50 character Team select screen

[thetommyboy2002]

http://www.mediafire.com/file/v2976ufr7e0ubjo/mlm_team_back.zip/file


So I did this, more for my own use than anyone elses, but you may use it if you wish.
Backup your original files before installing.
If this breaks your game and ruins your life it's not my fault, and by reading this you have agreed that.
The file contains the "mlm_team_back.igb" file, to go in whereveveryouinstalledmua/ui/menus.
It also contains an edited "team_back.xmlb", also to go in ui/menus.

What it is:
a team select screen with 50 character slots (in the pic above only 33 are in use, but the others are in there and work).

It's got an extra 3rd riser tier at the back, allowing a 3rd row of characters.

The order of the pads is completely different, it now goes in order, from:
Hawkeye (pad01) >>>>>>>>>to Wasp (pad18) left to right (1-18),
then up and back to Vision (pad19) <<<<<<<<and now right to left to Squirrel Girl (pad47),
then up and back to Hercules (pad48) and >>>>>>>>>>right to Dr. Strange (pad60).
Going left from Hawkeye(pad1) loops round to Strange (pad60), and going right from Strange goes to Hawkeye)
For everyone else if you press left it goes to the character to the left, right goes to the right (unless there is no character there, in which case keep pressing left or right till you come to someone).

There are no pads numbered 30-39, because thats the numbering convention in this game.

You will probably want to put your larger, or flying characters in the back tier (pads 48-60) so they dont obscure everyone else, as I've done with Hulk, thing, Strange Torch etc..
I've remove the Human Torch and Ghost Rider flames because I wanted to.
I've boosted the lights so you can see everyone, even those at the back, and moved a camera back so the camera can spin to see everyone as you scoll through.
You will need to edit your herostat to put characters in the appropriate places.

That's it. If you like it, use it, if not don't.

[BaconWizard17]

Very cool! So if you use 33 characters with this (and the 33 character hack), it'll work just fine?

[thetommyboy2002]

Yes, I should have mentioned the character hack is needed to use more than the games default number.

[BaconWizard17]

Yes, I should have mentioned the character hack is needed to use more than the games default number.

So did you do 50 for if we ever figure out how to get more than 33 characters?

[thetommyboy2002]

So did you do 50 for if we ever figure out how to get more than 33 characters?

Not yet. I had to walk away from it for a week or two as I was going in ever smaller circles.
There are a definitely non-infinite number of possible locations I believe might do it in the executable. However I have come to suspect it may require a combination of edited locations, the possible combinations of which are not inconsiderable.
Especially as I now know that entering different values can have markedly different effects. If I could just plonk "FF" in all the likely places, or if it would conveniently crash on alteration pointing me to the right location(s) I'd be done by now.

But the fact that I'm making and releasing a 50 character team select menu should indicate I still have (possibly badly misplaced) confidence it can be done, and want to continue soon. I just have limited time these days (pesky job!) and spending all my free hours hex editing in various values wherever "27" appears can grind a bit.

[BaconWizard17]

I know you haven't actually achieved more than 33, but this is simply in preparation for if you *can* figure out how to go over 33

[thetommyboy2002]

I know you haven't actually achieved more than 33, but this is simply in preparation for if you *can* figure out how to go over 33

Yes. Sorry, reading malfunction on my part.
The idea is, if it can be done, we'll be ready...

[Teancum]

Cool. I can finally use this on the original Xbox. Static models work fine on consoles.

Well maybe. Did you use DXT5 textures? If so would you be willing to export it with 256x256 DXT1? Pleeeeeease?

[LarsAlexandersson]

Oh crap! This Ultra HYPE!

[jayglass]

Cool. I can finally use this on the original Xbox. Static models work fine on consoles.

Well maybe. Did you use DXT5 textures? If so would you be willing to export it with 256x256 DXT1? Pleeeeeease?

Which mannequinn work on consoles???/

[Outsider]

The idea is, if it can be done, we'll be ready...

That is good news to both see and hear. Last I spoke to Krisan Thyme, he said that the game's overall memory is what is causing the problems the 33 Roster's last five heroes, and that if altered, could have even more heroes on the roster without ruining the game. However, he said it would take months to alter it. I don't know if he's been working on it though, as I don't know how to alter the game's memory. Perhaps one day that will be done, and it could make this 50-character roster a successful reality.

[thetommyboy2002]

Cool. I can finally use this on the original Xbox. Static models work fine on consoles.

Well maybe. Did you use DXT5 textures? If so would you be willing to export it with 256x256 DXT1? Pleeeeeease?

The original max file came with .png textures, which I left as they were.
I've converted them to dxt1 no alpha dds files and re-exported as mlm_team_back_dds.igb, just rename it.
In the zip below I include the new .igb, the altered .max file and all textures.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zc9vxxtutb6hlxc/mlm_team_back_dds.zip/file
I have no idea if this will work, but I'm certainly willing to try some other export options if it doesn't. Let me know.

[thetommyboy2002]

Cross post, because relevancy:

Finally, something which MIGHT be success!
I've edited 83ca5 to 4fh (from 27h), and my 33 character herostat works throughout the first heli mission as well as the fury cutscene.
This is with a heli1.chrb with 6 characters, that previously replaced all Ultrons with Hawkeye as it ran over the 27h limit.
I immediately tried with an 18 character heli.chrb and got a ctd, so I may not be there yet.
I'm uploading my edited game.exe (as tGame.exe so you can easily run it without overwriting your original.
It has 4f as the herostat limit, 4e as the menu limit, and 4f as the new >27h limit.
Can someone please try it and see if I'm dreaming?
I'm off to work now, but will keep an eye on the forum.
the possible holy grail:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/b9h082azkx6de1c/tGame.exe/file


Edit: I had a few minutes before I left for work to try a couple more things, and I found it's not perfect, but it's much closer than I've gotten yet.
For instance, with my default 33 character herostat and a 6 character heli1.chrb, if you start the level with the default 4 characters, you can get one or two of your squad replaced, even though the Ultron Bots and Scorpion are fine. To get around this, simply change the team before you start, and this seems to fix that issue. I didn't have time to thoroughly explore this issue yet.
I did also try the exe with a side project I have, which randomly replaces all the minions and boss on the heli with a different set of minions and a different boss (so you might get Aim troops and Modok, or Monks and Mandarin, randomly), and it worked fine for the few times I ran it there.

Todo: obviously I'm going to pack my herostat as full as I can till something gives, and at the other end of the equation I'll try to find exactly where/what in the .chrb the limit is for adding npcs/enemies to the level.

[thetommyboy2002]

Heres the maximum amount of characters I can currently get to display, 39.
Nightcrawler is beside Ronin but crouching, and Spiderwoman is almost obscured by Fury.
The herostat used here has 50 characters plus "team_character".
Obviously, I need to now overcome this 39 char limit in addition to the in-game-level one (which I'm praying are the same thing)

[thetommyboy2002]

I found a couple of issues with the 50 char mlm_team_back: pad25 doesnt seem to display the mannequin, and pad43 seems to rotate it.
So I tried to fix those, and while in there thought sod it, I'll fill in the gap between 29 and 40, because that always irritated me.
So now I have a team select menu with 60 pads. I adjust my team_back.xmlb accordingly, and shuffle numbers in my herostat.
Butttttttt... when I come to run the game I get a ctd going into the team select screen.
Now working on whether I just screwed up an export or if I've hit yet another limit...

Roll back to a 50pad igb=ctd
roll back to a 50 pad team_back.xmlb = ctd
roll back to previous herostat (which still had 50 chars just assigned different pads) = working again.
roll forward to 60pad xmlb = ctd again.
So now I need to find if its something I scewed in herostat, or just any mention of pads 30-39, or if it hates more than 50 pads. FML.

So it's not the 60 pad igb, which is good.
I put back in the 60 pad team_back.xmlb and no crash.
I must have fudged up the herostat, with moving loads of characters around to try and be orderly ie first char in herostat = pad 1, second = pad2 etc etc. All the back row fliers and big guys moved to the end ie strange = 60 so hes the last char in the herostat.
Time to properly proof read, I guess.

Yep definitely messed up something in the herostat. That's what happens if you change half your 50 chars in one go, I guess. Now I'll have to do it the hard way, change one, recompile, run, etc etc.
The good news is, the 60 pad igb and xmlb seem to work, but I think I'm still seeing some weird stuff on a couple of pads, like I've added Justice between Ironfist and Ronin (where nightcrawler was), and he doesnt show a mannequin, but can be selected.
Once I've tested a bit more I'll upload the newer 60pad versions.