BioHerb

[MeganGrass]

It's amazing how you can take something that's great (RE2) and make it even better. I understand why you don't have RE1 compatible however I'm sure you could just simply rebuild RE1 in a RE2 engine, the real RE1.5 if you want to be technical.

RE/Bio2 has a well-documented, excellent engine with many capabilities that went almost completely untouched. For example, many pieces of code that are only used once or twice in the game can become powerful tools at in the hands of an experienced modder. Many 'improvements' to game play can be made via scripting, tremendous ones at that. The assembly and c injections are particularly useful for beefing up the engine even more, or just to bend it to your will.

Bio1, on the other hand, is a complete mess. I'd even go as far as to say that its worse than the 40% build of Bio1.5. Excluding the runtime data (RDT, etc), what little bit that is known about the engine is enough to turn away even the most experienced of coders. Its just awful, and certainly not recommended for any type of hacking/modification purpose at all.

So, yeah, it would be much easier to just simply recreate the entire Bio1 experience on another engine, such as the ones available for Bio2. Its definitely possible, and I've already toyed with the idea.

Based on your experience Mark, how similar is the RE2 engine VS the RE3 engine? Is the RE3 engine more advanced or is simply the RE2 engine with just a different wrapper?

Gemini gave a much better answer than I could have given.

On the surface, however, Bio3 has several advantages that Gemini didn't mention - 32 cameras per room (vs Bio2's max at 16 per room), updated scripting routines that greatly expands game play (such as the 'Chaser' bytecode for Nemesis), and certain builds that can support hi-res background prerenders (such as the DreamCast and GameCube versions at 640x480).

Once more is learned about the Bio3 engine and the tools created, I'm certain that Bio3 will be the new 'goto' engine for any modders who are interested.

By user friendly and addressing someone as beginner are we referring to someone with little to no knowledge in coding/scripting?

I would be honored to see something good come out of it. Really, all you need are the prerendered backgrounds, at minimum - combined with the tool and you have a completely custom experience.

By user friendly and addressing someone as beginner are we referring to someone with little to no knowledge in coding/scripting?

Yup.

Everything has a learning curve, however, as great results are hardly ever achieved by anyone who rushes anything just for the sake of gaining brief attention...but I have simplified the process the best that I can.

There's only so much I can do, as I simply cannot provide an artist with his/her vision, but I can provide a blank canvas...and that's really what this tool is all about.

[DarkSpyda04]

As seen above, models (PLD, EMD, MD1) can be viewed and their animations can be edited, created and playback in realtime.

You said something about the tool letting us modify animations of EMD, PLD, and MD1? What did you mean by that? There is a built-in animation editor/creator?

What about ESP data (flipbook sprites) such as fire effects? Can these be edited?

[MeganGrass]

You said something about the tool letting us modify animations of EMD, PLD, and MD1? What did you mean by that? There is a built-in animation editor/creator?

Yup.

What about ESP data (flipbook sprites) such as fire effects? Can these be edited?

Well... yes and no.

I could implement an editor for the effect sprites, but there's really no point in that because the game handles each one via hardcode. For example, there are 0x5F different ESP data used in the game, and every single one of them has their own hardcoded functionality for use.

So, I could implement an ESP utility but hardly anyone would be able to use it, simply because modifying/creating ESP data requires an executable function to perform properly.

[Ultimacloud123]

So does your animation editor in a sense act in a way as a model viewer? How does your animation editor work?

[AleX_Red_07]

Dear Mark, BioHerb does not work on my Windows 8.
What operating systems it supports?

[MeganGrass]

I've had several others tell me that it works perfectly fine in Win 8.1

[AleX_Red_07]

I've had several others tell me that it works perfectly fine in Win 8.1

I'm understood, thank you.

[MeganGrass]

Version 0.0.0.1

[DarkSpyda04]

Exciting to see an update to the tool. It rivals Leo's RDTedit. In fact, there are some rooms that cannot be modified w/ RDTedit. Yet, BioHerb has no trouble with these rooms. For instance, RDTedit messes up the text of rooms and BioHerb does not. It seems that no room editor is perfect. BioHerb is riddled with flaws. It messes up collision with any room it edits, you have to save the SCA before the save file button even does anything, it breaks rooms that had been edited w/ RDTedit, and it doesn't save any modifications to room objects.

ROOM OBJECTS - I've never tried to mod room objects before. I'm not even sure how room objects should be modded in BioHerb. After saving the file, I was able to open up the room's lift from the "obj" folder and I moved and rotated and saved again, but there was nothing new when I tried to explore the room.

BREAKS ROOMS EDITED W/ RDTedit - I saved the working ROOM2001 mod with BioHerb and when I tried to enter the room I got a message that the room could not be found. Very odd. Then I saved a vanilla copy of the room w/ BioHerb and I was able to enter the room. However, the collision box near the computer desk was broken.

BIOHERB MESSES UP COLLISION - Very odd. Any time I save a room w/ BioHerb, there are almost certainly some collisions that no longer work. Other than that, there are not problems with the room. All of the doors work, buttons still work, item boxes can be opened, crates can be pushed and climbed, herbs can be taken, etc, etc.

SAVE FILE BUTTON DOES NOT WORK - When I open up a room file w/ BioHerb, a folder is created for that room and filled with three sub-folders - msg, obj, scd. These folders are empty, and the main room folder is also empty. When I click the save button w/ BioHerb, nothing happens - UNTIL I first save say an SCA and THEN hit the save button. Now all of the room files appear in the folder and the edited RDT also appears in the folder.

OPENS THE WRONG RDT - When I launch BioHerb, I am greeted with the most recently opened RDT. That is - Bioherb remembers the last file I had open and still has it open when I close and re-launch the application. The problem is this - when I save the RDT, the file is saved in the room folder. The RDT being read is not in the room folder, but in the folder outside of it. So BioHerb does not open the most recently saved RDT, but the most recently OPENED RDT.

-This means that you have to go into the room folder with the newly saved RDT and open that - in which case a room folder for that room will be created in the room folder in which this RDT was. And thus we have inception.

[AleX_Red_07]

Interestingly, thanks =)

[MeganGrass]

Exciting to see an update to the tool. It rivals Leo's RDTedit. In fact, there are some rooms that cannot be modified w/ RDTedit. Yet, BioHerb has no trouble with these rooms. For instance, RDTedit messes up the text of rooms and BioHerb does not. It seems that no room editor is perfect. BioHerb is riddled with flaws. It messes up collision with any room it edits, you have to save the SCA before the save file button even does anything, it breaks rooms that had been edited w/ RDTedit, and it doesn't save any modifications to room objects.

Thank you for the kind words and detail report!

ROOM OBJECTS - I've never tried to mod room objects before. I'm not even sure how room objects should be modded in BioHerb. After saving the file, I was able to open up the room's lift from the "obj" folder and I moved and rotated and saved again, but there was nothing new when I tried to explore the room.

Objects are controlled entirely by script, using the "ObjSet" opcode. The script may be edited by any text/source editor and compiled with the app. Simply load the corresponding MD1 that you want to place or modify, move it into desired coordinates and set the script. Mind you, this is another preliminary build so there is much room for improvement in the future.

BREAKS ROOMS EDITED W/ RDTedit - I saved the working ROOM2001 mod with BioHerb and when I tried to enter the room I got a message that the room could not be found. Very odd. Then I saved a vanilla copy of the room w/ BioHerb and I was able to enter the room. However, the collision box near the computer desk was broken.

That's entirely out of my hands.

OPENS THE WRONG RDT - When I launch BioHerb, I am greeted with the most recently opened RDT. That is - Bioherb remembers the last file I had open and still has it open when I close and re-launch the application. The problem is this - when I save the RDT, the file is saved in the room folder. The RDT being read is not in the room folder, but in the folder outside of it. So BioHerb does not open the most recently saved RDT, but the most recently OPENED RDT.

That is a time-saving feature that I was toying with just before release and I must have forgotten to take it out. Sorry! If you ever want to mess around with it...

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\MarkGrass

SAVE FILE BUTTON DOES NOT WORK - When I open up a room file w/ BioHerb, a folder is created for that room and filled with three sub-folders - msg, obj, scd. These folders are empty, and the main room folder is also empty. When I click the save button w/ BioHerb, nothing happens - UNTIL I first save say an SCA and THEN hit the save button. Now all of the room files appear in the folder and the edited RDT also appears in the folder.

Hmm, okay. Thank you for reporting this!

BIOHERB MESSES UP COLLISION - Very odd. Any time I save a room w/ BioHerb, there are almost certainly some collisions that no longer work. Other than that, there are not problems with the room. All of the doors work, buttons still work, item boxes can be opened, crates can be pushed and climbed, herbs can be taken, etc, etc.

No clue what's happening here as nothing should be getting broken in the process. Can you name any specific rooms?

[DarkSpyda04]

I can name a specific room. Room 603. Either collisions still work, or they no longer work at all, or they glitch the player when touched. See if this room gives you the same result.

Also, I'm surprised that you're still working on BioHerb. The RE modding community in general is very uneventful. I can never tell if people are just very busy or nobodies doing anything. But maybe its none of my business. Anyway, keep at it if you enjoy the work ;D

[DarkSpyda04]

I know this is off-topic but do you know of any decent, active place or any experienced people I could refer to for help w/ planning and implementing new rooms in RE2? I'm working on the "c2keo project" again and I need help.

[VirusPunk]

I know this is off-topic but do you know of any decent, active place or any experienced people I could refer to for help w/ planning and implementing new rooms in RE2? I'm working on the "c2keo project" again and I need help.

How's that coming along?

Most of us "veterans" have moved on from the Resident Evil community, we all have other interests now. I don't post on the 123 forums any longer as I am banned, and the place was dead anyway to begin with.

I too recently tried my luck at remaking a C2keo area, of course, I added my own uniqueness to it instead of a straight remake.

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Originals:

[DarkSpyda04]

Its not coming along good. Its a clusterfuck. Good in my head but gear-grinding to implement.

Once I do get rolling, I keep rolling nice and well. Buts its getting myself rolling when I'm stopped that's the problem.