Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Discussion about modding Halo 3.
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HaLo2FrEeEk





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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

Why would I make a program to look for the jpg header if the jpg header always starts at the same offset in the file? And the blf header defines the length of the jpg image...so I don'tneed to search that, right?
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Tural »

HaLo2FrEeEk wrote:Why would I make a program to look for the jpg header if the jpg header always starts at the same offset in the file?
Weren't you just saying that there were two different formats for the screenshot containers, an older one and a newer one? They were suggesting that so you didn't have to account for the different container formats.
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HaLo2FrEeEk





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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

Wouldn't it take longer though? I can make an if statement that gets a few bytes where the jpg header starts in one of the formats and if they equal what a jpg header should equal then it starts there, else it starts at the other offset.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by unknownv2 »

HaLo2FrEeEk wrote:Wouldn't it take longer though? I can make an if statement that gets a few bytes where the jpg header starts in one of the formats and if they equal what a jpg header should equal then it starts there, else it starts at the other offset.
Do that.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Veegie »

... why are screenshots being discussed still?
It takes no more than 5 minutes to code an application to do everything you've ever wanted.
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HaLo2FrEeEk





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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

For you, maybe? Don't be cocky, I know you're all that here and whatnot, but I've just gotten into Halo modding, so I'm still learning. It might take you 5 minutes, but I just started learning C#, so it takes me longer.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Tural »

He may be a little less patient because every other day you make a new thread asking a new question about some obscure file format and the like on the console, and very few of your questions get answered (Probably because nobody knows/cares to find out because of the insignificance of the information, particularly pertaining to this site). You're asking people to do all of the research for you, basically. I'm sure a place like Xbox-Scene or some other format-oriented site would be of much, much greater help than this site.
I think you've started 12 different topics/discussions for files and formats, and maybe one or two of them have been answered.

In addition, all of the information for this topic has been supplied. If you want help with programming, you should be in a programming board. This is for research on the structures, and the structure you're discussing has already had a working solution posted. You indicated that you'd like to try a different approach than what people told you, so you can go learn how to do that. That's what research is, and you can do it without someone holding your hand, I'm sure.

I actually typed out a very similar post to this about 5 of your threads ago, indicating that you should stop making so many threads when so few of them get answers for various reasons, but I refrained. However, now, since you've decided to call out another member, I don't think I'll continue to refrain. Your posting has become tedious and rather obnoxious with how many new threads you're making, and I would appreciate it if you would stop. When someone doesn't answer you, maybe it's because nobody knows or cares. That's when you have to pick it up and do the research yourself. If you can't do it, maybe you need to move on to another issue. (Which I assume you do, which is why you make more threads, in which case maybe you should just make one big "H2F's File Formats Questions Thread" so you can post all of your random thoughts about 360 file formats in one place, and so everyone doesn't have to see 10+ threads about them.)

1) Sorry for sounding like a noob - No solution given.
2) Extracting Gears of War 2 screenshots - Broken rules and no solution given.
3) What format are NXE installed games in? - Broken rules and no solution given.
4) Hex editing in VB Studio 2008 - Full solution not given.
5) BinaryReader in C# acting oddly - Possible solution given? I can't tell, but the thread looks dead as with all of the others.
6) C#: Byte Array to Decimal to Int - Legitimate solutions given.
7) Understanding LIVE/PIRS/CON files, need help - Legitimate discussion.
8) Custom Xbox 360 Themes? - No solution to core issue given.
9) Replace the Xbox 360 HDD - Thread didn't need to be made, you could have Googled it or anything to find the same information. No help to your intention was given in this thread.
10) Hex Workshop Help - No solution given.
11) .XEX and .XEXP? - No solution given.
12) Gamerpic modding - Unnecessary thread.
13) Modding Discussion - kornman mentioned stuff that didn't do much for you, then I think you figured it out without the help of the thread. Not sure, but doesn't look like the thread was very necessary.
14) XMA format sounds - No solution given.
15) Halo 3 Retail Game Research - All information you need is available, but you want to take another approach and want people to help you with it, when they already gave you a way that works that you didn't like. Now you're inciting other members with your assertions that they are arrogant.

I see 2.5 out of 15 legitimate discussions/answers/solutions. It's just, as I mentioned, obnoxious, at least for me, seeing all of these thread that go nowhere from you.
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HaLo2FrEeEk





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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

I'm interested in a lot of different things. I always have some project or other going on, be it modeling, cutscenes, modding, or some other thing. I need help with those things and I ask here because people here know the most about it. I've asked other places as well, like se7ensins and xbox-scene, but I like it here better.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Tural »

But you're getting abysmal help here.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Eaton »

I agree with Tural. This is Halomods. Not Xboxmods. Most of your questions don't involve Halo and should be directed to an Xbox modding site. Such as Xbox-Scene, Xboxhacker, etc. There are plenty of people there that would be more than willing to help you.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

No there aren't though...no one helps me there. It took me weeks to get someone to help me figure out what I was doing wrong changing my original xbox's harddrive...turns out I was loading the app from the wrong dashboard, that was it. People at least reply here, helping me figure it out on my own. Is it a bad thing to ask for help here? I mean, I could understand if your take was that I wasn't getting any help, but I think you're just annoyed that I keep posting new threads.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Tural »

I would hope that's what you think, considering I said exactly that...
I said directly that I was annoyed by your copious amounts of threads.
Also, you aren't getting much help here either.
It's both, and I made that very clear earlier...
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

I got plenty of help here, I figured out how to do what I needed. Listen, what you probably don't remember (or maybe you do) is that everyone starts somewhere. Some people can't just DO the research, they have to ask questions. It's utterly useless for me to do the research if I don't know what I'm looking for. I've refrained from asking about Halo 3 Beta models here, you have no clue how much I want to. I'm trying to figure it out. It might appear to you that I don't get help in any of the threads I start, but I do. Maybe not in all of them, but at least in some of them, and more than you think. At least something's being talked about, there's not much activity here, maybe I'm trying to start things up again, in different areas.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Tural »

I never said you weren't asking for help, you're just saying nonsensical things like "It might appear to you that I don't get help in any of the threads I start, but I do" when I never said anything like that, or anything that you could even interpret as anywhere near that comment.

And very little is being talked about in those threads, as I pointed out. It's a 2.5-to-15 success rate.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by mxrider108 »

Personally I think he is doing nothing wrong. He has been asking questions as well as contributing to things several members here are interested in (STFS packages). I would be posting in his threads more, because I am also looking to gain a better understanding of this file system, but I am too busy to start on a program right now with finals/term papers. Frankly, we aught to have a section here about 360 files -- or could someone who knows (because many members claim to) please post a whitepaper for the basic structure of the STFS packages? It would certainly cut down on the number of questions HaLo2FrEeEk and others are having. I can appreciate the sentiment of not just handing everything out and telling them to do their own research, but if you are going to tell people that then you shouldn't complain when they post a lot of questions. This is not 100% related to Halo modding, but it is a lot more relevant than some of the other topics on this forum.
Last edited by mxrider108 on Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:58 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by Tural »

I'm more concerned about the amount of threads. He can make a research thread of his own to ask all of his questions if he wants, I welcome him to ask questions, but I'm not personally fond of constantly seeing new threads that get no replies when there could just be one concentrated thread.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by grimdoomer »

I agree. You say you need help to start. Well I remember the only help I, and probally lost of other more expireinced modders got was, open a hex editor and follow a program line by line to see what and how it reads from a file. I believe shade45's app is open source? If so you should do what I just said.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by HaLo2FrEeEk »

See you still don't really get it. I know the smallest possible amount about coding, so opening a program that I don't understand and trying to use it to follow a file I don't understand...tell me how that works?
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by ImpactPro »

HaLo2FrEeEk wrote:See you still don't really get it. I know the smallest possible amount about coding, so opening a program that I don't understand and trying to use it to follow a file I don't understand...tell me how that works?
Then go somewhere else. If you don't get something. Like everyone has said its HaloMods not XboxMods so go post your questions at X-S. If it is something that you are researching yourself then you are stuck on one spot then it would be ok to ask. But to have every last little detail spelled out seems very bland.
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Re: Halo 3 Retail Game Research

Post by grimdoomer »

HaLo2FrEeEk wrote:See you still don't really get it. I know the smallest possible amount about coding, so opening a program that I don't understand and trying to use it to follow a file I don't understand...tell me how that works?
Thats how I learned, and I garentee most of the more expirienced modders learned that way too.
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