Project Island Thunder for Mac

[*DAMN Mauti]

Blzbub14 has posted a very interesting link to a discussion about Island Thunder for Mac at the InsideMacGame forum. I would like to discuss the progress and problems of Island Thunder for Mac here.

Here are some interesting points:

Ghost Recon is a Carbon app that doesn't support filenames longer than 32 characters. If you check the ike.log you will see which textures are failing to load. BUT Carbon apps could support longer filenames.
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idiablo wrote:

Problem 1:
All of the weird rendering problems are related to Alpha Blended textures that are in the A1R5G5B5 format, 16 Bits/pixel 1 Bit/Alpha and 5 Bits each of RGB. Resaving all of the offending files into either the A4R4G4B4, 16 Bits/pixel 4 Bits each ARGB or A8R8G8B8, 32 Bits/pixel 8 Bits each of ARGB, with Alpha Blending clears up the rendering errors.

Problem 2:
Ghost Recon is a Carbon app. It runs in OS X and in (sigh) OS 9. Thus it obeys the "legacy 32 character filename" rule. Some Island Thunder files (textures, etc) have names longer than 32 characters (which newer versions Windows and OS X don't have a problem with).

I ran some hacker utilities in OS 9 and I proved that the Classic environment doesn't like the filename length of the exapmple texture. The name is too long and gets truncated to "c04_foilage_leafy_tre#8FF6D.rsb". Ah Ha! :0)

How can we rename the resources without the source code and recompiling?
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Scot wrote: Well, Problem #1 is still a problem but is second on my list to Problem #2...which I have made some progress on.

I have been able to make some modifications and get all of the textures to load but there are still several levels that have the rendering problem "#1." This is true even if the textures seem to load properly.

I am in the midst of troubleshooting my modifications right now and I will post post either a "how-to" or an updater app to make the changes.

The problem I am having is narrowing down the rendering problem...why do some tree textures render fine and some do not? I understand that each map uses its own set of models/textures but each tree type (palm, leafy, etc.) look pretty much the same from level to level. The trees in CP02_island do not render correctly but in CP04_Island_Village they do. I am going to try swaping nonworking tree .rsb files for similar working ones. Any suggestions/comments?

The texture problems seems to affect only models with variable LOD. Examples are the Palm models in CP03_Prison:
cp03_palmtree.rsb
cp03_RattanPalm.rsb
cp03_LOD_AngPalm.rsb
cp03_LOD_palm.rsb

and CP02_island
cp02_palmtree.rsb
cp02_palmtree_dead.rsb
cp02_LOD_AngPalm.rsb
cp02_LOD_palm.rsb
(as well as the wall...what texture does the wall use? cp02_hut_wall.rsb, cp02_grass_wall02.rsb, cp02_Rock_Wall.rsb, or cp02_grass_wall.rsb)

To test this theory just play CP02 or 03 and go the options->graphics and change the Tree LOD to a diffrent setting, click accept and see how trees have changed.

So far the facts. I just contacted i5works, the guys who ported Ghost Recon, about the Carbon app. May they could release a new Carbon version of Ghost Recon that supports longer filenames. Well I hope they answer me asap.

Alright maybe we get IT to work properly.

Bye,

Mauti

Update: You can download some fixes made by Scot here(IT Mac.sitx)

[*DAMN Mauti]

Scot how did you get the textures with filenames longer than 32characters to work, if you did!? You can only replace the texture names in the .map file with filenames that have the same length or the game will crash(same as Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear). Also I tried to play around with longer mission filenames. The ike.log shows truncuated filenames in MacOSX although they were correct. At least this isn't a problem because all mission data is stored in one file so you can simply cut the mission file name.

However I have to buy IT first before I can really help you but may i5works saves us a lot of time.

Regards,

Mauti

[iDiablo]

Hi guys. I am here now. Thanks for inviting me.

OS X 10.2.4 is out...


Now lets fix the IT expansion pack! :0)

[iDiablo]

Scot how did you get the textures with filenames longer than 32characters to work, if you did!? You can only replace the texture names in the .map file with filenames that have the same length or the game will crash(same as Rainbow Six and Rogue Spear). Also I tried to play around with longer mission filenames. The ike.log shows truncuated filenames in MacOSX although they were correct. At least this isn't a problem because all mission data is stored in one file so you can simply cut the mission file name.

However I have to buy IT first before I can really help you but may i5works saves us a lot of time.

Regards,

Mauti

I have a copy of the commercial PC CD IT pack. It is 210 MB compressed.  I bought it retail and installed it on a PC, and then .Zipped the files and moved them to my Mac.

I also have thePC  utilities and tools from the PC IT CD as well.

If you need them let me know. I have an FTP server.

[Scot]

Okay, here we go everyone...first attempt. Let me know how it works for you. It comes in at about 12.4 MB. Not an elegant solution at the moment but I am working on an installer that will update the .map files and rename the .rsb files automatically. So much to do and so little time.

IT M.sitx

Scot

[.vooDoo.]

Scot,
could you please tell me what it is that i just dl'ed. What ever it was "IT.sitx" was only 5.7megs and both times that i dled them(in os9 and osx) they just dissapeared from my desktop when i tried to expand the file. Both times it said the file was in use. I did a search and there is no file by that name.  

[*DAMN Mauti]

Hi guys I just got reply from i5works to release a patch that makes Ghost Recon a Carbon app that supports long filenames:

Thanks for your continuing interest and support of Ghost Recon and the other Red Storm titles we've worked on.

As for patching Ghost Recon to support long file names, that would not be feasible. The game works correctly as developed and fully supports the Ghost Recon and Desert Siege missions. If there's concern about the missing texture messages in the log file, those are safe to ignore, and in fact are generated by the PC version also. For all other issues you should contact Aspyr.

I don't give up yet but currently can't expect their help in this issue  

Regards,

Mauti
iDiablo check your  private messages please.

[Scot]

Scot,
could you please tell me what it is that i just dl'ed. What ever it was "IT.sitx" was only 5.7megs and both times that i dled them(in os9 and osx) they just dissapeared from my desktop when i tried to expand the file. Both times it said the file was in use. I did a search and there is no file by that name.

My wonderful 56k dial-up connection takes a bit of time to upload 12.4MB. Try it again...

Scot

[Scot]

Hi guys I just got reply from i5works to release a patch that makes Ghost Recon a Carbon app that supports long filenames:

Thanks for your continuing interest and support of Ghost Recon and the other Red Storm titles we've worked on.

As for patching Ghost Recon to support long file names, that would not be feasible. The game works correctly as developed and fully supports the Ghost Recon and Desert Siege missions. If there's concern about the missing texture messages in the log file, those are safe to ignore, and in fact are generated by the PC version also. For all other issues you should contact Aspyr.

I don't give up yet but currently can't expect their help in this issue  

Regards,

Mauti
iDiablo check your  private messages please.

Well, they obviously do not understand the issues at hand...if a texture that actually exisits and fails to load is NOT something that is safe to ignore. If that texture does not exist and fails to load then it is acceptable to ignore it.

It is so frustrating when so called "experts" think they know so much about a given subject that they fail to acknowledge that others may know something they don't. The assumption that nothing could be wrong only furthers this point. While the GhR app may not contain a "bug" it does have a problem using any mods with +32 character filenames or A1R5G5B5 textures...which are not limitations of the OS (at least not OS X).

Well, if the "experts" are unwilling to fix it, the unwashed masses will have to tackle it. It will not be the first time, and it, sadly, will not be the last.

Make it so.

Scot

[*DAMN Mauti]

I agree Scot, well I just wanted to write them again and explain our problem a little bit more detailed so I wanted to restart in OSX to give them some examples(lke.log files)   Somehow the harddisk drivers crashed so I can't boot my Mac(writing this from my mom's mac)    But after the weekend I'll get in contact with them again.

Bye,

Mauti
P.S.: It's still 5.6MB

[Dan]

Greetings,
Just wanted to throw my 2 cents : the reply you got states 'the game works correctly as developed and fully supports the Ghost Recon and Desert Siege missions.', and it indeed does. I don't think the guy misunderstood what you were asking for, and I don't think either you'll get any other reply than the sadly standard 'I'm neutral and can't discuss anything because lawyers might be watching my emails, augh!' developper kind of answer, as it's doubtful support for some mods and an expansion pack not released for the mac is part of their job.

Also, thank you very much Scot for your effort, I couldn't get the missing textures in IT to load despite my lame efforts at messing up the .map files. Can't wait to play those swamp maps without the dancing white cubes in front of me ;)

[Scot]

Sorry for the trouble with the download. If BT doesn't get DSL to us this year there is going to be hell to pay.

It is being sent to my iDisk right now...I will post a message when it is complete.

Scot

[.vooDoo.]

Thx Scot, let us know.
vood's

[Dan]

Hello again,

I'd like to correct a little thing about the alpha blended textures needed to be modified, from a post in the inside mac games forums. I've been messing around with the rsb files on a pc, and in my experience, it is actually the alpha tested ones you need to change, enabling alpha blending will create other glitches. So far, I got the first map to render almost perfectly, thanks to scot's .map. The only thing left is the transition between far and close trees : the orientations of the branch and leaves changes a lot on the palmtrees.

Regards.

[^AcK!]

Well it's nice to see a couple more ppl working on the technical side of the game land.  Given the conditions of code in Ghost Recon and comparing it to Island Thunder, its possible to convert this add-on in to a working "mod" for OSX.
I'll throw some ideas up here for you to digest:

*1st issue: long filenames.  

This reminds me an applescript util along the lines of The Sims "Skin Shrinker", a droplet that shortens the filenames, and also changes the related text file to reflect the shortened .rsb filename.


** 2nd issue:  ike.log  errors from possible corrupted files

After reviewing the posts at IMG, iDiablo's report (pg3-bottom) concerning "RSFILEDATA: FindFile could not find file c04_foliage_leafy_tree_branch.rsb" brings up the fact that the Ghost Recon.app also acts like an XML processor.   My educated guess being that iDiablo mentions : "The name is too long and gets truncated to " c04_foliage_leafy_tre#8FF6D.rsb".  where the cause of that particular error could be caused by a factor in the A) the name of the .rsb file, and/or  B) that particular file may not have been UTF-8 specific or corrupted during the installation/import of the PC files.   XML resource:  h**p://www.w3.org/TR/REC-xml#dt-validating     .....  
At any rate, if you manage to get the PC version to install properly without errors, make sure the files are enabled for READ-ONLY and ARCHIVE prior to transferring them to the Mac platform to ensure that any data doesn't get corrupted.  If after the files are successfully imported, and the files are still coming up with errors, you may need to use the [PC] RSBbitmap.8bi  plug-in for PC photoshop 5 or better to recompile the .rsb files.  Text files with errors can be easily fixed in BBEdit 7+ using the check syntax function to ensure that all the code and the correct referring filenames are in the necessary files. (minus the .RES files --> Ghost Recon Data/DATA/Shell folder)  

***3rd issue: Texture anomalies

Red Storm Ent. really bent us Dedicated Mac-Users over for this Tom Clancy series.  the .RSB files in Ghost Recon are certainly not the same coding as the Rogue Spear .rsb files which could easily be converted into .picts then manipulated and turned back into working .rsb files again.    Desert Seige (PC)  shipped with a PC-proprietary adobe photoshop plug-in  for easy manipulation of  .rsb files    the best possibility to expect is for someone, (and not me) to write an updated .RSB converter/droplet that will turn them into a more usable file type like .TGA (Targa, native plug-in residing in OSX P-shop 7) That will put us back in the game for self-sufficient conversion without having to use a PC-version of pshop with the rsb plugin then dragging it back over to OSX.  

****4th issue:  mission.mis file-scripting

After spending most of my afternoon pouring through the countless PC tutorials on Ghr modding and mod-making, and knowing that IGOR (Ghr editing tool, ships w/ Ghr+DS) compiles the {Scripting}AAAFFGGGDDDAGSGAAA{/Scripting} code near the bottom of the mission.mis file would be impossible to repair without IGOR/ other editing tools to compile it.  If someone knows how to interpret what appears to be endless rows of capital letters in the .mis files, I'm all eye n'ears.

*****5th issue:  strings.txt  (Ghost Recon Data/Data/Shell/strings.txt   --> updating its definitions)

This contains references to the parent code for the .atr , .kit , .mis , .gun , .prj , .itm   files.  I have not yet had a chance to view all the files in the IT expansion, but as for trying out other mods from  w*w.ghostrecon.net  and finding that the guns for the kits in SP mode will sometimes say " !findkeyweaponname "  means that there isn't a {NameToken}WPN_WHATEVER{/NameToken} listed for the specific value of the XML expression.  Careful attention should be paid to for the equipment so that we'll get the right effects for the chosen kit.

!Great explanation of the game files: h**p://www.ravenmouth.org/ITut/Editor.html

!What the #'s in the .gun file means:
h**p://www. ghostrecon.net/html/weapons-01.htm

!Mod-Creation resources:
h**p://www.theplatoon/tutorials/listing.asp

'Keep in mind that Kevill started banning ppl for hosting Black Thorn (converted into a mod from the PC-stand-alone) on gameranger.  I'm not going to convert something this time, It's YOUR turn to SHINE!'

~I dont suffer from insanity, I ENJOY EVERY MINUTE OF IT!~

[Scot]

Hi everyone,
I re-copied the IT Mac.sitx file to my iDisk today. Sorry for the trouble with this. If the link above is broken please let me know and I will fix it.

I am currently working on an installer app that will patch the .map files and rename the textures. If we can get the other textures fixed I can incorporate that as well.

Scot

[blzbub14]

Hi all,
just need one point clarified. PC Island Thunder MUST be installed onto a PC (or VPC) that has Ghost Recon installed. Does this mean that the IT expansion is checking for the right files/folder hiearchy or does it actually check the GhR app for version no.s etc prior to installing?

I guess what I'm asking is, because I have no PC owning, GhR playing friends will I have to by full PC versions of GhR AND IT in order to get the mp2 folder installed or is there a workaround?

[*DAMN Mauti]

For VPC: it should be enough to create a new directory Ghost Recon with the subdirectories Data and Mods. Note the PC version doesn't have a Ghost Recon Data subdirectory. The installer probably checks this hierachy as well as the app. So if you get somewhere a correct and fully updated GR PC app it should work. Toby mentioned something that IT uses a .cab format and he can't open it with decompress utilities but through the installer it should work on VPC too. But no promises...

Mauti

[Scot]

There is a program called "i6comp" that will extract InstallShield .cab files. Just do a search on your favorite search engine for "i6comp" and you should find it. There is a version that has a Windows GUI font-end that should help out a lot. You will only need the packages that begin with MP2 (you will see what I mean when you start playing with it).

If I can help just let me know.

Scot

[Scot]

I just put WinPack300b on my iDisk. It is a WIN32 GUI front-end for icomp2-6 and should be able to unpack all InstallShield .cab files...so long as you have access to a (Virtual)PC.

On an very happy, happy note...I have been able to get most of the textures to display! It took some work in Photoshop (the,   Windows version) but I managed to convert them to R4G4B4A4 files. The Mac version of GhR has no problem understanding this format and they look great (especially compared to the garbled versions).

I will try to get cracking on the patch (hopefully tonight) and will put it on my iDisk as soon as I can.

BTW, my GhR crashes when I try to host a multiplayer game...even without the mods activated. Any ideas or should I just install a fresh copy?

Scot