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    Maelstrom New Horizons


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Editing the Game engine

Well, I'm not exactly Mr. coder, all I know is that the hardest part to writing a file converter (and a few bits about how to do it, not enough to actually do it) is figuring out the file headers.
 
I should really think a little longer before posting, I'm starting to make a habit out of posting three or four posts in a row <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/blush.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":eek:ops" border="0" alt="blush.gif" />:

Anyhow, some interesting links that could help with this subject:
<a href="http://www.crackingislife.com/tut/decompile.htm" target="_blank">http://www.crackingislife.com/tut/decompile.htm</a>
<a href="http://boomerang.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">http://boomerang.sourceforge.net/</a>

And I believe the tools I mentioned earlier can retrieve public methods from compiled C++ code, is that what you need?
 
Incidentally, here's what could happen if you piss off Disney by pirating their pirate software:

<img src="http://gallery.cybertarp.com/albums/userpics/24132/Disney.jpg" border="0" class="linked-image" />
 
lol <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" />

Makes you wonder, does Mickey doo smell as bad as mine? If it does then I'll sleep on the couch for a week!
 
<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/unsure.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":?" border="0" alt="unsure.gif" /> I'm not sure if I should be concerned about this, or not... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> Well, it'll be interesting, anyhow... <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" /> More power to ya, guys, if you can figure out how to fiddle with it without "breaking" it, well <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_praise.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":bow" border="0" alt="icon_praise.gif" /> <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" />
 
If I was an `all-knowing` coder, which I'm not, I'll tell you what I would work on... Sailing AI.

First of all, the realistic wind mod is amazing and absolutely essential, however, the AI captains never got the memo and still think they can sail into the eye of the wind. Either that, or teach them to tack. If they actually sailed their ships... the game would be amazing. Sailing ability could affect chances at making stays, perhaps.

Secondly, I've boarded a lot of vessels, and sometimes, when I maneuver too close they board me. But I've never been chased down with the intent of being boarded. When ever I am chased down, they usually turn and give me a broadside, before turning back ot the chase.

Thirdly, a ship has never attempted to run away from me. If I'm in a Corvette, and I'm going after a lugger, the lugger captain should have the brains to sail with the wind across his beam and beat away from me. Eventually I'll give up.

Finally, surrendering. Let's say that I'm in that frigate again, but this time I'm comingup on a nice small `square-rig` like a barque or a yacht. They would strike long before I unload a broadside of grape. Not to mention those times when you dimast a ship and holds out way too long.
 
Umm, and this all is done by the engine and not the scripts?

I remember there was one guy who put out a "Improved Officer AI" mod, so at least officer AI is located in the scripts, can't see why enemy AI shouldn't be.
 
JMV, have you played on the upper levels of the game? I haven't had much time to play lately, but right now I'm playing at Swashbuckler and it seems to me that the AI of the captains of the ships I am trying to board is MUCH higher than typical - one schooner tacked away from me and ran and I had the devil of a time catching up to her - she kept maneuvering away from me if I tried to get the correct angle on her for boarding, then she'd broadside me and turn and run - I finally knocked out her sails enough so I could catch her... The very sneakiness of that captain was surprising to me as I'd been so used to the lower levels...

<img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid="xD:" border="0" alt="laugh.gif" /> That was a fun battle, it was CHALLENGING! <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/par-ty.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":cheers" border="0" alt="par-ty.gif" />
 
Hmmm, I haven't seen that yet. Was this schooner a national vessel or a pirate? Pirates tend to be better, as I recall. The fact that it was a schooner gives it much better sailing abilities too. I have yet to see a `square-rig` do anything memorable.
 
Hahaha, a funny thought just popped into my mind, a heavily damaged ship boarding a small vessel, with the captain of the damaged ship (your ship that is) panting and grunting trying to catch his breath after chasing the smaller ship for a long time.

Yeah, it's late, I'll go to bed now <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/smile.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":)" border="0" alt="smile.gif" />
 
Here's a thought, and it would avoid some `doubling-up` as well as softcore "cheats" built into the game.

You have the option of raising the Jolly Roger while at sea, which instantly turns you into a pirate and has the effect of improving your relations with pirates while making other nations wary of you. I found that by doing this, though, it makes all the pirate ships go far too easy on you: they never attack you as they're all neutral or better, and even when you raise a proper nation's flag again, the pirates still won't bother you untill you really, really piss them off by sinking a lot of them.

In reality, pirates kept their skull & 'bones down until they wanted to signal their prey to surrender. And we have a second option to become a pirate through Jurckson anyway. So why don't we make that the only way to become a pirate, by having to convince the pirate leader to let you join (after all, you don't begin the game as a pirate proper. You should have to earn the right), at which point you are granted that little flag icon in your abilities which would double the chances of your prey surrendering when you raise it. This way we could better simulate the common pirate practice, of posing as a nation's merchant ship, shadowing their quarry then raising the black flag as they're about to strike.
 
<!--`QuoteBegin-jmv575`+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jmv575)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->Hmmm, I haven't seen that yet.  Was this schooner a national vessel or a pirate?  Pirates tend to be better, as I recall.  The fact that it was a schooner gives it much better sailing abilities too.  I have yet to see a `square-rig` do anything memorable.[/quote]It was a British schooner. And yes, it was turning circles around my tub... Even so, the evasive maneuvers were really quite "I" for an "AI"... Heh...
 
I've only been in contact with Pete Hines... But I believe he's a PR dude, so don't really expect him to be able to pull anything off for us. It would be better if someone knew one of the programmers, he could 'leak' some tools and engine code <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/icon_wink.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="icon_wink.gif" />. But if you want to get to the programmers, start asking for Akella people, as they made the game and Bethesda only came up with the idea and supplied the cash... (or that's as far as I get the gaming biz)
 
If only we could get a nice structured document explaining all the functions the engine offers us, that would make creating a kickass mod so much easier!
 
Not gonna happen, I'm afraid. <img src="http://www.piratesahoy.com/forum/style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/rolleyes.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":rolleyes:" border="0" alt="rolleyes.gif" /> Don't you think someone hasn't already tried? They're not interested.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-Kieron+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Kieron)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->ooooohhhhh no, you didn't really buy the game, you bought a licence to it, and you clicked "i agree" on the licence agreement...<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Since you have to buy the game before you can agree to the license the license itself is invalid because you have to agree to it before you buy the product but you can't agree to it before you buy it. For it to be a legal aggreement it would have to be on the box and would have to say "by purchasing this product license you are agreeing to all restrictions adhering to the purchase of the license of this product" or something simular so that you can see that by buying the game you are agreeing to the license agreement.

You also can't bring most games back to the store once opened and even if you can they won't give you your money back but only allow you to either exchange it for the same product or on rare occurences let you either get store credit or exchange it for something else of equal value.
 
If you don't agree to it, then take it back. Even if Bestbuy won't, the manufacturer must, its part of the deal. The only thing you are buying is a license.

Additionally, you only buy the license to install it on one computer. So, if you have two computers in your house, you have to buy the game twice to legally play it on both. If you upgrade your computer, you must first uninstall the software from the one before installing it on the new one. Again, you only are buying a license to use the software. This is why corporations pay millions of dollars for the software on their computers... they need to pay for it each time.

Perhaps another, easier, way of understanding it is this way. Akella made a game called POTC. Then they copyrighted it. If you actually did "Buy" the game, then they would also be in effect selling the copyright to it. Instead, you are buying a license to use it, and they retain all legal ownership of the software.

I understand your frustration about all of this, but it is the reality of the legal contractual world we live in. Your arguments might point to how it should be, but Kieron and I are telling you how it is.
 
You do have to go by the copyrights but the eula is invalid since you don't agree to it at the time of purchase and even if it says that you can't mod the game in the eula, since it's invalid you have to go by the copyrights and the copyright laws state that you can make derivative works based on the copyrighted work as long as you don't make a profit. By the eula being invalid at the point of sale you don't have to legally go by the eula at all.

All contracts have to be shown to you and agreed upon before you purchase or use said product or service. It's the reason why when you go to certain websites you have to agree to the terms of the agreement before you use their site and why they don't have you agree after you paid to use their site or started using their site.

In conclusion the eula on most software products is invalid and you can ignore it but don't think this means that you can ignore copyright laws because you still have to go by those.
 
There is no point to this. If you really think you are right, then go ahead, believe yourself and leave it at that. However, if you want to go on arguing, or worse, if you want to go around telling people that this contract they have signed is invalid, I suggest you do some research first. It won't take long, but informed advice is always better than the opposite. If you find something interesting, post it here. Perhaps we will all learn something.
 
<!--QuoteBegin-guenthar+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(guenthar)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->You do have to go by the copyrights but the eula is invalid since you don't agree to it at the time of purchase and even if it says that you can't mod the game in the eula, since it's invalid you have to go by the copyrights and the copyright laws state that you can make derivative works based on the copyrighted work as long as you don't make a profit. By the eula being invalid at the point of sale you don't have to legally go by the eula at all.

All contracts have to be shown to you and agreed upon before you purchase or use said product or service. It's the reason why when you go to certain websites you have to agree to the terms of the agreement before you use their site and why they don't have you agree after you paid to use their site or started using their site.

In conclusion the eula on most software products is invalid and you can ignore it but don't think this means that you can ignore copyright laws because you still have to go by those.<!--QuoteEnd--></div><!--QuoteEEnd-->

Uh, no. You have to agree before you use it, not before you buy it, this is specified in the agreement. Are you a lawyer? Do you think they just made up the EULA without hiring lawyers? No, they didn't. It's a perfectly legal contract. Deal with it.
 
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