Marvel: Ultimate Alliance Guide

How to Mod Marvel Ultimate Alliance series for Marvel: Ultimate Alliance

How to Mod Marvel Ultimate Alliance series

Overview

What you need are:

Bin Extractors

1. Downloads (by aluigi)

2. Open quickbms via Right Click to Run as Admin or set the program to be able to Run as Admin by default
3. Open the program and find the BMS/TXT script
4. Extract bins and save in a folder with a same name as a bin file you have chosen. If you want to extract everything, you have to repeat step 2 to 4, one by one each bin files
5. Backup the bin files and extracted files to a separate folder
6. On the game folder, remove the bin files and replace with the extracted folders. Image samples from MUA2, screencap by MUALover, while mine for MUA1:
MUA1
MUA2

NOTE:
A. For those who uses keyboard and had mess up your custom configuration. You must turn off your SteamCloud, delete/sacrifice your save game, play the game with the bin files and do not copy the extracted files to the game folder to restart the game, exit the game after license agreement and follow some of the last two steps

  • Since there are many PC users who own PS4 than Xbox owner PC users mostly, it is highly recommended to use PS4 controller (plug & play wired/USB cable, if you don’t have its wireless adaptor). PS3 controller can only work with either DS3 or motion joy.

B. For DLC related, you must keep the zip/mua_dlc.zip

  • Main files to update gameplay, it’s on the exe file, which can be read on hex editor
  • It is important to keep it that way, due to after extracting them to respective folder within the packages/generated folder or extract the packages/dlc folder, either:
    • transferring the dlc mission pkgb code to original pkgb file via XMLBCUI program may cause some missions messed up like in Murderworld 2 during gameplay
    • without transferring the dlc mission pkgb code to original pkgb file, or move the dlc mission pkgb to the respective folder may cause some missions script not running, due to only works while in zip file
    • To mod the DLC characters and missions, you must extract them some of first before putting inside again after modding
      • Adding new files & its coding like the stats (such as costume numbers on either herostat & new character codes on npcstat), & shared_talent mod can affect the gameplay changes since the zip is the main file
  • If one of you don’t know how to drag the files to mua_dlc.zip on zip folder, you need to Install WinRar first

Modding programs

– By nba2kstuff

  • XMLBCUI – also works on Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2
  • MUASkinnerUI
    • MFC71.dll file patch
      • Requires to use cmd: type “cd..” to return to previous folders > type “cd folder name/../skinnerui/bin” until is last directory of the skinner program on its bin folder > muaskinner file.igb file.bmp (must have all texture offsets you found from Texture Finder and put into the cfg notepad file)

– NRSkinner(SE) by NorrinRadd – Compatible, but impractical, mostly for retexturing for PS2/Xbox IGB related
– TextureFinder v1.32 & v.2.1 – To find the textures and its offsets for MUASkinner

  • Eg.: file name.igb,-DXT1,image size width(eg.: 1024),image size height(eg.: 512),texture offset numbers (95000)
    • Note: Texture offset numbers should be focus the top part of the texture image + Wanted to add another textures like specs and lights in a same file? It requires a rename file and a different name of the texture offsets (eg. rename 7801.igb to 7801_spec.igb)
  • Use 2. 1, which is easy, while 1.32 is for PS2/Xbox related. However, it cannot find bumb related textures, because its above DXT3 and 5

– A hexeditor – suggest to download portable
– A photo editting program (Photoshop, Paintshop, GIMP)
– Understanding on how to make backups of files. YOU WILL NEED THIS.
– A look in the Custom Character Central (Coordinal Concepts)[marvelmods.com] topic if you want to make a mod and release it for public purposes.
– NRSkinner(SE) by NorrinRadd- use FBExtractor:

  • Also Requires to use cmd: type “cd..” to return to previous folders > type “cd folder name/../fb program directory name” until is last directory of the fb program on the folder you put, then type “fbExtractor file_name.fb”
  • CFG file is important to transite the code into xml to be compile into pkgb file. Like this:
      actoranimdb {
      filename = 202_blackwidow_4_combat ;
      }

– Alchemy 5 & its related tools (Full tutorial available if you download the programs at my backed up link):

  • If expire after around 30 days since it is a trial ver. Use this[cdn.discordapp.com] to reset the trial
  • 3DS Max compatible scripts: only works on 32-bit of Max 4 – 2013. Poly & resolution limits max to 1024 resolution texture, & 8000 poly.
  • {LINK REMOVED}Animation Combiner for Extract & Combine animations (won’t work on XML2 PSP).
  • After creating new models & animations, open Hex Editor & find offset “2C” to replace “09” w/ “08”

– DSSI for sound modding, also found on nexusmod (except requires registration first)

Tutorials Part 1

=TEXTURE FINDER RELATED=
– Skin tutorial (model type IGB only exist in actors, ui/models, and models folders)

– Info on the models[marvelmods.com] (Primary)
– Make custom loading screens[marvelmods.com]

  • Primary Image size starts from 2048×1024 in DXT1 for photo editing
  • Main offsets, igb available at textures/loading folder, same goes for icons on textures/ui folder:
    • 15701_load.igb,-DXT1,2048,1024,28572,1024,512,1142788,512,256,1077188,256,128,6792,128,64,24468,64,32,23432,32,16,23176,16,8,1142724,8,4,6768,4,2,24456.
    • 0901_load.igb,-DXT1,2048,1024,28561,1024,512,1142777,512,256,1077177,256,128,6781,128,64,24457,64,32,23421,32,16,23165,16,8,1142713,8,4,6757,4,2,24445.

– Modding rundown on Icons[marvelmods.com]
– Icons Tutorial[marvelmods.com] – download only download the BMP Alpha file[www.dropbox.com] and open it in Photoshop due to different format than original PC edition

  • If not finished, save as PSD

– Modding Rundown on Portraits[marvelmods.com]
– Retexture in Remastered Edition: HUD & Icons only/Understanding Alpha Channel[marvelmods.com]

  • Requires to use DXT3 offset, presumably one by one, even after saving as BMP
  • Alpha Channeling on Photoshop is on the layer section
  • Best format suggestion is BMP
  • Suggested offsets for huds:
    • Playables: hud_head_0104.igb,-DXT3,128,128,10897,64,64,28213,32,32,9869,16,16,27957,8,8,32309,4,4,27941.
    • NPC: hud_head_8001.igb,-DXT3,64,64,10687,32,32,9623,16,16,15359,8,8,15615.
    • NPC: hud_head_12301.igb,-DXT3,64,64,10062,32,32,14158,16,16,15182.
    • Playables: hud_head_15701.igb,-DXT3,128,128,9937,64,64,28245,32,32,26953,16,16,27989,8,8,32341,4,4,32421.
  • WARNING, after you mod the textures models (characters and weapons) and huds, it requires to rename the numbers of the characters’ model/hud into a new one via hex editor. However, some files like the model skin number such as Iron Man’s 1502 cannot exceed to 12902, and must be careful on those from getting crash. Let say, just simply rename to 1507 for example. Same goes for other IGB files

=SOUND MODDING RELATED=
– Making New Sounds[marvelmods.com] and info on sounds[marvelmods.com] (currently for making a new sounds, uses fsb, no longer zsm zss. With zsmeditor act as finding the sounds (ZSM Editor Link[www.dropbox.com]))

Tutorials Part 2

= XMLBCUI RELATED =
– Understanding Stat (also other XMLBCUI Compiler related, such as PKGB (main source) and XMLB, see also talents and powerstyles)[marvelmods.com] (Primary)

  • Main parts are:
    • Multipart: Which exist within the characters’ model on igb file inside actors folder
      • weaponevent: whether the multipart is used on powerstyle moves
    • StatEffect: Which exist within the characters’ effects on effect/chars folder of some characters. But requires to recheck on textures folder, as the effect xmlb folder affects the igb texture used from textures folder
    • Bolton: An igb model file which exist inside models/bolton folder
    • bolt: Is the bone part of the characters, which affects StatEffect and Bolton like Moon Knight and Human Torch. Eg. like Bip01 Spine

    – Understanding talent and powerstyle files (see herostat)[marvelmods.com] (Primary)

    • Some of the Animation code within those files Available in shared_talents and other files like stat (hero & npc, along with bolton & some effect codes) within data folder
  • Affects to hex editing related
  • Ents file also important, and must be save as an xmlb also with data/fighstyles folder related files
  • Available on data folder

– Understanding file name:

  • ENGB/ITAB: Main File format works for respective language you are in during gameplay. Mostly on conversations, data, maps, and ui folders
  • XMLB: Main File format works universally for most of the gameplay on effects, other ui menus like team_back (character select slot) and data’s npc powers
  • CHRB: Main File format works universally for characters’ appearances in the gameplay. Only on maps’ sim and act folder mostly
  • PKGB: Main File format works universally for packaging combats, menus, characters and missions to appear in gameplay

– Understanding Effects: effects are most important for gameplay. It is related to the textured IGB files on folders textures and models, but sometimes actors too; and the XMLB-related files inside data, packages and ui folders

– Modding rundown on Animations[marvelmods.com]

  • Animation code available in shared_talents, commons, shared_nodes_(combat) and other files within data folder’s folders (commonly on powerstyles & fightstyles folders)
  • Affects to hex editing related, fightstyle animations within actors and data, along with number_characters’ own animations
  • Can be edit using Alchemy 5 & its related tools (extract & combine)

– Modding rundown on PY Script[marvelmods.com]

  • A notepad format, very easy to edit. Script pys available on scripts folder and used on maps folder

=MOVIE MOD TUTORIALS (MUA1 Only)=
– Link & Instructions by TonyStark[drive.google.com]

  • NOTE from Noelemahc: The movies for the engine are stored in the SFD format, developed by SofDec. It consists of two elements:
    • the video, encoded with the SofDec’s video codec which is based on MPEG2 (Open the SFD in any video player to get my meaning)
    • the audio, which is encoded with SofDec’s proprietary CRI ADX format which, currently, NO standalone program is capable of playing back.
    • The two key elements of the format are size and FPS rate. It has an unusually high FPS speed however large the video resolution, which is why many companies favour the SFD format over the tried-and-true Bink Video these days. The fact that Bink is a completely open format, with the official encoder/decoder available for free, might also play a role here.
    • The fact stands: the format is standartized. This means, for instance, you can play back videos from MUA in XML2, or videos from XML1 in MUA (trust me, I checked). There is currently no way to get the format to play back clearly outside of a game built using SofDec’s drivers, though. That about covers it, just thought I’d drop these few factoids on you lot.

Tutorials Part 3

= ALCHEMY 5 RELATED =
– Alchemy 5 installation (once installed, copy paste the provided updated “Alchemy” folder made by nikita to the same place where you installed Alchemy 5)
– What to require? 3DSMax 2010 – 2013 32-bit & the Alchemy-related script tools for these Max versions by KingsAdam. 3DSMax 4 – 5 only works on Windows XP & 7
– Set the IGB to be openable in sgFinalizer after installing & update w/ latest scripts. Then open alchemy ini at AlchemyArtistPackFinalizer via Notepad(++) and set “showViewer” to false, in order to look into 2016 DLC’s 2016 models without crashing

  • Updating vanilla models’ textures requires provided updated Alchemy 5 script after the first install
  • Editable Object Field locations. Right Click on a selected option to find it
    • “igAnimationdatabase”: For Arcade Android’s copy model abilities on the playables
    • “skeletonList > igSkeleton” & “boneInfoList > igSkeletonBoneList”
    • “skinList > igSkin (> skinnedGraph)”: For Arcade Android’s copy model abilities on the playables
      • childList not only contains character skin number (located on igGeometry), it also contain Multipart segment(s)’ name on igAttrSet’s childlist. igSegment can be renamed via Edit Object Field. Some have their costume or/& Multipart segment’s texture(s) located on “attributes > igTextureBindAttr > texture” within this list
    • “attributes > igTextureBindAttr > texture”: Please edit the image count only. To remove mipmaps, set image count “1”. Also located on childList for specific characters/costumes, see above
      • “image”: focus on “igImage x & z” to change resolutions (not really recommended), & most of all “igImage NameString” (if it has skin number’s name). Don’t need to rename skin number on this location for those who shared texture pictures & resolutions like SIlver Surfer & his board bolton, so would Nightcrawler & his sword (if one of them are bolton instead of segment)
        • “imageMipMaps: to remove mipMap counts, set it to “0”

– Extract & Combe Animation:

  • Open Alchemy 5 first to check what’s inside animation-based IGBs (such as [number]_[character]) in actors folder before putting what animation to you want to extract & combine, & put the name of the existing animations on the txts’ list (highly recommend to decompile shared_anims from the game’s data folder w/ XMLBCUI).
  • “combine” & “extract” are the txts’ main file names to work on opening the bat files & finalized the process immediately. Highly recommend to copy paste original “fightstyle_default” igb file for final combine process
    – Backporting specific console exclusive textured-based IGBs to be workable in both 2016 & 2006 PC versions: TBA. See tutorial videos for now.
    – Tutorial playlist by UltraMegaMagnus:

Compatibles and Incompatbles

* Main Link[larsmasters.deviantart.com]
* Alt Link[marvelmods.com]

Registration to Marvel Mods

Join marvelmods.com (created by THX), it is a safer place for Marvel Modders like some of you guys who wants to aim to be a top video gamer/modder

UPDATE: Due to captha issues on that main forum, you can find and ask here too:
[link] (by, probably Julio Cabral)
[link] (by Ceamon)

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