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Introduction
This report is a guide for installing
and playing Ghost Recon modifications. It is aimed primarily
at "newbies", anyone who is unfamiliar with the
Mods system implemented by Red Storm Entertainment in Ghost
Recon. Quick learners can jump straight to the Easy Start summary at the foot of this page.
Types of Mod
Mods can consist of any combination
of the following types
- Maps
- Brand new maps featuring new landscapes to play on.
- Missions
- Mission mods can come either as a whole
new campaign, or single missions. They provide new mission
objectives, played on the same maps as in the standard
Campaign.
- Weapons
- Weapon mods add new weapons to the Ghost's
arsenal, or modify existing weapons characteristics.
- Skins
- "Skins" is a modders term for
the uniforms worn by the characters, or even the facial
characteristics. A new skins pack will usually suit
the Ghosts out in new uniforms or camouflage.
- Total Conversions
- Total Conversions are the big daddy of Ghost Recon mods, they contain everything: new maps, missions, weapons and skins.
Downloading
Mods can be sourced from several locations.
The following list is not comprehensive, but lists the most
reliable and extensive locations to find mods.
These sites can provide mods in one of 3
ways.
- Download directly from their own server
- Redirect to the mod author's site for
download
- Redirect to a File Archive for download
Sites that serve files directly from their
own server have heavy overheads, bandwidth charges to pay
their ISP. If you use these sites please bear that in mind
and support them with donations, and/or visit their sponsors.
Without tangible support from site visitors services like
File Archives will disappear, please remember that.
Sites that re-direct to another location
are probably doing so to avoid the very large expense of providing
files from their own server.
What does this mean to you, the person downloading
the mod? There is no difference, whether you download directly
from a site, or an off-site file archive, you should receive
the file in the same manner, free of charge.
For example, select your mod from GhostRecon.net downloads,
and the mods details will be displayed along with a Download button, and in some cases a "mirror" link. Clicking the Download button will take you to the site where we have uploaded the mod for you to download from. At the moment this is most likely to be Filefront. If there is a problem with that download location, you can click the "mirror" link as mentioned before to grab the mod from a different location.
Before you start downloading mods I suggest
you make a new folder on your hard drive to store all your
downloaded mod installers. This will make it easy to find
them, and keep your folder structure tidy. Make a folder somewhere
on your harddrive and call it "Ghost Recon Mods"
- like
in this example.
Installation
Before installing any mods it is best to
understand how mods work with Ghost Recon. If you open your
file manager and examine the Ghost Recon folder you will see
a folder called "Mods". Inside that folder there
will be a list of other folders. Each one of those folders
contains a complete mod. The one called "origmiss"
is actually the original missions that the Ghost Recon campaign
is made up of!
Whenever you install a mod, what it does
is makes a new folder in the Mods folder, and names it after
itself - and puts all the files necessary to run the mod inside
that folder, simply really.
Installing a mod should be a simple case
of running the downloaded file, and it installs itself to
the correct location inside the Mods folder without overwriting
any files. Usually that will be the case, but it is not always
the case. For that reason, I will outline the recommended
installation procedure for installing a mod. It might look
excessive, but it could save you from having to reinstall
Ghost Recon. Remember mods are written by fans, not (usually)
by professionals.
The downloaded file may be a zip file or
an exe file. If it is a zip file you will need to extract
the file to somewhere on your hardrive. If you are confident
about installing mods, you can unzip it directly to the Mods
folder of Ghost Recon, with the unzip folder structure
intact.
What I recommend, is that you always unzip
the contents to a temporary folder first. Examine the contents
of the folder (1) locate and read the Readme.txt file and
(2) make sure that all the files are going to go into a new
mod folder, and not into any existing Ghost Recon folders.
If you spot an existing folder name check the filenames to
ensure that no files are overwritten. If you spot a file that
is going to be overwritten by a mod, it is good practice to
make a copy of the file before installation. Once you are
content with the contents simply copy the mod folder into
the mods folder of Ghost Recon, by copy/pasting the folder
named after the mod.
If the downloaded file is an exe file, this
means it has been packaged with an installer, which should
hopefully make the whole process alot easier. Run the installer
and check that it is installing to the Mods folder of Ghost
Recon. If the location shown in the installer is not where
your mods folder is located, browse the installer to the correct
location, and hit "next". The mod will then install,
upon completion you will probably be offered the option to
read an instruction text. Always click to read that document
as it will probably contain important information on activating
the mod correctly.
Activation
Now you are ready to play your new mod!
Open up Ghost Recon and click on Options, then select the
Mods button. From the list on the left select your mod and
activate it, so that it appears on the right. If you have
to try more than once to activate the correct mod you are
running an old version of Ghost Recon and should download
the latest patch.
Sometimes in order to ensure the mod is
fully activated you need to shut down Ghost Recon, then start
it up again. This is especially important if you are installing
a weapons mod. So if a mod does not work first time, do not
condem it to the recycle bin, simply restart Ghost Recon.
An easy way to select mods is to use 3rd
party Mod Activation tool. These tools can be launched before
you even start Ghost Recon, and will allow you to select your
mods, and launch right into Ghost Recon with the mod activated
and ready to play! You can download tools that do this from
the Tools section of our download page.
If the mod is a new mission, or multiple
missions you will usually find it by entering the Quick Mission
section. Simply select the mod from the list and start! With
a campaign (several linked missions) select to start a new
campaign, then select the mod title from the campaign list,
and then instead of the usual missions you will be presented
with a brand new challenge.
With weapon mods you may start any type
of game and should find the new weapons listed on the Equip
screen.
Multiplayer
One of the joys of using mods is playing
with fellow "human" players in multiplayer combat.
Humans appreciate a high quality mod where as the computer
A.I. doesn't really care. Often times mods are designed specifically
with multiplayer gameplay in mind. Some of the more common
multiplayer modifications include skins for clan specific
uniforms, weapons mods for a wider variety and balance, and
level retexturing to introduce an almost "new" atmosphere.
It is quite amazing how unique the same map can appear when
it has been modified and retextured; it's almost like a brand
new map.
All this may sound good, but for a new guy
(or newbie), it may seem a little overwhelming. It's surprisingly
simple and with just a little bit of information, you'll soon
find yourself a MP Mod expert and often times you'll wonder
why some of the mods weren't included with the actual game.
This guide has already listed where to download
the mod, what to do with it, and how to activate it. For multiplayer
mods, all that's left is finding a game, and see what mods
are being used. This is extremely easy using the Ghost Recon
multiplayer screen.
From this screen, you will see a list of
the servers you have entered (either LAN or Internet). If
you don't have any IP addresses entered, see our news
page for a partial list of IP addresses or check the games
thread in the forum section. Once you have some games entered,
you will notice the last column is the active
mods section.
If there is a mod name listed there, then
you also need to have this mod installed but you don't
have to have it activated to play. The server will check
your mods folder and if the mod is installed then you will
enter the multiplayer screen. If you don't have the mod installed,
when you join you will see this
screen.
One thing to note is you have to have the
newest version of a mod. If the mod maker updates the mod
version, then you also have to have this newer version or
it will not work. If you have more than one mod in your mods
folder, then you will continue to the multiplayer screen as
normal, only whichever mod is activated by the host will be
utilized and the rest ignored.
If you use Gamespy (or similar utility)
it will normally be listed in the room description what mod
is required. If you join a game and don't have the correct
mod you will be treated to the same screen as shown before.
It's interesting to note that if you have mods activated you
can still play in a MP game that's not using those mods. The
mod information is just ignored. This saves you the trouble
of deactivating all the mods every time you play multiplayer
games. Also, what some clans do to prevent others from joining
(without passwording the server) is to make a unique mod that
their members install and then only they can play on that
server because no one else will have that specific mod.
That is a basic overview of how one would
utilize mods in multiplayer mode. If for some reason it doesn't
work, there are a few things to try. First, verify that you
are using the same exact mod. Many mods have similar names
and you have to have exactly what the server is using. Next,
check your mods folder to see if the mod is there. If it is,
activate it and setup a multiplayer game yourself, just to
see if the mod is listed in the active mod section. If all
else fails, it isn't necessarily your fault. Something on
the server may have changed or there may be a different mod
running. If trouble persists, ask for help on a reputable
forum or consider deleting that mod and reinstalling it. Always
remember with all mods, that they aren't officially supported
and they may corrupt your game files which may require uninstalling
and reinstalling the game all over again. You've been warned.
Now go download a mod and hop online. Enjoy!
Easy Start Summary
All Ghost Recon mods are installed in their own new folder in the Ghost Recon Mods folder. So if you have a mod called "New York" installed, you will see a folder called "New York" in the Ghost Recon mods folder. All Ghost Recon mods are self contained in this manner.
Once you have downloaded the mod it will either be a compressed archive like a zip or rar file, or it will be an exe installer. If it is an exe installer, simply run the file and it will auto install into a new folder in the mods folder. If it is a zipped up file like a .zip or .rar you should decompress the file to a temporary location, make sure the entire contents are in their own folder (named after the mod), and then simply drag that folder into the Ghost Recon mods folder.
Now start Ghost Recon and go to Options, then activate the mod from the listing on the left.
Rocky
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