How do I mod the sprites?

[Club Soda]

If the dev's are gonna ruin the game I'll just have to fix it.

[Ommicron-Dagger]

Originally posted by Club Soda:

If the dev's are gonna ruin the game I'll just have to fix it.

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this question was asked 10 years ago and the answer hasn't changed yet, you can't.
For some reason MikeZ decided to have a special system in place specifically for sprites, they use an unknown format and are packed together in an unknown format and on top of that there are separate files that tell the game how to open the sprites and verify them.
Even if you figure out how to get to the sprites, any changes made will not be properly loaded by the game, since it won't know how to load the changed sprites.

[Cypher]

I don't think it's undoable. I've seen a few MUGEN skullgirls characters, so its obviously possible to extract the sprites. So theoretically it should be a matter of injecting an edited sprite back in.

[Club Soda]

Originally posted by Cypher:

I don't think it's undoable. I've seen a few MUGEN skullgirls characters, so its obviously possible to extract the sprites. So theoretically it should be a matter of injecting an edited sprite back in.

It seems currently you can make all the custom sprites from the sprite rips you want. Getting the Main game to load them is another matter entirely.

[Cypher]

It is what it is, I guess. Still, all it would take is to discover what format the sprites are in. Solve that puzzle, and it's a simple case of copy n paste.

[|αη| Il Pizzaro di Pizzaroni]

To put in perspective, MikeZ stated that if one could crack and reverse engineer the systems and encryption he put in place then he'd hire them into Lab Zero's programming team on the spot.

[Cypher]

Shame lab zero's no longer a thing then.....

[💫𝓗yp𝟹rspac𝟹💫]

Not long ago we were discussing precisely this, here at Steam, something I wanted to know about years before the current controversy. I'll formalize here my question, which I did informally after shine some light regarding modding in VG's overall:

Can we sideload/superpose/overlap mods in SG like we do in most FG's and other 3D/2.5D games instead of try to perma-change files?

I know SG use drawn animations (2D, 30 fps) instead of animated 3D props, but still worth to explore the alternative for more than 1 reason (repetitive in all moddable games):

- Updates/Patches: They cover the holes at the Swiss cheese, and new ways of injection will be needed.

- Can be turned on/off: You don't know who looks over your shoulder or who's gonna play w you IRL sometime... or in your absence.

- Can have more than 1 mod stored for a specific moddable item/character, so you load the mods you prefer, or the most convenient at certain time--also good for testing and TS mods.

Also keep in mind these when posting files/programs:

- Legal: Although you can't easily enforce anti reverse-engineering laws, the publication of its results can be (it's evidence, and the byproduct devs don't want to exist)--At least what's protected by law (e.g.: the very exe of most/all game is protected, but emulations of engines are not).

- Public image: Some devs simply don't want online games to be changed to certain visuals (we all know what's the very 1st and most popular kind of mods of attractive women), even if the players at the other side can't see your mods, just theirs.

- Copyright: What can be legally published (even if fall at grey zone), can be done so for free. Don't try to monetize it--not even via donations--and devs won't send you a "cease and desist", or further prosecution if no compliance. Adding stuff belonging elsewhere is not a copyright violation , but mere innocent fanart within Fair Use Act (and free advertising for all franchises involved).

Lets see if this game ever gets modded like most popular FG's. It may even alleviate part of the outrage for the controversy, IMO.

[76561199530521282]

If I were Mike, I would "anonymously" tell in a modding forum he "discovered" how to reverse engineer the engine, just out of spite of the thieves who now own the franchise and engine.
No traces, no way of anyone proving it was him.

[Ommicron-Dagger]

Originally posted by Good Fella:

If I were Mike, I would "anonymously" tell in a modding forum he "discovered" how to reverse engineer the engine, just out of spite of the thieves who now own the franchise and engine.
No traces, no way of anyone proving it was him.

I guess that banana answers the question of legality regarding reverse engineering.

[Ommicron-Dagger]

Originally posted by A E S T H E T I C S:

Originally posted by Ommicron-Dagger:

I guess that banana answers the question of legality regarding reverse engineering.

Wasnt banned for that reply, I know because what he knows I know :^).
Also messages used for bans get deleted.

Oof, I see Cypher has gotten a banana as well. Whatever it is you know...be careful xD

[Xhoas]

Originally posted by Ommicron-Dagger:

Originally posted by A E S T H E T I C S:

Wasnt banned for that reply, I know because what he knows I know :^).
Also messages used for bans get deleted.

Oof, I see Cypher has gotten a banana as well. Whatever it is you know...be careful xD

I'm scared, man...

[Ommicron-Dagger]

Originally posted by A E S T H E T I C S:

Originally posted by Ommicron-Dagger:

Oof, I see Cypher has gotten a banana as well. Whatever it is you know...be careful xD

Originally posted by Xhoas:

I'm scared, man...

What are you two talking about, I was clearly implying that the banned fella MAY or MAY NOT be also me.
WHO KNOWS.

That's some fallen dark angels + alpha legion level inception going on right there

[NachosAndCheeezzz]

Originally posted by Fumo Bnnuy n Frends:

Originally posted by Ommicron-Dagger:

I hate to be the bearer of bad news but this question was asked 10 years ago and the answer hasn't changed yet, you can't.
For some reason MikeZ decided to have a special system in place specifically for sprites, they use an unknown format and are packed together in an unknown format and on top of that there are separate files that tell the game how to open the sprites and verify them.
Even if you figure out how to get to the sprites, any changes made will not be properly loaded by the game, since it won't know how to load the changed sprites.

i wonder how the new """devs""" were able to rework ♥♥♥♥ then if stuff is like a messy spaghetti coded programming.

Because they have the source code... that was their trophy when they ran the original creators off.

[1.2M | Missingno.]

I've heard stories of the Z-Engine having a fair bit of technical debt, but it's not like they don't have an experienced team that has been working on it for a long time and knows how it ticks.

You do know that Mike was never the only programmer, right? I really think you guys should go look at the credits sometime.

[NachosAndCheeezzz]

Originally posted by Woke Missingno.:

I've heard stories of the Z-Engine having a fair bit of technical debt, but it's not like they don't have an experienced team that has been working on it for a long time and knows how it ticks.

You do know that Mike was never the only programmer, right? I really think you guys should go look at the credits sometime.

And they got close to the engine and started to know how it ticks because...who let them into the little secret? Probably a janitor or something, right?