| 1st Step: Preparing YOUR MIND! | ||
|
If creating new content for the D-Engine was a video game, this guide would be the final boss. This is what it all boils
down to, creating a disc which contains a brand new 2D fighter. Most of this is pretty straightforward, no more fiddling
with text files. But don't worry, to cope with that, we are going to fiddle with a few more difficult programs.
|
 A classic meme opening. Me gusta. | |
| 2nd Step: Preparing the files! | ||
|
Before burning something to a disc, it is first necessary to prepare a folder which represents the file structure of the
final CD. Technobabble aside, just create a folder named "data", in which you are going to stuff all the files. To start
with something, download the latest Dolmexica binary (1ST_READ.BIN) in the Downloads section. Put it in the
"data" folder you just created, and ready yourself for the next step. Note: After each step, there will be a list to check whether you have missed a file. Check List: data/1ST_READ.BIN | ||
| 2.1: Including Compulsory files! | ||
|
There are some files without which the D-Engine cannot do all the cool 2D fighting stuff, like Vector Quantitization
PreBuffer Alignment Opcoding. That is why you need a few special files, downloadable at this very site. Should you feel
like replacing them with your own, here is a rundown on what they do: First, create a new folder in the "data" directory called "MENU". Three files belong in this folder: TITLE.img = The title screen. Moddable, check out the corresponding guide. MAINMENU.img = The Mode Select Screen. Theoretically moddable, but practically, there is neither a Dolmexiler nor a guide available. MUSICMENU.img = The Music Options accessible from the Mode Select Screen. Just as unmodabble as the Mode Select Screen. Example files you can use for your mod are available for download at the DL section. Leave the "MENU" folder and create another folder in the "data" folder called "FONTS". As the name implies, this is where all the fonts go. There has to be at least one default font called 1.fnt. In addition to that, you can include more fonts, named 2.fnt, 3.fnt, etc, etc... Please note that these are D-Engine font files, so you can't just use the .ttf files predominating most operation systems. Dolmexica fonts are available for download at... drumroll, please... the Downloads section! Usually, the default font is a dolmexified version of "Impact Condensed". It kinda fits the whole fighter thing, you know? There is a .zip file in the DL section you must download which is called FALLBACK.zip. Create a folder called "FALLBACK" in the "data" directory and extract the contents of the archive to that folder. There should be the following files: VICTORY.pkg = The texture used if a character does not have its own "victory symbol" texture that is drawn next to the life bar after the char has won a round. SMALLPORTRAIT.pkg = Drawn if a character does not have a small portrait for the character select screen. BIGPORTRAIT.pkg = Drawn if a character does not have a big portrait for the character select screen. NAME.pkg = Drawn if a character does not have a name texture for the character select screen. LOGO.pkg = Drawn if a character does not have an additional texture for the character select screen. Next up is another new folder to be created in the "data" folder. Call it "FIGHTSFX", because this is where the compulsory Sound Effects used in every fight are going. Luckily, there is only one such Sound Effect as of right now, so all that needs to be in this folder is a file called KNOKDOWN.wav. This Sound Effect plays when a character falls to the ground, and can either be a normal Microsoft WAVE type or a special Yamaha ADPCM type, with neither a fixed number of channels (stereo/mono) nor a fixed Hertz rate (44kHz/22kHz). In case you don't wish to create a Sound Effect by yourself, an "example" Sound Effect is available at the DL section which you can use with your mod. Not even license fees, can you imagine how often I had to hurl myself at the floor to get that perfect sound? Do you know these Effects that always play when a character gets hits or blocks successfully? For that matter, create a folder called "EFFECTS" in the "data" folder. There, put two files: STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hea, the archive containing the textures and STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hem, the header file. Currently, the only possibility is to download these files at the DL section of this site. Duh, Winning. No really, the next folder you are going to create in the "data" directory is called "WINNING". This is where the "YOU WIN!" and "YOU LOSE!" textures go, so you need three files called: WINNING.hdr, YOUWIN.img and YOULOSE.img. In case this file format does not seem familiar to you, this is a special Dolmexica texture format, which is also used by characters and stages. Basically, they are "normal" image files (for example ".png"), which were first encoded with KMGENC and afterwards compressed with the KOMPRESSOR (QuickLZ Compression Level 3). While it is possible, it is best not to fiddle with these three textures and download one of the available sets at the DL section. Now let's do something more pleasant, the Credits! There are three things you need to do: First, create a folder named "CREDITS" in the "data" folder. Next, download the Credits-template at the DL section. Finally, open the CREDITS.txt, and modify the lines accordingly. The first line starts at the top of the screen, so leave some free space if you want to have the names appear on the screen, as they are moving up. Thankfully, the template file has that empty space, so just stick to its layout and you'll be fine. After you have included yourself and those you love and loathe, put the CREDITS.txt and the CREDITS.hdr in the CREDITS folder. Oh, by the way, of course you don't have to include me in the credits, at least I think that's what the license says. To make sure, you should put it on top, with big friendly capital letters and the term "Womanizer" placed somewhere around it. But whatever dude, whatever. Okay, the hardest part: Create a folder in the "data" directory called "ANIMATIONS". In this folder, things such as the "ROUND 1!" or the "FIGHT!!" animation are located. Each animation consists of three files, a Sound Effect archive, a texture archive and a header file. Since there are five different animations, there are a maximum of 15 files in the folder. Notice how I said "maximum"? That's right, none of these animations is compulsory. As of this moment, animations can only be downloaded at the DL section. The fifteen files for this folder are: The Round Animations showing, well, which round it is currently. ROUNDANIMATION.ram ROUNDANIMATION.raa ROUNDANIMATION.sfa The Fight Animation which plays just before the fight starts. FIGHTANIMATION.fam FIGHTANIMATION.faa FIGHTANIMATION.sfa The Continue Animation plays when you have lost against a CPU and can "continue" the fight. CONTINUEANIMATION.cam CONTINUEANIMATION.caa CONTINUEANIMATION.sfa The Perfect Animation is used if you defeat an enemy while having full health. PERFECTANIMATION.pam PERFECTANIMATION.paa PERFECTANIMATION.sfa The so-called Join-In Animation plays if the second player joins in during a one-player fight. JOININANIMATION.jam JOININANIMATION.jaa JOININANIMATION.sfa So yeah, the folder may contain zero files, 15, or only three, depending on what you want to have in the game. Okay, the final file to be added, my personal favority: A 16x16 PKG-File containing nothing but the color 0xffffff. This texture is used in a variety of cases, either as a blue box, a grey transparent background, as well as the black background used in some screens, but I digress. In case you don't want to create it by yourself, it is available in the DL section as WHITE.pkg. Put this WHITE.pkg in the "data" folder and take a deep breath... You have just finished another step towards your game. Check List: ([-] means "not compulsory") data/1ST_READ.BIN data/WHITE.pkg data/MENU/TITLE.img data/MENU/MAINMENU.img data/MENU/MUSICMENU.img data/FALLBACK/VICTORY.pkg data/FALLBACK/SMALLPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/BIGPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/NAME.pkg data/FALLBACK/LOGO.pkg data/FIGHTSFX/KNOKDOWN.wav data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hem data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hea data/WINNING/WINNING.hdr data/WINNING/YOUWIN.img data/WINNING/YOULOSE.img data/CREDITS/CREDITS.hdr data/CREDITS/CREDITS.txt data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.ram [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.raa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.fam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.faa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.cam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.caa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.pam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.paa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jaa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.sfa [-] | ||
| 2.2 Step: Including the Modes! | ||
|
Before we begin, this section relies heavily on the guide dealing with creating a new character select screen. While
there are files available at the DL section you can use for your mods, it is generally recommended to use self-created
files. Let us start with the standard mode, the Arcade Mode. Create a new folder called "ARCADE" in the "data" folder, this is where all the Arcade stuff will go. Start by including the files you made in the Character Select Screen tutorial. CHARACTERS.lst = The list of characters. FIGHTERSELECT.hdr = The header for the Character Select Screen. BIGPORTRAITS.img = A collection of all the big portraits shown at the Select Screen. SMALLPORTRAITS.img = A collection of all the small portraits shown at the Select Screen. NAMES.img = A collection of all the name textures shown at the Select Screen. LOGOS.img = A collection of all the additional character textures shown at the Select Screen. TEXTURES.img = A collection of additional texture used for the Select Screen. SFX.img = A collection of Sound Effects used for the Select Screen. Next include the files necessary for the screen shown before a fight starts, the screen showing both characters' big portraits, names and such. This screen needs two files: WHOAGAINSTWHO.hdr, which is obviously the header, as well as SHOWOFFBG.png, a 512x512 image which serves as the screen's background. While the PNG-file can be replaced rather easily, a header must be downloaded at the DL section. The next screen is going to need a few more files, as it is dealing with the screen between fights, which serves as some kind of roadmap showing which enemies you have defeated and which enemy is coming up next. Different types of this screen can be downloaded at the DL section, the files necessary here are called: SHOWWAYTOGO.hdr = The header. Oh yeah. SHOWWAYTOGOBG.img = Some textures for the background. SHOWWAYTOGOCONNECTION.img = Some textures for the connection between the character's portraits. SHOWWAYTOGOBONUS.img = Some bonnus textures. Finally, because the fight's graphical user interface, create a new folder called "GUI" in the "ARCADE" folder, in which you put four files, several versions of which are available at the DL section: GUIHEADER.hdr = The header file. LIFEBAR1.pkg = Texture of Player One's lifebar. LIFEBAR2.pkg = Texture of Player Two's lifebar. TIMER.pkg = Texture used by the "CONTINUE?" countdown. There you go, one mode down, two more to go. The simplest of them is without a doubt the Survival Mode. So, create a folder called "SURVIVAL" in the "data" folder. Everything that goes here should be familiar, all this mode needs are some of the same files from the Arcade Mode. They don't have to be the exact same ones, for example, you don't have to have all characters from the Arcade Mode available in the Survival Mode. Then again, you could simply copy all files from the "ARCADE" folder, stuff 'em in "SURVIVAL" and have a working Survival Mode. Unlike the Arcade Mode, the Survival Mode does neither have a screen before each fight showing the opponents, nor the screen which shows which enemy comes up next. So, to conclude, these are the files necessary for this mode: CHARACTERS.lst FIGHTERSELECT.hdr BIGPORTRAITS.img SMALLPORTRAITS.img NAMES.img LOGOS.img TEXTURES.img SFX.img Like with the Arcade Mode, you need to create a folder called "GUI", which needs to hold the same types of files as the GUI folder from the Arcade Mode: GUIHEADER.hdr LIFEBAR1.pkg LIFEBAR2.pkg TIMER.pkg Which leaves us with the final mode, the Story Mode. Since all the Story Boards (see the Story Board tutorial) and each character's personal Story Mode file (see Story Mode tutorial) are not added in this step, but in the one which deals with the inclusion of new characters, all the files the Story Mode needs are exactly the same as the ones the Survival Mode needs. So yeah, create a new folder called "STORY" in the "data" directory and include... CHARACTERS.lst FIGHTERSELECT.hdr BIGPORTRAITS.img SMALLPORTRAITS.img NAMES.img LOGOS.img TEXTURES.img SFX.img ... and create the compulsory "GUI" folder, which contains the same files as the other two GUI folders: GUIHEADER.hdr LIFEBAR1.pkg LIFEBAR2.pkg TIMER.pkg Just a quick note, if your character does not have a personal Story Mode file, having it selectable as a playable Story Mode character does not work and will inevitably crash the Engine. Well, "crash" is such a negative term, let's call it "a temporary disablement of the console's software-processing capabilities, fixable by pressing the POWER button twice". Check List: ([-] means "not compulsory") data/1ST_READ.BIN data/WHITE.pkg data/MENU/TITLE.img data/MENU/MAINMENU.img data/MENU/MUSICMENU.img data/FIGHTSFX/KNOKDOWN.wav data/FALLBACK/VICTORY.pkg data/FALLBACK/SMALLPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/BIGPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/NAME.pkg data/FALLBACK/LOGO.pkg data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hem data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hea data/WINNING/WINNING.hdr data/WINNING/YOUWIN.img data/WINNING/YOULOSE.img data/CREDITS/CREDITS.hdr data/CREDITS/CREDITS.txt data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.ram [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.raa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.fam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.faa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.cam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.caa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.pam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.paa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jaa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ARCADE/CHARACTERS.lst data/ARCADE/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/ARCADE/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/ARCADE/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/ARCADE/NAMES.img data/ARCADE/LOGOS.img data/ARCADE/TEXTURES.img data/ARCADE/SFX.img data/ARCADE/WHOAGAINSTWHO.hdr data/ARCADE/SHOWOFFBG.png data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGO.hdr data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOBG.img data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOCONNECTION.img data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOBONUS.img data/ARCADE/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/ARCADE/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/ARCADE/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/ARCADE/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/SURVIVAL/CHARACTERS.lst data/SURVIVAL/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/SURVIVAL/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/SURVIVAL/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/SURVIVAL/NAMES.img data/SURVIVAL/LOGOS.img data/SURVIVAL/TEXTURES.img data/SURVIVAL/SFX.img data/SURVIVAL/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/SURVIVAL/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/SURVIVAL/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/SURVIVAL/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/STORY/CHARACTERS.lst data/STORY/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/STORY/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/STORY/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/STORY/NAMES.img data/STORY/LOGOS.img data/STORY/TEXTURES.img data/STORY/SFX.img data/STORY/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/STORY/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/STORY/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/STORY/GUI/TIMER.pkg | ||
| 2.3: Including the Stages! | ||
|
Each Stage is represented by a single BGA-file (check the corresponding tutorial). To include your stages, create a new
folder in the "data" directory and call it "STAGES". This is where all your (.bga) files go. That's it already,
the shortest step EVER. Old habits die hard, I can't help but remind you that each stage name must be
exactly eight letters long. BESTEVER.bga is okay, the likes of ILOVELONGFILENAMES.bga or 2.bga are not
okay. Check List: ([-] means "not compulsory") data/1ST_READ.BIN data/WHITE.pkg data/MENU/TITLE.img data/MENU/MAINMENU.img data/MENU/MUSICMENU.img data/FIGHTSFX/KNOKDOWN.wav data/FALLBACK/VICTORY.pkg data/FALLBACK/SMALLPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/BIGPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/NAME.pkg data/FALLBACK/LOGO.pkg data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hem data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hea data/WINNING/WINNING.hdr data/WINNING/YOUWIN.img data/WINNING/YOULOSE.img data/CREDITS/CREDITS.hdr data/CREDITS/CREDITS.txt data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.ram [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.raa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.fam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.faa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.cam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.caa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.pam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.paa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jaa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ARCADE/CHARACTERS.lst data/ARCADE/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/ARCADE/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/ARCADE/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/ARCADE/NAMES.img data/ARCADE/LOGOS.img data/ARCADE/TEXTURES.img data/ARCADE/SFX.img data/ARCADE/WHOAGAINSTWHO.hdr data/ARCADE/SHOWOFFBG.png data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGO.hdr data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOBG.img data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOCONNECTION.img data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOBONUS.img data/ARCADE/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/ARCADE/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/ARCADE/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/ARCADE/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/SURVIVAL/CHARACTERS.lst data/SURVIVAL/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/SURVIVAL/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/SURVIVAL/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/SURVIVAL/NAMES.img data/SURVIVAL/LOGOS.img data/SURVIVAL/TEXTURES.img data/SURVIVAL/SFX.img data/SURVIVAL/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/SURVIVAL/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/SURVIVAL/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/SURVIVAL/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/STORY/CHARACTERS.lst data/STORY/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/STORY/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/STORY/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/STORY/NAMES.img data/STORY/LOGOS.img data/STORY/TEXTURES.img data/STORY/SFX.img data/STORY/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/STORY/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/STORY/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/STORY/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/STAGES/[STAGENAME].bga [All the Stage files] | ||
| 2.4: Including the Fighters! | ||
|
Each Fighter has its own folder, appropriately named after the character. As you should know by this time, the name
of each character must be exactly eight letters long. For example, neither RYU nor
RYUTHATONEKARATEGUY are possible. For this step, STICKLER will be used as an example, just
replace that name with the name of the character you want to add. So yeah, create a folder called "STICKLER" in the "data" directory. This is where all the files from the "Create-A-Character" tutorial go. Here is a quick list of the files you must have: STICKLER_HUMAN.mvt = The Move Register which is used by player-controlled characters. STICKLER_CPU.mvt = The Move Register which is used by CPU-controlled characters. STICKLER.sta = This one is kind of a header file. STICKLER_PKG.img = All of the sprites this character uses. STICKLER_CRA.img = All of the Crash Layer files this character uses. For the Hit Detection. STICKLER.sfx = The Sound Effect Header file. STICKLER.sfa = The Sound Effect Archive. In case your character has a palette (called 1.pal) or an alternate palette (2.pal), they go here as well. These are the barebone files every character needs, but there are a few more optional files: STICKLER.win = If this file exists, an image of the character and a "Win Quote" are shown after the character wins in Arcade Mode. Check the corresponding "Win Quote" guide to learn how to create this file. VICTORY.pkg = This PKG-file is the small image shown next to the lifebar once the character has won a round. If it does not exist, the generic VICTORY.pkg from the "FALLBACK" folder is used instead. STICKLER.sto = A Story Mode file. Such a file is necessary if you want the char to be usable in Story Mode. Check the Story Mode tutorial to see how this kind of file is created. Another optional thing are the character's Story Boards. To include them, create a new folder called "BOARDS" in the char's directory. The Story Boards are called 1.sbd, 2.sbd, etc. To create those, consult the Story Board tutorial. So yeah, after you have added all the characters, you are done with preparing the compulsory D-Engine files to be written to the CD-R. All that is left is preparing the music and some optional things to make your mod even cooler. Check List: ([-] means "not compulsory") data/1ST_READ.BIN data/WHITE.pkg data/MENU/TITLE.img data/MENU/MAINMENU.img data/MENU/MUSICMENU.img data/FIGHTSFX/KNOKDOWN.wav data/FALLBACK/VICTORY.pkg data/FALLBACK/SMALLPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/BIGPORTRAIT.pkg data/FALLBACK/NAME.pkg data/FALLBACK/LOGO.pkg data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hem data/EFFECTS/STANDARDHITEFFECTS.hea data/WINNING/WINNING.hdr data/WINNING/YOUWIN.img data/WINNING/YOULOSE.img data/CREDITS/CREDITS.hdr data/CREDITS/CREDITS.txt data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.ram [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.raa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/ROUNDANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.fam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.faa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/FIGHTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.cam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.caa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/CONTINUEANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.pam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.paa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/PERFECTANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jam [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.jaa [-] data/ANIMATIONS/JOININANIMATION.sfa [-] data/ARCADE/CHARACTERS.lst data/ARCADE/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/ARCADE/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/ARCADE/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/ARCADE/NAMES.img data/ARCADE/LOGOS.img data/ARCADE/TEXTURES.img data/ARCADE/SFX.img data/ARCADE/WHOAGAINSTWHO.hdr data/ARCADE/SHOWOFFBG.png data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGO.hdr data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOBG.img data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOCONNECTION.img data/ARCADE/SHOWWAYTOGOBONUS.img data/ARCADE/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/ARCADE/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/ARCADE/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/ARCADE/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/SURVIVAL/CHARACTERS.lst data/SURVIVAL/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/SURVIVAL/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/SURVIVAL/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/SURVIVAL/NAMES.img data/SURVIVAL/LOGOS.img data/SURVIVAL/TEXTURES.img data/SURVIVAL/SFX.img data/SURVIVAL/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/SURVIVAL/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/SURVIVAL/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/SURVIVAL/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/STORY/CHARACTERS.lst data/STORY/FIGHTERSELECT.hdr data/STORY/BIGPORTRAITS.img data/STORY/SMALLPORTRAITS.img data/STORY/NAMES.img data/STORY/LOGOS.img data/STORY/TEXTURES.img data/STORY/SFX.img data/STORY/GUI/GUIHEADER.hdr data/STORY/GUI/LIFEBAR1.pkg data/STORY/GUI/LIFEBAR2.pkg data/STORY/GUI/TIMER.pkg data/STAGES/[STAGENAME].bga [All the Stage files] [The following goes for every character] data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME]_HUMAN.mvt data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME]_CPU.mvt data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME].sta data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME]_PKG.img data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME]_CRA.img data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME].sfx data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME].sfa data/[CHARNAME]/1.pal [-] data/[CHARNAME]/2.pal [-] data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME].win [-] data/[CHARNAME]/VICTORY.pkg [-] data/[CHARNAME]/[CHARNAME].sto [-] data/[CHARNAME]/BOARDS/[1/2/3/etc].sbd [-] | ||
| Optional Step: Adding an Intro! | ||
|
Adding an intro is simple, create a folder called "INTRO" in the "data" directory. Within the "INTRO" folder, create a
folder called "BOARDS". There you can put up to three Story Boards, called 1.sbd, 2.sbd and 3.sbd.
Before the Title Screen comes up, one of these Story Boards is played. Note: Name them in order. Don't include a 3.sbd if 2.sbd doesn't exist. | ||
| 3rd Step: Preparing the music! | ||
|
As hinted throughout other guides, the D-Engine uses CD audio. To make burning easier, your files should be in the
Microsoft WAVE (.wav) format, Stereo and encoded in 44kHz. There have to be at least six tracks, having the
following function: Track01.wav = Reserved for possible future layout changes. Just burn three second silence there, which can be downloaded at the DL section Track02.wav = The Warning Track. Pure Dreamcast tradition here. Track03.wav = The music playing during the Mode Select Screen. Track04.wav = The music playing during the Options Screen. Track05.wav = The music playing during the Character Select Screen. Track06.wav = The music playing during the Arcade Mode's "showoff" Screen, which shows the two portraits before each fight. These are only the compulsory tracks, as you will most likely need more tracks. Which tracks are used for which Stage is defined when creating the Stage (See Stage tutorial for more info). They don't have to be named like the example files above, it is only important that they are burned in order. | ||
| 4th Step: Creating a SelfBoot disc! | ||
|
This is where the difficult part begins. What you need are two programs, mkisofs and cdrecord. For Linux,
they are really easy to get a hold of (Software Center), but with Windows, you will need to download something like
TuxTheWise's famous SelfBoot pack... which was on MegaUpload. Well, uuuhhh... try
this. You will also need another file, the D-Engine IP.BIN, available for download at the DL section. Now, you should first check whether cdrecord works. It is a command line tool, so try the following command: cdrecord -scanbus This should list all available drives and gives them dentifiers like "1,0,0". Remember the values of the CD-R burner you are going to use, from now on they will be called "x,y,z". So, insert a blank CD-R (or a CD-RW, not usable on a real DC, but useful for making CDI images), and use cdrecord like this in the folder with the .wav files from step 3: cdrecord -multi -dev=x,y,z -audio Track01.wav Track02.wav Track03.wav Track04.wav Track05.wav Track06.wav etc... This should take a few minutes, you had best wait AFK, as cdrecord is very quick to crash. Once it is done with that, you need to find out a special number necessary to burn the other files. For that reason, we are going to to use cdrecord again: cdrecord -dev=x,y,z -msinfo This will output two numbers. The first number is always 0, the other one varies and will from now on be referred to as SecondValue, since all cool variables were used up for the three burner identifiers. Finally, it is time to create the iso file you are going to burn to the CD. For this reason, you must use mkisofs in the folder where the good ol' "data" directory from Step 2 is located. This is also where the IP.BIN goes, it's very important that it is in the same folder as mkisofs. Create the iso with this command: mkisofs -C 0,SecondValue -V NAME_OF_THE_MOD -G IP.BIN -l -o data.iso data This will create a file called data.iso, which only needs to be burned with cdrecord like this: cdrecord -dev=x,y,z -xa1 data.iso Wait for the disc to be burned (AFK, again) and throw your hands in the air, you have just created a new 2D fighter. Put it in your DC if you have used a CD-R, and/or create a CDI file with Padus Discjuggler, which thankfully even works with Linux' Wine, to test if everything works. | ||
| 5th Step: Uploading | ||
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After you are happy and content with your mod, it would be greatly appreciated if you share it with the world! There are many file hosts available, and if you can't find anything satisfactory, check out DCiSOZONE, they always have a server or two dedicated to Dreamcast homebrew games. Before uploading, compress the CDI with WinRar or 7Zip, that saves a lot of bandwidth. Yeah, *sniff* I guess it is time for us to say goodbye. I hope you had fun despite all the work it must have been to put together this disc. If you have anything to say, have any critcism, a suggestion or a question, don't hesitate to contact me, either at Dreamcast-Talk or at capt_dc(at)yahoo(dot)com. See you around! |