CAW Custom Render - how to recompress?

[phatkroger10]

I feel like I've got about 75% to replacing a render for CAWs not using KG's tool. The renders are stored in the 385730/remote/CASSADDTXXXX (X's replaced chronologically from 0000).

• BACKUP ALL FILES BEFORE EDITING - I've had issues with my game save becoming corrupted by trying to modify.
• Open the file(s) in HxD
• Delete the hex from 0 to 3F

• Save and open X-Packer
• Go to Utilities>Decompress file with header using zlib>Select your file and save
• Take an extracted render dds (look at robbie686's tutorial if you don't know how) and open it in HxD
• Paste the entire hex of the CASSADDTXXXX.decompressed file into the render file where the image begins (see below)
• Change the DX10 to DXT5 (see below)

• Save and close. Your DDS file is now viewable via Visual Studio

The part I cannot resolve is how to re-compress this image (via X-Packer or other means) and insert it back into the game without causing crash. I've tried basically everything available in X-Packer for compressing, but it turns up a corrupted game save (reinserting the backed up file uncorrupts the save). Ideas?

Let me know if any of my steps above need clarification.

Thanks!

Edited May 9, 2016 by phatkroger10

[jakeypearce]

What happens if you change DXT5 to DX10, save, and inject it without compressing?

[kim666]

Did you update the sha in the remotecache file? 

You must update the sha or you will always get a save game corrupt msg.

http://pastebin.com/eXMV7UHs

 

[phatkroger10]

What happens if you change DXT5 to DX10, save, and inject it without compressing?

DX10 made the render essentially unviewable. I haven't tried inserting decompressed, but I thought you'd have to compress it anyways?

Did you update the sha in the remotecache file? 

You must update the sha or you will always get a save game corrupt msg.

http://pastebin.com/eXMV7UHs

 

I have not. Any tutorials on that? I'm not familiar.

I am at work and won't be home for another 8 hours if anyone would like to give any of this a try and keep us updated.

Edited May 9, 2016 by phatkroger10

[Robbie686]

Nice work on figuring out how to find them. I have no ideas on getting it back into the game but fingers and toes crossed we find a way soon

[Jimmycrane1986]

Hey  great find, what are we trying here? getting custom renders for the caws?

[phatkroger10]

Hey  great find, what are we trying here? getting custom renders for the caws?

Percisely. I'm 100% positive they're stored in the location I've outlined above, but the part I'm/we're stuck on is how to repack/reinsert them into the original file to work in game.

Side tangent, but it does kind of drive me nuts that someone has figured it out but considers this knowledge as proprietary and won't assist the advancement of the game solely for personal financial gain. I'm referring to the knowledge of the process, not the application itself. But that's just me being bitter.

[kim666]

What happens if you change DXT5 to DX10, save, and inject it without compressing?

DX10 made the render essentially unviewable. I haven't tried inserting decompressed, but I thought you'd have to compress it anyways?

Did you update the sha in the remotecache file? 

You must update the sha or you will always get a save game corrupt msg.

http://pastebin.com/eXMV7UHs

 

I have not. Any tutorials on that? I'm not familiar.

I am at work and won't be home for another 8 hours if anyone would like to give any of this a try and keep us updated.

there is no tutorial. Open the remotecache file (you find it in the root of the 2k16 save folder) with notepad.

All save game files are listed in this file, search for the file you want to edit. You should find a sha hash check number.

Upload the file you want to edit to http://onlinemd5.com/ and generate a sha hash (try both sha-1 and sha-256). Now look if the sha hash check is equal to the one in the remotecache file.

If not, try it with an unvompressed file, file without header... and so on. Until you found out how this sha hash check is calculated. 

Then calculate a new sha hash check for your modded file and edit the remotechache file.

It is also important that your modded file has exactly the same size as the original file. If not you need to fill the file with "00"

[Cave Waverider]

If the whole hashing stuff is too complicated or you can't get it to work properly without corrupting the save for some reason, perhaps you could try finding the code in memory instead of the save files, then change the textures in memory and saving the game instead. It should create the proper hashes itself then.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Cave Waverider

[phatkroger10]

If the whole hashing stuff is too complicated or you can't get it to work properly without corrupting the save for some reason, perhaps you could try finding the code in memory instead of the save files, then change the textures in memory and saving the game instead. It should create the proper hashes itself then.

Please excuse my ignorance, but could you please elaborate on the "change the textures in memory and saving the game instead"? Is this the process of using cheat engine? Most of my modding experience has been in the save files/directory.

[Cave Waverider]

If the whole hashing stuff is too complicated or you can't get it to work properly without corrupting the save for some reason, perhaps you could try finding the code in memory instead of the save files, then change the textures in memory and saving the game instead. It should create the proper hashes itself then.

Please excuse my ignorance, but could you please elaborate on the "change the textures in memory and saving the game instead"? Is this the process of using cheat engine? Most of my modding experience has been in the save files/directory.

Yes, with cheat engine. In theory, you could likely search the memory while the game is running for the data from the save file. Perhaps you could ask one of the Cheat Egnine and memory editing gurus around here to help you a bit. I'm not it, though, haven't done enough with it so far.

[phatkroger10]

*Working from mobile and can't delete, sorry!

Yes, with cheat engine. In theory, you could likely search the memory while the game is running for the data from the save file. Perhaps you could ask one of the Cheat Egnine and memory editing gurus around here to help you a bit. I'm not it, though, haven't done enough with it so far.

Thank you for that explanation. I have used Cheat Engine a bit, mostly just messing around. Well, would a packed image like this show up as packed or unpacked in memory? The reason I ask, is because if it's packed, we'd still need to find the proper way to pack the file to have it saved to memory.  

Edited May 9, 2016 by phatkroger10

[Cave Waverider]

*Working from mobile and can't delete, sorry!

Yes, with cheat engine. In theory, you could likely search the memory while the game is running for the data from the save file. Perhaps you could ask one of the Cheat Egnine and memory editing gurus around here to help you a bit. I'm not it, though, haven't done enough with it so far.

Thank you for that explanation. I have used Cheat Engine a bit, mostly just messing around. Well, would a packed image like this show up as packed or unpacked in memory? The reason I ask, is because if it's packed, we'd still need to find the proper way to pack the file to have it saved to memory.  

Yes.

[phatkroger10]

Well, I searched and found the uncompressed hex in the memory, but every time I replace it with the render I want, it reverts back to the original render. Giving up on it for tonight.

I want to try some stuff tomorrow. Hopefully we can figure this out!

Edited May 10, 2016 by phatkroger10

[Cave Waverider]

Well, I searched and found the uncompressed hex in the memory, but every time I replace it with the render I want, it reverts back to the original render. Giving up on it for tonight.

I want to try some stuff tomorrow. Hopefully we can figure this out!

Did you save the game after injecting the new render into memory (change one of the things like brand or boo/cheer for any superstar in MyWWE, for example)?

Edited May 10, 2016 by Cave Waverider

[phatkroger10]

 I did not. But I basically followed the same steps KG did in his tutorial: open the character in Edit Superstar, (presumably) replace the hex, press Accept in game.

Would I still need to save in game if I'm accepting out of the edit superstar?

@Cave Waverider

[Cave Waverider]

 I did not. But I basically followed the same steps KG did in his tutorial: open the character in Edit Superstar, (presumably) replace the hex, press Accept in game.

Would I still need to save in game if I'm accepting out of the edit superstar?

@Cave Waverider

Hm, not sure. I guess that should save him.

[phatkroger10]

Okay, so some research tonight: when you load the CAW in the editor, the uncompressed hex of the render is present at offset 9EF37970 (I'm not sure if this moves around or not). Whenever you replace it (I've been using load memory region with the modified hex of the image desired), it still reverts back to the default image upon exiting the editor. I can't seem to figure out why or a workaround.

Any thoughts? Feel like there's some progress here, but I've about capped out my knowledge..

[ChayanKB]

I am a noob in editing. But just something that popped in my mind. After you change the image of the CAW, did you change any attribute of the CAW thereafter? Like changing some brand of superstar saves the memory in the case of adding modded superstars, maybe changing an attribute saves the render of the CAW permanently.

[JonasSlasher]

Remember that with rendered CAWs you cant save it because it will revert back to the default caw render. what i mean is,, when i download a rendered caw like Apostkhan's jay lethal,, i am not supposed to save it because it will delete the render.

can you observe kg's trainer tutorial video on how he saves the game.. maybe his program is the one that saves the game,, not him manually making the CAW save.

do i make sense heree?

Edited May 11, 2016 by JonasSlasher1994

[phatkroger10]

I am a noob in editing. But just something that popped in my mind. After you change the image of the CAW, did you change any attribute of the CAW thereafter? Like changing some brand of superstar saves the memory in the case of adding modded superstars, maybe changing an attribute saves the render of the CAW permanently.

Haven't tried, but I don't think that would change anything. Computer's shut down for the night.

Remember that with rendered CAWs you cant save it because it will revert back to the default caw render. what i mean is,, when i download a rendered caw like Apostkhan's jay lethal,, i am not supposed to save it because it will delete the render.

can you observe kg's trainer tutorial video on how he saves the game.. maybe his program is the one that saves the game,, not him manually making the CAW save.

do i make sense heree?

I understand what you mean. I did test this a little with an existing rendered mod. The modded render is present at the offset I indicated, but upon exit, changes the render to the non-modified render.

In the tutorial, he does  click a button in his program to save the render, but it if I had to guess, it is more likely an "inject" rather than "save". Once he clicks the button, he (seemingly) hits accept in game (I assume because the WWE turns yellow, indicating a save). I'm not sure if I'm off base, but I don't know what his program would be saving to the memory.

Edited May 11, 2016 by phatkroger10

[JonasSlasher]

unfortunately the video is surprisingly 'unavailable' looks like youre getting closer... cause the tutorial video got taken down. 

is there a workaround where the caw doesnt have to save while editing the  render?

can you edit the hex while just on the menu? not on edit CAW?

with caws i can edit the height even without saving.. i used the CAW heighht address under pozzums caw tab sheet. can you try editing the render at offset just in the main menu? then making it save..

 

Edited May 11, 2016 by JonasSlasher1994

[phatkroger10]

unfortunately the video is surprisingly 'unavailable' looks like youre getting closer... cause the tutorial video got taken down. 

is there a workaround where the caw doesnt have to save while editing the  render?

can you edit the hex while just on the menu? not on edit CAW?

with caws i can edit the height even without saving.. i used the CAW heighht address under pozzums caw tab sheet. can you try editing the render at offset just in the main menu? then making it save..

 

I don't think the video is down? I can still view it from my phone.

I tried something like that, but was only able to locate the compressed hex (to bring us full loop, was the original problem) and when I replaced it, it didn't change the render and crashed my game when I tried to open it in the editor. Based on the tutorial and my searching the memory, I'm fairly certain that it needs to be opened in edit superstar. Again, I may be off base, but it appears this is where the render is decompressed.

[Cave Waverider]

The thing is, when you save a CAW, it automatically takes a screenshot of it and saves that as the image for it. Thus your render is replaced. Mabye KG overrides the screenshot taking process somehow?
Just a stab in the dark here, but could setting the menu screen pose to an certain (illegal?) value in memory (via cheat engine) before saving help with the screenshot not being taken and the render to persist?

Edited May 11, 2016 by Cave Waverider

[JonasSlasher]

The thing is, when you save a CAW, it automatically takes a screenshot of it and saves that as the image for it. Thus your render is replaced. Mabye KG overrides the screenshot taking process somehow?
Just a stab in the dark here, but could setting the menu screen pose to an certain (illegal?) value in memory (via cheat engine) before saving help with the screenshot not being taken and the render to persist?

it could crash the game or  corrupt the save......but this may be possible, lets try it!