Unreleased blog articles
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Brainshaker's RPG review #2
by MadeAnonymous » 09.01.2011, 21:12
<p><strong><a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2251829#auto">AMARNA</a></strong> by Fish
<strong>General Information:</strong>
Author: Fish (<em><a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2086013#auto">Atlantiss</a>, <a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2152985#auto">Drop scrolls on Sob
<strong>General Information:</strong>
Author: Fish (<em><a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2086013#auto">Atlantiss</a>, <a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2152985#auto">Drop scrolls on Sob
- MadeAnonymous
- Posts: 219
- Joined: 16.04.2010, 17:10
How to find the mod locator / name
by MadeAnonymous » 09.01.2011, 21:15
warning: this article is not finished at all!
If you do not know the name/location of a mod you really want to use in your map, here are some methods you can use to extract the URL to the mod. Use <a href="http://trackmaniarpg.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-add-auto-downloadable-mod-to.html">this guide</a> to find out how to add an auto-downloadable mod to your track.
<strong>Method 0 and 1: Ask</strong>
<strong>Method 2: Find the hidden .loc file in the cache folder</strong>
This works when you have played a track where a mod auto-downloaded, but you don't remember the track name. All auto-downloaded mods goes to your <em>cache</em> folder, and stays there for some time. This folder has a size limit, so after a while the mod will no longer be in the folder, and has to be re-downloaded.
The first thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is to configure Windows to show hidden folders and files. To do this on an English Windows Vista, just type in "folder options" in the start menu and press the top result. If you do not know what "folder options" is in your language, go to the control panel in "classic view" and find it from there. It should have a logical name. In Windows XP, just go to any folder -> Tools -> Folder options (this also works on Vista if you have the menu activated, I'm not sure if everybody has that). Do as on the picture:
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/folderoptions.png" /></div>
Now, we have to find the cache folder. On my English Vista, the path is:
<blockquote>C:\ProgramData\TrackMania\Cache</blockquote>
Can't find it? Do a search for "ProgramData", and be sure to check the "Search inside hidden folders" option.
Inside this folder there will be hundreds of files with weird names. You should now set the folder view to "Details" so it easier to read the file names. Drag the name column out so that you can see the entire file name of all files. Those files are avatars, horns, mods, tracks and images from Trackmania online.
Now we have to filter out the mod files from the other files, and the easiest way to do that is to use the search function. Search for this:
<blockquote>*Mod*</blockquote>
And yes, KEEP the *'s. The * is a wildcard, so it will now search for everything that contains the string "mod", no matter what is before (*M) or after (d*). Now you will see a lot of .zip files and a lot of .loc files. It's the .loc files we are interested in, they contain the URL to the mod. Here's how it should look like now (Vista, English):
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/foldersearch.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/foldersearchsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
I have chosen to show 4 columns in my search window, all useful - but the ones you need is "Name" and "Date modified".
There is still one problem though.. How do you know which mod is the one you want?
Well, there are multiple ways to find out this. I am going to present them here in an irrelevant order - which method fits your needs is very relative. If you already see the mod you want, <a href="#">Preceed to the next step</a>.
<strong>1) Sort by "date modified"</strong>: If you know for sure that this was the last mod you auto-downloaded, then press the "Date modified" column button, and all the files in the search will automatically sort by when it was modified/downloaded. <a href="#">Preceed to the next step</a>.
<strong>2) Look at the mod picture or textures</strong>: You know when you load tracks that have a mod, and there is sometimes a different picture in the background during the loading? Well, that's called a "LoadScreen", and it can help you identify the mod you want. The LoadScreen image is located inside the mod file, so open up one of the mod files, go into the folder "Image" and then find the file "LoadScreen.dds". Extract it somewhere on your computer. By default, Windows doesn't know how to open .dds files, so you need to download an utility. nVIDIA has released a DDS texture viewer for Windows, which you can download from here: <a href="http://developer.nvidia.com/object/windows_texture_viewer.html">Windows Texture Viewer</a>. (If you have Photoshop, you can download the Photoshop DDS addon <a href="http://developer.nvidia.com/object/photoshop_dds_plugins.html">here</a>). The Windows Texture Viewer (WTV) doesn't have to be installed, so all you need to do is to unzip the executable anywhere on your hard disk and run it. If you want to assign .dds files to this program, then you should follow the instructions in "readme.txt".
After you have unzipped WTV.exe, run it and go to File -> Open... (or press O). Browse to the LoadScreen.dds file you just unzipped from the mod folder and open it. It should look something like this (depends on what mod you open, of course):
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTV.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTVsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
If you are lucky, you recognize the mod based on this image. However, if the LoadScreen doesn't really make you sure if it's the correct mod (not all LoadScreens shows textures from the mod), or there are no LoadScreen for that mod, you can view some of the textures from the mod file.
The most used block in RPG's is the "StadiumCircuit" block, and is thus probably the easiest block to recognize. It's the one pictured below:
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/stadiumcircuit.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/stadiumcircuitsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
Go into a mod file again, and extract "StadiumCircuitD.dds" from the "Image" folder anywhere on your computer. Open it with WTV following the steps above.
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTVGM.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTVGMsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
Do you recognize it now? No? Try some of the other textures in the mod file if you are unsure. Then try another mod file.
When you have localized the correct mod, <a href="#">preceed to the next step</a>.
"The next step":
Once you have found the correct mod, open the corresponding .loc file. In this file, everything you will see is one line with the URL to the mod file, for example:
<blockquote>http://www.vinummusik.de/Trackmania/GrandeMuraille2.zip</blockquote>
Save this URL for later use. Use <a href="http://trackmaniarpg.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-add-auto-downloadable-mod-to.html">this guide</a> to find out how to add an auto-downloadable mod to your track.
NOTE: THIS IS NOT FINISHED
open tm cache, .loc files blabla
tip: press ++ during loading
open .gbx files balblab (if you want the URL of the mod in a track you have on tmx or your computer, open up the .gbx file in notepad and search for zip files until you find the mod)
direct URL tm-mod info locator: right click file blabla
If you do not know the name/location of a mod you really want to use in your map, here are some methods you can use to extract the URL to the mod. Use <a href="http://trackmaniarpg.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-add-auto-downloadable-mod-to.html">this guide</a> to find out how to add an auto-downloadable mod to your track.
<strong>Method 0 and 1: Ask</strong>
<strong>Method 2: Find the hidden .loc file in the cache folder</strong>
This works when you have played a track where a mod auto-downloaded, but you don't remember the track name. All auto-downloaded mods goes to your <em>cache</em> folder, and stays there for some time. This folder has a size limit, so after a while the mod will no longer be in the folder, and has to be re-downloaded.
The first thing you need to do, if you haven't already, is to configure Windows to show hidden folders and files. To do this on an English Windows Vista, just type in "folder options" in the start menu and press the top result. If you do not know what "folder options" is in your language, go to the control panel in "classic view" and find it from there. It should have a logical name. In Windows XP, just go to any folder -> Tools -> Folder options (this also works on Vista if you have the menu activated, I'm not sure if everybody has that). Do as on the picture:
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/folderoptions.png" /></div>
Now, we have to find the cache folder. On my English Vista, the path is:
<blockquote>C:\ProgramData\TrackMania\Cache</blockquote>
Can't find it? Do a search for "ProgramData", and be sure to check the "Search inside hidden folders" option.
Inside this folder there will be hundreds of files with weird names. You should now set the folder view to "Details" so it easier to read the file names. Drag the name column out so that you can see the entire file name of all files. Those files are avatars, horns, mods, tracks and images from Trackmania online.
Now we have to filter out the mod files from the other files, and the easiest way to do that is to use the search function. Search for this:
<blockquote>*Mod*</blockquote>
And yes, KEEP the *'s. The * is a wildcard, so it will now search for everything that contains the string "mod", no matter what is before (*M) or after (d*). Now you will see a lot of .zip files and a lot of .loc files. It's the .loc files we are interested in, they contain the URL to the mod. Here's how it should look like now (Vista, English):
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/foldersearch.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/foldersearchsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
I have chosen to show 4 columns in my search window, all useful - but the ones you need is "Name" and "Date modified".
There is still one problem though.. How do you know which mod is the one you want?
Well, there are multiple ways to find out this. I am going to present them here in an irrelevant order - which method fits your needs is very relative. If you already see the mod you want, <a href="#">Preceed to the next step</a>.
<strong>1) Sort by "date modified"</strong>: If you know for sure that this was the last mod you auto-downloaded, then press the "Date modified" column button, and all the files in the search will automatically sort by when it was modified/downloaded. <a href="#">Preceed to the next step</a>.
<strong>2) Look at the mod picture or textures</strong>: You know when you load tracks that have a mod, and there is sometimes a different picture in the background during the loading? Well, that's called a "LoadScreen", and it can help you identify the mod you want. The LoadScreen image is located inside the mod file, so open up one of the mod files, go into the folder "Image" and then find the file "LoadScreen.dds". Extract it somewhere on your computer. By default, Windows doesn't know how to open .dds files, so you need to download an utility. nVIDIA has released a DDS texture viewer for Windows, which you can download from here: <a href="http://developer.nvidia.com/object/windows_texture_viewer.html">Windows Texture Viewer</a>. (If you have Photoshop, you can download the Photoshop DDS addon <a href="http://developer.nvidia.com/object/photoshop_dds_plugins.html">here</a>). The Windows Texture Viewer (WTV) doesn't have to be installed, so all you need to do is to unzip the executable anywhere on your hard disk and run it. If you want to assign .dds files to this program, then you should follow the instructions in "readme.txt".
After you have unzipped WTV.exe, run it and go to File -> Open... (or press O). Browse to the LoadScreen.dds file you just unzipped from the mod folder and open it. It should look something like this (depends on what mod you open, of course):
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTV.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTVsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
If you are lucky, you recognize the mod based on this image. However, if the LoadScreen doesn't really make you sure if it's the correct mod (not all LoadScreens shows textures from the mod), or there are no LoadScreen for that mod, you can view some of the textures from the mod file.
The most used block in RPG's is the "StadiumCircuit" block, and is thus probably the easiest block to recognize. It's the one pictured below:
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/stadiumcircuit.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/stadiumcircuitsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
Go into a mod file again, and extract "StadiumCircuitD.dds" from the "Image" folder anywhere on your computer. Open it with WTV following the steps above.
<div class="cntr"><a href="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTVGM.png"><img src="http://Anonymous.nitrolinken.net/tm/blog/locguide/WTVGMsmall.png" /></a></div><em><span style="font-size:70%">Press the image to see a larger image.</span></em>
Do you recognize it now? No? Try some of the other textures in the mod file if you are unsure. Then try another mod file.
When you have localized the correct mod, <a href="#">preceed to the next step</a>.
"The next step":
Once you have found the correct mod, open the corresponding .loc file. In this file, everything you will see is one line with the URL to the mod file, for example:
<blockquote>http://www.vinummusik.de/Trackmania/GrandeMuraille2.zip</blockquote>
Save this URL for later use. Use <a href="http://trackmaniarpg.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-add-auto-downloadable-mod-to.html">this guide</a> to find out how to add an auto-downloadable mod to your track.
NOTE: THIS IS NOT FINISHED
open tm cache, .loc files blabla
tip: press ++ during loading
open .gbx files balblab (if you want the URL of the mod in a track you have on tmx or your computer, open up the .gbx file in notepad and search for zip files until you find the mod)
direct URL tm-mod info locator: right click file blabla
- MadeAnonymous
- Posts: 219
- Joined: 16.04.2010, 17:10
UNDER CONSTRUCTION - Track rewiew friday the 13th from almos
by MadeAnonymous » 09.01.2011, 21:16
<div style="text-align: left;">Welcome to an great time hunting map from almostar*.He created a good athmosphere and
some good spots with the GM4 mod (Grande Mureille).
At the first shot I think you can get a 15-25 minutes time, but after this You will begin
to hunt for the 1st dedi, so have a lot of fun.
</div>
Here some screens:
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://85.14.221.253/clan/RPG-Blog/pics/scrfri1.jpg" /></div>
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://85.14.221.253/clan/RPG-Blog/pics/scrifri2.jpg" /></div>
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://85.14.221.253/clan/RPG-Blog/pics/scrfri3.jpg" /></div>
almostar*
I request you to do some better description of your maps, because it will be
easier to find out at tmx what is worth to test it on server
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">TMX ID: </span><a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2020846#auto">2020846</a>
Difficulty: Intermediate
AT: 12:21.45
First-time length: 15-25 minutes
Worldrecords up to date 13th Dec. 09:
Online: 6:53.74 by
some good spots with the GM4 mod (Grande Mureille).
At the first shot I think you can get a 15-25 minutes time, but after this You will begin
to hunt for the 1st dedi, so have a lot of fun.
</div>
Here some screens:
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://85.14.221.253/clan/RPG-Blog/pics/scrfri1.jpg" /></div>
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://85.14.221.253/clan/RPG-Blog/pics/scrifri2.jpg" /></div>
<div class="cntr"><img src="http://85.14.221.253/clan/RPG-Blog/pics/scrfri3.jpg" /></div>
almostar*
I request you to do some better description of your maps, because it will be
easier to find out at tmx what is worth to test it on server
<span style="text-decoration: underline;">TMX ID: </span><a href="http://tmnforever.tm-exchange.com/main.aspx?action=trackshow&id=2020846#auto">2020846</a>
Difficulty: Intermediate
AT: 12:21.45
First-time length: 15-25 minutes
Worldrecords up to date 13th Dec. 09:
Online: 6:53.74 by
- MadeAnonymous
- Posts: 219
- Joined: 16.04.2010, 17:10
by Igntul » 10.01.2011, 17:52
8,5/10 points
Katodik proofed another time that he is one of the most creative RPG builders, just awesome ideas from the first to the last second of this track. Only some things arent that well made, but I think the next track by him will be without these mistakes.
hhm katodik?
:cookie:
-
Igntul - Posts: 470
- Joined: 06.05.2010, 21:07
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