ExtraPatcher

08-20-2009, 06:28 AM

I'm currently formulating an idea which mainly involves developing a patch for the game, like Blizzard's one, an attempt to extend Warcraft functionality. With the current troubles with the new patch, I think this is the best moment to show you what I've planning. I named it ExtraPatcher.

ExtraPatcher would be a dedicated way of managing the distribution of resources. It would firstly comes as an installable patch for players, it would concern with the process of extracting resources and making them available when playing the game, check if the patch is correctly installed, keep track of what version is currently installed and whether it needs an update. For start, the patch will provide as resources, models, icons, sound, ..., so it's a kind of way to distribute resources made by the community making them available in players machine, with maps not needing to import them.

Secondly, it is also aimed for developers in the deployment of theirs maps which are made using the resources of the patch. Like with RTC, only players that have the patch installed can play maps that are made specifically for this additional patch.

Yet about the focus with developers, map makers need to know what resources are at their disposal to their maps that are aimed for players with this patch. Also, those maps need to be compatible with players that do not have the patch installed. Players whithout the patch can still join online games that require the patch. The plan is to check at the start of the game whether players have the patch installed or not, disconnecting those missing it. For this, I managed to externalize some strings for the GetLocalizedString native:

Table:

Parameter	Returns if installed	Returns if NOT installed
"PATCHER_INSTALLED"	"Yes"	"PATCHER_INSTALLED"
"PATCHER_VERSION"	"1"	"PATCHER_VERSION"

You can check whether the local player has the patch installed in his machine and in what version:

JASS:

globals
    boolean IsPatched = false
    integer PatchVersion = 0
endglobals

function Check takes nothing returns nothing
    set IsPatched = GetLocalizedString("PATCHER_INSTALLED")=="Yes"
    if IsPatched then
        set PatchVersion = S2I( GetLocalizedString("PATCHER_VERSION") )
    endif
endfunction

I think it's much easier to enumerate the characteristics/pros/cons/ than writing it in a long textual explanation.

CHARACTERISTICS:
-Resources are made available to the game using local files ("Enable Local Files" registry value)
-Not only resources, but any additional file that it installs are supossed to be local and not mess with MPQ's
-So whatever fix that can be done in warcraft using local files can be added to this patch

PROS:
-As I could verify when making Wc3styler, if you have caution, local files will not prevent you to play on leader beeing banned
-This initiative leads to maps entirely made of imports whithout needing to import them
-I think this attempt seems much more reliable than others like creating a whole new WE
-Maps are able to check what players have the patch installed (I will create a vjass system that syncs this detection and disconnect players missing the patch)
-Map makers have a list of paths to resources that are granted to be working and ready to use
-I can think how nice it would be to inject systems in Blizzard.j

CONS:
-Players have to download and install this patch in order to play any map that need it
-It can scare some peoples thinking on it like some hacking tool, it can scare even blizzard

With all this in mind, I wanted a solid way to test it with an executable application.
This first release, only for testing purpose, is the patch installer:
-for players: enabling them to play maps that require ExtraPatcher
-for map makers: have acess to resources paths and can preview blp images. Also it fixes warcraft enabling it to play MIDI sounds

ExtraPatcher - download (5,3 mb)
Also attached a test map.

Attached Files

patcher.w3x (17.6 KB)

08-20-2009, 02:54 PM

MindWorX

The idea is great, but an installer? That's just too much intrusion, instead you should do it with an mpq injection, that happens during runtime, so you don't need to add anything to the installation. Also, you need to get people to use it, do you have any ideas how to publish the project so alot of people will know about it? When making a check, you should toy with the config function that's native to all maps, maybe you could make it invalidate the map if your localized strings aren't around?

08-20-2009, 04:12 PM	#3
Vexorian	For TTor and other mods I just made a wc3 loader that swapped war3patch.mpq with the mod's mpq before running wc3. It works absurdly well and survives wc3 updates. Seriously.

08-20-2009, 07:52 PM

midiway

Quote:

Originally Posted by MindWorX

I can see some advantages of using local files against mpq injection (MPQDraft right?):
-It is more secure use it than mqp injection when it comes to play on leader, I don't know how the injection works, but if it writes to game memory, will probabily trigger blizz 'warden' protection
-The files need also be available in WE, so when you use a path of a resource shipped in ExtraPatcher, WE will see the local file and read it.
-Maybe MPQDraft can patch WE too, but every time you want to run it, you have to use MPQDraft way of starting WE rather than the normal WE, so how could I deal with NewGenPack which also works as an injenction tool?

I would need help of some maps endorsing the project so people would require to install it. Maps won't use it just for fun, but to get the benefits the patch has. So I would like ideas of fixes that could be applied to the game and shipped with the patch.

If I could full it of benefits for maps and break some limitations of the game, it could turns in to a standard for both player and developers. But I doubt I can get it whithout help......

Nice ideia with the config func, when does the game run it? Before you join a game room?

08-24-2009, 12:10 AM

PitzerMike

Well, in my opinion using local files is a really bad idea.
Experience has shown that if the users have the chance to screw things up - and with local files they have oh so many ways to screw things up - surprisingly many will succeed in doing so.

MPQ injection is much more preferable. Not so much like MPQ draft but more like Grimoire's loadmpq since you can load any number of mpqs and also adjust their prioriy. Havn't seen any problems so far with blizzard's protection.

It's a good idea, but Mindy's concerns are also valid. You'll need a plan to promote this thing.

08-27-2009, 04:40 AM	#6
midiway	How does Grimoire ways works, just tell me the guide lines? Any kind of source available? Is it at your repository?

08-27-2009, 07:39 AM	#7
deathminion1	+1 reputation

09-23-2009, 03:20 PM	#8
PitzerMike	Oh sorry, I forgot about this. Well there's a different repository for Griomoire. Here's the sourceforge project: http://sourceforge.net/projects/w3grimoire/ Afaik the source code there is free to view for all.

09-23-2009, 06:55 PM	#9
thelifelessone	So... This just adds models, skins, sounds, etc. into the MPQ?

09-23-2009, 08:31 PM	#10
midiway	Yes, but currently it works by using local files, not extracting to the MPQ

09-24-2009, 01:56 AM	#11
thelifelessone	Wait, local files? O_o Edit: Oh wait, yeah I see it. That's interesting... How'd you get them to load in WC3? An exe hack or something?

09-24-2009, 03:35 AM	#12
midiway	Well, it is a very known method, setting the key "Enable Local Files" in the Windows registry to "1", the game will try to load any file that it needs from the game directory, if it doesn't find the file, it will then get the original from the MPQ

09-24-2009, 07:16 AM	#13
thelifelessone	Oh now that's cool. What's the registry key? /random

09-24-2009, 07:30 AM #14

midiway

Quote:

Originally Posted by thelifelessone

Oh now that's cool.
What's the registry key? /random

Plz use the search if want to know more about it.
You create this DWORD value directly under the "HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Blizzard Entertainment\Warcraft III" key

Btw, as I could see, inject a MPQ in the game is simply as:

PHP Code:


		
			
// ( C++ )



typedef BOOL __stdcall (* pSFileOpenArchive)(const char *fn, long prio, long flags, long *mpq);



HMODULE storm = GetModuleHandle("storm.dll");

SFileOpenArchive = (pSFileOpenArchive)GetProcAddress(storm,(const char *)266);

SFileOpenArchive(mpqname,prio,0,&mpq);