Toolkit for Command & Conquer & Warcraft 2 (3rd Edition)

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The Mix Manager Mixman v3.0 and associated utilities written by Vladan Bato CONTENTS: [1] Important Notices [1-1] Copyright Notice [1-1-1] Copyright Notice for MMLite [1-1-2] Copyright Notice for CCNames [1-2] Warnings [1-3] Support for older versions [1-4] What's new in version 3.0 [2] System reqirements and Files [2-1] Hardware requirements [2-2] Files in this archive [2-3] Where to get the latest version [3] Using Mixman [3-1] What is Mixman [3-2] About MIX files [3-2-1] The GENERAL.MIX file [3-2-2] Other MIX files [3-3] Installing Mixman [3-4] Starting Mixman [3-4-1] Command line options [3-5] MIX file viewer [3-6] Viewing files [3-6-1] File formats [3-6-2] The Ascii viewer [3-6-3] The Hex viewer [3-6-4] The Palette viewer [3-6-5] The Map (BIN) viewer [3-6-6] The Template viewer [3-6-7] The SHP file viewer [3-6-8] The CPS file viewer [3-6-9] The WSA file viewer [3-7] Extracting files [3-8] Replacing files [3-9] Other commands [3-10] Command Line operation [3-10-1] Extracting files [3-10-2] Replacing files [3-11] Playing your own missions [3-12] Mixman Lite (MMLITE) [4] Customizing Mixman [4-1] The INI file [4-1-1] The [Directories] section [4-1-2] The [Options] section [4-1-3] The [Mix] section [4-1-4] The [Cps] section [4-1-5] The [Map] section [4-1-6] The [Shp] section [4-1-7] The [Tmp] section [4-1-8] The [Data] section [4-2] The MIXMAN.DAT file [4-2-1] Structure of the list files [4-2-2] Adding palettes [4-2-3] Adding mix descriptions (list files) [5] C&C File formats [5-1] INI files [5-2] BIN files [5-3] SHP files [5-4] CPS files [5-5] Template files [5-6] WSA files [6] Conversion utilities [6-1] A note about PCX files [6-2] The CPS conversion utilities [6-2-1] CPS2PCX [6-2-2] PCX2CPS [6-3] The Template conversion utilities [6-3-1] TMP2PCX [6-3-2] PCX2TMP [6-4] The SHP conversion utilities [6-4-1] Single file conversion [6-4-2] Multiple file conversion [6-4-3] SHP2PCX [6-4-4] PCX2SHP [6-4-5] MSHP2PCX [6-4-6] MPCX2SHP [7] The CCNAMES utility [7-1] The names file [7-2] Using CCNAMES [8] Problems running Mixman [8-1] Graphic cards problems [8-2] Other problems [9] Future improvements [10] Credits ------------------------------ Chapter [1]: Important Notices ------------------------------ [1-1]: Copyright Notice ======================= Command & Conquer is a trademark of Westwood Studios, Inc. and Copyright (C)1995 Westwood Studios, Inc. Mixman and it's associated utilities and files are Copyright (C)1995-96 Vladan Bato. All rights reserved. The following notice is valid for the whole Mixman package. The MMLITE and CCNAMES programs can be distributed separately under different conditions. See the next two sections. You can freely distribute this program and its associated utilities and files as long as you respect the following restrictions: a) That no changes are made to any of the files, and that all the files (see section [2-2] for complete list) are included. b) That no charge is made for copying or distribution of this program and its associated files (beyond reasonable access fees). c) It may not be included on cdrom compilations or magazine cover disks without the author's express permission. If you want the permission to include this program on a cdrom compilation or magazine cover disk, write to me the following e-mail address: i3100785@univ.trieste.it This address should remain valid for a couple of years. After that everybody will probably forget C&C. [1-1-1]: Copyright Notice for MMLite ------------------------------------ Mixman Lite (MMLITE) is Copyright (C)1996 Vladan Bato. This program can be freely distributed outside the original Mixman package, included with third party programs, missions, or files as long as: -The MMLITE.TXT file is included in the same archive. -The two files (MMLITE.EXE and MMLITE.TXT) are not modified in any way. When distributing these files with your missions or programs, you are not restricted in any way. You can sell your archive as shareware or distribute on cdroms. However: - I assume no responsibility for any damage caused directly or indirectly by using this program. - If this program is distributed outside the original Mixman archive, I won't provide any support for it. Support should be provided by the author of the package where it was found. [1-1-2]: Copyright Notice for CCNames ------------------------------------- CCNames is Copyright (C)1996 Vladan Bato. This program can be freely distributed outside the original Mixman package, included with third party programs, missions, or files as long as: -The CCNAMES.TXT file is included in the same archive. -The two files (CCNAMES.EXE and CCNAMES.TXT) are not modified in any way. When distributing these files with your missions or programs, you are not restricted in any way. You can sell them as shareware or distribute on cdroms. However: - I assume no responsibility for any damage caused directly or indirectly by using this program. - If this program is distributed outside the original Mixman archive, I won't provide any support for it. Support should be provided by the author of the package where it was found. [1-2]: Warnings =============== - I provide this programs as-is, without any warranties. I can't guarantee that they work as described in this manual or that they work at all. I also can't guarantee that I will provide any support for these programs. - Use these programs at your own risk. I can't be held responsible for any damage caused directly or indirectly by these programs. For your own safety, back up all files before modifying them. - By modifying the C&C files you might be violating Westwood's copyright. I cannot be held responsible for any copyright violations that may arise from the use of these programs. It's entirely your responsibility. [1-3]: Support for older versions ================================= I will no longer provide support for Mixman versions before 3.0. If you have an old version, please get the latest one. For informationrmation on where to find the latest version see section [2-3]. ----------------------------------------- Chapter [2]: System requirements and Files ----------------------------------------- [2-1]: Hardware requirements ============================ The minimum required configuration is: - a 386 CPU - a VGA card - 450K of free base memory To be able to use high resolution in the viewers you will need a SVGA card with at least 512K of memory (1M suggested), and VESA drivers. Of course you also need a copy of Command & Conquer. [2-2]: Files in this archive ============================ The following files should be contained in this archive: - MIXMAN.EXE Mixman, main program - MIXMAN.INI The INI file for mixman, see section [4-1] - MIXMAN.DAT The data file, see section [4-2] for more information - MIXMAN.DOC This file - HISTORY.TXT History of Mixman versions - CPS2PCX.EXE CPS to PCX converter, see section [6-2-1] - PCX2CPS.EXE PCX to CPS converter, see section [6-2-2] - SHP2PCX.EXE SHP to PCX converter, see section [6-4-3] - PCX2SHP.EXE PCX to SHP converter, see section [6-4-4] - MSHP2PCX.EXE Multiple file SHP to PCX, see section [6-4-5] - MPCX2SHP.EXE Multiple file PCX to SHP, see section [6-4-6] - TMP2PCX.EXE TMP to PCX converter, see section [6-3-1] - PCX2TMP.EXE PCX to TMP converter, see section [6-3-2] - CCNAMES.EXE Utility for changing unit names, see Chapter [7] - CCNAMES.TXT Copyright notice for CCNames - MMLITE.EXE Mixman Lite, see section [3-12] - MMLITE.TXT Copyright notice for Mixman Lite - GRAPHICS.TXT A few notes about changing the graphics If any of these files is missing, please get the full version (see next section for information on where to download Mixman). [2-3]: Where to get the latest version ====================================== You should be able to find the latest version of Mixman at my homepage: http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/8682 I don't know for how long this page will remain valid though. You should also be able to find it on any major C&C web site (or at least I hope so). If you can't find it, then e-mail me at (i3100785@univ.trieste.it) and I'll send you a copy by e-mail or tell you where to find it. I will put any updates, new versions, FAQs, etc., on my homepage. ------------------------- Chapter [3]: Using Mixman ------------------------- [3-1]: What is Mixman ===================== Mixman is a utility for the game Command & Conquer. It can be used to extract and replace the mission description files. This way you can make your own missions. Additionally in this version, it comes with a set of utilities that let you convert the graphics files used by C&C. This way you can also customize the graphics. [3-2]: About MIX files ====================== If you looked at your C&C directory on the hard disk, or the root directory of the C&C cdrom, you might have noticed that both contain files with the MIX extension. These files are somewhat special, as they contain several files inside. The general.mix file in particular contains all the mission description files (see next section). Mixman displays a list of all the files inside a MIX and lets you view them. You can also extract a file of your choice, or replace it with an external file. [3-2-1]: The GENERAL.MIX file ----------------------------- The most interesting of the MIX files is certainly the GENERAL.MIX file. It contains all the mission description files. There are two different GENERAL.MIX files: one on the GDI CD, and one on the NOD CD. Inside the GENERAL.MIX file there are two different files for each mission. One has the INI extension, the other the BIN extension. Note that in Mixman versions before 2.2 the BIN files were called MAP, because I didn't know the correct extension. The BIN file contains the map for the mission and is a binary file. The INI file contains all other information for the mission and is a text file. For more information see sections [5-1] and [5-2]. The names of the mission files follow certain rules. The filenames for the single player missions have this structure: SCGnnww.INI SCGnnww.BIN for the GDI missions and SCBnnww.INI SCBnnww.BIN for the NOD missions, where nn is the mission number, and ww can be EA,EB,EC,WA,WB,WC and indicate one of the submissions (when in the game you can choose multiple missions). For example the first GDI mission is: SCG01EA.INI and SCG01EA.BIN. The multiplayer missions follow the same rules, but the filenames start with SCM. Mixman displays the mission names for the single player missions, while the multiplayer map names are displayed instead of the mission number. You can find out the number of a mission you're playing by going to the options screen. The mission name is displayed in the lower right corner of the dialog box. [3-2-2]: Other MIX files ------------------------ There are other interesting MIX files in the C&C directory and on the C&C CD. Here are some: - LOCAL.MIX : In the C&C directory. An interesting file can be found in this MIX. It's the file with Index 1. It contains all the text of the game, including the names of all the units and structures. The CCNAMES program in this archive can be used to edit it. See chapter [7] for more information. - CONQUER.MIX : This file contains the units and structure graphics for C&C. The files in this MIX are SHP files. See later for an explanation of these files and the utilities to edit them. - TEMPERAT.MIX, WINTER.MIX, DESERT.MIX. From now on, I will refer to these files as the theater mix files. These contain the map tiles, tree graphics, civilian buildings and units for the three different theaters. Again, utilities are provided for converting the SHP and map tiles files. Other MIX files contain the sounds, music and movies, but since Mixman is not able to read sounds or movies, I won't talk about them. [3-3]: Installing Mixman ======================== You can put Mixman in any directory you want, as long as the MIXMAN.INI and MIXMAN.DAT files are in the same directory as MIXMAN.EXE. If you want, make a separate directory for Mixman and the other utilities, and put all the files of this archive in that directory. Let's assume you put all the Mixman files in the C:\MIXMAN directory. To be able to display the maps, Mixman must know where to find the theater mix files (TEMPERAT.MIX, WINTER.MIX and DESERT.MIX). You can either put one of the C&C CDs in the drive, in which case Mixman will automatically find the files there, or edit the MIXMAN.INI file and edit the Theater= field in the [Directories] section. You should add the name of the directory where the files can be found. For example, if you copied the three files into the C:\C&C directory, you should write : Theater=C:\C&C If you want Mixman to read the files from the CD, leave the Theater= entry blank. If you want, you can also put the directory where you installed Mixman on the path. If your graphics card doesn't have built-in VESA support, install your VESA drivers before running Mixman. If you don't, the viewers will use low resolution. Note that Mixman is better run from DOS. It should work if run from Windows, but it hasn't been tested. This also applies to the conversion programs, that are all command line utilities. [3-4]: Starting Mixman ====================== Go to the directory where the mix files you're interested in are stored. Start Mixman by typing C:\MIXMAN\mixman (if you installed it in the C:\MIXMAN directory). You will see a list of the files in the directory. Select a file to view and press <Enter>. If the file is a MIX file, you will see a list of all the files in the MIX, and you will again be able to select one for viewing. In both cases Mixman will try to identify the types of the files, and these will be displayed in a separate column. While viewing the contents of the directory, you can change the order in which they are displayed. Press the "O" key and chose the order you prefer. Depending on the file you will see a different viewer. See section [3-6] for more information. To exit the program, press <Esc>. You can supply a directory name on the command line. Mixman will display the contents of the given directory instead of the current one. You can also supply a MIX filename on the command line. In this case you will go straight to the listing of the files inside the MIX. [3-4-1]: Command line options ----------------------------- There are a few command-line options that you can supply when starting Mixman: -v : Display information on VESA Support. This option displays information on the VESA support of your graphics card. This switch is provided for debugging purposes. See section [8-1] for more information. -l : Force low resolution. Use this switch if you have problems running Mixman in high resolution. See section [8-1] for more information. This option can also be set in the INI file. See chapter [4]. -p : Single page VESA mode. See section [8-1] for more information. -f : Don't check for correct file size. Almost useless now. It was provided in the first version of Mixman, for compatibility with another utility that didn't set the file size correctly when saving. Use it on MIX files you modified using the utilities that come with Andrew Griffin's CC-SCEN. You can also use the -e and -r options to extract and replace files without starting Mixman in interactive mode. See section [3-9]. You can optionally supply a directory name or a MIX file name on the command line. If you supply a directory name, it's contents will be displayed instead of the current directory. If you supply a MIX file name, the contents will be displayed. [3-5]: MIX file viewer ====================== If you supply the name of a MIX file on the command line, or you select a MIX file in the directory listing, you will be taken to the MIX file viewer, which is the heart of Mixman. You will see a list of all the files inside the MIX. The first two columns contain the Index and Position of the file inside the MIX. Index is the file's position in the header of the MIX file. This header is found at the begging of the MIX files and contains information about the files, like size, offset from start of MIX file, etc. But the position in the header may not be the actual position of the file inside the Mix. This is because the header is always sorted according to the file ID (see below), while the files are written following a more "natural order" The Pos column indicates the actual position in the MIX file. The Size column displays the size in bytes of the file. The Type column displays the type of the file. Mixman will automatically identify many of the file formats used by C&C. Usually each format has an associated viewer. Note that Mixman will identify AUD (sounds) and VQA (movies) files, but it doesn't have a viewer for them. If the file type is '???' that means Mixman was not able to identify it. The Hex viewer will be used as default in this case. The Description column shows a brief description of the file, the mission name or the filename for the files inside a known mix. This only works with the GENERAL.MIX files. As filenames are not stored inside the MIX files, the only way Mixman can know them, is by recognizing them and having a list of all the files somewhere. Mixman keeps such a list for GENERAL.MIX in the MIXMAN.DAT. This can be customized, and you can make it so that Mixman recognizes other MIX files too. See chapter [4] for more information. The last column can either display the offset of the file from the start of the MIX file, or the File ID. Use the 'L' key to change which is displayed. The File ID is a unique 32-bit number that each file has. It seems that the original filename is used to obtain this number. All I know for sure is that the files in the header are sorted according to this number. In the upper right corner a three-letter sign on red background is displayed when Mixman was able to recognize the Mix file. Right now Mixman can recognize the following files : GDI : GENERAL.MIX file on Disk 1 NOD : GENERAL.MIX file on Disk 2 TEM : TEMPERAT.MIX WIN : WINTER.MIX DES : DESERT.MIX CON : CONQUER.MIX However descriptions and filenames are supplied only for the GENERAL.MIX files. In the lower right corner there can be three indicators : - A 'T' letter on either red or green background. It indicates whether Mixman was able to find the theater mix files on startup. If it's red it means the files were not found and that the map viewer is disabled. See section [3-3] for information on how to tell Mixman where to find them. - A 'C' letter on either red or green background. The meaning is the same as for the 'T' letter but for the CONQUER.MIX file. This file is not needed in this version, and the indicator is future upgrades. - An 'R' letter on either blue or red background. If it's missing it means that the MIX file is not read-only and it can be modified. If it's on a blue background, it means that the MIX file is read-only, but the read-only attribute can be removed. When you try replace a file, you will be asked if you want to remove the read-only attribute. If it's on a red background, it means that the file is on the CD and that it can't be modified. By pressing the 'O' key you can change the order in which the files are displayed. The default order can be changed in the INI file. You can change the last column by pressing the 'L' key. This too can be customized in the INI file. [3-6]: Viewing files ==================== You can view files both inside and outside MIX files. Select the file you want to view and press <Enter> to view it. If the file type was not identified (??? is displayed in the Type column), the Hex viewer will be started. Otherwise the viewer for that file type will be used. The AUD and VQA files don't have a viewer, so the Hex viewer will be used. The Hex and Ascii viewers are available with any file type (press the 'H' or 'A' key while viewing the file). [3-6-1]: File formats --------------------- Here's list of the file formats recognized by Mixman. Some of them are explained in greater detail in chapter [5]. - TXT : This is a text file. The Ascii viewer is used. - INI : This is a text file that has the structure of an INI file. The mission description files use this format. - BIN : This file contains the map for a mission. In previous versions of mixman the MAP extension was used. That extension however was wrong. The map viewer is used. - PAL : This file contains a palette. The palette viewer is used. - TMP : This is the Template file. The TMP extension is wrong. As I don't know the right extension, I had to guess. This file contains the map tiles. The TMP viewer is used. - SHP : This file contains graphics. All the units, structures and many other elements use SHP files. Each SHP file can contain several images or animation frames. The SHP viewer is used. - CPS : This file contains a 256-color 320x200 image. - WSA : This file contains an animation. Some short animations in C&C use this format. It's not used for movies though. The WSA viewer is used. - VQA : This file contains a movie. There's no viewer for it, so the Hex viewer is used by default. - AUD : This file contains sounds (music included). There's no viewer (there's nothing to view anyway). The Hex viewer is used. [3-6-2]: The Ascii viewer ------------------------- The Ascii viewer lets you view the file as plain text. It's available for any file, by pressing the 'A' key while viewing it with another viewer. Use the 'W' key to turn line wrapping on and off. If line wraping is off, you can use the left and right keys to scroll left and right. Use the Up/Down keys to scroll one line up or down, the PgUp/PgDown keys to scroll one screen up or down and the Home/End keys to go to the start or end of the file. You can always press the 'H' key to go to the Hex viewer. For most files there will be a third viewer available, depending on the file type. Press the <ESC> key to exit the viewer. [3-6-3]: The Hex viewer ----------------------- The Hex viewer shows you the Hex codes of the bytes in the file on the left side, while the ASCII equivalent is shown on the right. The number at the start of the line is the offset from the start of the file (not from the start of the MIX). This viewer is available for any file, by pressing the 'H' key while viewing it with another viewer. You can use the Up/Down and PgUp/PgDown keys to scroll the display. The Home and End key will take you to the start or end of the file. The Ascii viewer is always available through the 'A' key. Other viewers might be present depending on the type of the file. Press the <ESC> key to quit the viewer. [3-6-4]: The Palette viewer --------------------------- The Pal view shows you all the 256 colors of the palette. If you are viewing it in SVGA, the color numbers will be displayed under the colored bars. You can view the file as Ascii or Hex by pressing the 'A' or 'H' key. Press <ESC> to exit the viewer. [3-6-5]: The Map (BIN) viewer ----------------------------- The map viewer displays graphically a BIN file. When you first use it, you'll notice a short delay. That's because Mixman must load the information on map tiles from the MIXMAN.DAT file. The BIN files contain the map for a mission. Only the terrain is stored here; other elements like trees, bases, etc., are stored inside the INI file and are not shown in this viewer. The map can be viewed at be viewed at 4 zoom levels (3 in low-res). The first is a zoom-in available only in high-res, and there are two zoom-outs. In high-res the zoom level 4 shows you the whole map. If the whole map is not shown, you can scroll the view with the arrow keys. You can change the zoom level by pressing the 'Z' key. The default zoom at startup can be changed in the INI file in the [Map] section (see section [4-1-5]). As the theater is not stored inside the BIN file, mixman has to guess it. It will choose the theater that best suits the tile numbers (i.e., the one for which there are less or no invalid tiles). However, sometimes it can be wrong, especially because it's difficult to tell if a map uses the temperate or winter theater. The only way to know which theater is used, is by looking into the associated INI file. You can manually change the theater by pressing the 'E' key. If there are any bad tiles, a message will appear in the lower right corner of the screen. Also, the bad tiles will be shown as black squares with a white cross. Note that in the game bad tiles will be shown as black squares and will cause a Hall of Mirror effect if a unit steps over it. See section [5-2] for more information on BIN files. As usual both the Ascii and Hex viewers are available. To exit press <ESC>. [3-6-6]: The Template viewer ---------------------------- The template (TMP) files contain the graphics for the map tiles. Each file contains a complete template, which is usually a terrain feature like a cliff, a piece of coast, a bridge, etc. Some of the tiles in a template don't have a graphics associated and shouldn't be used, these will be shown as black squares with a white cross. For more information on template files and their connection with BIN files see sections [5-2] and [5-5]. The template viewer will show you the entire template. You may notice a short delay when you use the TMP viewer for the first time. Don't worry, Mixman is reading data from the MIXMAN.DAT file. As the horizontal and vertical dimensions are not stored inside the file, Mixman will have to guess them. Sometimes this is easy. For example, if there are 9 tiles, the only possibilities are 1x9, 3x3, 9x1. Most likely it will be 3x3. But if there are 12 tiles it's difficult to choose between 3x4 and 4x3. That's why you can change the horizontal dimension with the left and right arrow keys. If the TMP files are found inside the theater mix files, the above is not entirely true, as Mixman will be able to always choose the correct dimensions. You will still be able to change them however. Neither the palette is stored inside the file. Mixman comes with a set of common palettes in the MIXMAN.DAT file, from which you can choose. Press the 'P' key to change the palette. This applies to TMP files that are outside the theater mix files only. The default palette can be changed in the INI file in the [Tmp] section (see section [4-1-7]). If you are viewing the file in high-res, you can zoom in and out using the 'Z' key. The default zoom can be set in the INI file (see section [4-1-7]). Some useful information will be displayed on the right of the screen. The Ascii and Hex viewers will be available. Press <ESC> to quit. [3-6-7]: The SHP file viewer ---------------------------- The SHP files are probably the most interesting. They contain all the graphics for the units and structures. Each SHP file can contain several images. These can be part of an animation, or different views of the same object. In the viewer the images are shown on the left side of the screen. By default only one image is shown, and you can change the image by using the left and right keys. By pressing the 'L' key you can view all the images at once (as much as can fit on the screen). Using the cursors you can select an image. Information about the selected image will be shown on the left. Also if you are using high-res, and viewing All the images, a magnified version of the selected image will be shown on the right. The images on the left can be zoomed using the 'Z' key. (Works only in high-res.) The information shown on the left is : - File : the filename or position and index inside the Mix. - x/n : x is the currently selected image (same as CurImg), while n is the total number of images (same as NumImg). - NumImg : number of images in file. - CurImg : currently selected image (from 0 to NumImg-1). - Format : compression format used by image. See section [5-3] for more information. - Reference : Used with images that have format 4000 or 2000. See section [5-3]. - Shadows : By pressing the 'S' key you can turn shadows on and off. In unit and structure's graphics a special color is used for shadows. It's color number 4. In the normal palette it's green, but in the game it's not drawn as such, but a shadow is computed instead. - Zoom : You can turn zoom on and off by pressing the 'Z' key. - Palette : As the palette is not stored inside the file, you must select one. There are several palettes included with mixman, and you can change the palette by pressing the 'P' key. The provided palettes should be enough for all the SHP files that came with C&C. More can be added to the MIXMAN.DAT file (see section [4-2]). The defaults for some of the above features can be changed in the INI file in the [Shp] section (see section [4-1-6]). To exit from the viewer press <ESC>. [3-6-8]: The CPS file viewer ---------------------------- CPS files contain 256-color 320x200 images. The image will be displayed in the upper part of the screen. If you are viewing it in low-res, it will fill the whole screen and nothing else will be displayed, you will however be able to select all the options available in high-res (except for zoom). In high-res, some information will be shown in the lower part of the screen. You can change the zoom level by pressing the 'Z' key. Some CPS images don't have a palette, in this case you will be able to select one using the 'P' key. The only CPS files without palette that I have seen, are those in the SETUP.MIX file. You can also select the Ascii and Hex viewers. The default zoom level and palette can be changed in the INI file in the [Cps] section (see section [4-1-4]). For more information on CPS files see section [5-4]. [3-6-9]: The WSA file viewer ---------------------------- WSA files contain full screen animations. (The movies don't use this format though.) You can find some files of this type in the general.mix file. The viewer will display some information on the screen: - Number of Frames : This is the number of frames. If there's a +1 after the number, it means that there's one more frame that contains the differences between the last and the first frame, so that the animation can be looped. - Dimensions : The dimensions of the animated area. - Position : Upper left corner of the animated area. - Speed : Speed at which it should be played. I'm not sure if the number in the header is the speed, but it gives reasonable values. Mixman will try to play the animation at the suggested speed, but is usually slower. To play the animation press the 'P' key. You can stop the animation at any time by pressing the <ESC> key. Use 'A' and 'H' to use the Ascii and Hex viewers. Use <ESC> to exit. For more information on WSA files see section [5-6]. [3-7]: Extracting files ======================= Extracting files from a MIX is easy. Highlight the file you want to extract and press the 'E' key. You will be asked for a file name. For some files Mixman will suggest a filename. This should be the filename used by Westwood. I have tried to find out the names for all the files inside general.mix, and I think they are correct. I am sure they are for the single player missions, but I'm not sure for the other files. If those files are left in the C&C directory, C&C will load them instead of looking into the MIX file. This way the missions can be easily changed, by placing the INI and BIN files into the C&C directory. The file will be extracted into the current directory. You can provide a different path when prompted for filename, however. [3-8]: Replacing files ====================== To replace a file inside a MIX highlight it and press the 'R' key. The files in the current directory will be shown. Now select the file you want to replace with. Note that you will need enough disk space for a temporary file, that is same size of the original MIX file. When the file has been replaced, a message will pop up. If MIX file is on the CD, a message will tell you that you can't modify a file on the CD (that seems quite obvious to me). If the MIX file is read-only, you will be asked if you are sure you want to modify the file. If the answer is affirmative, the read-only attribute will be automatically removed. I added this feature because when you copy a file from the CD, the read-only attribute is not removed (unless you use the DOS copy or xcopy commands); and this created a lot of troubles to the users of previous versions of Mixman. [3-9]: Other commands ===================== There are a few "secret" keys in Mixman, that you can use while viewing a MIX file. "Secret" means that the keys are not shown on the status bar, but are documented here. The following keys can be used : - Alt-F : This is not very useful. It should be used with the -f switch (see section [3-4-1]). When a corrupted MIX file was loaded using the -f switch, this command will fix it. - Alt-I : This command will create a file called 'MIX.INF', which will contain the indexes, types, filenames and descriptions of all the files in the current MIX. This is useful for creating the list files like the ones in the MIXMAN.DAT files. Use this option when you want to add new mix descriptions. See section [4-2]. - Alt-E : This key toggles the Expert mode on and off. When expert mode is on you will be allowed to add files to the MIX. This feature is provided only for adding files to the MIXMAN.DAT file. Adding files to other MIX files doesn't have sense unless you know the correct ID. If Mixman recognizes the MIXMAN.DAT file when you load it, the Expert mode will be automatically ON. In Expert mode there's another command. By pressing the 'A' key you will be able to add a new file to the MIX. The file selection is the same as when replacing files. This time however you will be prompted for a file ID. If you don't know what it means, accept the suggested value. As I said, to be able to add files to C&C MIX files, you need to know the correct ID. As I don't know how they are computed, the Add command is only useful for the MIXMAN.DAT file (see section [4-2]). The Position of the file inside the MIX will be right after the highlighted file, unless you highlighted the first file, in which case the new file will be inserted before the first file. The Index of the new file depends upon the ID you entered, as the files must always be sorted according to the ID. If you choose the suggested value, the file will be the last in Index order. See section [4-2] on customizing the MIXMAN.DAT file. [3-10]: Command Line operation ============================== You can extract and replace files from a MIX from the command line without going to interactive mode. This way it's possible to use Mixman from a batch file, for automatic installation of missions and new graphics. Note that the Mixman Lite utility provides the same functionality, and has the advantage that it can be distributed with your own missions or graphics patch. [3-10-1]: Extracting files -------------------------- The command line syntax is : MIXMAN mixname[.mix] -e {i<num>|p<num>} outname Note that the -e switch must be specified AFTER the MIX filename. Outname is the name for the extracted file. Note that in command line mode Mixman can't use the default filenames that are suggested in interactive mode. Use the i<num> option to specify the Index of the file you want to extract. Use the p<num> option to specify the Position of the file you want to extract. Use the one you prefer. Example : To extract the TITLE.CPS file from GENERAL.MIX you would type : (The GDI GENERAL.MIX file) MIXMAN general.mix -e i9 title.cps or MIXMAN general.mix -e p117 title.cps Because TITLE.CPS has Index=9 and Pos=117 in GENERAL.MIX. [3-10-2]: Replacing files ------------------------- The command line syntax is : MIXMAN mixnam[.mix] -r {i<num>|p<num>} fname Specify the -r switch AFTER the name of the MIX file. Fname is the name of the file you want to replace with. Specify the file to be replaced using either the i or p option. Use i<num> to specify the Index of the file to be replaced, or use p<num> to specify the Pos of the file to be replaced. For example to replace TITLE.CPS in GENERAL.MIX with a file named MYTITLE.CPS use should use : MIXMAN general.mix -r i9 mytitle.cps or MIXMAN general.mix -r p117 mytitle.cps The above Index and Pos are valid for the GDI GENERAL.MIX. [3-11]: Playing your own missions ================================= One of the most frequently asked questions about the old versions of Mixman was how to play the missions created with an editor. The problem was that this was not explained neither in Mixman's documentation, nor in the documents that come with CCMAP. So here's a better explanation on how to do that. As many people think that it's absolutely necessary to replace the missions inside GENERAL.MIX, let me say that again: It is not necessary to modify the GENERAL.MIX file to play custom made missions! And even if you want to modify the GENERAL.MIX file, THERE'S NO NEED TO MODIFY GAME.DAT TO MAKE C&C READ GENERAL.MIX FROM THE HARD DISK. All you have to do is put the desired (GDI or NOD) GENERAL.MIX file into the C&C directory. There are a few ways you can play your own missions, and here's how : Let's assume you have just finished making your missions with an editor, that you edited your INI file, and that everything is ready for playing it. Let's say the files are named MYMISS.INI and MYMISS.MAP. The first thing you should do is rename the MAP file to BIN, as this is correct extension for maps. Now, there's another choice to make : You can either replace one of the original missions, or if you have Covert Operations you can make your mission appear in the NEW MISSIONS menu. 1) Replacing one of the original missions. First of all choose which mission you want to replace. Note that the technology level (i.e., the structures and units available) depends upon the mission you chose to replace, and can't be changed in the INI file. I already explained the naming conventions for the mission files in section [3-2-1], so I won't explain that again. Let's say you want to replace the last GDI mission. There are three different last missions. Let's say you want to replace the first: EA. So, the mission name is SCG15EA. The INI and BIN files have the names: SCG15EA.INI SCG15EA.BIN To replace the original missions, all you have to do is place these two files in the C&C directory. Next thing you have to do, is find a way to play mission 15 without playing all the missions before. If you have played all the GDI missions, and if you were wise enough you have a saved game for each mission. If not, there are two ways how you can obtain it. First, there's a Level Selector program by Andrew Griffin than can change the level of a saved game. You should be able to find this file on some C&C sites. Second, some sites carry savegames for each C&C mission that you can download. Now that you have a saved mission, start C&C and load the mission. When it starts, you'll see it's still the old one. Go to the options menu and choose RESTART. Your mission should now start. Some common problems may arise, like a blank screen. I won't give solutions to such problems, as they have nothing to do with mixman, and because I don't have much experience in mission editing. If you want you can also edit the MISSION.INI file in order to change the briefing for the mission. All you have to do, is extract the MISSION.INI file from GENERAL.MIX and edit the appropriate section. Leave the MISSION.INI file in the C&C directory and it will override the one in GENERAL.MIX. 2) Run the mission through the NEW MISSIONS menu. There are two ways of doing this. The first one works only with C.O., while the other one will work with the 1.19 patch too. You can get the patch on Westwood's site (http://www.westwood.com). The first way is very simple : Put a mission with a number greater than 15 in the C&C directory. For example, name you mission as : SCG51EA.INI SCG51EA.BIN and put them in the C&C directory. Be sure to give a name to the mission through the Name= field in the [Basic] section of the INI file. You can also add a briefing through the [Briefing] section. If you use mission numbers greater than 50, you are sure not to override any of the Covert Operations missions. The other way is by making a new SC-???.MIX file like those that come with C.O. You will need a program named MixMaker, by Benny Den Trooster, to make such a file. You can find the file on any good C&C site. After you mad such a file, even if you don't have C.O. (but you have installed the 1.19 patch), the NEW MISSIONS menu will show up. Read MixMaker's documentation for more information. Once you have a SC-???.MIX file in your C&C directory, you can use the first way described above and place the new INI and BIN files directly in the C&C directory. [3-12]: Mixman Lite (MMLITE) ============================ The Mixman Lite is a stripped down version of Mixman. It has only the command line operation mode of Mixman, and is designed to be run from batch files for installation of third party missions or graphics patches. It has a few advantages over Mixman : - It is smaller. - It requires less memory. But the main advantage is that you can distribute it together with your missions or other add-ons for C&C. This way the users don't have to download Mixman if they only want to play other's missions. For distribution conditions see section [1-1-1]. The command line syntax is : MMLITE mixname[.mix] -e {i<num>|p<num>} outname or MMLITE mixname[.mix] -r {i<num>|p<num>} fname The commands are the same as for Mixman. See section [3-10] for an explanation. ------------------------------- Chapter [4]: Customizing Mixman ------------------------------- [4-1]: The INI file =================== The main purpose of the MIXMAN.INI file is to change the default settings for most of the Mixman viewers. There are also some general options and a section dedicated to the MIXMAN.DAT file. The INI file is subdivided in several sections, each dedicated to a particular viewer or another set of features. Each section starts with a the section name surrounded by square brackets. Each option is made of an option name followed by an equal sign and a value. Option names and values are not case-sensitive. [4-1-1]: The [Directories] section ---------------------------------- There are two options in this section. These tell Mixman where some particular MIX files can be found. The options are : - Theater = The value is the name of a directory, and tells Mixman where it can find the DESERT.MIX, WINTER.MIX and TEMPERAT.MIX files. If left blank, Mixman will look for them on the CD. Mixman will also look for them in the current directory. If you use this option, make sure that all three files are in the same directory. - Conquer = The value is the name of a directory, and tells Mixman where it can find the CONQUER.MIX file. This option is not used in this version of Mixman, as Mixman doesn't need the CONQUER.MIX file. It will probably be used in a future version. [4-1-2]: The [Options] section ------------------------------ These are general mixman options. The options are : - Expert = The possible values are "True" and "False" (without quotes). This option is not used in this version of Mixman. In a future version of Mixman this option will allow you to make new MIX files or modify them. - Lowres = The possible values are "True" and "False" If True, tells Mixman to use low resolution even, if a SVGA card has been detected. Use it if you have problems running Mixman in high-res. This corresponds to the -l command line switch. - SinglePageVesa = Possible values : "True", "False" By default, on graphics cards with more than 512K of memory, Mixman will use two video pages for double buffering. Some cards may have problems with page switching, so if this option is False, Mixman will not use this feature. Use it if you have problems running Mixman in high resolution. For more information on graphic cards problems see section [8-1]. This option corresponds to the -p command line switch. [4-1-3]: The [Mix] section -------------------------- This section is dedicated to the MIX file viewer (the one that displays a list of all files inside a mix). There are two options : - Order = Possible values : "Index", "Pos" Tells mixman how the files should be sorted. You can change the order inside Mixman by pressing the 'O' key. - LastCol = Possible values : "Offset", "ID" Tells Mixman whether to display the offset of the file or the file ID in the last column. Can be changed from inside Mixman by pressing the 'L' key. [4-1-4]: The [Cps] section -------------------------- This section contains the options for the CPS viewer : - Zoom = Possible values : "On", "Off" Sets the default zoom. If On, while viewing in high-res, the image will be zoomed by default. You can change the zoom in the viewer by pressing the 'Z' key. - Palette = Possible values : one of the palette names defined in the [Data] section. By default these are "TEMPERAT", "DESERT", "WINTER", "SCORE", "MAP", "SETUP". New palettes can be added. For more information see sections [4-1-8] and [4-2]. This is the default palette to use for CPS file that don't have a palette included. You can change the palette in the CPS viewer by pressing the 'P' key. [4-1-5]: The [Map] section -------------------------- This section contains options for the Map (BIN) viewer. The only option available is : - Zoom = Possible values : "-2", "1", "2", "4" Sets the default zoom level for the map viewer. The values "2" and "4" are zoom-outs, while "-2" is a zoom in. In the map viewer use the 'Z' key to change the zoom level. [4-1-6]: The [Shp] section -------------------------- Contains options for the SHP viewer : - All = Possible values : "On", "Off" Sets the default state of the All option. If All is on, all the images of a SHP file are displayed at once, if it is off, then only the selected image is displayed. See section [3-6-7] for more information. You can change the All state by pressing the 'L' key inside the SHP viewer. - Shadows = Possible values : "On", "Off" Tells Mixman whether the shadows should be displayed by default or not. As explained in section [3-6-7], a special color is used for the shadows. If displayed as is, the shadow pixels look green. You can change this by pressing the 'S' key in the SHP viewer. - Zoom = Possible values : "On", "Off" Sets the default zoom state for high-res mode. Use the 'Z' key in the viewer to change it. - Palette = Possible values : one of the palette names defined in the [Data] section. By default these are "TEMPERAT", "DESERT", "WINTER", "SCORE", "MAP", "SETUP". New palettes can be added. For more information see sections [4-1-8] and [4-2]. This is the default palette to be used in the viewer. Change it by pressing the 'P' key in the viewer. [4-1-7]: The [Tmp] section -------------------------- These are the options for the template viewer : - Zoom = Possible values : "On", "Off" Sets the default zoom state in high-res mode. - Palette = Possible values : one of the palette names defined in the [Data] section. By default these are "TEMPERAT", "DESERT", "WINTER", "SCORE", "MAP", "SETUP". New palettes can be added. For more information see sections [4-1-8] and [4-2]. This is the default palette to be used in the viewer. Note that this is only used when viewing template files that are outside one of the theater MIX files. If the file is in one of those MIX files, the corresponding palette is used. Change it by pressing the 'P' key in the viewer. [4-1-8]: The [Data] section --------------------------- This is the most complex part of the INI file. It contains information about the MIXMAN.DAT file. This section should be changed ONLY by EXPERT users. You should read section [4-2] for information on changing the data file and how to make use of this options. - DataFile = <filename> <filename> is the full filename (with path) of Mixman's data file. If left blank, the default filename is MIXMAN.DAT and the default location is the same directory as MIXMAN.EXE. - TmpDataEntry = <Index> <Index> is the Index inside MIXMAN.DAT of the file containing the map tile table. This table should not be changed (unless there are bugs in it). - ShpDataEntry = <Index> <Index> is the Index inside MIXMAN.DAT of the file containing information about the SHP files used by units, structures, trees, and other elements found in the INI files. In this version of Mixman this file is empty and is not used. - PaletteNum = <Num> <Num> is the number of palettes in the MIXMAN.DAT file. Should correspond to the number of elements in the next two options. - PaletteNames = <Name1>,<Name2>,....,<NameN> These are the names of the palettes found in MIXMAN.DAT that will be displayed in the various viewers. The names can have up to eight characters and are case-insensitive. There should be as many names as defined in the PaletteNum option. - PaletteEntries = <Index1>,<Index2>,...,<IndexN> These are the Indexes inside MIXMAN.DAT of the palettes defined with the previous option. - Data = <DName1>,<DName2>,....<DnameN> These are arbitrary names for the list files that contain the filenames of the files contained in the MIX files that Mixman recognizes. The names are arbitrary, and are used only inside the INI file to define other two options for each of the names above. For each name defined in the Data option there are two other options : - <DName>Entry = <Index> This is the index inside MIXMAN.DAT of the file containing the list of files inside the MIX file corresponding to <DName>. As I said before, <DName> is an arbitrary name, and is not necessarily equal to the MIX file name. - <DName>ID = <NumFiles>,<IDLast>,<Code> This option tells Mixman how to identify that particular MIX file. <NumFiles> is the number of files inside the MIX. <IDLast> is the ID of the last file (in Index order) in the MIX. The ID is 32-bit Hex number. <Code> is a three-letter code that will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen in Mixman when the MIX has been recognized. For more information read section [4-2]. [4-2]: The MIXMAN.DAT file ========================== The MIXMAN.DAT file contains several data files needed by Mixman. It contains the palettes used in the viewers, data about map tiles, and lists of files contained in the MIX files recognized by Mixman. If you are not an expert PC user you shouldn't try modifying the MIXMAN.DAT file or the [Data] section in the INI file. The [Data] section of the MIXMAN.INI file is used to tell Mixman about the contents of the MIXMAN.DAT file. The various Entry options in the [Data] sections contain the Index in MIXMAN.DAT of that particular file. Read section [4-1-8] for a list of all the options in the [Data] section. I hope you'd also get the idea of how it works. Following is an explanation of how to add new palettes and how to add new mix descriptions (file lists). Note also that whenever you modify the MIXMAN.DAT file you should also modify the List file for MIXMAN.DAT and the MMDatID option in the [Data] section, otherwise Mixman will be unable to recognize the MIXMAN.DAT file and you won't see the descriptions anymore. As a general rule, add the file at the end of MIXMAN.DAT. Move the selection bar to the last file in Pos order, then press the 'A' key to add a file. When asked, accept the ID suggested by Mixman. This way the file will be the last both in Pos and Index order, and modifying the List file will be easier. [4-2-1]: Structure of the list files ------------------------------------ Each list file contains the list of files inside a MIX. There's one line for each file, and the lines are ordered in Pos order. That means that line 20, for example, refers to the file that has Pos=20. Each line has the following structure : <Index>,<Type>,<Fname>,<Description> <Index> is the Index in the MIX of that file (remember that the lines are ordered in Pos order). <Type> is the type of the file (3 characters). <Fname> is the filename that will be suggested when extracting. <Description> is the description that is displayed in Mixman (max. 32 chars). The <Fname> and <Description> fields can be left blank, but you have to put the commas. If you don't know the file type you should put ??? as type. You can use the Alt-I command in Mixman to create a list file for a MIX without filenames and descriptions (if it is unknown), but with Indexes and file types, that you can then fill in. See section [4-2-3] for more information. [4-2-2]: Adding palettes ------------------------ This should be easier than adding new list files. However, I have included all the palettes that you should ever need. At least I think so... When you load the MIXMAN.DAT file with Mixman, you should automatically enter expert mode. In expert mode an additional command is available. In the menu at the bottom of the screen you should see the Add command. However, when you modify the MIXMAN.DAT file, Mixman won't be able to recognize it anymore until you update the [Data] section and the List file for MIXMAN.DAT. So, if it doesn't automatically enter expert mode, press Alt-E to toggle it. First, a few words about the format of the palette files : The palette file is 768 bytes long, and is an array of 256 records of three bytes each. Each record contains the red, green and blue values for one of the 256 colors. Only the lowest 6 bytes of the red, green and blue values are used. This is the standard palette format used by VGA cards. Here are step-by-step instructions on how to add a palette. - Backup the MIXMAN.DAT and MIXMAN.INI files in case something goes wrong. - Put the palette file in the Mixman directory. - Run Mixman and open the MIXMAN.DAT file. - Select and extract the List for MIXMAN.DAT. - Make sure the files are in Pos order. - Move the selection bar to the last file. - If the Add option is not in the menu, press Alt-E - Press the 'A' key. - Select the palette file you want to add. - Accept the ID suggested by Mixman. Write it down somewhere. - Write down the index of the file you gust added (if you followed the instructions it should be equal to the number of files). - Exit Mixman. - Edit the MMDAT.LST file you just extracted. - Add a line at the end for the palette file you just added. For example if you added a palette called MY.PAL as the 16th file, the line should be 016,PAL,MY.PAL,MY.PAL Note that if you followed the instructions the index should be one grater than the file before it. - Save the file. - Edit the MIXMAN.INI file. - Modify the MMDatID= option in the [Data] section: MMDatID=<NumFiles>,<ID>,DAT <NumFiles> is the new number of files in MIXMAN.DAT (one grater than the previous one). <ID> is the ID of the last file, the one you written down before. - Increase the PaletteNum= number in the same section. - Add a palette name to the PaletteNames= option. - Add the Index (you've written down) to the PaletteEntries= option. - Save the INI file. - Start Mixman and open MIXMAN.DAT - Replace the List for MIXMAN.DAT with the MMDAT.LST file you just edited. - Exit Mixman and restart it. Load the MIXMAN.DAT file. - There should be a description for the last file you added. - Also view a SHP file and verify that you can use the new palette. That's it; now you have a new palette to use... [4-2-3]: Adding mix descriptions (list files) --------------------------------------------- This is a bit more difficult than adding the palettes. I'd suggest that you first read the previous section and try to add a palette just to see how everything works. Also be sure to read section [4-2-1] and section [4-1-8]. If you want to add filenames and descriptions for one of the following files : CONQUER.MIX, DESERT.MIX, WINTER.MIX, and TEMPERAT.MIX, note that the list files are already present in MIXMAN.DAT and there's no need to add anything. The lists however are not filled in. If you want to add a list for one of the above files do the following : - Extract the List file from MIXMAN.DAT - Edit it, and add the filenames and descriptions - Replace it back in MIXMAN.DAT Note that the files in the list files are ordered in Pos order, so you should use the same while viewing the MIX with Mixman. Here's a little aid for filenames in CONQUER.MIX, and the theater MIX files. As I could see in GAME.DAT, the SHP files follow certain rules : For the units and structures the file has the same name as the name used in INI files with the SHP extension. For example the Weapons Factory is WEAP.SHP. You'll also notice that for each unit and structure there's a SHP file containing the button used to build it in the game, the name of this file ends with ICON. For the Weapons factory : WEAPICON.SHP. The structures also have a third SHP file containing the construction animation whose filename ends in MAKE. For the Weapons factory : WEAPMAKE.SHP. All the other elements found in INI files (trees, tiberium, etc.) use SHP files, whose filename should be their short name used in the INI. If you look at GAME.DAT you'll find also the filenames of all the other SHP files, like the explosions... However I'm not sure about this. By looking at GAME.DAT I was sure these were the correct filenames, but there's something strange. All the other files in C&C, I found the filenames for, can be overridden by placing the file with the correct name in the C&C directory. However I didn't manage to do the same with SHP files. If someone adds filenames and descriptions for one of the above MIX files, or for any other (like SC-001.MIX), please send a copy to me so that I can include it in the next version of Mixman. Here's how to add a list for a MIX file that is not already included. I will again give step-by-step instructions. As an example, imagine that we want to add a list for the SC-001.MIX file that comes with Covert Operations, and that the MIXMAN.DAT file has not been modified yet. - Backup the MIXMAN.DAT and MIXMAN.INI files. - Start Mixman and load the MIX file you want to add the list for. - Press Alt-I. - This should have created a file named MIX.INF in the current dir. - Copy the file to the Mixman directory and give it a meaningful name. In our example : SC-001.LST for example. - Edit the file and add the filenames and descriptions. For this I'd suggest you print the file, and then add write the names and descriptions on the paper while viewing the files with Mixman. - Load the MIX file in Mixman, order the files in Index order, go to the last file and write down its number (the number of files in the MIX) and it's ID. To see the ID press 'L' to change the last column. - Start Mixman and load the MIXMAN.DAT file. - Mixman should have recognized it, and the Add option should be present in the menu. If not press Alt-E. - Move the selection bar to the last file (in Pos order), and press 'A'. In the example it's the 15th file (SETUP.PAL). - Select the list file you just edited. Accept the suggested ID. Write down the Index of the added file. In the example : select SC-001.LST and accept the suggested ID (0000000F). - Exit Mixman. - Edit the MIXMAN.INI file. - In the [Data] section edit the Data= option. - Add a new name at the end. Use a meaningful name, but you are not restricted. In the example : Add sc001 at the end for example. The line should be Data=GdiGen,...,Conquer,MMDat,sc001 - Add two more options to the [Data] section. If <MyName> is the name you just added to the Data= option the two options are : <MyName>Entry=<Index> <MyName>ID=<NumFiles>,<ID>,<Code> <Index> is the index of the list file in the MIXMAN.DAT file. <NumFiles> is the number of files in the MIX (that you wrote down before). <ID> is the ID of the last file in the MIX (in Index order). <Code> is an arbitrary 3-letter code that will be displayed in the upper right corner of the screen in Mixman, when the MIX has been identified. See also section [4-1-8]. In our example, add the following two lines : sc001Entry=16 sc001ID=53,4205E0FF,SC1 (the SC1 code is arbitrary). - Now Mixman will recognize our file, but there's still one thing left to do. We modified the MIXMAN.DAT file, and Mixman is unable to recognize it anymore, so we must update the list for MIXMAN.DAT and the MIXMAN.INI file. - Let's do the second thing first, as we are editing the INI file. - Modify the MMDatID= option in the [Data] section : MMDatID=<NumFiles>,<ID>,DAT You should increase by one the Number of files and, as the ID, put the number you've written down when you added the list file. In our example modify the MMDatID line : MMDatID=16,0000000E,DAT - Save the INI file. - Start Mixman and load the MIXMAN.DAT file. - Extract the List for MIXMAN.DAT (should be index 9). - Exit Mixman and edit the list file. - Add a line for the new list file you added : <Index>,TXT,<FName>,<Description> Where <Index> is the index of the added file (should be one greater than for the file before it), <FName> is arbitrary, but you should use the filename you used before, and <Descritpion> is any description you like (up to 32 characters). In the example, add the following line : 016,TXT,SC-001.LST,List for SC-001.MIX - Save the file. - Start Mixman, load the MIXMAN.DAT file and replace the List for MIXMAN.DAT (Should be Index 9). - Exit Mixman. - Everything should be OK now. - Try loading the MIXMAN.DAT file to see if it is recognized and if there is a description for the file you added. - Try loading the MIX file you created the list for to see if it is recognized and if the descriptions are shown. If you didn't manage to do the above, remember this is for expert users only. If you created the list file, but you can't add it to the MIXMAN.DAT file, you can send it to me, and if I have time I'll do the job for you and send you the modified MIXMAN.INI and MIXMAN.DAT. I'd also appreciate if anyone who added a list for a new MIX file sent the list to me, so that I can include it in the next version of Mixman. ----------------------------- Chapter [5]: C&C File formats ----------------------------- Here's a brief description of the various file formats used by C&C. This is not a detailed description that will let you read this files in your own program. I added these descriptions only as an aid to those that will use the converters. However, Aaron Glover (arn@kiwi.gen.nz) is making a document that will contain a detailed description of all the file formats found by me and other people. [5-1]: INI files ================ The INI files contain the description of a mission. I will not explain here the structure of INI files, as there are other documents on the net explaining this, and because the information available is not complete. A good editor (or a set of editors) should let you make an INI file without having to edit them. (This is not true as some advanced features are available only by editing manually the file). The INI file is structured as a standard INI file, subdivided in sections, each containing several options. The INI files are used together with the BIN files to completely describe a mission. [5-2]: BIN files ================ The BIN files contain the map for a mission. The map is always 64x64 squares, even if less are actually used. There are two bytes for each square, the first tells which template to use (see section [5-5] for an explanation of template files), the second, which image in the template to use. Each template number corresponds to one file inside the theater MIX files. The BIN files are always 8192 bytes long (having 64*64 word). BIN and template files are explained in greater detail in a document I wrote a long time ago and that can be found on my homepage. [5-3]: SHP files ================ SHP files contain graphics. There can be several images (all of the same size) in on file. There is no palette. This format is used for units, structures, other overlay elements, and some small animations. The header contains the number of images, the width and height of the images, and three unknown fields. I don't know what are these numbers. I changed them to 0 and nothing changed in the game. The converters will show you these numbers however, and you can put them back when you convert to SHP format. Following the header there's an array of records, one for each image. Each record contains the offset to start of the image, the format of the image and an optional reference to another image in the file. The format field can have three different values : 8000h, 4000h, 2000h. The 8000h images are compressed and don't contain references to other images in the file. The compression used is a variant of LZ77. The 4000h images contain a reference to a previous 8000h image and are xor-ed over it. These images are used when there's only a little difference between a previous image and the current one. The 2000h are the same as a 4000h, but they are always xor-ed over the image right before them in the file (which is either a 4000h or 2000h image). The converters to SHP format I made, don't use the 4000h and 2000h images; they compress the images separately. They also don't compress the images very much, as they don't make use of all the possibilities of the 8000h format. The format and reference explained here are shown in the SHP viewer. [5-4]: CPS files ================ CPS files contain 320x200 images in 256 colors. Most have a palette, but the palette is optional. The image itself is compressed using the same format as the 8000h images of the SHP files. [5-5]: Template files ===================== Template files contain the graphics for the map tiles. There is no palette in the file as each theater has its own palette stored in the MIX file. As I said in section [5-2], each square of the map has two values; a template number that indicates one of the template files, and a tile number that indicates an image inside the template file. I use the TMP extension for the template files, but it's probably wrong, as I don't know the right extension. Each template file contains several tiles that form some kind of terrain feature like a cliff, a coastline, a bridge, etc. Some of the tiles however are "empty" and should not be used while making a map. They should be filled with tiles from another template on the map, so that for example to diagonal pieces of road can be connected. Everything should be more clear by looking at the template files themselves. Mixman displays empty tiles as black squares with a white cross. The dimensions (number of rows and columns) of the template are not stored inside, so that you'll have to tell the converter the number of tiles in each row. If you view the template files inside the theater MIX files, Mixman will know the dimensions (from a table contained inside MIXMAN.DAT), so you should write that down before extracting it. The images themselves are not compressed. BIN and template files are explained in greater detail in a document I wrote a long time ago and that can be found on my homepage. [5-6]: WSA files ================ WSA files contain animations. They are not used for the movies, but for some other short animations, like the spinning earth before mission selection, the score screen, etc. Each WSA file contains several images. Each image is encoded using the 4000h format of the SHP files (i.e., each frame is xor-ed over the previous one) and the encoded images are further compressed using the compression of 8000h images. The WSA files usually contain a palette, but some WSA files (those in SETUP.MIX) don't have a palette. Mixman is unable to read such files. Some WSA files have an extra frame, which contains the difference between the last and the first image, so that the animation can be looped. There are no converters for WSA files in this version of Mixman. --------------------------------- Chapter [6]: Conversion utilities --------------------------------- Here's a set of utilities to convert many of the file formats used by C&C to PCX files and from PCX files back to the C&C formats. All the utilities are command-line, and you should have some practice working in DOS to use them. After you read this chapter, please read the GRAPHICS.TXT file. [6-1]: A note about PCX files ============================= Some people reported to me that they had problems using the PCX files created by these utilities. I don't know what's the problem, but some paint programs have problems with the palette in the file. One such program is the Windows paint program. I have tested the files with the only programs I had access to, Paint Shop Pro and Corel PHOTO-PAINT, and it works with both. Should you have problems, I'd suggest you download Paint Shop Pro, which is shareware, and convert the file to some other format. [6-2]: The CPS conversion utilities =================================== The most interesting CPS file is probably the TITLE.CPS file in GENERAL.MIX. This file contains the title screen that is displayed on the background of the main menu. If you want to replace it, there's no need to modify GENERAL.MIX; just place the file in the C&C directory. Be sure to read section [6-2-3] for a note about the palette used by TITLE.CPS. Some CPS files don't have a palette. You can find such files in SETUP.MIX. In this case the CPS2PCX program requires a palette. The palette that should be used is the SETUP.PAL, found either in the SETUP.MIX file, or the MIXMAN.DAT file. If the CPS file has no palette, put a palette file named SETUP.PAL in the current directory. [6-2-1]: CPS2PCX ---------------- This utility converts CPS files to PCX. The command line syntax is : CPS2PCX surce[.CPS] [dest[.PCX]] It should be self-explanatory. If the CPS file has no palette, put a palette file named SETUP.PAL in the current directory. [6-2-2]: PCX2CPS ---------------- This utility converts a PCX file to CPS. The PCX file must be a 256 color image and it must be 320x200 as these are the only dimensions supported by the CPS format. The command line syntax is : PCX2CPS [-f] source[.pcx] [dest[.cps]] The -f switch is used to automatically fix the palette for the TITLE.PIC. The problem with the palette of TITLE.PIC is that if you change it (i.e., you replace TITLE.PIC with an image that has a different palette), the colors of the main menu will be garbled. C&C expects to find the green colors of the menu in certain positions of the palette, and will use whatever colors are there to display the menu. There are 25 such colors. The -f option will automatically fix the palette. It will replace those colors with the original ones, and approximate the replaced colors with those available. Sometimes this can produce odd results, but I can't do anything about it. [6-3]: The Template conversion utilities ======================================== These utilities allow you to convert a TMP file to PCX and form PCX to TMP. An additional problem is due to the empty tiles. For this purpose there's a special option that will create a file containing the map of empty tiles. It's a normal text file that has an 'O' for each normal tile and an 'X' for each empty tile. Use this file when you later make the TMP file from the PCX. I don't know if it makes sense changing the dimensions of the templates, unless the editor supports such changes. Also remember that you must supply the dimensions. Before extracting the file write down the number of tiles in each row. You must also supply a palette for the PCX file, as it is not included in the TMP file. You should use the palette of the theater from which the file was extracted. [6-3-1]: TMP2PCX ---------------- This utility converts a template file to PCX. The command line syntax is : TMP2PCX [options] source[.tmp] [dest[.pcx]] The options are : -w:<Cols> This is the number of tiles in each row. You must use this option. -p:fname[.pal] This option is used to specify the palette file to use. If you don't use this option, the program will look for TEMPERAT.PAL in the current directory. -e:[fname[.txt]] This option is used to specify the file where information about empty tiles. If you use only the -e switch without a filename the name of the TMP file will be used as default with a TXT extension. [6-3-2]: PCX2TMP ---------------- This utility converts a PCX file to TMP. The command line syntax is : PCX2TMP [options] source[.pcx] [dest[.tmp]] The options are : -w:<Cols> Specifies the number of tiles in each row. Use this if the full width of the image is not used. If not specified the number of tiles in a row is computed as: WidthOfPCX div 24. -h:<Rows> Specifies the number of tile rows. Use this if the full height of the PCX is not used. If not specified, the number of rows is computed by dividing the PCX height by 24. -e:[fname[.txt]] Specifies the file where information about empty tiles is stored. You should use the file created by the TMP2PCX program. If you use the -e switch without filename, the name of the PCX file is used but with a TXT extension is used. If you don't use the -e switch, Mixman assumes that there aren't any empty tiles. [6-4]: The SHP conversion utilities =================================== There are two sets of utilities, the first one convert a SHP file to a single PCX file by tiling the various images on a single PCX file; the second converts a SHP file to several PCX files, one for each image. Here are a few notes for those who want to change the graphics. Palette : You will need to supply a palette. For the units and structures, TEMPERAT.PAL will be OK. Note that you MUST use this palette. Even if you change the palette of the PCX file, it will be excluded when converting to SHP because SHP files don't contain palettes, as the theater palettes are always used in the game. Colors : When making new graphics for units and structures, you should use GDI colors for those parts you want to change for the various sides. The GDI colors are colors B0h to BFh (176 to 191) of the palette. Shadows : A special color is used for shadows. It's color 4, and it is green in the theater palettes. There's an option in the converters to include or exclude the shadows from the converted file. The pixels that have color 4 are automatically turned to shadows (by darkening the pixels) when displayed in the game. [6-4-1]: Single file conversion ------------------------------- With these two utilities you can convert a SHP file to a single PCX file by tiling the images in the PCX image, and convert such a PCX file back to a SHP file. You should write down the information displayed when converting from SHP to PCX as you'll need it when converting back. Most important are the total number of frames (images), and the number of images in each row. Also write down the width and height of each frame (image). [6-4-2]: Multiple file conversion --------------------------------- Often it is more useful to have a separate PCX file for each image of a SHP file. The first of the two utilities will convert a SHP file to several PCX files, one for each frame. The other will convert a set of PCX files to a SHP file. You will have to supply a base name of up to 5 characters, and the program will append a three-digit number to the base name for each image. The other one expects such a set of PCX files to convert it to SHP. The only important information you should write down is the total number of frames. There's always the set of three unknown numbers that you should write down, but I don't know their purpose. [6-4-3]: SHP2PCX ---------------- This utility converts a SHP file to a PCX. The command line syntax is : SHP2PCX [options] source[.SHP] [dest[.PCX]] The options are : -i Displays information about the SHP files without converting it. -s Removes the shadows from the images. (Turns color 4 to 0.) -c:<Cols> Specifies how many images should be put in row. -w:<Width> Width of PCX image. The program will fit as many images in a row as it can. The actual with of the PCX image will probably be smaller. -p:fname[.pal] Specifies the palette to use. If not specified the program will look for TEMPERAT.PAL in the current directory. Note that the -c and -w options are mutually exclusive. [6-4-4]: PCX2SHP ---------------- This utility converts a single PCX file that contains several tiled images into a SHP file. The command line syntax is : PCX2SHP options source[.PCX] [dest[.SHP]] The options are : -n:<NumImg> Specifies the total number of images. You must specify this option. -w:<Width> Specifies the Width of each image. -h:<Height> Specifies the Height of each image. You must specify this. -c:<Cols> Number of frames in each row Specifies the number of images in each row. You should either specify the Width of each image or the number of images in each row. The other value is computed automatically. -u1:<hhhh> Unknown header field 1, Hex (word) -u2:<hhhh> Unknown header field 2, Hex (word) -u3:<hhhhhhhh> Unknown header filed 3, Hex (longint) [6-4-5]: MSHP2PCX ----------------- This utility converts a SHP file to a set of PCX, one for each image in the SHP file. The command line syntax is : MSHP2PCX [options] source[.shp] [dest[.pcx]] The options are : -i Displays information about the SHP files without converting it. -s Removes the shadows from the images. (Turns color 4 to 0.) -p:fname[.pal] Specifies the palette to use. If not specified, the program will look for TEMPERAT.PAL in the current directory. Dest should be a name of up to 5 characters, as a three-digit number will be append for each frame. Image you want to convert a file named NUKE.SHP that has 16 images in it. The command : MSHP2PCX nuke.shp nuke will create sixteen files named NUKE001.PCX, NUKE002.PCX,....,NUKE016.PCX. [6-4-6]: MPCX2SHP ----------------- This utility converts a set of PCX files to a single SHP file. The program expects a set of PCX files like the one created by the MSHP2PCX program. The names of the files should be composed of a base name of up to 5 characters plus a 3 digit number. For example : TEST001.PCX, TEST002.PCX,.... Note also that all the PCX file should have the same dimensions (as all the frames in a SHP image must have the same width and height). The program won't check this, and will use the dimensions of the first PCX file. When specifying the source filename, use only the base name, without the numbers. The command line syntax is : MPCX2SHP options source[.pcx] [dest[.shp]] The options are : -n:<NumImg> Specifies the total number of images. You must specify this option. -u1:<hhhh> Unknown header field 1, Hex (word) -u2:<hhhh> Unknown header field 2, Hex (word) -u3:<hhhhhhhh> Unknown header filed 3, Hex (longint) -------------------------------- Chapter [7]: The CCNAMES utility -------------------------------- [7-1]: The names file ===================== There's a file in LOCAL.MIX that contains almost all the text that appears in C&C, from the menus to the names of the units. The latter are probably more interesting. The CCNAMES utility lets you view and edit this file. It is the file with Index=1 and Pos=10 in the LOCAL.MIX file. LOCAL.MIX is in your C&C directory. Unfortunately I don't know the name of this file, so you are free to give it any name you want. This also means that the file cannot be overridden by placing it in the C&C directory, so you'll have to replace it back into LOCAL.MIX with Mixman. If you read the copyright section of this document you have seen that this utility can be distributed separately, in your own archives. I did that so that you can give it together with your patches that modify units, so that you can change the unit names from a batch file (as CCNAMES has a command line mode too). You can use Mixman Lite to extract it and replace the names from a batch file. There could be a problem, however. The names file could not be the same among different versions of C&C. I haven't checked, if the unit names are in the same position in all the versions (from 1.07 to 1.20). I'd appreciate if someone could check it. I have found that the Units, Infantry, Aircraft, and Structures have a special field in GAME.DAT that points to a name in the names file. Here are the field numbers as shown in CCEDT : Aircraft : field 22h Structures : field 2Dh Infantry : field 7Eh Units : field 2Eh The value is the index of the name inside the names file. You should check if this is the same for all versions of C&C. [7-2]: Using CCNAMES ==================== CCNAMES has two modes of operation : interactive and command-line. To use it in interactive mode, pass the filename on the command line. You will see a long list of text strings. You can use the cursors to scroll up and down. To edit a string, press <Enter>. A dialog box will pop up, and you will be able to edit the string. Note that strings longer than 70 characters will be truncate, so do not edit them unless you want to replace them with strings shorter than 70 characters. Some strings contain carriage return characters. You could have problems editing such strings, as you'll be unable to insert carriage returns in the text. When you're satisfied with the changes, press the 'S' key, and the file will be saved. For the command line mode, the syntax is : CCNAMES filename -r[:]<num> "Text to replace" <num> is the index of the string you want to replace, and it will be replaced by the string in the quotes. Don't forget the quotes! ------------------------------------ Chapter [8]: Problems running Mixman ------------------------------------ Here's a short list of problems you might have while using Mixman. If you have any other problem, e-mail me, and I'll try to solve it. As this version of Mixman solves many of the most common problems people had with the previous versions, I don't have a list of frequently asked questions anymore. If it will be needed I'll make a new FAQ when I collect the questions. [8-1]: Graphic cards problems ============================= My SVGA routines have not been tested on many systems, so I'm not sure they will work. I once heard of a problem on a Cyrus Logic card, and I would like to know from other users of these cards if they have problems. I also heard of problems with Mixman garbling the screen on some cards in Windows 95 if you use the SHP viewer (thanks Szeming). I don't know if I managed to solve the problem as it doesn't occur on my PC. First, if Mixman uses low resolution, even if you have a SVGA, check that you installed your VESA drivers. They are either built in the video BIOS, or you can get them from the manufacturer. If you are sure you have VESA drivers, then run Mixman with the -v option to see information on the VESA support of your card. Redirect the output to a file, and send it to me. However, should you have problems with the SVGA graphics, first of all try running Mixman in single-page SVGA mode. Use the -r command line switch. If this solves the problem, than there's little I can do. Your SVGA card doesn't support the DisplayStart functions. You can set this option permanently in the INI file. The only difference will be a lot of flickering in graphics mode. If this doesn't solve the problem, then all you can do is use low resolution. Use the -l switch on the command line to force Mixman into low-res. You can also set this option in the INI file. Now, run Mixman with the -v command line option. This will display information on the VESA support of your card. Redirect the output of Mixman to a file (type : mixman -v >vesa.txt), and send the file to me, I'll see what I can do. [8-2]: Other problems ===================== I'm not sure, but if you have a very large disk (>1Gb), when replacing a file, Mixman could report that there's not enough free space, even if you have lots of megabytes free. Should this happen, please report to me, and give me information about your hard disk (I'm mainly interested in its size). I can't think of anything else right now, but this section will eventually fill up in future versions of Mixman, as more problems are discovered. -------------------------------- Chapter [9]: Future improvements -------------------------------- There are some features I planned for this version, but had to leave out because of lack of time. I'm talking mainly about the map viewer. As it is, it's pretty useless, as it doesn't show trees, villages, structures, units, and other elements that are defined in the INI file. I hope to add all this to the next version, although this is not very important thing. Two more important things must be added : - Making of MIX files. The main problem with making MIX files were the ID fields, but Benny Den Trooster (the author of MixMaker) was able to find out how these codes are encoded, and shared his knowledge with me, so this feature will be added to the next version. - A VQA viewer, and maybe a converter. Aaron Glover was able to decode the VQA files, so this will probably be added to a future version. The AUD format is still left to be decoded however... - Documents on file formats. This is not closely related to Mixman, but a lot of people will probably want information about the various file formats. I asked Aaron Glover to write up a document that covers all the file formats we have decoded so far. When it's done the document will be made available to everybody (check out my page). --------------------- Chapter [10]: Credits --------------------- And finally the last few lines of this giant documentation. It took me nearly two weeks to write it, but it's almost finished. Here's a list of people I must thank for their help in developing Mixman and decoding the file formats : - The guys at Westwood. Without their great game, Mixman wouldn't even exist. - Andrew Griffin (buggy@adam.com.au), for being the first to hack C&C. Thanks for making such user-unfriendly utility for extracting and replacing files in a MIX. If you made something easier to use, I probably wouldn't have done Mixman. - Denis Moeller (d.moeller@rendsburg.netsurf.de) and Aaron Glover (arn@kiwi.gen.nz) for their initial work on SHP files. - Carl Kenner (Andrew.Kenner@UniSA.Edu.Au) for the information on CPS files. - All the guys of the former C&C:IE group. Thanks for the great time we had working on our project. They were also my official beta-testers. Special thanks go to Szeming Lau, Christopher Dickens and Tommy Gerschman for reporting bugs and suggesting improvements. - Saurus (Dino Leonardo Sangoi) for checking this document. - And finally, all the other C&C players, who kept making new missions all this time.