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DS development > Help with a Starcraft Project (just looking for info)

#49881 - dovoto - Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:38 am

I have been playing around with a port of SC to the DS and figured maybe someone on the forum had some info that could be of use to me.

I was wondering if anyone who had knoledge of the map format would be interested in answering a few questions.

First, my progress:
I have been able to extract the map file into chk format and i have the full ability to parse the chunks and read the data.

I have located what i think is the tile set data in the form of 5 files:
-*.cv5 ??
-*.vf4 Meta tile data (or so it seems)
-*.vx4 ??
-*.vr4 the 8x8 tiles
-*.wpe ?? (maybe a palette?)

I have the tile set onto the DS and have played around a lot with trying to get the map tile indecies from the chk file to access the correct meta tiles in the tile set. The meta tiles themselves seem to be rendering correctly using a palette i stole out of one of the pcx files in the tileset dir.

I have used the chk format spec i found on campain creations and googled around alot.

This is likely not going to be anything more than a map viewer on the DS as an actual port would be a bit silly to try to take on.

Okay now the questions:
1) obvouse ones about the files above that are in question.

2) how do i get from the tile index in the chk file to meta-tile index in the *.v** files?

These are really my only two questions at the moment. If anyone knows were i might find this info or has this info themselves contacting me would be great.

Here are the only sources of information i have been able to find so far:

http://www.campaigncreations.org/starcraft/stardraft/chkformat.shtml
and
http://www.campaigncreations.org/starcraft/stardraft/index.shtml

If you have any thoughts on even how the index might relate to the meta tile data feel free to speculate.
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#49883 - alangerow - Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:20 am

Blizzard has already probed people about Starcraft for the DS. Just bringing it up incase you didn't know, 'cause it may actually get made commercially.

#49884 - dovoto - Wed Aug 03, 2005 7:24 am

Yes, that is kinda what got me started. I also posted this question on the blizzard forums (although who knows if it will stay up).

I really am just playing around and thought it would be cool to figure out the how the map format works and get a viewer up. Maybe it will provoke blizzard in to oneupmanship ;)

The rest of the data does not appear impossible to decifer so if i decided (or someone else decides after i post the source) to do more with it ... *shrugs*
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#49898 - Diskun - Wed Aug 03, 2005 12:59 pm

IMPRESSIVE. A port of Starcraft is not impossible. And about the fact blizzard is working on it for DS... two questions:
- Is that sure?
- Don't you think a homebrewn StarCraft, which could use your own maps and which could be fully mod-able would be perfect?

Greets and keep up the good work

#49925 - alangerow - Wed Aug 03, 2005 6:46 pm

Diskun wrote:
And about the fact blizzard is working on it for DS...
- Is that sure?


By no means. They sent out a questionaire to people on their mailing list and asked if people would be interested in it. They haven't announced any plans, just seeing if there's a market for it.


dovoto, ok, I was just making sure, 'cause I know I would get bored of a project if I knew an actual company was working on a similar thing. Personally, I hope you do go through with it, 'cause I love that game. :)