I really hate what they did with the Tag Database...

[jahrain]

Well I got one of my apps to successfully create a usable h2ek tag to this morning. It wasn't the .render_model, thats coming later, I started with one more simpler, just .bitmap tags. What I did was I wrote an application that translates h1ek .bitmap tags into h2ek .bitmap tags since the tags are VERY similar. Although this sounds useless (which it is), it makes it possible to compile bitmaps larger than 2048x2048 which h2tool is restricted to. I had to do it in order to get my custom rendered lightmap bitmaps to compile. So slowly but steadily, i'm unlocking more locked features of the tool kit without modifying any of the tools.

Anyways, for the .render_models, they too are VERY similar to .gbxmodel tags, so I think I could just make a translator for those tags as well that will convert a .gbxmodel tag into a .render_model tag next. That way we can at least have h1 scenery, or compile custom scenery using h1ek and translate them to h2. It also saves me a whole lot of trouble of having to figure out how to generate binormals, tangent normals, translating 3d euler rotations into 4d quaternion vectors for the bones and nodes, etc....

[StankBacon]

awesome jah!!

[jahrain]

I'l show some stuff off on AIM later, nothings really ready to be posted. Right now I need sleep, been a long night getting these tags structures mapped out.

[demonmaster3k]

bungie really f*cked up with that editing kit, they should have taken more of an EA approach (like bf2) with the h2ek. custom levels aren't ranked and no achievements on non-ranked missions. that way it wouldn't intefere with anything dealing with achievements.

that would have allowed levels to have more than what they currently have... i don't know about you, but after a while everything halo 2 get's boring, and bungie (bieng the idiots that they were rushed and blocked out the potential of the game) nuff said

[StankBacon]

hmm i never thought of that.....

all they had to do was disable achievements in custom maps, and we would have a full fledged editing kit.

[TheGhost]

What's the big deal with achievements on custom maps? What could you possible to do "cheat" the system?

[p0lar_bear]

all they had to do was disable achievements in custom maps, and we would have a full fledged editing kit.

Why do you not work for Microsoft?

...oh wait, that suggestion actually makes sense. I forgot that making sense is actually grounds for getting fired in any job today.

What's the big deal with achievements on custom maps? What could you possible to do "cheat" the system?

I fire a nuke weapon at a densely populated area. Hello Double Kill, Triple Kill, Killtacular, Kill Frenzy, Killtrocity, Killimanjaro, and Killing Spree achievements, as well as possibly Flaming Ninja, Counterpoint, Skewer Stopper, Air Traffic Control, Decorated Soldier, and Hired Gun acheivements. http://www.xbox360achievements.org/a...php?gameID=198

Then again, what's stopping players from setting up these achievements anyway in a normal map. Get 16 buddies and have them let you kill them so you get the achievements.

[TheGhost]

Exactly, and we can already do that right now. I'm saying getting custom models to show up in game isn't cheating anything.

[Choking Victim]

What's the big deal with achievements on custom maps? What could you possible to do "cheat" the system?

I beat the game on legendary then i made a custom map to get used to the tools, I fell off a cliff and I got an achievement, I looked later and it was the hired gun achievement. This isn't really anything like firing a nuke at the ground to get a killtacular, it was merely a hilarious accident in my benefit. That was my greatest experience with halo 2 vista so far.

[bum has knife]

Thanks for the help guys. Keep them coming.

Also, jahrain:

...it makes it possible to compile bitmaps larger than 2048x2048 which h2tool is restricted to.

bitmaps larger than 2048 break ATI cards. I should know, i hosed our build for a while

I'm excited about what you're doing though, cool stuff.