- Command and conquer 4 modding install#
- Command and conquer 4 modding mod#
- Command and conquer 4 modding mods#
- Command and conquer 4 modding software#
Modifications like this break the balance of the game and take all of the fun out, but I’m looking to work on more substantial mods and a Mac-compatible unpacking program in the near future. Other useful modifications that I made were to build time and fog clearing radius. In-game, then, you’re left with a unit that can attack from across the map and doesn’t need to reload its weapon. Here’s what that looks like (after my modifications). I just search for the unit’s weapon, “GLARebelMachineGun”, and then edit the values. Let’s say I want to turn a GLA Rebel into a ridiculously overpowered unit. If you see this error when you start the game up, it means you’ll have to either fix your last change or reset your file to your backup: Alternatively, if you want to change “DelayTime = 5000.0” to “DelayTime = 5.0”, just create a comment with three characters like “ –” to make up the difference. Anything after a “ ” is a comment, so you can delete what you need there. For example, if you want to change “Damage = 5.0” to “Damage = 500.0”, you’ll need to delete two characters somewhere else in the file. Remember not to change the length of the file. Opening the file using HexFiend looks like this:Īll you have to do is find an object that interests you, modify some values, save your file, and you’re good to go. Sublime has a cool plugin called HexViewer, but I encountered major performance issues when dealing with the massive file. I had my best results using HexFiend, which is a standalone program that doesn’t store the text file in RAM. We’ll need a hex editor (which is the magic tool for many games released during Generals’ time period, such as Diablo 2). You’ll notice that the file is cryptic- it’s stored in hexadecimal format. Before anything else, create a copy of the file and store it in a safe place. This is where the important game mechanics are stored in plaintext. Then, find the file titled “INI.big” or “INIZH.big” for the expansion. I recommend working exclusively with the expansion.
Command and conquer 4 modding mod#
To mod Generals on OSX, start by going to your Applications folder in finder.įind the game and right-click it, select “show package contents”.Ĭlick on “Contents”, then “GameData”, then “Generals Data” for the main game or “Zero Hour Data” for the expansion. It’ll be hard to keep your place since the file is gigantic, and you’ll corrupt your game if you change the length of the file, but there is still fun to be had! We’ll see how that goes.)Īnyway, you can still edit the INI.big in order to make small modifications to the game. (I’m exploring creating my own alternative. Game Extractor, a multi-platform, many-game tool, must be purchased if you’re looking to save modified archives, which is the most desirable use case.
Command and conquer 4 modding software#
The most popular unpacking/modding software for the game, FinalBIG, was last updated in 2006 and only works on Windows. Modding the game requires unpacking and repacking the INI.big file which can’t be done by hand. If you want to mod the game yourself, you’re in trouble.
Command and conquer 4 modding install#
If you want to install mods, you’re in luck. Aside from a few minor issues, it looks and plays great.
Over the years, it has enjoyed sustained popularity in some corners of the internet, including a recent resurgence spearheaded by the Generals Gentlemen Youtube channel.įor some reason, in March 2015, Aspyr re-released Command & Conquer: Generals Deluxe Edition on the Mac App Store. I remember playing the game at 1/6 speed on my father’s original-model Dell Inspiron laptop, never winning a match until I repurchased the game in a bundle five years later. The vast majority of articles on my website do not contain any affiliate links.Ĭommand & Conquer: Generals is a real-time strategy game released in 2003 on Windows. The prospect of compensation does not influence what I write about or how my posts are structured. Disclosure: I may earn affiliate revenue or commissions if you purchase products from links on my website.