Arctool (modding tool)

[FluffyQuack]

Updated my arctool to support Dragon's Dogma PC:
http://www.fluffyquack.com/tools/ARCtool.rar
http://www.fluffyquack.com/tools/ARCtool-PC-batch.rar

You can unpack and repack all the ARC files. It also lets you convert various file formats (by adding extra command line arguments. just edit the batch files, or add it when running the batch file in command prompt:
- TEX (-tex) Textures
- XFS (-xfs) Gameplay variables and scripts.
- LOT (-lot) Enemy definitions.

This is definitely for advanced users, so people who haven't done any modding before might get lost quickly.

I'll write more extensive documentation later along with some general information about where stuff is among the game files.

Community guide about tool: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=601818667

[Zappieroth]

Not a mod maker myself but i have modded my Skyrim and Fallout quite alot :3
Following the thread just in case.

[FluffyQuack]

Originally posted by armouredking:

Hey Fluffy, curiousity question. The files currently being converted, I'm poking around looking for something a bit more interesting with regards to parameters / xml and noted the bbs_rpg.arc file has a etc/item/ section that includes filenames like itemList, ItemCurse, LvParam*, etc. But the files are in various compressed / encrypted formats. Is this little area I've run across what I think it is and if so how can I go about getting these files human readable?

It definitely looks like there's some very interesting information stored in all the files in bbs_rpg\etc\item. I'm guessing these are all the parameters about items, item drop lists, crafting combinations, and other stuff. The downside is that there's 8 unique file formats in that directory alone. The formats don't seem complex, but it would still take time to make converters for them, and especially a lot of time to figure out what each variable is. If I find time for it, I might look into the itemList.itl file. That looks like it contains variables for every item in the entire game, and that would lead to new mod potential.

[Zappieroth]

I hope there is someone capable of looking into the level lists for monsters.
If there is a possibility to alter monsters their level and health to higher amounts.

[FluffyQuack]

Originally posted by zappieroth132:

I hope there is someone capable of looking into the level lists for monsters.
If there is a possibility to alter monsters their level and health to higher amounts.

I'm not sure, but this might be defined in the LOT files.

[Taran Tatsuuchi]

Might want to link this in the unofficial modding subforum as well.

[armouredking]

Originally posted by FluffyQuack:

It definitely looks like there's some very interesting information stored in all the files in bbs_rpg\etc\item. I'm guessing these are all the parameters about items, item drop lists, crafting combinations, and other stuff. The downside is that there's 8 unique file formats in that directory alone. The formats don't seem complex, but it would still take time to make converters for them, and especially a lot of time to figure out what each variable is. If I find time for it, I might look into the itemList.itl file. That looks like it contains variables for every item in the entire game, and that would lead to new mod potential.

Well, I'm game for tinkering to figure out just what stuff does but I'm not a programmer by nature so making the files human readable is a dead stop point for me.

My initial interest was in noting how item bonuses work - Adept Gear as well as Immortal Gear use the same mods as BBI gear does ( it's even setup the same way in the save file ). However, applying those mods to other pieces of equipment yield no results ( like the RK set, which I think looks infinitely better on my MK than Hellfire / etc does ). I'm guessing there's a flag that needs to be set for other equipment items to have bonuses apply to them, and I'm hoping it's in one of those files in etc/item.

[Arcus Wengart]

Increase foe's chasing radius maybe? Is it even possible?It's really annoying when in the ardor of battle bandits begin to run away like they tired or smth

[Pomf666]

Originally posted by FluffyQuack:

Updated my arctool to support Dragon's Dogma PC:

Is there any way this could be adapted to support Dragon's Dogma Online? So you can extract and repack for that game? I've tried using it just as DD:DA, but it says it doesn't recognize it...

[FluffyQuack]

Originally posted by Pomf:

Is there any way this could be adapted to support Dragon's Dogma Online? So you can extract and repack for that game? I've tried using it just as DD:DA, but it says it doesn't recognize it...

All ARC files are encrypted for DDO. I've got no plans on adding support for the game.

[Zappieroth]

Originally posted by FluffyQuack:

Originally posted by Pomf:

Is there any way this could be adapted to support Dragon's Dogma Online? So you can extract and repack for that game? I've tried using it just as DD:DA, but it says it doesn't recognize it...

All ARC files are encrypted for DDO. I've got no plans on adding support for the game.

But now we got your attention.
And I know I have asked this before.
And I know you have already awnsered with a certain responce.

Still I am going to ask it once more.
Cus it would be the only reason for me to replay and keep playing DD:DA
Are you @FluffyQuack going to please please please :3 finish what you started? Pretty please :)

[Pomf666]

Originally posted by FluffyQuack:

Originally posted by Pomf:

Is there any way this could be adapted to support Dragon's Dogma Online? So you can extract and repack for that game? I've tried using it just as DD:DA, but it says it doesn't recognize it...

All ARC files are encrypted for DDO. I've got no plans on adding support for the game.

So they aren't actually encrypted for DD:DA?

[FluffyQuack]

Originally posted by zappieroth132:

Originally posted by FluffyQuack:

All ARC files are encrypted for DDO. I've got no plans on adding support for the game.

But now we got your attention.
And I know I have asked this before.
And I know you have already awnsered with a certain responce.

Still I am going to ask it once more.
Cus it would be the only reason for me to replay and keep playing DD:DA
Are you @FluffyQuack going to please please please :3 finish what you started? Pretty please :)

You're asking about enemy level lists? I never did figure out where that is defined. I was thinking LOT files, but I don't think that's the case. There's probably a file listing all the enemy types and their stats.

[Zappieroth]

Originally posted by FluffyQuack:

Originally posted by zappieroth132:

But now we got your attention.
And I know I have asked this before.
And I know you have already awnsered with a certain responce.

Still I am going to ask it once more.
Cus it would be the only reason for me to replay and keep playing DD:DA
Are you @FluffyQuack going to please please please :3 finish what you started? Pretty please :)

You're asking about enemy level lists? I never did figure out where that is defined. I was thinking LOT files, but I don't think that's the case. There's probably a file listing all the enemy types and their stats.

Thats were we would have to start yes.
I tried fiddling around with it myself but didn't get very far cus of my inexperience with modding :/
And I saw that pretty much a couple of months ago the modding on Nexus completley died of.

Thats bassicly when i uninstalled the game.
I am still subbed to these threads in the hope someone makes this thing a reality and makes the game have so much more playtime then in its current state.

Don't get me wrong I had my fair amount of enjoyment out of the game, And well worth the pricetag.

But it always brings me joy going back to a game I played for weeks in and out.
Plus modding is just baddass :)

[FluffyQuack]

Originally posted by zappieroth132:

Thats were we would have to start yes.
I tried fiddling around with it myself but didn't get very far cus of my inexperience with modding :/
And I saw that pretty much a couple of months ago the modding on Nexus completley died of.

Thats bassicly when i uninstalled the game.
I am still subbed to these threads in the hope someone makes this thing a reality and makes the game have so much more playtime then in its current state.

Don't get me wrong I had my fair amount of enjoyment out of the game, And well worth the pricetag.

But it always brings me joy going back to a game I played for weeks in and out.
Plus modding is just baddass :)

Well, to be honest, I'm not sure how much more I'll do with the game. There was a couple of months I spent a lot of time reverse engineering formats, but I got really burned out and I've got other projects to work on anyway. The game has a lot of modding potential, but there's so many formats to reverse engineer. It's a shame not more programmers got involved in the modding scene for Dragon's Dogma.

I did recently make a mod for the game which triples the enemy count for maybe half of the enemy groups in the game, but making that I encountered a new problem: the mod is freaking gigantic. Since enemy definitions are grouped up with textures and mesh data for stages, it means distributing that kind of mod is a huge hassle. The mod ended up being around 6gb in size.

[Zappieroth]

Oh that is to bad :/
Well if you do happen to proceed I would very highly appriciate it.
And hope you might be able to get some help from other modders.
I did really love to try something out that like that.