Editing the EXE

[Demoncrawler]

Thx to Bridger (V1.0.2, 3325952k) Edit with Hexeditor

Every ship has 12 values
64 00 64 00 64 00 64(in Hex) is the end for all values of a ship
First value displays price and min crew 08(Hex) is 600 Gold and 16 min crew
Second value displays the rotating speed high values for low speed 0C(Hex)
Third value ?; seems to change between 00 and 01(Hex)
Fourth value displays the max crew 64(Hex) = 100 crew max
Fifth value displays the number of max cannons 14(Hex) = 20 cannons
Sixth value displays the number of max cargo 78(Hex) = 120 tons
Seventh value displays maybe the hitpoints but hasn't got much effect at all
Value number eight ?; 44 02(Hex)
Value number nine displays the length of the target area of a ship in pixel; 48 06(Hex)
Value number ten displays the width of the target area of a ship in pixel; 54 07(Hex)
Value number eleven ?; maybe for steering 1D(Hex)
Value number twelve ?; BC 02(Hex)
All hexadecimal samples are taken from the Trade Galleon

Nr------Ship------------------------Decimal-Hex------Offset
00------War Canoe----------------20------1400------325B1C-D
01------Sloop-----------------------40------2800------325B60-1
02------Brigantine-----------------60------3C00------325BA4-5
03------Coastal Barque----------60------3C00------325BE8-9
04------Fluyt------------------------80------5000------325C2C-D
05------Merchantman------------100-----6400------325C70-1
06------Frigate---------------------80------5000------325CB4-5
07------Fast Galleon--------------80------5000------325CF8-9
08------Trade Galleon-----------120-----7800------325D3C-D
09------Pinnace-------------------25------1900------325D80-1
0A------Sloop of War-------------50------3200------325DC4-5
0B------Brig------------------------70------4600------325E08-9
0C------Barque--------------------70------4600------325E4C-D
0D------Large Fluyt---------------100----6400------325E90-1
0E------Large Merchantman----120----7800------325ED4-5
0F------Large Frigate-------------90------5A00------325F18-9
10------War Galleon--------------90------5A00------325F5C-D
11------Royal Galleon------------130-----8200------325FA0-1
12------Mail Runner---------------30------1E00------325FE4-5
13------Royal Sloop---------------60------3C00------326028-9
14------Brig of War---------------80------5000------32606C-D
15------Ocean Barque-----------80------5000------3260B0-1
16------West Indiaman---------120-----7800------3260F4-5
17------East Indiaman----------140-----8C00------326138-9
18------Ship of the Line---------100-----6400------32617C-D
19------Flag Galleon-------------100-----6400------3261C0-1
1A------Treasure Galleon-------140-----8C00------326204-5

Complete Hexsample of the Trade Galleon
64000000640000006400000064000000080000000C0000000000000064000000140000007800000080000000440200004806000054070000000000001D000000BC02000064000000640000006400000064

Complete sample of the Trade Galleon if opened in notepad
d d d d x D H T d d d d

[sparticus]

[ExtraCrispy]

Very cool.
It's a pity that this game isn't very modifiable.

[rupertlittlebear]

[parksbanyon]

A quote from the "prices thread":
And the upgrades prices are derived from the same numbers.
A war canoe has a "3"
3 x 2 = 6 minimum crew
3 x 75 = 275 gold
(3+1) * 100 = 400 gold to upgrade
where a large ship has an "8"
8 x 2 = 16 minimum crew
8 x 75 = 600 gold
(8+1) * 100 = 900 gold to upgrade

Where is the placement of these magic numbers in the EXE? in the ship data segment?
Lurtz has "transformed" the spanish galleons into frigates by moving and renaming all the nif data so now it looks like a swan but still walks like a duck and quacks like duck so its still a duck wearing swans clothing.
He is going to experiment with the exe and I referenced all the threads I could think of, forgot prices tho. Last I remember there are still a few bits of the ship data block with unknown functions.
In the meantime I'm still trying to become a nif "master" or at least functional with it. I use several programs but the backend is autodesk 3ds MAX exporting nif. However, as of now I'm losing my texture map and the animation files are not exporting correctly. Thats why I'm curious about the current status of the exe ship data. Will help me troubleshoot nif problems versus exe/nif interaction.

[AdamMil]

Be careful, the offsets may vary between versions of the game, and possibly between different languages. (Better to give context around the values so people can search for them.)

[Mandiuscreel]

[Rusty Edge]

One of those mystery values must be for hit points.

Well, maybe one for the hull and another for the rigging.

[AdamMil]

[Mandiuscreel]

Some more notes, after a day spent playing around with Pirates!:

Further experimentation reveals that Value 2 is definitely a rotation value. Setting a Fast Galleon's value to 2 (the same as the War Canoe) makes for a ship almost impossible to control with precision, because it's so big. But it can be used like a sloop or canoe in combat.

I can't find a definite relation of Value 2 to speed, nor any other value that ties to it. Increasing the rotation value slows down the ship's responses, but does not make a difference in straight-line speed once the ship gets moving.

I've changed my mind about Values 8,9 and 10. After some experimentation with the War Canoe and the Fast Galleon, I've determined that they must represent Target Width (Value 8 ), Target Length (Value 9) and Target Height (Value 10). If the values are divided by ten, the results seem to be good dimensions in feet, with the War Canoe being 64 feet long, and the galleons about 150 to 160 feet long.

I can't seem to discover any purpose for Value 12, nor the reason the Pinnace is the odd man out. Changing the Values seems to make no difference.

As far as hit points are concerned, I think Value 13 may represent something like that. I set the Sloop's value to over 1000, and nothing could hurt it--the shot passed right through the ship. Sails could be harmed, but the hull could not be, except by those random cannon shots from passing enemy ships or towns.

So Value 13 might well represent not hit points per se, but some sort of resistance to damage, perhaps on a percentage basis. The value increases with ship size, with the highest value at 796, for the combat Galleons. If it is a percentage, it might be the number divided by 10, or some such, as in 79.6% resistance. It would take a lot more experimentation to determine the truth of it.

For those who have trouble visualizing the information by looking at the Hex Code, the following has the addresses, and values in decimal format:

Address - Ship Name - V1 Min Crew - V2 Rotation - V3 Ship Type - V4 Max Crew - V5 Max Cannons - V6 Max Cargo - V7 EOS? - V8 Width? - V9 Length? - V10 Height? - V11 EOS? - V12 ???? - V13 Hit Points?

325b08 - War Canoe - 3 - 2 - 0 - 50 - 8 - 20 - 128 - 144 - 640 - 367 - 0 - 8 - 270
325d6c - Pinnace - 3 - 2 - 0 - 60 - 10 - 25 - 128 - 300 - 1067 - 1071 - 0 - 73 - 411
325fd0 - Mail Runner - 3 - 2 - 1 - 80 - 12 - 30 - 128 - 300 - 1200 - 1216 - 0 - 8 - 270

325b4c - Sloop - 4 - 4 - 2 - 75 - 12 - 40 - 128 - 230 - 750 - 809 - 0 - 43 - 320
325db0 - Sloop of War - 4 - 4 - 1 - 100 - 16 - 50 - 128 - 240 - 700 - 1020 - 0 - 43 - 320
326014 - Royal Sloop - 4 - 4 - 1 - 125 - 20 - 60 - 128 - 240 - 700 - 1020 - 0 - 43 - 320

325b90 - Brigantine - 6 - 5 - 1 - 125 - 20 - 60 - 128 - 300 - 965 - 1060 - 0 - 36 - 419
325df4 - Brig - 6 - 6 - 1 - 150 - 24 - 70 - 128 - 300 - 940 - 1120 - 0 - 36 - 419
326058 - Brig of War - 6 - 6 - 1 - 200 - 32 - 80 - 128 - 300 - 940 - 1120 - 0 - 36 - 419

325bd4 - Coastal Barque - 5 - 6 - 0 - 75 - 12 - 60 - 128 - 340 - 1325 - 1350 - 0 - ? - 319
325e38 - Barque - 5 - 6 - 0 - 100 - 16 - 70 - 128 - 320 - 1350 - 1400 - 0 - ? - 319
32609c - Ocean Barque - 5 - 6 - 0 - 125 - 16 - 80 - 128 - 320 - 1350 - 1400 - 0 - ? - 319

325c18 - Fluyt - 6 - 8 - 0 - 50 - 8 - 80 - 128 - 340 - 1222 - 1350 - 0 - 224 - 536
325e7c - Large Fluyt - 6 - 9 - 0 - 75 - 12 - 100 - 128 - 340 - 1300 - 1560 - 0 - 224 - 536
3260e0 - West Indiaman - 6 - 10 - 0 - 100 - 16 - 120 - 128 - 350 - 1300 - 1560 - 0 - 224 - 536

325c5c - Merchantman - 8 - 10 - 0 - 125 - 16 - 100 - 128 - 430 - 1350 - 1265 - 0 - 37 - 547
325ec0 - Large Merchantman - 8 - 10 - 0 - 125 - 20 - 120 - 128 - 340 - 1360 - 1200 - 0 - 37 - 547
326124 - East Indiaman - 8 - 10 - 0 - 150 - 20 - 140 - 128 - 340 - 1360 - 1200 - 0 - 37 - 547

325ca0 - Frigate - 8 - 7 - 1 - 200 - 32 - 80 - 128 - 320 - 1300 - 1467 - 0 - ? - 573
325f04 - Large Frigate - 8 - 7 - 1 - 250 - 40 - 90 - 128 - 320 - 1300 - 1700 - 0 - ? - 573
326168 - Ship of the Line - 8 - 8 - 1 - 300 - 48 - 100 - 128 - 320 - 1300 - 1700 - 0 - ? - 573

325ce4 - Fast Galleon - 8 - 7 - 1 - 160 - 24 - 80 - 128 - 500 - 1550 - 1896 - 0 - 6 - 796
325f48 - War Galleon - 8 - 7 - 1 - 200 - 32 - 90 - 128 - 500 - 1600 - 2220 - 0 - 6 - 796
3261ac - Flag Galleon - 8 - 8 - 1 - 250 - 40 - 100 - 128 - 500 - 1600 - 2220 - 0 - 6 - 796

325d28 - Trade Galleon - 8 - 12 - 0 - 100 - 20 - 120 - 128 - 580 - 1608 - 1876 - 0 - 29 - 700
325f8c - Royal Galleon - 8 - 12 - 0 - 150 - 32 - 130 - 128 - 580 - 1580 - 2230 - 0 - 29 - 700
3261f0 - Treasure Galleon - 8 - 12 - 0 - 200 - 40 - 140 - 128 - 580 - 1580 - 2230 - 0 - 29 - 700

The question marks (?) represent Value 12 for the Barques (HEX EB FF FF FF) and for the Frigates (HEX ED FF FF FF)

Sorry I can't give you the nice neat table format I have it in on my PC, but anyone with a good word processing program should be able to fix that with cut-and-paste.

As has been noted elsewhere, the offsets are for the 1.02/Steam EXE. Other versions would have other offsets. Just look for the EB FF FF FF pattern and you'll get to the right neighborhood.

[AdamMil]

[Mandiuscreel]

I gave the fast Galleon the War Canoe's values, and it was almost impossible to hit. the ship was normal size, but only shots to the center of it would do damage., and it was very hard to get chain shot to hit the right spot to damage sails.

Sorry for the edit, but I have to add that giving the War Canoe the Fast galleon Values made it easier to hit, but not exactly like the Galleon. There are evidently other factors involved besides just these numbers.

[Mandiuscreel]

Sorry for the double post, but I just finished a re-test of the Fast Galleon with the War canoe target size, and found that it is not nearly impossible to hit it, it is impossible. I must have had different values on my last test.

The War Canoe with Fast galleon values is damaged by shot that hits near it, but which does not actually hit the model; the explosions appear in the air abeam and pretty far forward and aft. It is very difficult to match the target box to the explosions, because the Canoe doesn't last very long when shelled. Maybe I should change value 13 to match the galleon.

UPDATE: Changing Value 13 made no difference at all. One 24-gun broadside obliterated the canoe, even with the value for a combat galleon, which is the highest number for any ship.

UPDATE #2: Changing the values for the Fast Galleon to match the Brig of War produced better results; the galleon could be hurt, but only by shot that hit in precisely the center of the model. It seems that making the target box bigger makes it much easier to hit, while making it even a little smaller makes it much harder to hit, if not impossible.

I think that this is not a set of values that should be modified, except in very small increments. Maybe your favorite ship type could be made ever so harder to damage, while the ones you hate (War Canoes and the like for me) might be made ever so easier to damage. Just a thought.

UPDATE #3: Might as well add to what I've already posted.
I modded the combat galleons to make their target boxes slightly smaller (50 to 100 points in all three dimensions) and gave them slightly better rotating values (6 instead of 8 or 7). This makes them more formidable, and more in keeping with their historic reputations in sea battles. Highly maneuverable ships like sloops and brigs can still take them, but it is no longer a cake walk.

I also modded the cargo ships to carry more cargo, mount a few more guns and carry a few more crew. When, historically, a single galleon could carry 2000 tons of cargo, the cargo capacities listed for the merchant ships are laughable. I only added 25 or 50 tons of cargo here and there, the largest capacity being a maximum of 200 with the treasure galleon. The barques and fluyts can carry 8 more cannons each, and I upgraded the max crews for all cargo vessels by at least 25 men per.

It's kind of fun to sail into battle in a merchantman carrying the number of guns such a ship might actually be able to mount, considering her size.

[Mandiuscreel]

I've always thought the process of upgrading your ship happened too quickly. I can artificially refuse to let myself add an upgrade except every other mission, but it is just that; artificial. So I tried increasing the cost of the upgrades by increasing the cost of the ship, i.e., changing the Price/Min Crew value.

This works fine for smaller ships, but once you get to the big boys, a strange thing happens. I multiplied all values by 2, so the galleons and frigates had min crew numbers of 16. This worked to increase cost, of course, but it also had the peculiar effect of making the ship's broadside spread out beyond the length of the model. Cannon fire was appearing in mid air in front of and behind the ships, and only a few balls in the middle were actually hitting the target.

Scaling the value down to 12 helped with the problem, but the broadside is still a bit wide.

One other effect, of course, is that the minimum crew needed to man a prize ship is increased. However, since prize ships generally need extra crew because of hull and/or sail damage, this hasn't been a problem in the game so far.

I think that Value #1 is the ship's overall size, which would explain why it figures into crew numbers and costs. 8 seems to be the maximum for the game, though it can obviously be set larger. If we could find the offset for the scaling factor for the models, we could theoretically create, say, the black ships of Manila, which would be almost twice the length of the Flag Galleon, or even a corvette by scaling the Frigate down about 25%.

[Rusty Edge]

Fascinating!
Thanks Mandiuscreel!