[Andrew]

GTAForums Modding Round Up
Whats happened since IV was released on PC, and to help people get up to speed with editing IV.


Modding IV?
Since rockstar added multiplayer to IV, they've tighened down on modding quite alot, the game is subject to CRC checks, and will load if you have modified any files. Thankfully a number of different methods have been developed to allow you to use mods in the game.


Modding IV 1.0.2
Rockstar have since removed the file checks in 1.0.2, so modding should be able to go unhindered now. You still need a patched filelist.pak though.

File Modding Ability Patch by aru, allows you to disable the filecheck and using a patched filelist.pak file, edit the game files.-> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=380102&st=0

xLiveLess by listener, allows the editing of game files by replacing the xlive.dll, disables the social club app as well. -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtop...58&hl=xliveless

There are others but these are the only two I can think off of top of my head.


Scripting
Scripting for IV is far easier then it ever was for other GTA games, various methods exists for creating scripts such as body guards, spawning cars and peds etc.

The first scripting engine for IV was ALICE, by Alexander Blade, ALICE allowed the creatation of scripts using the LUA scripting language. Alice doesn't need an ASI loader to function. -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=386816

C++ Script Hook by aru, allows you to use the C++ scripting language, to create custom script threads and GTAIV load and process these alongside its real threads, allow allowing access to the native GTA IV functions, contained within the download are header files and a compiled library for VC+ 2008. Then needs a DLL/ASI loader to load the ASI/DLL into IV. -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=390582

Building on the C++ script hook is HazardX's .Net ScriptHook allows you to create and run GTA IV scriptings written in any .NET language (c#, VB.net etc) Again you need an ASI loader to load the ASI/DLL into IV. -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=392325

Scone by Sacky, first release of the SCO script assembler / disassembler, is only intended for learning purposes. -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=396486

xLiveLess as well as disabling the filecheck to enable modding also incorporates an ASI loader built into it. Allowing you to load the ASI mods -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtop...58&hl=xliveless

YASSIL Yet Another ASI Loader by HazardX -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=394806

ASILoader by Alexander Blade -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=380830


Game Archive Editing?
In previous GTA's all the games models and texture files have been kept withing IMG files, and using an IMG editor allowed us to edit the contents of these files, extracting / replacing the models and textures. Rockstar have kept to this idea, but the IMG format has been updated and the RPF format introduced.

SparkIV by aru -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=384933

OpenIV by GooD-NTS -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=388289

Both of them will allow the editing of the archive files, they allow the editing of the texture files.


Editing Models
As with all GTA games, with each new version come new formats to crack, and at this present moment in time the model format has not been cracked. However work is being done and any discoverings appear to be posted in this topic -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=382615


GXT/Text Editing
This was possible from the Off, as the GXT files appear to be the same format as the previous GTA's, and a couple of GXT editors can edit the IV files.


Memory Addressing?
As soon as IV was released on PC work began, on working what the memory addresses hold. The topic in the IV forum documents all the currently found addresses and what they do. -> http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=378631


Mods and Multiplayer?
GTA IV is the first GTA to have multiplayer as standard, as such Rockstar enabled filechecks to deter modding for multiplayer. There are a few different mod enablers that allow you to use mods online. On a private fun server where modding is allowed is fine, however using them on a proper server and cheating is not.


Topics and Tutorials?
There are a number of topics you should keep your eye on:

http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=382615 -> Documenting the model formats
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=378631 -> Documenting memory addresses
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showforum=244 -> The IV Forum
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=388930 -> IV Document Topic
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=391252 -> IV Modding FAQ

There are a few tutorials that help you to start modding IV.
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showforum=109 -> The tutorial forum
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=390684 -> Importing Texures with SparkIV
http://www.gtaforums.com/index.php?showtopic=388397 -> Texture importing with OpenIV


IV modding rules
To keep the IV editing discussion tidy, there is a series of pinned topics for requests and FAQs to help you to get started.

• Only release mods into the mod showroom, not editing discussion
• Keep requests to the pinned topics
• Please search before posting, someone may of already answered your quests.
• Please use topic tags when making a post. [Q] [Doc] etc.

Modding Document List Topic
WeaponInfo.xml

IV Paths Formats

IV Model Formats

GTA IV Memory Addresses

IV Map Cleaning

GTA IV Water Level Editing

Documenting GTA IV Data Files

Generic GTA 4 Documentation (list of natives and model hashes via Modding Wiki)

LUA Scripting Help

Documenting GTA IV IMG Files

[DOC] WPL / XPL File Format

Handling.dat explained

[GTAIV][Doc][Tut]Running 2 installs of GTA-IV

IV Limits


This post has been edited by Gangsta Killa on Tuesday, Feb 24 2009, 09:05

[BigBANGtheory]

Thank you that is very useful information and I appreciate you taking the time to make things very clear and concise.

[AngryAmoeba]

I believe R* removed the file checks in 1.0.2.

[Andrew]

Have they? Thats awesome. I'll add that up top. Thanks.

[Lucial]

This is a brill topic, was considering making this exact type of thing myself. If you keep this thing updated and expanding it deffo deserves a sticky.

[Andrew]

I'll just keep bumping it every now and then.

[AndyGanteks]

Quite a usefull topic, good job, but isn't it easier to pin it?

[goin-god]

Very usefull. Nice work.

It should be pinned though.

[Gforce]

nice work, pin it above this topic

[Gen0cide_]

Sticky! I would love to have this stickied so I could just link to this and the requests thread and copy paste the yellow writing when answering all the noob posts!

[Andrew]

Pinned.

[Automan]

Spark IV and IV Open administer texture files *.WTF.
But only if they are in a file *.IMG.
How to handle texture files in the folder:
(...)Grand Theft Auto IV/common/pc/textures
???
For example, there is the hud.wtf.
Well, copy radar.img to a folder and call it texturesternal.img
We find this in:
(...)Grand Theft Auto IV/common/pc/models/cdimages
copy hud.wtf where we put texturesternal.img.
Hud.wtf renamed as radar101.wtd
Through Spark IV, open texturesternal.img, and, after you click
Import radar101.wtd do on our radar101.wtd.
Saving.
With Edit, do the Export Texture of phone_icon_thumbsup.
(Is saved in *.PNG).
Let the green hand with Photoshop.
Now reimport phone_icon_thumbsup.
Extract Radar101.wtf, and renamed hud.wtf.
Save the original hud.wtf and we put the new hud.wtf.
We can only start the game, and see, however, that hangs ...
Do you depend on the method, or whether there are still controls file in the game? (I used Magic IV)...

[Jost_Vice]

Well, Spark IV can open texture files (WTD, there are no WFT texture files... those are models) outside of IMGs. Just use the browser button to look around the folder, then open the file. you're free to edit it and save

And yes, we still need to bypass some filechecks, in version 1.0.2 you only need to replace filelist.pak with a clean one.

[Automan]

Ah ok!
(Yes, WTD, I am still confused! I want the TXD! )

[Andrew]

Updated to fix the filecheck for 1.0.2

[Automan]

I have not installed the 1.0.2...

[--Cole--]

should this be updated to include the restrictions of patch v1.0.3?

[Andrew]

Unpinned, topic is included in the forum header.

[XGhost_213]

hey so i know this might not be the place to ask this but...i cant get png images to replace but i can get regular files like wtds..can any1 help?

[EduardKoeleJuck]

GK, you should update this asap.