Creating new chapters... The lowdown

23 replies [Last post]
Joined: 09/01/2009

Albino Pokey and Goosweek:
No, you cannot change WOG's code. It's illegal and really hard. (Even Pavke couldn't reverse engineer the code successfully. That's saying a lot). AP: The game crashed when you edited it because Notepad (or whatever text editor you used) saved it as a text file, when it was not. Research text vs. binary files if you are confused on this point. The only reason you could see stuff at the end of the WorldOfGoo.exe file was because it was text-encoded inside a binary file. This is why most of the file is a bunch of gobbledygook. It's a binary file, and a text editor can't recognize it. If you want to delve deeply into geekdom, consider a hex editor, but even I can't help you there, and if you change anything in the game, there is a high chance that the game will crash.

About chapters: NO, IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO ADD A NEW CHAPTER. That's bottom line. Take a look inside res\islands. Here are the xml.bin files for the islands, that actually control the launching of levels, and what levels have to be defeated after other levels. World of Goo ONLY looks for these five chapter xml.bin files, if you add more, they will be ignored. "Adding new chapters" like we're planning to do in WOG2 will simply be by editing these files to point at the new levels we want, and editing the res\levels\[islandname\.xml.bin files. "Making a new chapter" will involve replacing old ones. This has to be done carefully to avoid corrupting profiles of anyone who plays the game. So stay tuned...

Joined: 08/06/2010

I have a hex editor, XVI32, but it showed the same text and I figured that notepad would save the text part properly and would be easier to edit with.

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 03/31/2009

Thanks for creating a new thread.

yeah, (@AP) you can't edit executable file by notepad. You need to convert binary files to assembler files and the convert them to objective C++ files. And this is impossible to do, not for for us, but all most for anyone. - You need to be a pro hacker

My Gooish profile | Videos on YouTube | My WOG Mods

Joined: 06/19/2009

They are right (MOM4evr,Pavke.. anyone else who tells you..).... island6 is "impossible"

My conclusions when I tried...
either
It requires "something"... a resource, a movie or something else that doesn't exist... but we don't know what, or what it needs to be called.
or
There's a bug in the exe which makes it crash, and 2DBoy would have found and fixed it if they released the Moon chapter... but since they never did, the bug was never found and never fixed.

But while we're on the subject though.... I'm not in the WOG2 circle, but my idea was...

Remake Chapter 1 to have ALL the original WOG levels in, and make it so GooTool can keep adding the custom ones. Remake all the rest for WOG2

Or..
A chapter for the original levels... maybe accessed by a seperate "Planet" in MapworldView.
And another chapter (#1) just for GooTool to put the custom levels in... then you have 3 chapters and the "Corp"s free for WoG2

You've probably thought of something similar anyway... but thought it worth mentioning...

Joined: 03/31/2009

I think it isn't bug, why would Chapter6 any different from the rest.

My opinion is that something is definitely missing.
Like WoG Corp has three mods: normal, 3D and destroyed, .exe is responsible for checking your profile to see where you atm and uploading the correct version.
The same must exist for Moon, exe checks your profile to see your progression number (i think it's 47 for one who is completed the game) or something else that isn't there and that's why the game crashes.

EDIT: And there is one more problem. In .exe code island6 is sometimes referred as Island6 and sometimes as Island0...

My Gooish profile | Videos on YouTube | My WOG Mods

Joined: 08/06/2010

I THINK I KNOW WHAT IT IS! It needs a ton of stuff for "cotm" and "cotm_d" (center of the moon sandbox) that aren't in the resource files and levels folder!

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 09/01/2009

Hmmm... Poking around in res/levels/MapWorldView/MapWorldView.scene.bin...
What is island5showtext? I couldn't find it inside the fx.xml.bin file... and I don't think it is an anim or movie...
So is it hard-coded?

Joined: 08/06/2010

Yes, it is. Same with island1-island4showtext, it displays the "Chapter 1: The Goo Filled Hills" or whatever. island6showtext is also defined: "Chapter 0: The Moon"

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 09/01/2009

Just tried myself to make a new chapter...
Results are: even more about the chapters are hard-coded than I thought!
Take a look in MapWorldView.scene.bin!
This line:

  1. <button id="wogcorp_intact" depth="8" x="-174.56" y="408.72" scalex="0.502" scaley="0.502" rotation="7.96" alpha="1" colorize="255,255,255" up="IMAGE_SCENE_MAPWORLDVIEW_II_WOGC_UP" over="IMAGE_SCENE_MAPWORLDVIEW_II_WOGC_OVER" disabled="IMAGE_SCENE_MAPWORLDVIEW_II_WOGC_DISABLED" onclick="wogcorp" onmouseenter="wogcorpshowtext" onmouseexit="islandhidetext" />

The problem? onclick="wogcorp". There is no file or folder anywhere called "wogcorp". Also, the same text appears for the ishy wogcorp, and for the destroyed wogcorp. So, the onclick="" text is misleading, as whatever it says inside the quotes has to be something already recognized, not some file or folder. Otherwise, a new button doesn't do anything.
So for the sake of redundancy: a new chapter 6, 7 or whatever is impossible.

Joined: 12/31/2009

If only Kyle and Ron would make a mod for "the moon" so it would be released on all platforms like they wanted. They could release a tutorial on how to do it! But now they have stopped, and no new extension packages will appear other then our delicious and nutricious goomods. That is why we are making goo2: because we need more goo! Like one of our slogans said: DOO YOO GOO TOO? Wink

Joined: 08/06/2010

But if you look at MapWorldView, there's an invisible button with working onclick: "island6"!

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 03/31/2009

I know that! But the game code doesn't let you run island6. Why haven't you try to edit MapWorldView? Trust me, it doesn't work

My Gooish profile | Videos on YouTube | My WOG Mods

Joined: 08/06/2010

I was talking to MOM4Evr, and I have tried editing MapWorldView. I have a new idea, though, to make it work. The problem is COTM.

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 07/31/2010

Hmmmmm... I tried to do this a minute ago and it turns out that when I try to edit MapWorldView I either got a strange glitch where all of the pictures are gone or the normal main menu. I think that we should just edit the original chapters for now. Of course, for those making stuff like "WoG2" or "World of Goo: Another Planet", those are very good and possible, but I've finally decided that a chapter 6 is truly absurd.

@AP

What in the world is COTM!?!?!?!?!? could you please stop playing geek talk for me

I'm playing Minecraft. My username is theMineMaster2. If you want to see my Cartoony mods updated, then be a Mac user and find a image editing program that isn't confusing for me Smile

Joined: 01/24/2010

but if we change the original level to a custom level(i mean change name folder like from Going up to jingle balls) it might have WoG2 on that goo!

can?

Spongebob rulez too Crown Crown Crown Crown

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Joined: 08/06/2010

Look at Far Lands and Time for Real, 2 different WoG sequels that never got past beta. I'm doing something similar with Another Planet. I'm not part of the WoG2 project so I can't say, but I think they're doing the same thing as well.

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 09/01/2009

Albino Pokey: Yep, we're probably doing the same thing you are! Smile
qwsx: We won't be changing original levels to custom ones. That would cause problems with people's profiles (and earn them "cheater" badges when it wasn't their fault). We'll just be changing the chapters' xml to point to new levels, without causing profile problems.

Joined: 01/24/2010

If the folder is change(like level Albino brigde passage is on the Burning man folder)

Better?

Spongebob rulez too Crown Crown Crown Crown

Back

Joined: 09/01/2009

Ummm... no.. We wouldn't even have to do that. We would just put the new levels in new folders, and change the xml to point to the new levels in the new folders, rather than the old levels in the old folders. The old levels would still be there, but would be totally ignored by the game.
(I think this is what you are asking, if not, please rephrase your question to make a complete sentence)

Joined: 12/11/2009

Interesting is when you try to add chapter 7... Or it is possible to add chapter 0? Realy tiny chance, but...

Joined: 08/06/2010

It seems possible, we're still trying...

Another Planet finally has an official release! Download chapters 1 through 3 here! Thank you for waiting so long while I kept starting over.

Joined: 07/31/2010

To add a Chapter 6, you would have to change the exe file. Mysteriously, Nalar said yesterday that he was able to decrypt it. He still hasn't told me how though... and he never said anything about a hex editor and he said that he did it in only 5 hours.. at least to figure it out... If he tells me how then I will post it here. Promise. The first step is to rename .exe to .xml.bin then decrypt to .xml.xml ... but he hasn't told me any more...

Also, how would you make new videos for your World of Goo 2 or WoG: Another Planet???? I mean, it wouldn't make sense if the original World of Goo videos played when you completed a chapter... And what about making the chapters unlock one by one and chapter text and World of Goo Corporation?? You guys have a lot to think about... Seriously, A LOT...

Nalar said today that decrypting the exe file has to do with changing the XML code at the end and then the computer recognizes it and decrypts it... Not sure about that... I'll ask him to show me when I get back home (yes I am using an iPhone right now)

I'm playing Minecraft. My username is theMineMaster2. If you want to see my Cartoony mods updated, then be a Mac user and find a image editing program that isn't confusing for me Smile

Joined: 09/01/2009

To edit the .exe and then distribute it would be illegal. We're only doing legal stuff here. (And I doubt that Nalar was really able to reverse-engineer the program that easily).
re: videos: Making the videos would be hard (encrypting a video to use in WOG is at the moment impossible), but the rest of the things you just described would be easy, I know how to do all of them, just edit some xml...Except for WOG corporation. We're still debating about that. But anyway, it is a lot of work, but I think our team is up to the challenge. Smile

Joined: 07/31/2010

Nice. Just tell them when it's published that the videos can't be changed at the moment... though it would be cool if you could!

I'm playing Minecraft. My username is theMineMaster2. If you want to see my Cartoony mods updated, then be a Mac user and find a image editing program that isn't confusing for me Smile