Extending the Life of Halo Modding

[Mgalekgolo]

Sparky im not hosting anymore because of a headache. OPer you should append the name of this with [working multiplayer]

[nil]

One of the reasons you may not be able to join your own game is because there may be two conflicting serial keys (remember, everyone's serial keys has to be different for everyone to be in the same game). You could try joining your own game with a different key (edit the key in the .plist file before launching the second instance).

[Mgalekgolo]

I just changed the info.plst inside the executable to have the key be under a different name (com.mgalekgolo.halo or something). It worked. That was the problem.

On another note:

Going insane with myself(both me)

[Amy]

WOW! Good job guys

I don't know if I make sense but since I dont have lion, and I host inside this app instead of demo would people with lion still be able to join?

Probably so, wouldn't make a difference I guess.

But yeah once again !!!

[nil]

WOW! Good job guys

I don't know if I make sense but since I dont have lion, and I host inside this app instead of demo would people with lion still be able to join?

Probably so, wouldn't make a difference I guess.

But yeah once again !!!

What we're trying to do has actually little to do with Lion. In fact, this will work on earlier OS's as well. We're trying to take the Halo UB, modify and strip it down, so that it can behave somewhat like a free limited Halo version, similar to Demo. Modzy modded it so that it uses the Demo gamespy lobby, but since this is a modified version of the full version, you can only play with full version players - as long as serial key issues don't prompt up that is, which is also something we're trying to minimize.

It's still not in an ideal state. We haven't yet figured out how to make hosted servers show up in the lobby (due to serial key issues), so at this moment, players relying on this hack have to connect via a direct IP.

@Modzy, I think you should try connecting to a rarer multiplayer version rather than Halo Demo for the lobby, such as 1.03.

[Modzy]

@Modzy, I think you should try connecting to a rarer multiplayer version rather than Halo Demo for the lobby, such as 1.03.

I chose to use the demo lobby so that when we get servers created with this version showing there, people not connected with this community will begin to ask why they cannot join the newly created servers. The hope being that they will eventually find their way to a download link of Halo Demo UB, and add to its player base.

I am still having the issue of the original game version code for 2.0.4 being sent to the gamespy server when I attempt to create a new server. Which may contribute to future problems of not showing in the main lobby list.

I've also done a bit of research into that offset I've been using to bypass the invalid key prompt when starting a server. By using packet sniffing software, I discovered that changing that boolean from 0 to a higher value causes the servers created to act as LAN games; they never even send any data to the master server, but they do send multicast data in the exact same way as LAN games do. So that offset is near useless as it's basically a boolean for determining when to set up a LAN game.

[Moxus]

Noob question: how do I use the executable? I tried running it in terminal, but it didn't have any apparent effect.

-=Moxus=-

[Sparky]

Modzy, I could set up a few dedicated servers named "Halo UB demo - download to join" which could help promote that when it's ready.

EDIT: "Get Halo Demo UB | HaloDemoMods.com"
Also, I could make like I did when I hosted mods before HDM existed, and create non-modded rooms and use the chat to promote the UB version.

And while we're at it, why don't we add some extra modded map files to the game so that people who just get the UB from HDM or elsewhere can just join and not have to switch in/out the maps? That's an easy executable and UI change.

Moxus: You place the executable inside the Universal Binary version of the game which costs $10 last I checked. (Even though I bought every copy of Halo I could get my computer to work with, I still have someone else's copy of the UB, and I think you will need your halo full serial number to use the UB version.)

By the way, since Halo Demo didn't require a serial number, can we remove the serial number requirement from the UB version of Halo Full in the release of Halo Demo UB? Or is that what you guys are doing here?

SUCCESS! I am able to create servers on the Master Gamespy server using a random key.

Edit: My success seems to have some trick to it, as my servers are no longer appearing on the master server list. Hmm.

I think i can speak for everyone in here if i say OH YOU TWO ARE FUCKING GENIUSES!!! O_O

What is going to happen next? You'll make the app able to host only Bloodgulch servers? Maybe via an UI mod? (well, via an UI mod means that if i use a normal UI i'll be able to play normally, so… :-\ )

I believe it is possible to edit the maps listed in the executable. So that it may be reduced to just bloodgulch.

Did you figure out what caused this success?

[Modzy]

The plan is to include several popular Demo mods (Crossing, for example) on release with an edited UI (the ui.map will be renamed gi.map), and an empty custom slot for custom.map.

As for my previous "success," I believe that, through some glitch somewhere, the state changed message was never sent to the master server from a previous attempt to create a server. Basically, when you create a server, all the information is sent to the master server to be added to the list. In the case of an invalid key error, your server is created before the error is prompted, but then closed as soon as it is. Somehow the closing bit was not sent to the master server, allowing it to appear in the list, like a ghost server. Similar to what happens if you start a server in HD and force quit it.

[Moxus]

Moxus: You place the executable inside the Universal Binary version of the game which costs $10 last I checked. (Even though I bought every copy of Halo I could get my computer to work with, I still have someone else's copy of the UB, and I think you will need your halo full serial number to use the UB version.)\

Thanks.

(Crossing, for example)

<3.

-=Moxus=-

[Amy]

Noob question: how do I use the executable? I tried running it in terminal, but it didn't have any apparent effect.

-=Moxus=-

Was waiting for someone to ask that bahaha. ;P

But wait, that means you need halo full to run it? Wait I'm really lost now...GAH.

[Dead Site]

Replayed Halo 1 campaign on Boot Camp just now, then will proceed to Halo 2...

[Modzy]

Noob question: how do I use the executable? I tried running it in terminal, but it didn't have any apparent effect.

-=Moxus=-

Was waiting for someone to ask that bahaha. ;P

But wait, that means you need halo full to run it? Wait I'm really lost now...GAH.

You need Halo Full to use the executables we release until the final release, which will be packaged.

[Moxus]

It was really nice to have Halo Demo(ish) running on my Macbook Air. You're doing good work.

-=Moxus=-

[Alex W]

Ive read a bunch about this Halo Demo thing that you guys are working on... but i still dont know what its supposed to accomplish. Halo Demo connecting to servers in Full Version by direct ip so you can play with pc players?