Render Files - Replacing 9999_dummy

[phatkroger10]

I'm going on a bit of a long shot here, but I'd love to contribute to be able to add to the game.

I did a bit of research tonight in looking through the hex of the render files and the game (via CheatEngine) to try to figure out how we can add renders to characters who do not have them. It appears all blank renders are using the 9999_dummy render (typeb: 0D096CEE) - which is pretty obvious. It appears that the render file name is not associated with the CH PAC, POFO, moveset, or ltag_type*.pac files.

Has anyone done any similar research or found anything further that I could examine? Want to make sure I'm looking in the correct direction and not duplicating anyone else's efforts.

Thanks!

Edited April 27, 2016 by phatkroger10

[Jimmycrane1986]

I've managed to find 0D096CEE by searching this in the ltag_type b pac files etc searching for the hex value 0D096CEE and it came up which If i'm correct if i was to change this value to another superstars just to test out for example the rock's i'm sure it would work but then all modded superstars who use this value 0D096CEE would have rock's lol gonna look into it more cos there has to be somewhere that's linking the renders to the superstars. Seems the community working together we are getting closer and closer

[phatkroger10]

Yeah, that's the mystery. Whenever you see that black silhouette on the screen, that is the 0D096CEE (9999_dummy). So it's a matter of determining how the game differentiates which characters are assigned different renders.

It's not in the CH data (copied HHH CH PAC and assigned #105). Don't think it's a part of the POFO or move set (exported HHH data and imported over 105). It's possibly the LTAG files, but I looked through pretty thoroughly and didn't see anything particularly telling.

[LordJustice17]

Just spitballing, but it could be linked to the slots in the save file somehow.

[Jimmycrane1986]

I'll have a look into the savefile when I get home tonight I'll open it up in hxd and have a browse 

[phatkroger10]

I'll have a look into the savefile when I get home tonight I'll open it up in hxd and have a browse 

Just spitballing, but it could be linked to the slots in the save file somehow.

That's a pretty good thought - since renders may be assigned dynamically on an individual basis (my CAW will have a unique photo specific to my creation). So it'd make sense that it could be stored in a dynamic location, which would be the save file.

I'm at work, but I'll give it a look tonight. I've got something else I want to try, too.

[Jimmycrane1986]

Had a look in HXD on the mainbody save file and can't seem to find anything

[phatkroger10]

So I did this kind of inadvertently, but may have stumbled across something... More to come?

[phatkroger10]

Okay @Jimmycrane1986, @LordJustice17 and anyone else that can help ... I think we could be almost on the verge of adding custom renders. It may be a little beyond my expertise, ability, and time commitment, but I'm fairly certain this is where we'll be able to do custom renders.

This is the hex towards the beginning of the ltag_typeb.pac file. Sorry for the sloppy image, I do realize I missed some. The LTSA indicates the start of a new character. The 8 digit text highlighted red indicates the character referenced. the following 16 digits of hex is which render is loaded for that character.

For example: if I change the first yellow portion (814 - 81B) from 00000000 10060000 to C2000000 75080000 - that will change The Rock's render to Stone Cold's render on the Rock's character.

I hope this makes sense! Let me know if my comments above need any clarification.

Issues:

• We still don't know the imported character's ID (i.e. 38F7B178 for The Rock)
• We do not know which codes (i.e. 0000000 10060000) are for which render without them having an existing one.
• I do not know if it is feasible to increase the number of renders stored in the ltag files.

[Jimmycrane1986]

Great discovery dude we definitely are getting closer and closer 

[Jimmycrane1986]

@LordJustice17 @robbie686 @phatkroger10 something very interesting I just found in the ltag_typeb.pac when browsing though it on HXD I wonder if this is what locates the renders, where i highlighted it see where it says 0336_rickythedragonsteamboat.dds etc, I'm going to back up my file and change the 0336 part ot 0504 which is where i have alberto del rio installed and see if it gives him steamboats render. (EDIT) - Also just been searching through each wrestler id by start at the top of the hex and searching for the text string PACH, and it starts with the rock 0101 etc and I found the blank cas break render which I highlighted in the first picture. (EDIT) Gonna try editing where it says 9990_cas_break.dds to 0336_rickythedragonsteamboat.dds aswell and see what happens

Edited April 28, 2016 by Jimmycrane1986

[LordJustice17]

If those are in the ltypeb.pac, and since they are dds files, wouldn't they just be the headers actual render files?

[Jimmycrane1986]

I'm not sure matey I'm just trying things out but I just went to try it out and my game is coming up with load failed now I noticed some file in my saves folder the other day called tu_2.dat and had no idea what it was and deleted it and now it says load failed do u have this same file in you're remote folder?

[JonasSlasher]

I'm not sure matey I'm just trying things out but I just went to try it out and my game is coming up with load failed now I noticed some file in my saves folder the other day called tu_2.dat and had no idea what it was and deleted it and now it says load failed do u have this same file in you're remote folder?

i dont have it in my remote folder sir

[Jimmycrane1986]

then the game's just crapped out on me Gonna try get it to load again.

Nope no dice i didn't even do anything with the save file either so how it got corrupted is beyond me!

Edited April 28, 2016 by Jimmycrane1986

[beastedot9]

Okay @Jimmycrane1986, @LordJustice17 and anyone else that can help ... I think we could be almost on the verge of adding custom renders. It may be a little beyond my expertise, ability, and time commitment, but I'm fairly certain this is where we'll be able to do custom renders.

This is the hex towards the beginning of the ltag_typeb.pac file. Sorry for the sloppy image, I do realize I missed some. The LTSA indicates the start of a new character. The 8 digit text highlighted red indicates the character referenced. the following 16 digits of hex is which render is loaded for that character.

For example: if I change the first yellow portion (814 - 81B) from 00000000 10060000 to C2000000 75080000 - that will change The Rock's render to Stone Cold's render on the Rock's character.

I hope this makes sense! Let me know if my comments above need any clarification.

Issues:

• We still don't know the imported character's ID (i.e. 38F7B178 for The Rock)
• We do not know which codes (i.e. 0000000 10060000) are for which render without them having an existing one.
• I do not know if it is feasible to increase the number of renders stored in the ltag files.

Those are filesizes and offsets. I too thought the same when 2K15 came out but was told by Tekken that they are just offsets which would be why you are seeing render changes as the offset is point to a different DDS file. Looking through in cheat engine in memory view, these strings seem to be using XOR and then they are compared to some other value. It is probably some sort of hashing method. I could however be wrong, just giving input  

[jakeypearce]

If you enter in the offset, does it take you to the DDS file? If so, then what happens when you enter an invalid offset? Does the game crash? Or does it show the dummy render?

[Robbie686]

Liking the progress here keep digging guys!! be great if we could somehow change the offsets without the game crashing - Would mean we could have more high quality renders rather than currently sticking to the small file sizes. I.E Billy gunn's render has to be under 280kb before being compressed and injected and getting a png to any lower than that just destroys the image.

[Cave Waverider]

It would be even cool to be able to replace the default black dummy render with something else for all wrestlers. A generic Masked wrestler or just an invisible render (so the ugly things don't show up on matchup screens) or something to that extent.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Cave Waverider

[P Mac]

I'm glad u decided to stick around Jimmy, cause I've been following this thread closer than the 2016 election 😁

[phatkroger10]

It would be even cool to be able to replace the default black dummy render with something else for all wrestlers. A generic Masked wrestler or just an invisible render (so the ugly things don't show up on matchup screens) or something to that extent.

You could simply enter a deliberately blank DDS, right?

@beastedot9 it sounds like you've done a bit of searching/work on this and have a pretty good grasp of the working of the files. I'd love to get some more detail on the work you've done so I can't put my efforts towards the correct places.

Edited April 30, 2016 by phatkroger10

[Cave Waverider]

It would be even cool to be able to replace the default black dummy render with something else for all wrestlers. A generic Masked wrestler or just an invisible render (so the ugly things don't show up on matchup screens) or something to that extent.

You could simply enter a deliberately blank DDS, right?

@beastedot9 it sounds like you've done a bit of searching/work on this and have a pretty good grasp of the working of the files. I'd love to get some more detail on the work you've done so I can't put my efforts towards the correct places.

Not sure if a blank file would do, but an "empty" .dds with alpha channel and just invisible stuff should do the trick once we know how to replace that default black dummy render. I think it would definitely look nicer to have only those wrestlers with actual renders appear on the matchup screen.

Edited April 29, 2016 by Cave Waverider

[phatkroger10]

Not sure if a blank file would do, but an "empty" .dds with alpha channel and just invisible stuff should do the trick once we know how to replace that default black dummy render. I think it would definitely look nicer to have only those wrestlers with actual renders appear on the matchup screen.

 

I haven't tried this before, but can't you just simply replace the 0D96CEE file with something generic? That's the file that's loaded whenever you see the dummy render. Game refers to it as '9999_dummy'.

 

@LordJustice17 @Jimmycrane1986 THOUGHT! Can someone please check their 2K15 files to see if the files were named the same last year? i.e. The Rock's image being 38F7B178. If it is, we could check to see what CM Punk/Hogan's was and try referencing that file in this years game?

Edited April 30, 2016 by phatkroger10

[beastedot9]

 

 

I haven't tried this before, but can't you just simply replace the 0D96CEE file with something generic? That's the file that's loaded whenever you see the dummy render. Game refers to it as '9999_dummy'.

 

@LordJustice17 @Jimmycrane1986 THOUGHT! Can someone please check their 2K15 files to see if the files were named the same last year? i.e. The Rock's image being 38F7B178. If it is, we could check to see what CM Punk/Hogan's was and try referencing that file in this years game?

That was the first thing I checked in 2K16 They are not the same unfortunately. That's whats leading me more to a string hash.

As for what I know about these files:

- Changing the ID's to anything will revert it back to the dummy render.

- Changing things like 0100_therock.dds to 0101_stonecold does nothing so that can't be a factor from what I can see.

- There is no actual references to anything like CH ID's in the data itself, just the images and the name. The only identifying factor is the render ID's.

- Another file either handles these renders or as I said its a string hash where the ch pac ID's (and possibly names) are converted to these ID's.

 

I'd say cheat engine is your best bet to find out what's going on with these files. Just change to a superstar in the select screen and run a search for that ID in memory view. Then where it shows up, go to the top half of cheat engine and go to the address and see what's going on there.

This is about as much as I can remember with regards to these files as of now

 

[phatkroger10]

I've done most of that, too. Could you elaborate on what you mean by string hash? I'm not familiar with that term/process.

The only thing I can think of to check is if from 2K15 to 2K16, the render references increased/decreased by a set amount and if it's translatable in any way whatsoever.