Decompilation coordination thread

[mmmniple]

Hello,i asked a friend to decompile caviar player and caviar web pluggin using hexray for trying to understand this format.

Here goes the results.

http://pastebin.com/LcCxDNhP

and the export files :

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ozt59x16hu69oj1/pluggin.rar

http://www.mediafire.com/file/maiu0tz6qw3ppxv/caviar.rar

I hope this could be usefull.

The original files (i posted on other thread of this forum) :

http://www.mediafire.com/file/1539krs92y9hzj9/CVRPlay.rar

(it included the pdf patent with some info about this technology

and a mini-Faq i have created explaining this files

http://www.mediafire.com/file/td5n52vvdhz99h2/FAQ.txt

Hi to all and excuse me for no news in this time : i was too busy .i had some advances with the pluggin RE (i know the format has been reverse enginered and posted the info on the wiki and a new java viewer : "cvr2",but i wanna tried to finish what i have begun (it is my first RE).
Anyway i would comment i found on an older magazind Cd a Netscape versión which work on latest windows (i am sure on windows XP,and win7) and see the older pluggin in action!
(I used the demo they had which change a little the html Source (now you only need change the file name you wanna see on the HTML Source and let this file on the same directory).
If someone is interesting i can upload the netscape and the HTML

Yours

[DrazharLn]

Please upload the netscape plugin and HTML. If you don't nobody is going to find them again and they might be useful

[mmmniple]

Here goes!
I had added a "Minifaq" explaining how to use it .

Also a 16bit version of Netscape which came on the same demo disk i found it with the 32 version .

I dont know if it works : i can no test it.Maybe with windows 3.1 ,but no sure if the pluggin would work with it.if it does great : it could work on any mobile device with dosbox :p
excuse me ,it gave me error for the upload size limit.Later i will upload on other place  and post.sorry

[DrazharLn]

How big is it?

[mmmniple]

Hello ,excuse me for the delay : i have too busy until now.
Here goes a mediafire link:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/d5arv0k49y49vfd/Netscape.rar

its size is 15,4 Mb

[DrazharLn]

I've recompressed it as a zip for greater accessibility and hosted it here under Downloads/Utilities: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=351

Thanks again.

[Induktio]

By the way, I found the landmark creation procedures:
  5C5EF0: jungle
  5C5C70: crater
  5C6DB0: volcano
  5C7F40: mesa
  5C8150: ridge
  5C69E0: uranium
  5C64A0: ruins
  5C7750: unity
  5C7A80: fossil
  5C7540: nexus
  5C7020: borehole
  5C6200: sargasso
  5C6740: dunes
  5C6C40: fresh
  5C83B0: geothermal
In all cases, arg1 and arg2 are position, with -1,-1 for random.  Volcano has arg3 to determine if it comes from a special
event as opposed to map creation or scenario editor

These values are for terranx.exe obviously. When generating a new map, these are called from function 5C86E0.

One feature I've been looking for a long time is the ability to control what landmarks are placed in a random map. It would be simple to remove the relevant function calls, but it would be better to have a config file or an UI option to choose what landmarks are placed. Does anyone have ideas how to accomplish that?

It might also be useful to have more control on the faction starting point placement on random maps. Specifically, I'm wondering if it's possible to normalize the distance to nearest rivals so everybody doesn't start in one crowded island etc. Any idea where the random starting locations are determined?

[DrazharLn]

Have you had a look at Scient's IDA database? It's very comprehensive with many functions named, structs deciphered and so on.

You'll need IDA >=6 to open it.

http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=downloads;sa=view;down=341

[Induktio]

I haven't checked that database yet. Alas, not even all 6.x versions are able to open that file. IDA file formats are very version specific. Anyone know the exact version required?

Maybe it is possible to dump the database and typeinfo to a plaintext IDC file? Just open it in IDA, and select "Produce File > Dump ...".

[DrazharLn]

IDA Pro 6.8.150423 with hexrays works. I think other 6.8 versions will work too.

idc files attached (database and separate typeinfo).

They're from my own database and have a handful more annotations than scient's database.

[Induktio]

Yeah, that should offer some useful information on the game internals. I'll keep looking on how the map generator could be improved.

[Buster's Uncle]

 

[Induktio]

If anyone else wonders, landmark generation can already be customized with Yitzi's latest patch. There's a new config file option in alphax.txt for that.

The documentation is just buried in a relatively obscure page, near the end here: http://alphacentauri2.info/wiki/New_alphax_variables_in_Yitzi%27s_patch

[DrazharLn]

Heh. I completely forgot that Yitzi had already done that.

[Induktio]

Speaking of the patch documentation, the other thing that left me wondering was the "SELECT PLANETARY ORBIT" "80..100 million miles" option when generating a new map. It's the first thing the map generator asks yet I can't see if it affects anything? Another thread suggested it affects eco damage but not sure how to verify it. At least it should be explained in the readme or worded differently. The map in this game doesn't represent temperature per se, there's only humidity which already has its own setting.