Mass Effect Andromeda

[warrantyvoider]

If you're creating a mesh export plugin, then I have one request. Could you make it so the highest detail LOD (LOD 0) is always exported? Because in the your example file above, that isn't the LOD zero chunk. And I used some of the DAI tools too, and noticed it never exported the highest detail LOD. It usually picked the lowest detail LOD (3 or 4). Thanks.

First off, its not my fault the upper lods dont exist, again, cooking! Then you dont help at all but request stuff all the time, cant you wait until one exists? Or help, or shut up? ...

[warrantyvoider]

ok, combining the previous infos from ida and with help from kiwidog, I concluded following sofar, only missing are the sub section definitions:

Code: Select all

Header:
Bounding Box Min : ( -0,83621 -0,007922003 -0,180858 0 )
Bounding Box Max : ( 0,8362099 1,680016 0,1634721 0 )
LOD Pointers     : 0x90 0x140 0x1F0 0x2A0 0x350 0x0 0x0
Name             : game/characters/human/hmm/0_armors/hmm_arm_a/skinned/hmm_arm_hvya_und_skinned_mesh
Short Name       : hmm_arm_hvya_und_skinned_mesh
Name Hash        : 0x819207F2
Mesh Type        : MeshType_Skinned
Unknown01        : 0x801EFE01
Flags            : 0x0000001F
LOD Count        : 5
Section Count    : 5
Unknown02        : 0x00FB
Unknown03        : 0x00FB
Unknown04        : 0x00000000000000FB
Unknown05        : 0x00000000000000FB
 
LOD0:
-Mesh Type            : MeshType_Skinned
-Max Instance Count   : 65535
-Section Pointer      : (1 items @0x400)
...

full output

also attached my testcode for this

greetz WV

[lyutor1945]

ok, combining the previous infos from ida and with help from kiwidog, I concluded following sofar, only missing are the sub section definitions:

Code: Select all

Header:
Bounding Box Min : ( -0,83621 -0,007922003 -0,180858 0 )
Bounding Box Max : ( 0,8362099 1,680016 0,1634721 0 )
LOD Pointers     : 0x90 0x140 0x1F0 0x2A0 0x350 0x0 0x0
Name             : game/characters/human/hmm/0_armors/hmm_arm_a/skinned/hmm_arm_hvya_und_skinned_mesh
Short Name       : hmm_arm_hvya_und_skinned_mesh
Name Hash        : 0x819207F2
Mesh Type        : MeshType_Skinned
Unknown01        : 0x801EFE01
Flags            : 0x0000001F
LOD Count        : 5
Section Count    : 5
Unknown02        : 0x00FB
Unknown03        : 0x00FB
Unknown04        : 0x00000000000000FB
Unknown05        : 0x00000000000000FB
 
LOD0:
-Mesh Type            : MeshType_Skinned
-Max Instance Count   : 65535
-Section Pointer      : (1 items @0x400)
...

full output

also attached my testcode for this

greetz WV

Oh, great!!! The turn to meshes. Thanks that you are doing this hard work:)

[warrantyvoider]

Oh, great!!! The turn to meshes. Thanks that you are doing this hard work:)

Dunno if you know, but this is motivating, thanks

[OClear]

Or help, or shut up? ...

I'm offering helpful suggestions to improve your tool. whatever.

[warrantyvoider]

Or help, or shut up? ...

I'm offering helpful suggestions to improve your tool. whatever.

And you determine what is helpful on this research? Great, improvements for tools that dont even exist yet? This is the exact shit that stops any research, demands before anyone can even know if its possible. If you dont know how to re, yeah, pls leave and let it be. Dunno if you noticed, but in this is thread are ppl that do research and collect information for research, not make-a-wish foundation and collections for demands. Wheres your code? Your messing with files? Your testing of my tools? Your search for frostbite information? Your debugging results and obfuscation/encryption research? wheres your help with the texture formats? or creating dds? or talktables? or animations? or sounds? or finding structures? etc, etc, etc

[AnonBaiter]

Beware not to turn off anyone that uses your tool.

[warrantyvoider]

Beware not to turn off anyone that uses your tool.

because? I mean you are right, I could not release anything at all too. I dont think you understand how less I care

[GOTBLZ]

Hey WV,

With the texture tool, there seems to be a problem with how it imports from DDS', for example I am trying to edit "Game/Characters/Human/HMM/0_Heads/HMM_Head_Vik/PCA/textures/diffuse_mean.res" or maybe it'd do the same with any other face diffuse, the problem is that when I edit it, and re-import it, or even just export, and re-import the same face, when in-game it works fine and looks good, for about 1-2 minutes, then becomes totally distorted as though the DDS format has changed completely... (Like not even remotely like a face texture, more like i've imported it as a BC1_UNORM or something)

Is there some thing i've missed? I've been at this a while, and read everything here, and can't seem to find a work around.

Thanks

*If you test this yourself, you may need to run around for a little, but it shouldn't take long to appear*

[warrantyvoider]

well I dont know yet, I will look into it, moment pls... >waiting music<

UPDATE: well dunno, this doesnt happen for me, do I need to have someone special with me?

simple reimport/ no changes

well nvm

EDIT: dunno man, no idea, especially that it doesnt work with the original data, so its not a format problem

[GOTBLZ]

Really? What could I be doing wrong then... Like the data looks the same when I re-import it but I cannot get rid of the odd coloured face unless I restore from a backup, some face textures I have noticed are BC3_UNORM at 86kb, while others are BC1_UNORM at 43kb, so maybe I will try a BC1_UNORM one, so I wonder whats up. I don't think it matters if you have anyone with you or not, I tested it on Eos, but in saying that, maybe I will try testing it somewhere else.

Thanks for looking into it, I will try some other things and see, I am playing with a custom character which is preset 6, (knowing my luck, it'd be just the right combination that gives this problem lol)

*Edited:* Thats the exact same looking face as I get, well obviously mine is a little different, but yeah... I wonder what causes it

[OClear]

And you determine what is helpful on this research? Great, improvements for tools that dont even exist yet? This is the exact shit that stops any research, demands before anyone can even know if its possible. If you dont know how to re, yeah, pls leave and let it be. Dunno if you noticed, but in this is thread are ppl that do research and collect information for research, not make-a-wish foundation and collections for demands. Wheres your code? Your messing with files? Your testing of my tools? Your search for frostbite information? Your debugging results and obfuscation/encryption research? wheres your help with the texture formats? or creating dds? or talktables? or animations? or sounds? or finding structures? etc, etc, etc

Have a snickers bar dude, and try not to eat the hand that feeds you. See ya.

[GOTBLZ]

And you determine what is helpful on this research? Great, improvements for tools that dont even exist yet? This is the exact shit that stops any research, demands before anyone can even know if its possible. If you dont know how to re, yeah, pls leave and let it be. Dunno if you noticed, but in this is thread are ppl that do research and collect information for research, not make-a-wish foundation and collections for demands. Wheres your code? Your messing with files? Your testing of my tools? Your search for frostbite information? Your debugging results and obfuscation/encryption research? wheres your help with the texture formats? or creating dds? or talktables? or animations? or sounds? or finding structures? etc, etc, etc

Have a snickers bar dude, and try not to eat the hand that feeds you. See ya.

I believe you were looking for "bite the hand that feeds you"? You weren't offering suggestions, you were requesting something that you already have, WV's tool already exports the highest quality LOD, the LOD you think exists, doesn't. What ever texture size that is exported, is the highest LOD there is, because if every texture was the highest LOD that you think is there, the game would be like 400 GB... When they "release" a game, it gets cooked, and an automated process happens to reduce the size of all textures.

[y3804]

And you determine what is helpful on this research? Great, improvements for tools that dont even exist yet? This is the exact shit that stops any research, demands before anyone can even know if its possible. If you dont know how to re, yeah, pls leave and let it be. Dunno if you noticed, but in this is thread are ppl that do research and collect information for research, not make-a-wish foundation and collections for demands. Wheres your code? Your messing with files? Your testing of my tools? Your search for frostbite information? Your debugging results and obfuscation/encryption research? wheres your help with the texture formats? or creating dds? or talktables? or animations? or sounds? or finding structures? etc, etc, etc

Have a snickers bar dude, and try not to eat the hand that feeds you. See ya.

the *SPAM* are you talking about

[warrantyvoider]

Really? What could I be doing wrong then... Like the data looks the same when I re-import it but I cannot get rid of the odd coloured face unless I restore from a backup, some face textures I have noticed are BC3_UNORM at 86kb, while others are BC1_UNORM at 43kb, so maybe I will try a BC1_UNORM one, so I wonder whats up. I don't think it matters if you have anyone with you or not, I tested it on Eos, but in saying that, maybe I will try testing it somewhere else.

Thanks for looking into it, I will try some other things and see, I am playing with a custom character which is preset 6, (knowing my luck, it'd be just the right combination that gives this problem lol)

*Edited:* Thats the exact same looking face as I get, well obviously mine is a little different, but yeah... I wonder what causes it

well after some testing, its definitly not a format problem, because I was able to import a texture with big letters on the face, it showed up for like 2 seconds, before converting to that effect. this also happens with the byte exact original data. I really dont know.

in any case, I added more debug output to the log, so you can see what happens on import, it will look like this:

https://pastebin.com/7Hm3am4A

now on github

greetz

PS: I know, I need to reduce .sb patching to one time, but I run out of time here and need sleep, maybe next time...

[AnonBaiter]

Beware not to turn off anyone that uses your tool.

because? I mean you are right, I could not release anything at all too. I dont think you understand how less I care

In your defense though OClear's request was too much. Perhaps I should've thought about that request before jumping into the discussion for no reason.

[GOTBLZ]

You're not the only one, I should've got some rest ages ago, but when something gets in my head, there ain't much I can do... haha.

Just thinking, from a quick guess, i'm guessing MEAExplorer creates\adds the modified file to a container file be that cas_99.cas, and then creates a link to the modified file?

Would it be possible to try modifying the original data? (Like editing the container that actually contains the data) and see if that has any effect? I'm not meaning that has to be released to the public, but more so just to see if that changes the result?

Maybe MEA doesn't like loading textures/or certain textures from containers other than what it knows...

(Only ideas)

Also thanks for taking the time to look into these things, I know you don't have to, and as much as it only seems like people are not happy with your tools and just want more, there are quite a few who appreciate your work. Some people find it easier to demand than to thank... I don't think people would get the same response if they actually thanked you for the ability to do what they can, before they asked if the things they want to request are even possible.

[envoy23]

not here to make a wish , just a question what do you guys use to open/edit .dds files from the game ?, have tried but nothing will open or change its format so it can be opened
and why do sites not allow .dds file uploads ?
great work WV

[OClear]

WV's tool already exports the highest quality LOD, the LOD you think exists, doesn't. What ever texture size that is exported, is the highest LOD there is, because if every texture was the highest LOD that you think is there, the game would be like 400 GB... When they "release" a game, it gets cooked, and an automated process happens to reduce the size of all textures.

I believe in statistics. Prove that LOD 0 doesn't exist.

Write a plugin that scans all meshes, and keep a tally of whether a LOD exists or not. Print the results for all 5 LODs.
percentage of meshes with LOD 0 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 1 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 2 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 3 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 4 found

[AnonBaiter]

I believe in statistics. Prove that LOD 0 doesn't exist.

Write a plugin that scans all meshes, and keep a tally of whether a LOD exists or not. Print the results for all 5 LODs.
percentage of meshes with LOD 0 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 1 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 2 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 3 found
percentage of meshes with LOD 4 found

Do you have any sources out of these "statistics"?