The Universal Game Editor Module for PERFECT WEAPON by Dave Melanson, using Jack Hartman's Universal Game Editor 1.0 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Hello folks...it's time for UGE module #28 created by me using Jack Hartman's UGE base program, this one for the adventure/action/fighting/whatever game Perfect Weapon from ASC Games. All of the modules I've created are free of registration charge, but I do ask that all users of the modules please register the base program with Jack Hartman (jhartman@ix.netcom.com) Okay, enough advertisement. On with the show... ------------------------------------------------------------------- FIRST: How to set up UGE. To accomplish this, I've lifted a couple questions from the UGE FAQ I've written: Q: "How do I set up Universal Game Editor?" A: First, create a directory on your hard drive to hold the programs. Then use PKUNZIP version 2.04g or better...or WinZIP ...to uncompress the UGE10.ZIP file into the new directory. If you want to use a plug-in module, also use the same program(s) to uncompress the zipped module file into the same directory. Q: "Will Universal Game Editor work in Windows 95?" A: Yes, it will work in Windows 95 without a problem. Just set up a Shortcut to UGE.EXE. Q: "How do I install a plug-in module?" A: Start up UGE. You have to Add the game to the main menu screen (blue) that appears. As that suggests, press the "A" key. A red box will appear on the right. Type the name of the game in there and press Enter (actually, you can type anything you like; it won't matter, but typing the name of the game just might be useful for identifying it later on!) Now a list of files with the extension ".mdl" will appear in a box on the right. (There will also be one called "**New File**," which you DON'T want to choose right now...later, if you decide to create your own modules, this will be very useful). Use the arrow keys to highlight the file that says GAMENAME.MDL, where GAMENAME, once again, is the name of the game (or an abbreviation or approximation), then press Enter. Now you should see a directory listing of your hard drive in the box on the right. Use your arrow keys to select the file you wish to edit, in the following manner: Use the arrow keys to highlight the directory where the actual GAME (NOT U.G.E!!) is stored on the hard drive. Press Enter. Now scroll up and down the list and look for a saved game file...usually, the module's instructions will tell you the name of the file to look for (so read the instructions) but as a general rule, the file formats take one of several forms: If you saved a game with a specific name, you may see that name followed by a three digit extension (for example, you named a saved game WALKING, then you might see WALKING.SAV or WALKING.DAT or something similar...that's your saved game file). Maybe there is a separate directory for saved games...usually, this'll be named SAVES or SAVEGAME or GAMES or something like that...go into that by highlighting it, then pressing Enter...and then keep looking. Sometimes games are saved with numeric extensions that indicate which "slot" they are saved in...for example, let's say a game has a "Save Game" screen with ten available slots for games. When you save to the first slot, you create, say, a game called GAME.001, or GAME0.SAV, or something like that. When you save the game to the SECOND slot, you create a file called GAME.002, or GAME1.SAV, or something like that. Some games start numbering with 1, some with 0. It's a matter of which game you're playing. Still other games save a series of game files in a numeric subdirectory...for example, let's say a game has ten subdirectories called SAVE01, SAVE02, SAVE03, etc...to SAVE10. Inside THOSE directories are the saved game files for the various slots...once again, these work the same way as a numeric extension-ed game file...so that, if you save a game in the first "slot" of the saved game screen, the files you want to modify would be in the SAVE01 subdirectory. If you save in the second slot, the files would be in the SAVE02 subdirectory. EXAMPLE FOR THIS MODULE: Perfect Weapon The files you want to modify are stored in the main Perfect Weapon directory (make sure it's not under Program Files) and have the extension .Save. Due to Win95's file naming conventions, these show up in UGE's DOS-based file selection menu like this: 0.Save will show up as 0~1.SAV in UGE, 1.Save will show up as 1~1.SAV in UGE, etc. The numbers preceeding the Save or SAV extension indicate which save slot you put the game in: obviously, 0 is the first slot, 1 is the second, etc. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- You may notice there isn't much to this module: only twelve fields. However, these twelve may be enough to give you everything you need to win. Other variables CAN be adjusted in the game, but tend to cause frequent (VERY frequent) Win 95 crashes, so I didn't implement them. The functional ones are as follows: 1.> Essence Energy: This is basically how many "life points" you've absorbed from beating the snot out of other creatures. Not quite sure what this variable really DOES...but I'm sure there's a use for it somewhere. 2.> Current Health: That wonderful little green bar that tells you just how badly off you are. Perfect Weapon keeps track of health in a slightly encoded fashion. You can't set Health over its normal maximum, but I've discovered that 100% health can be yours at any time by entering the value 4096 in this field. The remaining fields are inventory items. Don't attempt to give yourself more than four different types of item at the same time; that tends to make the game crash. Also, pay special attention to the Health Icons note. 3.> Sun Goggles: Really useful when you're on the desert planet. Activate them to keep the sun from bothering you. 4.> Red Vials: I really don't know what these do; activating them doesn't seem to help you much, but it is a valid inventory item, so it must do something... 5.> Health Icons: The game manual says you can carry a maximum of four of these (each restores 25% health). Sort of true. If you set this to more than four AND have or pick up ANY other inventory item, when you go to your inventory screen, most likely the game will crash with an Invalid Page Fault (joy). However, if you have NO other inventory items, you can set this up to 99 without fear of a crash! So, my suggestion for tactics: keep it at four normally. Save your game often...really often. Whenever you find a level boss (Overseer), quit the game (since you can't save during a fight with an Overseer), remove all "other" item types, equip yourself with 99 Health Icons, and wade into him. I've found that I can take out just about anybody in the game using no more than 12 Health Icons...and I just plain suck as far as fighting technique goes. 6.> Armor Icons: Use these to turn yourself in "Cyborg-man" for a while, reducing the damage you take. 7.> Power Gloves: Using these increases the damage you do with your attacks for a time. I've found that using armor and power gloves at the same time make a pretty good combination! 8.> Jumping Boots: Useful on the Desert Moon platforms, these increase your jumping ability. They don't seem to work any time BEFORE the Desert Moon level, though. 9.> Keys: Open locked doors and secret areas. I'm sure these come in useful somewhere, but I've never really needed them yet... 10.> Transmitters: The little devices that shut down laser traps. Pretty useful things, actually. Drop one in front of the laser to disarm it. 11.> Vaccine vials: Once you get poisoned by a monkey-thing on the Forest Moon, take one of these and you'll feel much better (you can't use it before you're poisoned) 12.> Metabolic Adjustors: Useful on the Ice Moon, these stabilize your body temperature so you don't take damage from the cold on the first planet. Well, that's about it...like I said, simple. Be sure to read the UGE FAQ, which you can directly download from the following location: ftp://ftp.ici.net/special/overkill/uge/ugefaq.zip If there is a problem that the FAQ does not answer, you can e-mail me at overkill@ici.net. NO REQUESTS FOR GAME MODULES WILL BE CONSIDERED! End of story. Good luck... -Dave M (OverKill/Mortuai)