Ghost recon redux

[shakealeg1212]

For those who don't remember, I attempted a PC port of jungle storm from the ps2. I was unsuccessful but now I am armed with more time,resources,and knowledge. So I'm going to try again.

I also want to port the xbox maps to PC. For tho use unaware the xbox version was totally retexured thanks to the capabilities of the xbox.

I plan to package all the maps together and call it gr redux.

[shakealeg1212]

for those interested ive extracted all the xbox files. i just need help with .map files. i dont know how to open or export them.

[MrMoon]

Can send me the link if you want.

[Zeealex]

How are you extracting the Xbox stuff? I'm curious.

[shakealeg1212]

I basically made an .iso of my gr disk then extracted it.

Most files are actually useable on the PC. All the xbox .env files can be opened with igor.

My biggest issue now is that all the .map files and sound files still need to be extracted. The map files are in .glb format and the sound files are in .xwb. I'm searching every corner of the internet looking for extractors and plug ins.

My theory is that someone with 3dsmax can open the glb files then export them as proper gr files. Its far fetched but certainly worth a try.

[wombat50]

Just curious, will the .xwb files open in a audio editor (such as Audacity) using the import>raw data function?

[shakealeg1212]

i would imagine so, from my understanding .xwb files are fairly common.

im still stumped on the .glb files

Edited June 30, 2014 by shakealeg1212

[Zeealex]

I basically made an .iso of my gr disk then extracted it.

Most files are actually useable on the PC. All the xbox .env files can be opened with igor.

My biggest issue now is that all the .map files and sound files still need to be extracted. The map files are in .glb format and the sound files are in .xwb. I'm searching every corner of the internet looking for extractors and plug ins.

My theory is that someone with 3dsmax can open the glb files then export them as proper gr files. Its far fetched but certainly worth a try.

oh cool! seems easy enough! you can pass those Glb files over to me and i'll see if they open, I've got 3dsmax

Edited June 30, 2014 by Zeealex

[shakealeg1212]

http://www.mediafire.com/download/5f9bl6vjp8swp8f/xbox_GR_.glb.rar

have at it guys

[shakealeg1212]

update:

i extracted all the sound files (.xwb) to .pcm files.

im still working on the .glb files. i opened them up with a hex editor and found all the files i need are inside (.map/.rsb files) i just have NO idea how to extract them using a hex editor.

[Zeealex]

do you have a new link the download keeps freezing up on me, sorry to be a pain.

[shakealeg1212]

try this

http://www.mediafire.com/download/1u6109vv52wv5bi/xbox+gr.rar

[Zeealex]

thanks dude.

i've been able to get some information on what these files are, most likely result from looking at them is that they are Glulx Blorb files, finding a straight up extractor or unpacker will be difficult, but I'll keep searching for you either that or I'll see if i can magic one of these python ones to life!

Edited July 2, 2014 by Zeealex

[shakealeg1212]

thanks for your effort zee. youre right, they are glulx blorb files. ive been searching every corner of the internet finding extractors.

[shakealeg1212]

alright well looks like this is another dead end BUT there are several textures and motion (?) files that can be used. also all the sound files can be extracted. ill try to work on that.

[ApexMods]

Good to see you working on the Jungle Storm port again, mate.

Very much hope you figure this out.

[shakealeg1212]

i dont want to create any false hope, but just to update those interested, ive joined a couple of console modding communities so hopefully they can help me out or at the very least point me in the right direction.

my goal is the maps from both the ps2 and xbox versions. unfortunately those are the hardest files to get to. ive managed to to get various other files including sound files from the xbox version.

so at the very least there is some new stuff but im very determined to get those maps!

Edited July 12, 2014 by shakealeg1212

[shakealeg1212]

i finally got around to (re)playing the jungle storm campaign on ps2. for those interested the campaign takes place in 2010 in colombia following island thunders campaign. the story is basically cleaning up the remaining cartels and alliances from the cuban cartel IT. i'll explain the maps a little too, the ps2 exclusive ones. 

J01 - Dig Site - basically a jungle artifact digging site with set of mountain tunnels. on my xbox game disc i found a multiplayer only map with the same artifact digging set up. I'll compare them and see if they are the same or not. 

J02 - Railroad Junction - has a rail yard very similar to the one in the original M03 rail bridge map. also has a dense jungle swap which was pretty fun. 

J03 - Railroad Depot - this is almost a cut and paste of the Train depot from Desert Siege. the surrounding hills are different and there is an additional area with a heli pad. night map as well.

J04 - Village Outskirts - a south american village surrounded by streams and farm land

J05 - Abandoned Harbor - basically a U shaped dock and in the middle a bunch of wrecked ships that you can traverse.  

J06 - Winding River - seems to me like cut and paste of the DS riverbed map. this time with palm trees, dusk, and a river filling in most of the map

J07 - Prison Camp - cut and paste of the prison map from OGR. this time is at dusk with a lot of palm trees and jungle scenery

J08 - -Radio Tower - seems like a cut and paste of the Mountain map from OGR. this time with rain and a jungle setting. 

i'll have to admit after playing through them again after 7 years they don't excite me as much. most if not all maps aren't even true original maps. Definitely a quick job from RSE to make some money on the PS2. But it'd be nice to have the final chapter of the Ghost's before Scott Mitchell and UBI ruined everything.

I once again am picking up dead leads with PS2 modders to try another port. the Xbox maps IMO won't ever get ported. the encryption and different file structure of the xbox  seems to hard to crack and not near enough of support. (with the possible exception of the dig site map it seems the xbox version has no exclusive maps anyway) the PS2 community is a lot bigger and the files are more accessible. there are a few ps2 games that have an ongoing modded pc port. so fingers crossed 

 

 

[MrMoon]

Ive seen some of those maps in playthroughs on youtube and although not all of them look great damn it would be nice to have them available on the pc.

[shakealeg1212]

i covered a bit of ground this weekend. as it turns out my original .iso rip of Jungle Storm along with some of the files i extracted were corrupt. it was no wonder i was having such a hard time opening/extracting files. so i re ripped my JS disc and extracted it using a new method (shout out to the plugin author at zenhax). there was a noticeable file size difference from my previous extraction which means the files are non corrupt and usable. i am now able to open all .mis files along with anything else that can be viewed as a text file. also able to view a few .rsb files but ill explain that in a bit.

so i made a small test mod where i copied all the important files pertaining to maps from JS. I activated it and it showed up on the mission list in GR. i went to load it and naturally it crashed. as of now i have the .env .mis .sht .pob .qob files. i checked the crash log and the 2 reasons it crashed were 1. missing a few textures and 2. obviously the most important file was missing, the .map file.  There isn't a .map file in the JS folder but there is a .maz file that is roughly the same size as a .map file would be.  a little research and i found this: https://knowledge.autodesk.com/support/3ds-max/learn-explore/caas/CloudHelp/cloudhelp/2015/ENU/3DSMax/files/GUID-89B9DA21-987D-411B-9F8C-19455A8CD7D1-htm.html

Note: Submitting a job creates a folder for the job on the manager machine in the \Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network\jobs\ folder. In that folder is a compressed file with a .maz extension containing the scene file. You can extract the scene from the command prompt using the maxunzip.exe program, found in the 3ds Max program directory. For example, to extract a file named testfile.maz, assuming 3ds Max is installed in a folder named \Autodesk 3ds Max 2015\, open the command prompt, navigate to the \Program Files\Autodesk\Backburner\Network\jobs folder, and enter this: “\Program Files\Autodesk\Autodesk 3ds Max 2015\maxunzip” testfile.maz. You must specify the .maz file-name extension; otherwise you'll get an error message.

now assuming this is how to get that .map file, a JS map can successfully be opened in GR. Now it wont have textures but extracting the .rsb files needed isn't much of a priority and worse case scenario they can be textured from existing IT .rsb files, which most of the maps were anyway. there is an .rsb extractor out there but its untested with my new non corrupt files. there's also several video files for the IT/JS campaigns but again priority number one is the .map file.

i could use some help from 3ds veterans. im having a hard time setting up the maxunzip utility. i have what ever JS files you may need just send me a pm. 

 

 

[shakealeg1212]

another update:

i found out that the maxunzip uses a command prompt and i've been having trouble finding the correct path to type to properly unzip the .maz file. 

while i should have been doing that i got side tracked and sent a ps2 modder the files needed for decompression, fingers crossed that he can decompress them.  i've also been getting my feet wet with hex editing which may be my last resort, and i'm dreading it. 

but the best discovery from my sidetrack venture was this: http://www.vg-resource.com/thread-20541.html

to sum that link up: there is a plugin that will turn ingame screenshots from a ps2 emulator to .obj files that can be viewed/edited in 3dsmax. 

i've tested it and the .obj screens from GR can in fact be opened in 3dsmax. i messed around with the ghost characters and some hills from a map. i'm not a 3dsmax pro but everything seemed fully editable.  now this may be an alternative solution to trying to decompress the .maz files but i'm not sure if multiple .obj files can be imported into the same project and meshed together to create a full map. i'd have to screenshot nearly every inch of a map as well. i'm not opposed to this method as long as it works, but i'll need some serious help from map makers. 

 

[shakealeg1212]

 

      

 

this is from the first map in the JS campaign, the view from the insertion point. all that white is trees, and there is a hill if you look close enough. each tree can be selected and identified as a separate object. (the second pic was flipped because it was upside down in 3dsmax and i dont know how to flip it)

Edited December 7, 2015 by shakealeg1212

[shakealeg1212]

another update:

i SUCK at using 3dsmax. 

i was hitting dead end after dead end last week because i had no grasp of the various functions of 3dsmax. this weekend i've managed to get a hang of the basics, and obviously the more i work the better i'll get. 

the models from GRJS use backface culling which means whichever side of a model that is in view of the camera is the side that gets rendered. so getting a snap of the front of a tree would look fine but if i were to view it from the back there would be many missing polygons. there are 3 methods to get around this: snapping all four sides of a model then combining them, selecting material to "2 sided" or selecting the problem polys and using the "flip normal" tool. 

now i've been using the 2 sided method with good results. though i read that the 2 sided works in viewport but when you render your model it still has the missing polygons. i'm a bit confused because when i render my scene it looks the way it should with no missing polys. the real test would be getting these models into the game and see how they look, but that's a ways away. 

this is a snap straight from the emulator. some of the hud is a model which has to be deleted. it seems the hud messes with the perspective and adds additional polys that aren't relevant to the map. im working on identifying and cleaning them up. 

this is the model from that snap in 3ds rendering mode. i used the 2 sided method here. it can be viewed in a full 360 but for comparison sake i kept the front view. it isn't scaled 100% which is why some of the angles look off and i may have deleted some polys that i shouldn't have. but its progress. 

everytime i get frustrated and want to give up is when i uncover something new. the cycle constantly repeats itself 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MrMoon]

Sounds like a tonne of work dude.

I salute you sir in this most difficult endevour.