Marvel Mods

Thought I should make a limitation document as well for XML2's Gamecube. It will be most beneficial for the console modding needs. Since it's likely that both consoles and PC operate similar on their limitations, BaconWizard's documentation (https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,10885.0.html) has covered a handful of limits that most likely applies to the GameCube's as well. There are a few I have listed below that directs toward the minor differences for the console.
Any more discoveries in limits on the console will be greatly appreciated!

• ISO Rebuilding:
  
  
  
  • Limit: Unknown
  • Error if exceeded: GCRebuilder will notify you an error message before rebuilding or even prevents you from reopening your ISO after it rebuilds. The second occasion is a rare encounter.
  • Solution: Don't add too many files or download my mod pack that contains a ton of file arrangements on the assets (https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,10938.0.html).


• Replacing Files In The ISO:
  
  
  
  • Limit: The file size it starts off with when opening ISO's structure.
  • Error if exceeded: GCRebuilder will notify you an error message saying "Import too Large".
  • Solution: Replacing is successful if not much changes were done that didn't increase a file's kb size. Other wise, extract the root and rebuild the ISO with your new files replacing the old ones.


• Assetsfb.Wad:
  
  
  
  • Limit: Unknown
  • Error if exceeded: Causes GCRebuilder to not rebuild the ISO.
  • Solution: Keep the file size steady enough to rebuild the ISO safely. Delete any unused files in the assetsfb.


• Herostat Entries:
  
  
  
  • Limit: 19 - Although you can technically have 20 if using heavy procedures to load the 20th hero via hexing the xmen_rel_fin.rel file and setting up the scripts in the game. My mod pack uses this trick.
  • Error if exceeded: Game Crashes (beyond 20 heroes)
  • Solution: None


• Herostat Talents Entries (Ex: Talent Level, Race, BoltOns, etc.) :
  
  
  
  • Limit: Unknown
  • Error if exceeded: Unknown
  • Solution: Unknown


• 20th Hero:
  
  
  
  • Misc Information: Does not appear at all in the Character Select screen. Must be set as the very last "Playable = True" hero in the Herostat's list to take the slot.
  • Errors: If previously playing a saved file and then starting a new game, the 20th Hero's stats will not reset like the rest of the hero entries.
  • Solution: Reset your game and the issue fixes.


• NPCStat Entries:
  
  
  
  • Limit: 278
  • Error if Exceeded: Game Crashes
  • Solution: If adding more NPCs, just replace any Dummy NPCs that don't appear at all in the game. Ex: Avalanche, Male Lab Tech, etc.


• BoltOns in Herostat:
  
  
  
  • Limit: 4
  • Error if Exceeded: Some BoltOns don't load.
  • Solution: Limit to how much BoltOns your character will use.


• Moveset_(name).xmlb :
  
  
  
  • Limit: Unknown (?)
  • Error if exceeded: Causes Fightstyles to overlap another hero's herostat entry, sound errors, and even sometimes crashes when entering Xtraction Points.
  • Solution: At the moment, 6 KB and lower seem to be safe.


• Character.FB Files (If character is listed into Herostat):
  
  
  
  • Information: Operates in combat maps .
  • Limit: 500 kb
  • Error if Exceeded: Character crashes upon loading maps
  • Solution: Try to keep the packed .fb file below 500 kb (under 490 kb to be safe) when rebuilding a hero's files


• Character_nc.FB Files (If character is listed into Herostat):
  
  
  
  • Information: Operates in Hub areas. Ex: Base camps, Xtraction Points.
  • Misc Info: Holds less files than the core .fb does
  • Limit: 500 kb?
  • Error if Exceeded: Character crashes upon loading maps
  • Solution: Same description as the core file above


• Character.FB Files (If character is listed into NPCstat):
  
  
  
  • Limit: Unknown (can exceed beyond 500kb it seems)
  • Error if Exceeded: Unknown
  • Solution: Unknown


• Character_nc.FB Files (If character is listed into NPCstat):
  
  
  
  • Limit: Unknown (can exceed beyond 500kb it seems?)
  • Error if Exceeded: Unknown
  • Solution: Unknown


• Actor Files:
  
  
  
  • Information: Model of the character.
  • Limit: Unknown
  • Error if Exceeded: May cause crashing if file size is large, even if your character packages are lower than 500 kb
  • Solution: I have tested skins (but not all) from Marvel's Ultimate Alliance PS2, and the few skins around the size of 150 KB - 170 KB have loaded safely throughout X-Men Legends II. So that should give us at least some form of idea where actor file limits could stand.


• Talent Entries:
  
  
  
  • Limit: 15 (or 16?) - This is a strange limit. Some characters are able to have up to 16 entries in their Talent data in the Team Management menu, while some are 15, and the occurrence is pretty random to each hero.
  • Error if exceeded: Additional Talents just don't show, but the game knows it's there, and you just can't level it.
  • Solution: Limit it to 16 or 15 depending if the character's talent limit exceeds.
  
  

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Skin Replacing:

If you're doing nothing but only replacing your default gamecube heroes with higher quality skins (like wanting to use skins from the PS2 ports of the X-Men games or from Marvel Ultimate Alliance), below is a list of what skins from other ports being compatible in X-Men Legends II.

• X-Men Legends 1 (Gamecube Version): Compatible!
• X-Men Legends 1 (PS2 Version): Compatible! - Depends on the file size of the skin (see Actor File limitation above), as well as your .fb package's file size after compiling the skin into it.
• X-Men Legends 1 (X-Box Version): Incompatible - skins are guarantee to crash regardless of it's file size in the Gamecube.
• X-Men Legends 2 (PC Version): Incompatible
• X-Men Legends 2 (PS2 Version): Unknown
• X-Men Legends 2 (X-Box Version): Unknown
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 (PC Version): Incompatible
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 (PS2 Version): Compatible! - Depends on the file size of the skin (see Actor File limitation above), as well as your .fb package's file size after compiling the skin into it.
• Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 (X-Box Version): Compatible! - Depends on the file size of the skin (see Actor File limitation above), as well as your .fb package's file size after compiling the skin into it.

Added another limitation, it seems in the space below the Hero's herostat where you set Talent levels, character Race, Boltons and such, there's a limit to 12 entries (or as far as I've tried, 12 seems the safest to say it's the limit). Any further will cause some form of issues that affect game play as trying to proceed through the game.

Quote from: Lags on August 12, 2020, 12:13AM
Added another limitation, it seems in the space below the Hero's herostat where you set Talent levels, character Race, Boltons and such, there's a limit to 12 entries (or as far as I've tried, 12 seems the safest to say it's the limit). Any further will cause some form of issues that affect game play as trying to proceed through the game.

I'd imagine this is probably a limit in the PC version as well

Quote from: BaconWizard17 on August 12, 2020, 12:02PM
I'd imagine this is probably a limit in the PC version as well

I might need to double check on that, actually. Turns out the reason for why characters were acting weird in the middle of my game (performing random animations, and game freezing and such) was because my Sentinel mod was present in active team and character roster itself. Though, I might have an idea what caused the issue, which could possibly add a new limitation to the list, but I'll confirm it after my attempt on making fixes to him.

Yep, the reason my heroes were acting weird was because my sentinel mod was running on a moveset_.xmlb at 16 kb. I don't know where the limit breaks but it seemed to have fixed after I moved some FightMoves over to his ps_powerstyle and lowered his moveset.xmlb down to 6 kb.

Added an additional information section. Not part of limitations but will provide useful information on what skins from the other ports are compatible for XML II

Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 X-Box skins are compatible

Quote from: jayglass on November 13, 2020, 09:04AM
Marvel Ultimate Alliance 1 X-Box skins are compatible

Alright, I'll update it.

Uhh, that' shouldn't be right. There are no differences to the Xbox format between XML1, XML2 and MUA. MUA Xbox skins should crash GCN due to their textures. That's weird

Xbox xml1&2 uses dxt3 but mua1 xbox uses dxt1

Huh. Good to know. I've been away too long it seems