Tutorial: How to extract all files out of the Demo .big

[Rei Ayanami]

Follow these instructions to extract all files from the new .big format in Homeworld 2.

Step 1.
-----------------

Download Delphy's IC SGA Extractor found here: Sigma Extractor (http://mods.relicnews.com/comment.php?12) .
Then download this .zip that I have authored. The .zip (http://sebi.daeblitz.bei.t-online.de/Homeworld2.big.zip) .

Step 2.
-----------------
- Extract the .zip into the specific folder that will be used to hold all of the files extracted from the .big HW2 folder. Note that it creates a number of subfolders and sub-subfolders in the folder you have selected.
- Copy your Homeworld2.big file from the Demo folder ( \data\ ) into this folder.
- Rename Homeworld2.big to Homeworld2.sga

Step 3.
-----------------

- Run Delphy's SGA Extractor (Thx. Delph ^^),
- Open the Homeworld2.sga from the special folder. Note that the folder structure in the Extractor is identical to the folder structure you extracted from the .zip file.
- Press the "Extract all" button and it will extract all files to their proper places in the directory..

*** Bug *** - The .fda music files will not be extracted.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This method works because Delphy's Program doesn't create the multi-directory Folder structure, and so can't put the files into the proper directories without it being there first. I hope that's good information for the next version of the Extractor ^^.

P.S. After examining the ,BIG file contents, I think it could be very easily to get access to the Vagyr race for playing in-game! The first Mod perhaps hehe.

(Tidied-up version by Retroboy)

[Retroboy]

[* rewording removed *]. Y'er welcome. ;)

-- Retro

[Spooky]

Nice one Rei. :)

I've extracted the homeworld2.big file and had a look round - the new mesh format is err...... completely different. This should make for quite a few challenges ahead. :)

[omnigon]

yeah, I followed this too (excellent work guys) and came across a few file formats I was unfamiliar with. I'm new to modding so I have a lot to learn here. How can I view/extract the

.ship
.hod
.lua

files? I've been looking over the forums and other sites and can't find a definitive listing or explanation of relics naming conventions. This game was just incredible to demo... can't wait to mod it.

[Rei Ayanami]

ok i found out, that the .lua Files are something like scripts and contains text based information about a great amount of things. the race.lua is very interesting if you open it in an text editor. It should control the playable races i think. But look there are our Hiigareans and the Vagyr but there is a third race listet. I dont want spoiler so look yourself hehe.

[Spooky]

You cannot do anything with these files at present other than view them with a hex editor. The .hod file appear to be the new .peo but with more than just the mesh in it....

All the .lua files in the .big file are compiled so cannot be altered.

[medamanx]

i just glanced at the one thing i was hoping to get working on and all i see is jibberish... theres nothing but jibberish with a little text here and there in the multiplayer .level files... so im guessing that they totally changed the mapping format as well...

[muad'dib]

one small item for a ignorant soul

how do you put a modified file into play

[Spooky]

The .level files (along with most others) are compiled making straight editing impossible....

[Hopalong]

I wouldn't be suprised if the files themselves are very similar to HW files after they are decompiled. We just need to get working on that and we should be good to go....

[Rei Ayanami]

If you open your modified File with Text Editor you can see (most in the .lau Files) the corect path you ahve to put them into you demo folder.

[Delphy]

Aww crap.

And I just did a hw2 big extractor too....

:(

[medamanx]

so in other words with straight editing being impossible we must have maya in order to do anything to the files...?

[omnigon]

well as of now I can't even figure out how to get the models/textures yet, let alone in maya.

[Rei Ayanami]

They said anywhere before that they use a special plugin for Maya do create there models. So its like with all the other files that we have to wait or create some plugin ourself.

[Retroboy]

Rei, are you sure you're not referring to the special Maya PLE plug-in that Relic was hoping to get the people responsible for Maya to release?

-- Relic

[Rei Ayanami]

Thats what i mean. ... i think....

[Crook]

no, the meshes will be exported from maya. I doubt they would be importable....

[mecha]

meda

The level files are compiled for speed reasons, they don't need to be though and when not compiled they are perfectly readable / editable by hand. I'm pretty sure we'll be releasing the uncompiled versions along with an extractor and such.

[Delphy]

My SGA/BIG tool *does* create the directory structures.

I fixed a bug with it a while back but never uploaded the new version... but the changes I put into it are in my Relic Archive Extractor, so you shouldn't need the zip file extra.

Oh and you MUST have the full SGA extractor package downloaded and installed - it is, after all, just the SGA program :)

[ofredo]

where can we download the editor to edit the *.ship *.hod and
.lua file?

please tell me
i really want it

[Rei Ayanami]

There is no editor for these 3 file format at this time. We waork on a .hod converter. But for the .lua and . ship files we are curetly waiting on Relics tools.

[ofredo]

so
how can we edit the ship file
and change the things

[ofredo]

like
the build speed
needed money
the ship speed and so on

[AntaresSITH]

i am hosting the extractor of delphy, cause it took me 30 min to get it from the above given location.

http://www.silentthunder.de/files/sgaviewer.zip

[Rei Ayanami]

ofredo: we cant edit this stuff right now!

[Elif Tymes]

Delphy, I get the MSCOMCTL.OCX message when I try and run your extractor. Do you have that hosted somewhere?

[Rei Ayanami]

Did you installed the original SGA converter i posted in the first link ?. IF yes perhaps yust type in the filename to :google: there you will find surly a download and instal instruction. Personaly i think it is a file of VB Runtime.

[Elif Tymes]

I know its afile of VB runtime. Its te microsoft common controls, such as VBForms, etc. I just dont got it.

To anyone else who has this problem, Go here http://www.geocities.com/nitin_speed/resources.htm#mscomctl

I googled i shortly after, and came up with 10001 different forums with people asking this question :D

[Rebel]

Has anyone noticed the distinction between "hiigaran
_upgrades.lua" and "hiigaran_demoupgrades.lua"? hmm...interesting...

[ofredo]

oh ic

[ofredo]

but some body is modding the file
how they can?