"The Outforce" .box files.

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 9:08 am

Watto's Game Extractor is only partially working on the .box format used by "The Outforce". It will extract textures, sounds, and Bink videos but nothing else. The main file is content.box, which in the retail game is over 66 megabytes.

The textures and videos Game Extractor pulls out only total about half the size of the archive, which according to GE is not compressed.

I'd like to be able to extract the 3D models.

Post by **Rheini** » Thu Jan 03, 2008 5:18 pm

Should be easy to write a BMS script for that game: http://wiki.xentax.com/index.php/The_Outforce_BOX

PXR · Post by **PXR** » Fri Jan 11, 2008 8:27 pm

I just saw the thread and quickly put together this little script. I haven't tested it as I don't have any .box archive. It won't support adding files, but it should be able to extract them all.

Code: Select all

GoTo EOF 0 ;
SavePos TEMP 0 ;
Math TEMP -= 3 ;
GoTo TEMP 0 ;
Get DIRX Long 0 ;
GoTo DIRX 0 ;
Get FILENUM Long 0 ;
For F = 1 To FILENUM ;
Get FNAME String 0 ;
Get FOFFSET Long 0 ;
Get FSIZE Long 0 ;
Log FNAME FOFFSET FSIZE 0 0 ;
Next F ;

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 8:42 am

Can I use that with the shareware version?

PXR · Post by **PXR** » Sat Jan 12, 2008 1:23 pm

bizzybody wrote:Can I use that with the shareware version?

I'm not sure, Mr.Mouse has to answer that i guess. But there should be a BMS menu in MultiEx where you can select "Add BMS to MRF", use that if it exists.

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Sun Jan 13, 2008 6:11 am

Nope, that insists that I register. I tried the online options and those don't work. I'm on dialup.

If you want files to experiment on, the demo can be downloaded here.

http://tinyurl.com/2gp8lr

PXR · Post by **PXR** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 12:26 am

I downloaded the demo and tested my script i uploaded... MEXC didnt even load with it. I recreated the BMS with the same script, tada, worked. And it also extracted all files fine. Just grab the new one.

By the way, for any bms-guru: is it possible to make mexc support adding files to the archive also? I tested with StandardTail for ImpType and also added the offsets to 'Log', but it totally messed up the archive when i tried replacing some file.

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 1:09 am

What I'd love to find is a copy of the console commands and how to get into the built in map editor in The Outforce.

Unfortunately they were only posted on the original forum for the game and I didn't save a copy before the forum was replaced and all the old posts deleted.

Even worse is the site had a robots.txt file so archive.org didn't save anything.

Post by **Rheini** » Mon Jan 14, 2008 8:39 am

bizzybody wrote:What I'd love to find is a copy of the console commands and how to get into the built in map editor in The Outforce.

Why don't you ask once more in the game's forums?
Besides that, if you already know a command, try to search for it in the game's exe with a hex editor, with some luck you also find the other command strings near this one.

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Tue Jan 15, 2008 6:54 am

There is no forum for that game anymore. The company that made it, o3games, is now Starbreeze Studios and doesn't answer any questions about The Outforce.

Still no closer to finding the model data. Inside content.box under Units is a file named PackedProject.OPF

Neither MultiEx nor Watto's can pull out all the files from that one. All either sees in it are image files and they both get the wrong data on some of them so they come out corrupted or not at all.

If the model data isn't in there, I've no idea where it's tucked away.

intro.box is nothing but the intro movie, music.box is simply a few MP3 files, campaigns.box is the campaign data and campaigns_movies.box is the videos that play between the maps in the campaign.

I opened the game .exe with a hex editor and scrolled through that but nothing jumped out at me. It's only 1.44 meg. It's rather astonishingly simple, just a single .exe file and 580 megs of various data packed into .box files. (Think of how big the thing would have to be without being able to use DirectX!)

Kispeti Krisztian · Post by **Kispeti Krisztian** » Mon May 24, 2010 10:03 pm

Hi all! I have the full version of The outfoce! And the map editor is working!!!!!!!!
My friend on youtube is a software developer

Here is how to enable the map editor:

Of course, I can.

Firstly you should edit script-file "Statup.cfg". Insert line "Cheats(true);" (without quotes) before any line in this file.

This little change allows you to switch on edit-mode without message "m_EditMode(0) cannot be run at this time or gamestate". When desired map (level) is run, open console and input two following commands: "m_DevMapMode(1);" and "m_EditMode(1);". That's all.

You can exit from this mode by using command sequence "m_DevMapMode(0);" and "m_EditMode(0);".

However, entering into edit-mode automatically disables fog-of-the-war effect. After exiting from edit-mode you can turn it on by using console-command "Effect_FogOfWar(1);".

Additionaly, there are many kinds of very usefull console-commands. You can type CmdList("list_of_all_available_console_commands.txt") to save short information about every command to the specified file. Filename can be any.

Note: because scripting syntax is derived from C/C++, you must escape every special-character in string. So, if you mean backslash ( \ ), you should type \\, if you mean quote-mark, you should type \". So common filename looks following: "c:\\abc\\def\xxx.yyy"

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Tue May 25, 2010 12:56 am

Sweet! Now we need some people to put together campaigns for the Crion and Gobin races and more multiplayer maps.

Would be nice to get the source code released, or find some other way to alter the three races so they're not completely identical other than most unit names, graphics and sounds. For play balance there's zero difference, you can play any of the three the same way.

Kispeti Krisztian · Post by **Kispeti Krisztian** » Tue May 25, 2010 11:42 am

Hey guys! Please VISIT this site: http://forum.starbreeze.com/viewtopic.p ... 2858#p2858

The forum admin made a topic about The Outforce!

The map editor is working!
You can build Multiplayer and skirmish maps!

We have to make a website where maps and the game and the patches are available!

bizzybody · Post by **bizzybody** » Sun May 30, 2010 7:10 am

Far as I know, only the demo, a 1.01 patch for the European version and the "finished" game were released.

Would've been nice had there been Crion and Gobin campaigns, more multiplayer maps and an update to make the three races play different, more like how Starcraft is instead of having all three play exactly the same.

Winters · Post by **Winters** » Sat Dec 16, 2017 8:32 pm

bizzybody wrote:Nope, that insists that I register. I tried the online options and those don't work. I'm on dialup.

If you want files to experiment on, the demo can be downloaded here.

http://tinyurl.com/2gp8lr

I know how to edit / make maps with the BUILT IN map editor. I will make a tutorial!
.BOX files can be extracted with game extractor.

The only thing I dont know is how to make (for example) LR Radar (LongRangeRadar) buildable in skirmish.

XeNTaX

XeNTaX

"The Outforce" .box files.

"The Outforce" .box files.

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