Well, I've finally figured out how to make ppf patches, so here are my first
contributions.  Just use any of these ppf files to patch the cache file for
"Assault on the Control Room" using ppf-o-matic.

I've put quite a bit of time into tricking out this level to get it just right.
The end result is a playing experience just as dynamic and well-balanced as the
original, but with some sweet enhancements.  None of the changes are the "let's
see what it would be like to shoot cyborgs out of the assault rifle" sort, not
that there's anything wrong with that, but rather they are upgrades to weapons,
and various other changes to give the game-play a slightly different look and
feel, while giving the player more firepower.  Of course, by making the weapons
more powerful, these changes will also make it more difficult to survive unless
you're using cheats, since it puts that power in the hands of the covenant as
well.  But most of you probably already have a trainer installed, so you'll have
nothing to worry about, and hey, who isn't up for a challenge anyway?

Most of the changes are listed below:

Assault rifle shoots needles
Plasma rifle shoots overcharge bolts
Plasma pistol shoots shade bolts
Warthog chain gun shoots shade bolts
Scorpion gun shoots overcharge bolts
Ghost shoots overcharge bolts
Banshee shoots plasma mortars instead of fuel rods
Different "plasma" look/more power to the rockets
Different "plasma look and sound/more power for sniper rifle
More powerful pistol bullets
More powerful melees for human weapons, especially assault rifle and rocket
    launcher, which are one-hit kills
Plasma mortars twice as powerful
Scorpion shells twice as powerful
Plasma grenades explode like plasma mortars
Frag grenades explode like fuel rods
Banshee bolts explode on impact like plasma grenades
New shaders for pelican, ghost, banshee, warthog, and rocket launcher

The coolest changes, in my opinion, are those applied to the banshee.  It kicks
a** more than ever now, so for everyone's convenience I have included 5 versions
of this patch.  The first ("aotcr1") is basically just the changes listed above,
so you can aquire your own banshee your own way (for those of you not familiar
with how to get one early on in the level through conventional means, I've
included a tip at the end of this document), while the other 4 make it easier to
get extra banshees.  Here's how:

aotcr2 replaces the warthog with a banshee
aotcr3 replaces shades with banshees
aotcr4 causes the pistol to shoot banshees
aotcr5 causes the rocket launcher to shoot banshees

Personally, I would not use "aotcr4" or "aotcr5" because they each take away a
weapon I would not want to be without, but for those of you who would rather
have the convenience of conjuring up a banshee wherever you felt like, I've
given you that option.  Naturally, if you know how to hex-edit the cache files,
you can go ahead and apply any of these patches, and then further change them
however you like.

Be aware that if you choose to shoot banshees (or any vehicle, for that matter)
out of a weapon, you must have a "never die" cheat turned on, which you can do
with the trainers which are available for download on xbox-saves.com.  Otherwise,
you will die as soon as you fire that weapon, because you will colide with the
vehicle, and as far as the game is concerned, it ran you over.

Anyway, I've been long-winded, perhaps, but I wanted to make sure I covered
everything.  Just give these a try, and I'm sure you'll like them.



This is my first attempt at making and releasing ppf patches, so I hope everyone
enjoys them and has no problems.  I have tested them, and they seem to be ok, but
if anyone encounters a glitch, you can let me know by emailing me at
thegreenmatrix@hotmail.com.

**I have found that if you try to resume a mission which was previously saved in
progress, and you're using an altered cache file, or a cache file altered in
a diffent way than when the mission was last saved, some things may not work as
intended, and the system may even crash.  As long as you are playing the mission
from the beginning, however, everything should be fine.

------Tip: How to aquire a banshee early in the level with conventional means---

Take a left immediately following the section of canyon where the scorpion tank
is (do not go through the tunnel), and look up.  There is a platform up above
you, and though you can't see it, there is a banshee on top of it.  Fire a rocket
right in the middle of the platform, half-way in between the front of it and the
support (it may be easier to do this by aiming with a sniper rifle and then
switching to the rocket launcher without moving).  If properly placed, the blast
will knock the banshee off the front of the platform, undamaged, and you can go
pick it up.  You must do this before proceeding too far into the next section of
canyon, however, or else an elite will spawn next to the banshee and take off
with it.