#Halo map files full#

Script references link some object to a specific event. It is my belief that this value has the single purpose of validating maps copied correctly, and was not used to вЂњthwartвЂќ would be modders. The encryptomatic signature is created by xoring every dword after the header together. This allows the file table to be read as a single block of characters, and each object to be issued a pointer to the beginning of its string. The file table index contains unsigned integers defining the offset which each string begins, also relative.

#Halo map files full#

The file table contains full paths for each object in relative order (first filename is for the first object.) The strings are standard ASCII, with a null termination and no padding is used regardless of where the string terminates. Map origin will define the path (and file) the cache was created from, and as such is only defined in the cache files. The index offset is a pure offset pointing to the index header, followed by the meta start, which when added to the index offset will point to the beginning of the meta area. The map header1 is 2048 bytes just as previous versions of Halo. This process allows even multiplayer maps to have access to several hundred megabytes of information, while remaining within the limitations of the xbox hardware. As objects appear on screen, the data for them is streamed from the shared files, replacing the very low copy kept in memory with a much richer and more detailed counterparts. Upon loading a map, only the required resources are placed in memory. If your installation has valid bink video files, these will be played during load times, otherwise a progress text will appear on the screen showing the percentage copied.ДЄll loaded files are signed (see section on encryptomatic signature), and should a loading map fail, the engine will retry the copy twice more before giving a вЂњdirty diskвЂќ error, or a вЂњmap failed to loadвЂќ error, depending on the map. The shared and single player shared map files are exceptions to this rule, most likely to lower the load times of the game starting, and each map being processed. When Halo 2 is loaded, it will create cache files (copying the original files to the hard drive of the xbox). The Halo 2 map files can be broken up into the following sections: secondary magic offset вЂ“ A pure offset whose value has been increased by the secondary magic value.primary magic offset вЂ“ A pure offset whose value has been increased by the primary magic value.raw offset вЂ“ A pure offset whose 2 most significant bits represent the file the offset references.pure offset вЂ“ A value which represents an offset in the file that has not been modified in any way.secondary magic вЂ“ A value used to increase offsets, allowing large areas of data to be moved without modifying the offsets contained within it, primarily used for meta.primary magic вЂ“ A value used to increase offsets, allowing large areas of data to be moved without modifying the offsets contained within it.ViperNeo had the BSP information completed the same time we were working on models together, due to the strong similarity between them. Many things are not contained within this document, for the simple reason of I did not figure out how they work (the BSP is a good example.) ThatвЂ™s not to say these things are still unknown. Using this document, I hope to pass this on to you. Applying my experience from Halo 1 and other projects, I am one of a handful of people who could be considered experts on the map file formats. I have been working on the Halo 2 map format since its release, and this document serves as a collection of the information I have compiled with the help of good friends MonoxideC and ViperNeo. Odds are if you have used an application for Halo 1, I have had a hand in it, or the information that led to its conception. I have remained active in all areas of map formatting of Halo 1 for the xbox as well as the pc. My name is Iron_Forge, and I have been working on and off with Halo map files of one type or another for a little over a year now. map file format whitepaper originally by Iron_Forge.ДЎ - General Information 1.1 - Introduction 1.2.4.3 2.4.3 - Primary and Secondary Magic.1 Map File Format (Iron_Forge whitepaper).