purely cosmetic and doesn't really carry any constructive purpose, but I'd like to have a play around if I could find where the game stores these values.

My initial thoughts were that it would be in "resource.dat" which is a 50MB file on the CD, but all that seems to be in there is gibberish. Yet as the most logical file for storing this information (that I can surmise at least) I wonder if the characters are somehow encoded in to this file, like offsetting the hex values by 5 so that it's not as easy to locate where the data actually is.

Hopefully at least some of this has made some sense. I know I'm rambling a lot for a point that doesn't really matter but I'd like to play around if I can.

[CyberShadow]

Windows resources in WA.exe. You'd need to unpack it first.

[SilPho]

Suggestions for unpacking software? Resource Hacker turns up some weird error about non standard resource layouts.

[TheTrouble]

Hurrell I sent you PM with link to unpacked 3.6.26.5 WA.exe. I unpacked it for you.

[Muzer]

Ooh, I've been wanting to do that as well. Could you PM me as well?

[SilPho]

I am very grateful. Feel a little stupid for not being able to do it myself, but thank you very much.

[TheTrouble]

No problem. I send it to Muzer too.
Hurrell if you create something interesting, let us know.

[_Kilburn]

Could you also send it to me please ? I'd like to know which program you are using, and what you are meaning by "Unpacking". Does it mean "Disassembling" ?

I'm actually trying to modify Worms 4 Mayhem, I need to add some string data in order to make Worms 3D themes work on it.

[Muzer]

It means "making it like the 3.0 exe so you can see all the string data"

Just do ctrl+f in a 3.0 exe and search for something like "sank" and you'll get all the water death string data :)

[SilPho]

With an unpacked version of the 3.6.25.5 exe a resource editor such as Resource Tuner or Resource Hacker can easily see and edit all of the front end strings and even the front end layouts. However, editing the in game strings such as "xxx sank like the titanic" or "xxx is ill" proves to be a lot harder with these programs.

However, these strings are contained in hex format within the exe, so with a bit of tinkering I think I can get what I want out of this. Sincere thanks to Cybershadow and TheTrouble for helping me with this.

[Rightsider]

Could you link me too, TheTrouble? Thanks.

[SilPho]

If someone can let me know how legal it is to publically post the unpacked exe I could do it myself, but I don't want to get in to trouble for it.

[CyberShadow]

Please don't. It was packed for a reason. (Aside for the obvious reduction in filesize...)

[SilPho]

Right. I'll keep it to myself.