How to mod gems and quests.

This guide will teach you how to mod the quests in the main game. Modding in this case refers to changing the gems to have only 3 of a kind (yellow, red, green), or add more butterflies, make the score ungodly high in poker, etc.

This is my first guide, so if I'm missing something or you run into any issues, let me know!

Updates:

• Previously, you had to add a semicolon to ColorCount and move it to the bottom. Both of these are NOT true, I misunderstood. You want to remove the semicolon and move it under the BackgroundIdx method. The guide has been updated to include that.

• As well, previously, you needed to make a backup of your main.pak file. This is also false, as your data will be backed up automatically and can be safely relocated to the desktop or another secure location.

Requirements

You will need a few things before starting (dont worry, all files are safe, I've done this before):

• QuickBMS[aluigi.org]
  
• The 7x7.bms script[aluigi.org].
  
• (Optional, not required) The Popcap games framework[sourceforge.net].

Use QuickBMS and 7x7.bms.

Now that you have the things downloaded, its time to get to work.

• Firstly, unzip the quickbms.zip folder, you can move it to a new folder if you wish.
  
• In the folder, there should be multiple .bat files and an .exe file. The .bat files arent important, it's just the exe you have to use.
  
• Right-click an empty spot in the explorer (or shift right click) and click open in terminal (or cmd). Alternatively, you can also click the location bar and type 'cmd' to open it that way. The terminal should point to this path shown below:
  
• To actually start quickBMS, type

   .\quickbms.exe -G 

  to run it in "GUI" mode. It's not really a GUI but I didnt make this program so.
  
• An explorer window should pop up as soon as you press Enter. Find the downloaded 7x7.bms file and double click it.
  
• Another window should pop up, this time asking for the input folder. For this, you want to select your "main.pak" file in your Bejeweled 3 steam directory. Move this file to your desktop or another secure location. All your data will still be saved even after moving it. If you need a reference as to where the Bejeweled 3 folder is, here is the path:

   C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Bejeweled 3 

  
• Once you select the main.pak file, one more explorer window will pop up, this time asking for an output folder or directory. I recommend making a new folder and moving everything later on, but if you really dont care about it, select the Bejeweled 3 folder.
  
• Once you click Save, you will see fast text scrolling by. This is normal, just let it do its thing until it tells you to press Enter as shown in the image.
  
• That's it! You've used quickBMS to start your quest modding mayhem! We're almost done.

Start modding gems in quests.

If you're here, that means you're almost done! We just gotta do a few more things.

Firstly, if you made a new folder for the extracted folders and files, move everything from that folder to your main Bejeweled 3 folder. If you chose the Bejeweled 3 folder for the extracted files and folders, you dont have to do anything.

How to mod gem colors.

To mod gem colors ("mod" in this case means only have 3, 2, even 1 type of gem on screen), first close your game. Follow the steps below:
Future note: Whenever you make a change, you will have to reboot your game.

• In the "properties" folder, there should be these files:
  The one we will be working with for quests is "secret.cfg". Open that up in notepad.
  
• Find the quest in question you want to mod gems, then add

   ColorCount = X [put this under the BackgroundIdx method] (X being how many gems you want, capping at 6.) 

  to the bottom. Here's an example in butterflies:
  Save the file, then restart your game. For the changes to work, you have to start a new game in the quest.
  
  There you have it! Thats how you can mod how many gems you want on your favorite quest! If you want, there are more sections detailing what else you can adjust in the file.

(Optional) Things to mod in Butterflies.

Here are the different things you can mod in Butterflies (There will be an explanation about what each param does):

SpawnCountStart = 1 (the number of Butterflies to spawn upon starting a new game, capping at 7)
SpawnCountMax = 2.5 (the max amount of butterflies that can be on screen)
SpawnCountPerLevel = 0.02 (how many butterflies to spawn per level)
SideSpawnChance = -0.2 (the chance that a butterfly will spawn on the left or right corners of the board)
SideSpawnChancePerLevel = 0.002667 (same as above, but per level)
SideSpawnChanceMax = 0.20 (the max chance for a butterfly to spawn on the corners)

(Optional) Things to mod in Poker.

Here are the things you can tweak in Poker to fuel your addiction:

FlameBonus = 100 (the bonus amount to give per flame gem)
StarBonus = 250 (same, but for star gems)

# Pair, Spectrum, 2 Pair, 3 of a Kind, Full House, 4 of a Kind, Flush
HandValues = "2500, 5000, 7500, 10000, 15000, 30000, 50000" (the amount of points you can get upon reaching one of the listed combos. 2500 = Pair, 5000 = Spectrum, etc)

# Highest hand that can be consumed by a skull
SkullMax = 5; (as the comment says above, this is the max hand that a skull can be on.)

(Optional) Things to mod in Ice Storm.

This one is a lot more complicated, but there are comments in the default settings already if you're confused.

# strength of match push down strength (per gem)
	MatchPushStr = 0.07

	# extra strength for powerup triggered gems (includes exploded gems)
	SpecialGemPushMod = 1.3

	# duration of the ice crack animation
	SecondsUntilLose = 12
	
	# bonus to level progress on clearing a column, in tiles (or .. 8 tiles per column, so in 1/8's of column) 	
	RemoveBonusColumn = 2
	
	# yet another multiplier to affect edge double column speeds
	DoubleEdgeMult = 1.0
	
	# doubleColumns			number of double columns on board (4 will disallow singles, 2 will force edge columns to be doubles)
	# columnCount			target number of columns on board, including singles and doubles
	# startColumnCount		min number of target columns in play when level starts (won't remove existing)
	# fireSpeed				base fire speed for all columns. Modified by row by RowFireSpeed and by column by ColDistribution
	# columnsIceToRemove	players must remove this many columns worth of ice to advance to next stage

	# global adjustment for all levels
	FireSpeedMult = 2.0
	
	# point award for destroying a column (pre-multiplier)
	ColDestroyBonus = 1500
	
	# column count bonus mods
	ColCountBonus = "0,0,5000,6000,7000,8000,9000,10000,11000,12000,13000,14000,15000"
	ColComboCoolDownVsCount = "b+235,300,0.01,13,#3^Y  I~###S~###  N####    VQb?#"
	                     
	# columns worth of ice required for multiplier up
	MultiplierIceReq="6.0,10.0,14.0,16.0,18.0,20.0,22.0,24.0,26.0"
	
	# levelProgressCv -> strength over stage duration, expressed as percent of total fire speed
	#		  doubleCols,	colCount,	fireSpeed,	seconds,	crackSpeedMod,	levelProgressCv (optional)
	Level1 = "4,			2,			0.006,		20.0,		0.75,			b+0.5,1,0.01,1,####     ^####I~###   x~###"
	Level2 = "4,			3,			0.008,		30.0,		0.8,			b+0,1,0,1,####        _i0HB B~`<S"
	Level3 = "2,			3,			0.010,		30.0,		0.9,			b+0,1,0,1,#,qA     %I.6%    |~]T("
	Level4 = "2,			4,			0.011,		30.0,		1.0"	
	Level5 = "2,			4,			0.014,		30.0,		1.0"
	Level6 = "2,			4,			0.017,		30.0,		1.1"
	Level7 = "2,			5,			0.020,		30.0,		1.1"
	Level8 = "0,			5,			0.023,		30.0,		1.15"
	Level9 = "0,			5,			0.026,		30.0,		1.15"
	Level10= "0,			6,			0.029,		30.0,		1.2"
	Level11= "0,			6,			0.032,		25.0,		1.2"
	Level12= "0,			6,			0.035,		25.0,		1.25"
	Level13= "0,			7,			0.038,		25.0,		1.3"
	Level14= "0,			7,			0.039,		25.0,		1.4"
	Level15= "0,			8,			0.041,		20.0,		1.5"
	
	# max amount of extra random deviance for a particular column from current fire speed (expressed as pct of current speed)
	MaxRandFireSpeedColDelta = 0.1
	
	# use this to balance out double row speeds, double column speeds are multiplied by this number
	DoubleColSpeedMult = 1.5
	
	# reverse freeze applies a freeze strength to ice anytime it reverses speed. Complements MatchPushStr, except that it doesn't push down but freezes/slows any upwards velocity.
    FreezeDurationPerNegStrength = 50.0
    FreezeMax = 100.0
	
	# extra push speed given at row start
	FirstPushImpulse = 0.0
	FirstPushDecay = 0.0

	# fire speed per row, expressed as percentage (to slow the row advance towards top, etc.)
	RowFireSpeed = "b+0,1,0,1,~### k~####~'|q  jE#5t  yE###  O:Gi8"

	# fire speed per column, expressed as percentage (but only over the first four rows, the last four are mirrored)
	ColDistribution = "b+0.4,1,0,1,#5yy  1a33=  Q~Q]:.~###     6~P##"
	
	# push down strength per row, expressed as fireSpeed (triggered on stage up)
	ReprieveStrVsRow = "b+0,0.1,0,6,)7qV %W'eM        |~_Ih";

(Optional) Things to mod in Diamond Mine.

This is the 2nd complicated one, but like Ice Storm, there are comments in case you get lost.

Time = 90
	TargetCount = 200
	TimeBonus = 30
	MegaTimeBonus = 90
	HyperMixers = true
	DigCountPerScroll = 2
	
	HighScoreBase = 50000
	HighScoreIncr = 10000

	# Helping hand for first couple depths to give game a jump start
	PowerGemThresholdDepth0 = "80"
	PowerGemThresholdDepth20 = "40"
	PowerGemThresholdDepth40 = "0"
	
	TutorialHeader = "Match To Dig"
	TutorialText = "Matching this piece will blast downward towards the gold!"
	
	# Values below multiplied by these, for easier balancing
	ArtifactBaseValue = "1500"
	GoldValue = "1000"
	DiamondValue = "2500"
	
	# Treasure ranges are pairs of min/max values (chosen randomly). Gold uses gold value above, diamonds use DiamondValue above. Multiplying this times the appropriate value above gives you the total value.
	#                G1  G2  G3  D1  D2  D3  D4
	TreasureRange = "2,2,3,4,5,6,4,4,5,6,7,8,9,10"
	
	# Frequency of artifacts (in tile range, every min~max tiles)
	ArtifactMinTiles = "10"
	ArtifactMaxTiles = "26"
	
	# Frequency of dark rock by depth, when rock encountered is strength is 4 or greater
	DarkRockFrequency = "b+0.25,0.8,0.01,70,####      '#3{i   z~bbQ"
	
	# Skip this number of tiles for new artifact (14 dirt above line - 10 ArtifactMinTiles == 4)
	ArtifactSkipTileCount = "4"	

	# NOTE: Changing id order could potentially break existing savegames. Make sure you name your item with an id following the last and DON'T reorder existing ones. You can safely change list item order, provided you don't alter the ids.
	#           id,					minDepth,	value,	locStr
	# ANCIENT
	Artifact1 = "BOWL,				0,			5,		Mystic's Bowl"
	Artifact2 = "SPOON,				0,			5,		Brunchy Spoon"
	Artifact3 = "FORK,				0,			5,		Handy Fork"
	Artifact4 = "TONGS,				0,			5,		Massive Tongs"
	Artifact5 = "FLUTE,				0,			5,		Fairest Flute"
	Artifact6 = "STIRRUP,			0,			6,		Flanking Stirrup"
	Artifact7 = "TROWEL,			0,			6,		Master Trowel"
	Artifact8 = "POT,				0,			6,		Feasting Pot"
	Artifact9 = "BOOTS,				0,			6,		Thorough Boots"
	Artifact10= "DISH,				0,			6,		Ornate Dish"
	Artifact11= "TRIDENT,			0,			7,		Sharp Trident"
	Artifact12= "HORSESHOE,			0,			7,		Rugged Horseshoe"
	Artifact13= "CREST,				0,			7,		Village Crest"
	Artifact14= "ANVIL,				0,			7,		Royal Anvil"
	Artifact15= "GEAR,				0,			8,		Intricate Gear"
	Artifact16= "SCROLL,			0,			8,		Sovereign Scroll"
	Artifact17= "BOOK,				0,			8,		Abandoned Book"
	
	
	# BRONZE
	Artifact18 = "LAMP,				4,			9,		Shaman's Lamp"
	Artifact19 = "KEY,				4,			9,		Gifted Key"
	Artifact20= "BOWARROW,			4,			10,		Lordly Bow"
	Artifact21 ="HAMMER,			4,			10,		Smith's Hammer"
	Artifact22 ="MACE,				6,			10,		Studded Mace"
	Artifact23= "HELMET,			6,			11,		Cryptic Helm"
	Artifact24= "VASE,				6,			12,		Embellished Vase"
	Artifact25= "MAGNIFYINGGLASS,	6,			13,		Faithful Glass"
	
	# SILVER
	Artifact26= "MASK,				12,			17,		Capacious Mask"
	Artifact27= "STAFF,				12,			17,		Arcane Staff"
	Artifact28= "BELL,				14,			18,		Flawless Bell"
	Artifact29= "GAUNTLET,			14,			19,		Virtuous Gauntlet"
	Artifact30= "HORSE,				14,			20,		Iconic Horse"
	Artifact31= "COMB,				16,			21,		Ancient Comb"
	Artifact32= "URN,				16,			21,		Hidden Urn"
	Artifact33= "HORN,				16,			22,		Simple Horn"

	# GOLDEN/(BE)JEWELED
	Artifact34= "HARP,				18,			25,		Lucid Harp"
	Artifact35= "AXE,				18,			25,		Fated Axe"
	Artifact36= "DAGGER,			20,			25,		Sublime Dagger"
	Artifact37= "SCYTHE,			20,			25,		Noble Scythe"
	Artifact38= "BRUSH,				20,			30,		Enchanted Brush"
	Artifact39= "CLOCK,				22,			30,		Timely Clock"
	Artifact40= "ABICUS,			22,			30,		Tenfold Abacus"
	Artifact41= "TELESCOPE,			22,			35,		Dubious Lens"
	Artifact42= "ASTROLABE,			22,			35,		Eminent Astrolabe"
	Artifact43= "SEXTANT,			24,			40,		Brass Sextant"

	# UBER
	Artifact44= "BJORN,				30,			50,		Regal Unicorn"
	Artifact45= "FROG,				36,			60,		Mysterious Frog"
	Artifact46= "DMGEM,				50,			100,	Legendary Gem"
	
	# Number of artifacts in random selection range (artifacts added at each depth will bump off least valuable if total artifacts are beyond this size). Lower values trend towards higher value artifacts in the list. Spread determined by ArtifactSpread below.
	# x-axis is depth
	ArtifactPossRange = "b+6,15,0.01,50,~###         ~#D=N"
	
	# x axis is depth, y axis is strength (depth starts at 0 and adds 1 per tile down). 
	# NOTE: depth the based on total rows, not depth meter on board
	MinBrickStrPerLevel = "b+0.75,2.0,0.01,50,#)G]   VG`&N xa[J.    P~Vyd"
	MaxBrickStrPerLevel = "b+2.0,6.0,0.01,50,####    E@.N/     [~`L`"
	EdgeBrickStrPerLevel = "b+0.3,1,0.01,30,~###m{sIL  7dDCc  TVyUw    ITOt9"
	MinMineStrPerLevel  = "b+1,3,0.01,30,#### `#Q$i        A~`L`"
	MaxMineStrPerLevel  = "b+2,8,0.01,30,#### V#|;s        J~a1`"
	MineProbPerLevel    = "b#0,1,0.01,30,9         ~9"
	
	# Random spread/distribution of above values for a given level. Values are picked randomly along the x-axis with even distribution, the y-axis shows the min/max percent for that draw.
	BrickStrSpread		= "b+0,1,0.01,1,'###     $~###    }'N%,"
	MineStrSpread		= "b+0,1,0.01,1,'###     $~###    }'N%,"
	ArtifactSpread		= "b+0,1,0.01,1,'###       F~###  Z3>Z?"
	
	
	# 1-4 is strength of block (number of matches to destroy)
	# 5 is infinite strength block (black rock)
	# m is money source (strength denotes value, 1-3 is gold, 4-7 is diamond)
	# h is hypercube
	# s is shuffle
	# r is randomized
	Grids =" 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
			 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
			 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0
			 0  0  0  0  0  0  0  0 
			 0  1  1  2  2  1  1  0
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r

			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 1h 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 1h 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 1h 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 1h 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 1h
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r 0r
			 0r 0r 0r 4  0r 0r 0r 0r
			 ";
			 # level design ends at depth=210

Thanks for checking out my guide!

If I missed anything or if there are any bugs, please let me know!

This is my first guide and I wanted to teach others the ancient ways.

[TheHipnotist]

@ghostx No problem, glad it finally works!

[ghostx]

@TheHipnotist I moved the "main.pak" file to the desktop and now it works! Thanks and congratulations for the guide!

[TheHipnotist]

@ghostx I did a fresh installation, and I managed to replicate the problem. The solution is to move (not copy) the main.pak file onto your desktop or another location that isnt the main Bejeweled 3 folder. Try putting ColorCount = 3 (or similar) in secret.cfg then move the file out, that should do it. If it doesnt, let me know.

[TheHipnotist]

@ghostx Let me try a fresh installation, maybe I did something wrong

[ghostx]

@TheHipnotist exactly as you taught! I just uninstalled and installed the game again and did all the steps and it still doesn't work.

[TheHipnotist]

@ghostx Strange. I did colorcount = 2 and i was unable to switch gems around. Try (in poker) to do colorcount = 3, that worked for me.

another thing i should ask, you did the quickBMS installation, right?

[ghostx]

@TheHipnotist poker, butterflies and inferno. e.g.

Quest "Poker"
Description = "Set the highest score possible. Watch out for skulls!"
Challenge = "Poker"
BackgroundIdx = 9
ColorCount = 2

FlameBonus = 100
StarBonus = 250

[TheHipnotist]

@ghostx Where in secret.cfg did you put colorcount = 2, and under which secret category (poker, butterflies, etc)?
Also, you dont need to restart steam after each change, just the game.

[ghostx]

@TheHipnotist no problem! I followed all the steps and added the code "ColorCount = 2" in the "secret.cfg" file and restarted Steam and nothing happened

[TheHipnotist]

@ghostx which step did you have trouble on? sorry for seeing your comment so late lol