Incyclopedia

[Sparky]

After brief testing, I've determined that this release will not fix those broken tags like the m249 saw and dual smgs, so you'll have to obtain those tags from working published CE maps instead. That much is really outside the scope of the INCY in providing tags that are published as tags, but it could potentially be included if those CE authors agree to include their tags with the INCY. I'll have to request permission.

It's kind of upsetting that these few tags still won't work when converted. I've been able to get several vehicles to work that were previously broken, but some weapons just fail upon conversion - I've tested some of them in Halo CE and they will work there. I guess asking CE modders is the only other option... this must be an issue only for my maps, or perhaps they simply fixed those weapons somehow.

Comments?

EDIT: Aside from the proj additions, it's not worth the release yet. I'll try to get all these tags working first.

Please let me know which tags you find that are broken from the other INCY Volume 2.

[dirk]

honestly, I think you are better off with a system like the halo demo mod downloader that nil made for this than a map.

[Sparky]

That's a great idea! Making a separate program could work as a front-end to the online database. Alt suggested making a website with PHP.

The alternative is to add a download menu command to Eschaton, which would be the easiest method for users, but I'll have to make the system first... maybe I can modify Eschaton this way myself and do some testing that way.

Perhaps a combination of website-Eschaton interface is best, like how you suggested with Nil's HDemoLauncher.

Tags should be "tagged" as broken if they don't work.

[2310]

Actually, we should be able to split an entire map into independent tag files and make a map from tag files automatically. That would allow a lot of possibilities, and improve collab speed, and allow people to comment on tags.

A website is easier than a actual app because actual apps are better for editing files, but webapps are better for things that use constant updating. You could use Mozilla Prism to make a desktop-integrated webapp.

Adding a interface to Eschaton sounds good, but it might be a problem if people prefer old versions and we update the website interface, which would then break the download feature of old Eschatons. We might want to keep it as a pure map editor.

[Smythe]

If you prefer the old version of esch then you need to upgrade.
an FTP could work? but i still think Dirks idea would work best.

[Sparky]

Before the INCY Online is brought to a reality, I'll be releasing an all-inclusive Halo CE tags version of the INCY. So basically, no more version 2.1 and 2.2, but simply a version 2 that includes all the tags from HaloMaps for Halo Custom Edition. We'll see how it goes.

I've also got lots of models I'm intending to rig for Galaxy Wars, but that's another topic. And that foliage with collision sound effects like crunching leaves and swishing fronds.

[Nuthead_]

Link for Volume 3?

[Sparky]

Volume 3 (Demo) hasn't been made yet. I think I'm going to do the INCY Online instead of the release of Volume 3.

What I've been doing so far with the Incyclopedia with the CE tags -- that is Volume 2 -- is downloading the tags from hce.halomaps.org and fixing their links and compiling them in the Halo Editing Kit into a map file, then importing and testing those tags into another Halo Demo map file using Eschaton and the Halo Demo game. After I find out which tags are broken, I estimate the usefulness of the volume as a whole and release it if it qualifies.

With Volume 1, after my adventure with Crazy Madness, I simply opened every Halo Full map in Eschaton and extracted and imported every tag into a new map file. I also saved them to disk, to my own personal directory of thousands of folders and files. I was only able to do this with the assistance of a macro I made using QuicKeys.

My hardware setup has changed considerably since that time. I was using an iBook G4, now I'm using a Mac Pro "insane rigged machine that can balance a trillion checkbooks simultaneously in under a second", which has 8 gigs of ram (I know it doesn't sound like much), so I get to use at least twice the ram that my PowerPC system could handle before. I failed towards the end of my task of compiling the INCY in its entirety before. I don't plan to fail the task again.

Options
• Make a single map file with Eschaton consisting of all Halo Full and Halo CE tags.
• Make two map files, one with all Halo Full tags, one with all Halo CE tags.

...but didn't I discuss this a long time ago? So you see, I've decided to make the single map file with all Halo 1 tags, and in the mean time work on the INCY Online. Zeus comes after the INCY Online's details have been sorted through. That program is not yet prioritized; I've been learning and dabbling with it until it rises to the surface.

[Sparky]

I finished the INCY again for Halo Full, but I did it the easy way this time:

I recursively extracted all the root-level tags for each singleplayer and multiplayer map for Halo Full. I did this externally, so that I could include all the sbsp, scnr, matg... and tagc tags. I also checked the bitm and snd! tags in one expanded SP and one expanded MP map (and the expanded ui.map file) to make sure that they were all referenced through other tags, so they were included in the recursive extraction.

I also learned that there are some unreferenced bitmaps in each singleplayer and multiplayer map. Seems they got included, even though they are only referenced properly in the ui.map file:
ui\shell\bitmaps\background (the multplayer background map loading screen with the halo on it)
ui\shell\bitmaps\trouble_brewing (the "lag" icon that shows during a multiplayer game when there's high network latency)

With the sound tags, I noticed some funny referencing:
sound\sfx\impulse\impacts\lrgrocks is referenced by sound\sfx\impulse\impacts\medrocks which is referenced by sound\sfx\impulse\impacts\smallrock which is referenced by a part tag finally that breaks the snd! reference chain, effects\particles\solid\gravel small. The same situation goes with the glass impulse and metal chips sounds, and some shotgun shell impulse sounds...

sound\sfx\ui\cursor is not properly referenced within any map, as far as I could tell. I'm assuming that this sound (snd!) tag was never used in the game.

sound\sfx\ui\back is not used as a reference within multiplayer maps.

This leads me to believe that I have all the bitmap and sound tags in the game also.

The Complete Halo 1 Commercial Release Tag Directory in Eschaton Meta Tag Format (Full Version for Mac)

EDIT: The best part is that this only took me an hour to do!

[Sparky]

I'm trying to parse the sounds.map and bitmaps.map files. Has anyone tried this, and can give me a heads-up? Or maybe there's a link on the internets somewhere... like on modhalo... posted by Altimit01... ;P