X-Men Legends II Ultimate Patch: Progress Post and Info

[BaconWizard17]

I can't wait for this project to be released. Not trying to rush or anything, but I really hope it can be released this year! Btw, thank you for doing this. XML2 deserves any attention it can get, I really love this game.

We are working hard to get this project out to you all! There are still many things to do, especially behind the scenes, but we are working away at it.

What about cinematics? I'm tired of the 4:3 view, I need 16:9 and in HD quality.

Unfortunately, this isn't something that we can get around. The cinematics in the game are locked to their current size and resolution. Using anything else will just cause the game to crash. It is possible to have the videos run at 60 fps though, and we will be implementing that.

[Monalyze]

Unfortunately, this isn't something that we can get around. The cinematics in the game are locked to their current size and resolution. Using anything else will just cause the game to crash. It is possible to have the videos run at 60 fps though, and we will be implementing that.

Look at the MUA1 experience, there are all cinematics in 16:9 and HD, maybe you can unlock somehow? Just remaking the video to 1920x1080 and SFD format is not a problem at the moment.

[BaconWizard17]

Look at the MUA1 experience, there are all cinematics in 16:9 and HD, maybe you can unlock somehow? Just remaking the video to 1920x1080 and SFD format is not a problem at the moment.

The 2006 PC version of MUA1 doesn't have HD cinematics either. And unfortunately the aspect ratio of the playback is hard coded, so it's not something we can change. The videos themselves are technically 16:9, but they're fit to 4:3 for the game.

[Monalyze]

The 2006 PC version of MUA1 doesn't have HD cinematics either. And unfortunately the aspect ratio of the playback is hard coded, so it's not something we can change. The videos themselves are technically 16:9, but they're fit to 4:3 for the game.

In MUA 1, the video is in a ratio of 16:9, when in XML 2 in 4:3, they use the same Alchemy engine, which means that it is possible to make an XML 2 video with a ratio of 16:9. You just can't because you don't understand how to do it or what?

AND
The 2006 version of MUA 1 for PC supports HD, tested!

[BaconWizard17]

First off, there's no need to be rude. Your tone is not appreciated. I'm just trying to explain to you the knowledge that I have based on what others have attempted in the past.

You are correct that both games use the Alchemy engine. However, they use different versions (XML2 uses Alchemy 3.2 and MUA1 uses Alchemy 4.0). In addition, each one has been tailored specifically to that game. They both have different capabilities and different hard-coded aspects. So they're not the same. Just because something works in MUA1, that doesn't mean that it will work in XML2.

If you've been able to get HD movies to work on MUA1, that's great. I haven't heard of this working before though when others tested it.  If you have, please do post it and share it with the community, or at least share your methods with an example. You're also more than welcome to attempt the same with XML2, and I would be happy to include it in the X2UP if you can get it to work. But so far, I haven't seen anything like that work before, so I was relaying that information to you. This is what we are currently using for the X2UP:

https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,11208.msg202538.html#msg202538

[Monalyze]

First off, there's no need to be rude. Your tone is not appreciated. I'm just trying to explain to you the knowledge that I have based on what others have attempted in the past.

You are correct that both games use the Alchemy engine. However, they use different versions (XML2 uses Alchemy 3.2 and MUA1 uses Alchemy 4.0). In addition, each one has been tailored specifically to that game. They both have different capabilities and different hard-coded aspects. So they're not the same. Just because something works in MUA1, that doesn't mean that it will work in XML2.

If you've been able to get HD movies to work on MUA1, that's great. I haven't heard of this working before though when others tested it.  If you have, please do post it and share it with the community, or at least share your methods with an example. You're also more than welcome to attempt the same with XML2, and I would be happy to include it in the X2UP if you can get it to work. But so far, I haven't seen anything like that work before, so I was relaying that information to you. This is what we are currently using for the X2UP:

https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,11208.msg202538.html#msg202538

I'm sorry if you took my words for rudeness, I didn't position my words that way. And thanks for the detailed answer.

[Rampage]

@Monalyze, me and a few others from MarvelMods have already confirmed that higher resolution movies do not work in either xml1/2 and Mua. Every time I tried to play 4K and even 1080 resolution cinematics in game, the game would either crash or play at a very slow and choppy speed. You mentioned that it's possible/works so could you provide proof that it does if possible. In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the improved movies mods I did for xml2 and Mua. They keep the same resolutions but play at higher frame rates in game.

https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,11207.msg202536.html#msg202536

https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,11208.msg202538.html#msg202538

[Monalyze]

@Monalyze, me and a few others from MarvelMods have already confirmed that higher resolution movies do not work in either xml1/2 and Mua. Every time I tried to play 4K and even 1080 resolution cinematics in game, the game would either crash or play at a very slow and choppy speed. You mentioned that it's possible/works so could you provide proof that it does if possible. In the meantime, if you haven't already, check out the improved movies mods I did for xml2 and Mua. They keep the same resolutions but play at higher frame rates in game.

https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,11207.msg202536.html#msg202536

https://marvelmods.com/forum/index.php/topic,11208.msg202538.html#msg202538

I tried your modified video for XML2, you have a modified frame resolution, in the original 640x346. At the expense of HD quality, yes it was possible in MUA 1, I experimented a couple of years ago with a video in 1920 x 1080, and the video worked perfectly, here the most important thing is how you create a video in SFD format. If I have time to repeat it in the near future, I will add an updated file to you here.

[BaconWizard17]

I tried your modified video for XML2, you have a modified frame resolution, in the original 640x346. At the expense of HD quality, yes it was possible in MUA 1, I experimented a couple of years ago with a video in 1920 x 1080, and the video worked perfectly, here the most important thing is how you create a video in SFD format. If I have time to repeat it in the near future, I will add an updated file to you here.

If you're able to share your methods and some examples, that would be greatly appreciated.

[BaconWizard17]

X-MEN  LEGENDS  II  ULTIMATE  PATCH
AUGUST 2024 UPDATE

Update
    Hi all, it's been quite some time since I've updated on the status of X2UP. Personal life and other obligations have gotten in the way of regular updates, but I'm pleased to say that I'm back to working on the project fully!
    To ensure that there's open communication about the project, I'll begin making monthly updates about the project to you all. On top of that, I've added a color-coded Progress Tracker to the first message of this topic. That will show you all what we've done, what we're working on, and what's left before we can finish the project. I've also generally re-organized the first message to make it easier to see the information that you're looking for.
    For August, the main update is the migration and new compiler system:

• When I first started this project, the files were all kept in Google Drive. They were compiled and arranged the way they would be in the final game.
• Google Drive began to cause issues though, with file revisions not always being up to date and names sometimes messing up. We also decided to expand scope to cover all consoles, so that made it tricky to have everything organized in the game's file structure, because the consoles have a different structure than the PC.
• A few years ago, we decided to migrate everything over to GitHub, to spread out the files by asset, to leave the files decompiled, and to have a custom compiler system that could assemble the files for any consoles. However, that migration was never fully completed, because I wasn't able to successfully build the compiler the way I wanted.
• When I decided to return to work on the project, I decided that I would completely rewrite the compiler. Instead of a bunch of batch files and mixed coding languages, I decided to switch over to a fully Python-based complier. That's what I've been working on since my return, and that's what you'll see as "Phase 0" of this project. Once the compiler is complete, it will allow us to finally finish the migration and then work on the project freely without any framework limitations.

    There are two other updates to go along with this.

• I think it will be possible to create custom skins for XML2 PSP now, so it should be possible to convert this project for XML2 PSP in the same way as the other consoles. This will require some additional testing, but I'm hopeful.
• We've decided to focus on only releasing the PC build first. This will help narrow the scope and make the project less overwhelming. The other console releases will follow after the release of the PC build.

    I look forward to continuing to update you all on the progress of the project! Regardless of how much progress is made each month, I'm committed to providing you all with a monthly update every month. With each update, the Progress Tracker will be updated accordingly.

[BaconWizard17]

X-MEN  LEGENDS  II  ULTIMATE  PATCH
SEPTEMBER 2024 UPDATE

Update
   Hi all, this is the September update for the X2UP! This past month, I continued to work on the new compiler. NPC functionality in the compiler has been completed, and I went back and made improvements to how playable characters work. We've also converted all playable characters to work with the new compiler, and more than half of the NPCs have been converted as well. The progress tracker has been udpated with this information.
    The next steps as we continue with the project will be to finish converting the remaining NPCs to work with the new compiler, and then I'll continue adding functionality to the compiler for the remaining asset types.

[BaconWizard17]

X-MEN  LEGENDS  II  ULTIMATE  PATCH
OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE

Update
    Hi all, this is the October update for the X2UP! This past month, I continued to work on the new compiler. The remaining NPCs were updated to work with the new compiler. I also implemented support for common data files, and converted all existing data files to work with the new compiler. I've also begun working on compiler functionality for menus. The progress tracker has been updated with this information.
    The next steps as we continue with the project will be to finish the menu functionality for the compiler, add map functionality, convert remaining assets, and then add anything else to the compiler that it needs. Phase 0 is now more than halfway done!