[WIP] Zeus: Pre-alpha 1 release

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Sparky
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[WIP] Zeus: Pre-alpha 1 release

Post by Sparky » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:50 am

Welcome to the Zeus discussion topic.
Here is the Zeus release topic: viewtopic.php?f=101&t=18588
Old Stuff wrote:UPDATE: Please vote in the poll in the other topic.

Zeus can be found here:
http://zeus.blamdevcom.net/
example multimodding session


Current version is: 0.5.a
Latest Changes wrote:- you can view bitmask32 flags now (more data types coming very soon)

KNOWN PROBLEMS:
To Fix wrote:- The first page's form submission does not always start uploading large files right away; you have to click once or twice on it
--- Proposed workaround: Open up Activity Monitor in your Utilities folder. Click on Network. Click Data. Your red "Data sent/sec" value should be peaked if the uploading process is working right.

- add upload progress bar for the first page so you're not sitting there wondering when it'll be done uploading
- continue along with the tag metadata
The latest discussions in this topic start on page 17

The more you participate and discuss things, the more encouragement I will have and the faster I will develop this!

Here is the antiquated info:
Poll Results wrote:

Code: Select all

Which Operating System do you MAINLY use?

Mac OS 10.3 Panther             7%  [ 5 ]
Mac OS 10.4 Tiger               9%  [ 7 ]
Mac OS 10.5 Leopard             12% [ 9 ]
Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard        30% [ 22 ] x
Mac OS 10.7 Lion                20% [ 15 ]
Windows XP                      7%  [ 5 ]
Windows Vista                   1%  [ 1 ]
Windows 7                       12% [ 9 ]
...something else.              1%  [ 1 ]
						
                        Total votes : 74
Antiquated Plans wrote:
Image
THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS

(Throughout this topic, I will be deciding upon features and behaviors for the application. Anything that I determine to include will be colored like this.)

Zeus is a map making and editing application. Essentially, it's all the Halo CE tools combined into one application for Mac.

This is like Guerilla / Eschaton, Sapien / SwordEdit, and Tool combined, but without all the bugs. It's also totally easy to do even the most complicated tasks.

Features
  • General
    - Even the most complicated tasks have been simplified and streamlined into an intuitive interface
    - Build new maps from scratch and modify existing maps
    - Rename any tag (even the scenario!) and have all the necessary dependency links auto-updated
    - Load Halo Demo, Halo Full, Halo CE, Halo 2... tags and change their format or included them in your map of any game version. (Additional game resources may be required.)
    - Use the "Cast Lightning Storm" command to easily randomize any tag data of your choice, just for fun
    - Safely remove unreferenced tags to streamline your maps
    - Build your map, or Build and Publish it to the HDM mod database (requires internet connection)
    - Save your map-making projects without having to rebuild the open map(s) first
    - Drag-and-drop tag importing / exporting from other open maps or from the Finder
  • Navigation
    - Outstanding drag-and-drop support
    - Multiple selection capability makes huge tasks a breeze
    - Revised top-down / left-right workflow complements improved navigation style (whereas Eschaton uses left-right / left-right)
    - Streamlined process for importing tags from online sources like HaloMaps.org and the INCY
  • Map Info Editor
    - Easily convert maps between different Ports, ie. Halo 2 Vista, Halo Full Mac, Halo 3 Xbox, Halo Trial, Halo Demo, etc.
    - Easily convert maps between different Types, ie. Single Player, Multiplayer or User Interface
    (You can switch both of these, but will need to do one at a time and modify any additional information required before saving.)
  • Meta Editor
    - Complete and accurate tag info map-outs, with an interface inspired by Halo CE HEK's Guerilla application
  • Viewport
    - Functionality changes, depending upon which tag type is currently selected:
    • - mod2: view fully-skinned 3D models
      - sbsp: view fully-skinned level bsp, including lightmaps
      - scnr: has similar functionality to SwordEdit
      - snd! / lsnd: listen to the sound files in the map
    - with all views, adjust UVW mapping and other details in real-time
    - import / export .obj models, collision models and animations
    - view and tweak model animations in real-time
  • INCY
    - Download and publish user-submitted tags from the Incyclopedia Online
    - Each tag entry includes a screenshot, tag name, tag path, and description
    - Create new tags by dragging an existing tag from the INCY (or from the Finder), duplicating it and / or changing its data
NEW!
Feature Timeline, by Version Number
(additional features may be included without notice)

0.1
Halo Full and Demo/Trial support:
- Open map files
- View standard information about the map
- View tag meta data
- View data fork of map in hex editor viewer

0.1.1
Halo Full and Demo/Trial support:
- Edit map files
- Edit standard information about the map (some of this you shouldn't typically modify, though)
- Edit tag meta data using legitimate data types
- Edit data fork of map in hex editor viewer (as an alternative to the meta data parsed view)
- Save map files with new meta data values.

0.2
Halo Full and Demo/Trial support:
- Open, edit (including rename) and save Eschaton .meta tags individually (recursively or non-recursively)
- Import Eschaton .meta tags into a map

0.3
Bulk support:
- Extract tag data to export in Eschaton .meta format (no INCY support yet)
- Renaming tags with a specified prefix (like "MGM\Draconic74\Tags\...")

Halo CE support:
- Open, edit and save maps
- View and edit standard information about maps
- View and edit meta data

0.4
Tag support:
- Complete tag handling and converting capabilities between Eschaton .meta, INCY and CE formats

0.5
Scenario Viewer:
- Open a Halo 1 map of any platform port, whether Halo Full Mac or Halo PC, Halo CE or Halo Demo/Trial and view its scenario bsp
- Sbsps rendered using OpenGL and include a fully-populated Scenario (scnr tag)
- Easy interface and camera controls
- Accurate world clipping distance lets you see distant objects as they really appear in-game

0.6
Scenario Viewer:
- "Save" and "undo" support
- Edit coordinates and rotation of any object in the scenario by dragging it around the rendered environment
- Can use arrow keys for slight adjustments
- Unlimited multiple selection, also by type
- Multiple local adjustments

Bulk Support:
- Drop all objects of a type to their local sbsp ground or to whatever they are above

0.7
New map creation support
- Build a new map from scratch or using available templates

INCY Online support
- Complete support for the online Incyclopedia, where you can access a user-contributed library of tags

Tag viewing & OBJ file support
- View mod2 (gbxmodel) tags, fully-mapped using OpenGL, and export to .obj file format.
- View material-mapped .obj model files and import into mod2 tag format.

0.7.1
Sound support
- Play tag sounds from within Zeus
- Export sounds to the Finder
...

0.8
Xbox support
- Complete handling of Xbox-format maps and tags

Halo 2 support
- Open Halo 2 Vista and Halo 2 Xbox map files
- View, modify and save meta data using metadata viewer or hex editor
- Complete scenario viewer support included

0.9
Halo 2 support
- Complete INCY format support, including cross-conversion of tag formats

1.0
Zeus Powers
- Cast Lightning Storm to randomize any data
- Bulk import/export of any tag type and publishing to the INCY
- Advanced INCY management, including publishing with an image and description
- Convert or make a map between any game port, as in Halo 1 Full Mac, Halo PC, Halo 1 Xbox, Halo CE, Halo Demo / Trial, Halo 2 Vista or Halo 2 Xbox
- Convert a map between any game type, as in Multiplayer, Single Player, User Interface, or H2 Main Menu

Version History

Version 0.1 pre-alpha 2
  • - revised interface
    - still need to figure out how to incorporate New Tags smoothly
    - next version will have a fully-usable map metadata editor
Version 0.1 pre-alpha
  • - interface development
    - feature development (you can tell me which features to develop first)
Screenshots

(will be available after version 0.1 pre-alpha)

Additional concepts to incorporate:
- Remember Window Positions and Move to Default Window Positions feature under Window menu. This may not typically be necessary, since all the information is displayed in a single windowed area, but this can still be useful.
Last edited by Sparky on Sat May 18, 2013 1:14 pm, edited 36 times in total.
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Sparky
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Sparky » Mon Jul 12, 2010 10:54 am

First, I'm debating whether to make this an online PHP application where you can upload your map file(s) and tags, or to make it a stand-alone Cocoa app. I'm leaning on the side of the cocoa app, so that HDM doesn't get bogged down with server processes. I could avoid that issue by using the browser to handle the data, but... that's just not right.

Discuss.

EDIT: Decided. It will be an application, not an online script.
Last edited by Sparky on Sun Aug 08, 2010 11:59 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Mgalekgolo
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Mgalekgolo » Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:07 am

OMG! s :notworthy: :notworthy:
this looks great! i canz wait to see it! also you should make a poll for cocoa/PHP

will h2 vista maps be playable on halo demo???
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Zanghfei
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Zanghfei » Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:29 am

^ Is depend the Halo Engine >_> If isn't work so there no Halo 2.


Editing scenarios in real-time like a maxed-out SwordEdit / Sapien

I was think the map made by some 3D application. ( well yeah this is asweome )

Wait, Sparky You made ALONE?

Will wait the Beta ^^

Mgalekgolo
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Mgalekgolo » Mon Jul 12, 2010 11:51 am

ooh i wanz to beta (:
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Dirk Gently » Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:12 pm

Sparky, can you seriously fail any harder at how software works? I mean seriously dude, PLEASE take a computer science class to understand WHY this is such a terrible idea.

No, I am not trying to shit on your parade, I am telling you the truth about what you are proposing.

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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Modzy » Mon Jul 12, 2010 12:23 pm

A lot of this stuff is unimaginably tricky. I know, I've tried my hand at a lot of it, and only met partal success (this is coming from a someone who is pretty knowledgeable in all this kind of stuff). Also, like Dirk pointed out, the combination of things like the SCNR editor and the tag creator is a horrible idea. I'd be quick to bet any advanced programmer would agree without a second thought. You seem to be headed down the path of Prometheus, only without all the talented programmers and only a fraction of the knowledgeable.

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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by 2310 » Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:03 pm

Those who say something cannot be done are frequently overtaken by those who are already doing it.

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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Mgalekgolo » Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:16 pm

wisdom words
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Devious
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Devious » Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:50 pm

Just because you don't think he can do it doesn't mean he will fail. Why bother flaming sparky? If he succeeds, he succeeds, and gives more to the MGM community. If he fails he fails, and he learns form his mistakes. What's the harm in him trying?
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Zodiark » Mon Jul 12, 2010 1:54 pm

I agree with Devious, if this succeeds this will be great, but if it fails you work to improve it or it just ends.

@Sparky: Sounds great, and if you want I could beta test it.

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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Mgalekgolo » Mon Jul 12, 2010 2:06 pm

i also agree with devious and zodiark. please give it a try
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nil
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by nil » Mon Jul 12, 2010 2:18 pm

I suppose there isn't harm in trying. Whether or not modzy and dirk are correct about this being too difficult of a goal for him, I'd suggest to Sparky not to create a WIP when having no actual functionality implemented (and if there was functionality already implemented, I'd expect proof). From what I can tell, all he has created so far is an interface without any implementation. There's no harm in trying, but progress follows after implementing things. This is more of a "todo list"; not really reassuring.
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Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Monk34 » Mon Jul 12, 2010 3:15 pm

Editing Halo 3 .map files and using them again on an Xbox gets really hard unless the Xbox is jtagged. It WOULD be awesome to have an app like Eschaton that can mod Halo 3 on a Mac though.
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Dirk

Re: [WIP] Zeus

Post by Dirk » Mon Jul 12, 2010 4:20 pm

nil wrote:I suppose there isn't harm in trying. Whether or not modzy and dirk are correct about this being too difficult of a goal for him, I'd suggest to Sparky not to create a WIP when having no actual functionality implemented (and if there was functionality already implemented, I'd expect proof). From what I can tell, all he has created so far is an interface without any implementation. There's no harm in trying, but progress follows after implementing things. This is more of a "todo list"; not really reassuring.
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