Discovery in the exe - This is only for educational purposes only, not advocating any editing or tampering

NachtPiloten

NachtPiloten

Kurier auf Stube...pauke!
Staff member
Have you always wondered why the P_47d_25 appears as the startup plane and if you remove it from the game the game crashes? Well if you have then please get a life. I have since James and I are working on a new set of files to be added to make TOW II. I used a hex editor to search the exe file (the one we are not to speak about). Well if you search for any number of cool things you can find text for the p_47d_25 along with bf_109g-6, ju_88a_4 and b-26_g at or around line 447782 (at least on my set up). Now to just learn about how hex editing works and the inner functions of coding a game, I decided to edit the entries to say He219AM2, Mosq_NFII, and Lanc1_emf. Notice that the new entries have the same number of characters as the old. To explore if my hypothesis was correct that if these were changed, and say the frontend.xml file in the mission folder was edited to substitute the Heinkel and other corresponding edits (now I the past I edited the game to remove all references to other planes and files that would use p_47d_25, the bf_109g-6 - just to learn mind you) to help us issue not a new standalone game which I know is wrong, but just an update for TOW. And what do you know, after I delete the three files from the appropriate folder (C:\Users\userID\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\"sim folder" - uisel.xml, UnlimitedPilots.xml, and ViewUL.xml) I fired up the game and bam the He219 is the default and when you do an intercept the mossie and lanc appear...... Oh the possibilities if you were allowed to mod the exe file in any way, which we are not able to for commercial purposes. But for educational use only what a discovery......

So I only post this as a way to educate not suggest any illegal tampering with copyrighted property. Oh BTW WOFF does this so I imagine they have paid MS or received permission to do this as the p_47 in 1916 well you know just would not look right.
 
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Nice find!!. You could customize the exe file for specific timeframe/scenario like for example a Korea scenario. The next step would be to find if you change the name that has a different number of bytes.
 
Hypothetically speaking, you could take the Korea mod and have the planes appropriate to that theater appear. It would be nice to streamline your own custom install to be what you want it to be.
 
Hmmm very very interesting. I assume you would still need to modify the uisel.xml, and the frontend.xml in the mission folder to reflect the change in the defaults?
 
The uisel.xml is rewritten each time you launch the game. So no on that, just delete it after you made all the changes. I will make a tut on what files need to be moved to make any install theater appropriate.
 
Interesting indeed! There's so much more under the hood of this sim than can be exploited in some way. If only I knew how... :p
 
I wonder if using an approach similar to what others have used (Steve's AI made with Cheat Engine) could be used to make NDBs with proper radio frequencies that could be selected in game. Steve made the Kinckebien and Lorenz. Wonder if you could program the option to type in a frequency that would then orient the hands on the radio compass to guide the pilot. I know someone is working on using a gun to have audio signals. We have lighted highways in some locations for route guidance, but an actual radio beacon would be too cool.

Hey, years ago someone made a weapons pack for FS or FSX. Anyone know where this can be had?
 
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