Noogah Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 I know a little bit about programming, and I know a bit of PHP, HTML, and VB.NET. However... How do the amazing modders on this forum (like Cyrem, jrmastermodelbuilder and the legendary origamiguy) learn to MOD?? In the LR forums, there was a discussion involving a game filetype. Said le717: The PWB file is a binary file, and it seems it can't be modded without converting it. If you know how to program, you can write a new converter using the file documentation Well, I'd love to learn, but where in the world do I start? I can write and debug a basic application, but how do I open up a game (like any of the Lego classics titles, and start figuring out how to deconstruct and modify it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JrMasterModelBuilder Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 Where did I learn everything I know? From tinkering with computers and software for the past, what is it now? 4 years? Basically, modding requires reverse engineering the data files to change something, then you can write a program to automate this (my current preference is Python because it has some nice binary file capabilities that I can write software quickly with). So, to reverse engineer something, it helps to know what you are looking at. In the case of LEGO.JAM, it was pretty clear it was a file archive of some kind that contained all the data for the game. Thankfully, there were already partial file format specification which enabled me to make an extractor (this was my first time reverse-engineering). Anyway, a simple file archive generally has a list of files and their offsets and sizes so that they can be found within the binary data. Image files on the other had would have some kind of pixel map, and 3D model formats have vertex coordinates and other information to form faces. Most of the time, it's just guess-work, looking at the binary data in a hex editor, and trying to make sense of it, testing by modifying bytes and see what changes. Noogah 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McJobless Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 There are different aspects to modding. I started to create custom content with Jeremy McGrath's Supercross 2000 for the PS1, making custom tracks. I loved it so much, I'd spend hours making new combinations. Things get pretty foggy, but I'm pretty sure my first game I actually modded was Halo: Custom Edition with the SDK, the Halo Editing Kit. It came with a proper set of tutorials, and on the web there was plenty of documentation as well. This was not enough, though, and I went out of my way to buy games that either had SDKs or community-developed tools to mod games, including (but not limited to) Freespace 2, F.E.A.R., Source-based Games, LegoRR and Flight Simulator X. The more I modded, the more I learnt about computers in general, and the more I was inspired to try other programs and learn to program, model, animate, create sounds, movies and level design. Eventually I downloaded special programs like Adventure Game Studio, Unity, UDK, CryEngine, Game Maker and so much more. They're very good engines with great support and help documents, designed to allow anybody to make a game. The key is to find tutorials on the web, written in a style suited to you, and following them to the letter at first, and then mixing them up and trying out new things, until you become confident with the process and you can do it your own way. Sometimes authors will take odd steps or a long path for different reasons, so I like to pursue finding out why the author performed all the steps they did, and what they actually do towards the finished product. Of course, one way is to self-teach, as I (mostly) did for animating (help from Cirevam and some web tutorial to enhance my knowledge and help me do somethings I would have never thought of, of course). Play around with a program for an hour and you might learn some interesting new things. Of course, it can never beat help from a professional, but it's a good way to become acquainted with the basics. One other thing, you can learn to program at Code Academy (google search them). They're brilliant online, free, tutorials that teach you exactly what you need to know and give you practical experience, and tell you every mistake you make so you can improve yourself. Also, I learnt C through the C All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies, with author Dan Gorkin, whose amazing at writing his self-help books. Once you do learn, it's about first considering the problem, and looking at all the steps you would need to perform to create the solution. Break it down to some very simple steps, and you'll be able to code a program in no time. Noogah and Fluffy Cupcake 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LUModder Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 public start(coding-explanation-of-flex){ All I know is a little bit of Java (thanks to making mods on Minecraft) and very little C++ } (See what I did there?) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
McJobless Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 (See what I did there?) No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
le717 Posted December 2, 2012 Share Posted December 2, 2012 (See what I did there?) No. Flex explained how little bit of code he knows in the CSS format. body { I only know-because: I'm learning it at Codecademy; } ;P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noogah Posted December 2, 2012 Author Share Posted December 2, 2012 Thanks JrMaster, and Extreme! I will squarely tuck away your advice in the archives of my mind. It seems that experience is always the best teacher. That said, the Code Master website also looks brilliant! I'll be checking that out more thoroughly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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