Editing the H2V levels

[denizen78]

Is there any current or forseeable way to access/EDIT the halo2 vista levels?
Also, where is the sound and music data? Apparently they are hidden in the level files? How can anyone have access to this data?

On a related note,
why has this game's modding potential been locked, and its SDK made so impotent? :confused2:

[Ki11a_FTW]

Is there any current or forseeable way to access/EDIT the halo2 vista levels?
Also, where is the sound and music data? Apparently they are hidden in the level files? How can anyone have access to this data?

On a related note,
why has this game's modding potential been locked, and its SDK made so impotent? :confused2:

The levels tags are not included with the editing kit, the only level you come with is example. There is no music tags either. Until someone releases an extractor (*cough cough* Kornman, cough* the ghost cough cough*) we will not have those tags.

The Editing Kit is locked because Microsoft thought that the users that created maps should be limited with this use of content. Hired gun was really pushing for a full open editing kit, but they were not allowed. If you look at some old videos, you can see some of the hired gun employees messing around with things in sapien, things that this editing kit doesn't have. It isn't Hired guns fault, as much people blame it on them.

[Cortexian]

I blame Microsoft for EVERYTHING that's computer related anyways...

[denizen78]

Thank you very much for your replies.

This needs to happen.. I cannot believe the amount of corporate hold on this creation.. I've paid for it twice, plus the soundtrack, bought Vista just for it, despite going back to XP, yet they STILL do not allow me to do some editing... on a 4 year-old game!! This is so, sooo greedy, and wrong of Microsoft. This game has been thusly managed since day one. I hope they turn back from their greedy iron claw and release the contents already, so I can finally hope to play Halo2 without a debilitating FOV someday, and without endless looping music, amongst other things. Sooo many overdue mods could improve this game(especially sound and weapon mods), I predict mods could even give it some serious new life, by fixing its flaws.

[Vicky]

I blame Microsoft for EVERYTHING that's computer related anyways...

Try Linux :P

[flibitijibibo]

Welcome to June 2007. =3

[armoman92]

Welcome to June 2007. =3

yeah :eekdance:

[p0lar_bear]

Yeah, unfortunately those major caveats have already been addressed, then beaten to death with Louisville Sluggers.

Microsoft aimed to make the SDK as "user-friendly" as possible. And the average Halo 2 user? Glued to multiplayer. Unfortunately, they didn't realize that the only people who use the SDK to the fullest are artists and designers, and really, they tried to make a simple program set for a complex datasystem. :/

Plus, I've had a stupid conspiracy theory stuffed all the way in the back of my head on how Bungie doesn't want someone to outdo their campaign on their engine... I mean, sounds stupid, but really, when "locking" and "removing" things from Halo 1's Sapien, the only thing they truly removed all coding for was acceptance of player input, and then they completely lock out anything that would pertain to making SP content in Halo 2; script, model, and sound compilation, creation of new weapons/vehicles/bipeds, what have you. Again, my own opinion, not passing it off as fact and I don't want it to be viewed as such, but I figured I'd just put it out there for people to prod it or laugh at it, and honestly, they have every right to do that; it's their engine, their money, their rules.

[Anton]

I thought Pi studios configured/edited the SDK/Editing Kit for this?

I'm 100% positive they did, or are they part of the Hired Gun?

Edit:

They did create/edit the H2EK:
http://pistudios.com/projects.html
Go down to H2v.

[denizen78]

Unfortunately, they didn't realize that the only people who use the SDK to the fullest are artists and designers, and really, they tried to make a simple program set for a complex datasystem. :/

Indeed, this misplaced 'mass market' signature is the side-effect of an almost psychotic culture to squeeze every dollar with this game. I agree with you, artists and modders are far from the average gamer, they deserve much better tools for their amazing gift to the community.



Plus, I've had a stupid conspiracy theory stuffed all the way in the back of my head on how Bungie doesn't want someone to outdo their campaign on their engine... I mean, sounds stupid, but really, when "locking" and "removing" things from Halo 1's Sapien, the only thing they truly removed all coding for was acceptance of player input, and then they completely lock out anything that would pertain to making SP content in Halo 2; script, model, and sound compilation, creation of new weapons/vehicles/bipeds, what have you. Again, my own opinion, not passing it off as fact and I don't want it to be viewed as such, but I figured I'd just put it out there for people to prod it or laugh at it.

Well your theory isn't far fetched, this campaign still has alot of potential, yet they keep failing to deliver on it.
I am tempted to subscribe to your idea that they want to avoid anyone 'outdoing' their SP campaign.

The biggest question is: why the hell did they allow such a lame incarnation to start with? The answer: the objective was NOT to make the game "as good as it could be", it was to serve M$'s xbox selling agenda, no matter how squandered the game turned out. Just look at the FOV issue, "narrowed down to rescue the xbox's limited rendering capabilities"!
Yet most insulting is, they did not bother to set it back straight on the PC. Talk about narrow-sightedness !

This entire ordeal was 'good' for short-term profits but a huge disappointment for hardcore gamers and an insult to the PC's modding potential. I'll bet PC sales of this game would have been stellar in the long run, had they made a true adaptation. And I do say this, as an extreme fanboy of this franchise.

Edit: Thank God for the slowly emerging mod tools.

[Pyong Kawaguchi]

They even lowerd the fov, as compared to xbox >.>