                 
                 :::                                        :::
                    888    888 888b     d888 888888888   
                    888    888 8888b   d8888    888      
                    888    888 88888b.d88888    888      
                    8888888888 888Y88888P888    888      
                    888    888 888 Y888P 888    888      
                    888    888 888  Y8P  888    888      
                    888    888 888   "   888    888      
                    888    888 888       888    888      
                 :::                                        :::
                 
                       __   __          _            ____
                       \ \ / /__ _ _ __(_)___ _ _   |__ /
                        \ V / -_) '_(_-< / _ \ ' \   |_ \
                         \_/\___|_| /__/_\___/_||_| |___/
        
                           . . By Monoxide and tjc . .


 Ŀ
                           Halo Map Tools: Overview                        
 
                                                                           
  Halo Map Tools, currently at version 3.0, is a hacking tool for Bungie's 
  masterpiece first person shooter - Halo:Combat Evolved.  HMT currently   
  supports all versions of the game.  These include:                       
                                                                           
  - Xbox, PC Retail, PC Beta, and PC Demo                                  
                                                                           
  HMT has grown from a simple sound injector to a very complex app that    
  performs a wide variety of tasks.  In Version 3, I have teamed up with   
  tjc, a very talented programmer and hacker, to provide more cutting edge 
  features.                                                                
                                                                           
  [Current Feature Set as of Version 3]                                    
                                                                           
  - Injection and Extraction of all Halo Resource Files                    
    This includes compressed and uncompressed texures, ADPCM and OGG       
    sound files, and *NEW* Models.                                         
                                                                           
  - *NEW* XML-plugin Based Tag Editor                                      
    This allows for easily extensible editing of a wide variety of game    
    resources (metadata)  The current plugin set supports editing of       
    Vehicles, Projectiles, Bipeds, Damage, Game Globals, Physics, Camera   
    Tracks, and Weapons.                                                   
                                                                           
  - Batch Resource Extraction of all resource files and metadata           
                                                                           
  - *NEW* Metadata Import/Export with automatic ident and reflexive        
    offset correction.                                                     
                                                                           
  - Object Placement and Player Spawn editing                              
    Allows modification of coordinates, rotation, and object types         
                                                                           
  - Easy Offset Swapping                                                   
                                                                           
  - Search Functions                                                       
    Locate by Meta Offset, Locate By ID                                    
                                                                           
  - *NEW* Map Rebuilding                                                   
    Allows you to rebuild a map from resource files, allowing for easy     
    additions and deletions of resources from a file.  This can be used    
    easily move things from single player maps to multiplayer maps         
                                                                           
 Ŀ
                            General Instructions                           
 
                                                                           
  Note - This app requires the .net framework.  It can be downloaded from  
  Microsoft via Windows Update or directly from their website.             
  http://msdn.microsoft.com/netframework/downloads/howtoget.aspx           
                                                                           
  HMT is fairly simple to use - just open a map and select a resource from 
  the resource browser.  If it has a dedicated plugin or an XML plugin, it 
  will load and you will be able to edit certain properties and/or extract 
  resources depending on the type of tag.                                  
                                                                           
  Map Rebuilding: This feature requires a little basic knowledge to use    
  effectively.  Follow these steps in order to rebuild a map.              
                                                                           
  1. Into it's own folder, batch extract the multiplayer map that you wish 
     to modify.                                                            
  2. Open the map that you which to extract resources from and choose      
     "Extract Meta" after selecting the proper tag.  If you would like to  
     automatically extract all dependencies as well, check the "Recursive" 
     box.  Choose a folder to extract the files to.                        
  3. Copy the extracted files/folders to the folder you extracted the      
     multiplayer map to.  Overwrite any existing files.                    
  4. Choose "Rebuild Map" from the menu, and choose the Original Map (this 
     is the original multiplayer map that you batch extracted earlier)     
     *Note that the original map MUST be in the same folder as the batch   
     extracted files.                                                      
  5. Choose "yes" when prompted if you want to auto fill in the other      
     filenames.                                                            
  6. Now add any new files you wnat to add to the rebuild to the list at   
     the bottom.  For example, if you want to add the Sentinal Beam weapon 
     you would choose the Sentinal Beam.proj.meta file from the proper     
     folder.  Note, that you only have to add the parent tag - any         
     dependencies will be added automatically during the build.            
  7. Now, click Rebuild and wait for it to finish.  Once it has completed  
     the rebuild, you will have a new map file in the folder named         
     OriginalMapName.map.rebuild.map.                                      
  8. Copy this file to your Halo\MAPS\ folder, rename it to replace the    
     appropriate map, and enjoy ;)                                         
                                                                           
  [Notice about bugs in certain plugins]                                   
  tjc recently decided to leave the Halo Modding scene.  He is the         
  author of the XML and Model plugins for HMT, and he has left them in an  
  unfinished state.  Because of this, you will undoubtedly notice bugs     
  with these plugins.  I plan on fixing these problems eventually, but     
  rather than hold off on the release, I've decided to address the issues  
  in a future release. They are still very usable, but you may find some   
  annoynaces.  Please don't come crying or talking trash about the fact    
  that these plugins have problems!  They will be fixed - do you really    
  wanna wait and have nothing until then? :)                               
                                                                           
 Ŀ
                            Greetings and Thanks                           
 
                                                                           
  There have been a lot of people who have contributed to this project     
  over time.  I'd like to give thanks to a few of them individually.       
                                                                           
  [Defenderz] Defenderz left Halo hacking shortly after I joined it but if 
  anyone deserves credit for being the "father of Halo hacking" it's him.  
  A good portion of the most important discoveries were made by Defenderz, 
  and without him, we wouldn't be where we're at now.  Thanks man,         
  wherever you are.                                                        
                                                                           
  [tjc] tjc had joined the HMT project recently to help provide more       
  functionalilty.  Unfortunately, due to personal reasons, he has decided  
  to leave the scene and will not be taking part in future HMT efforts.    
  Thanks for your contributions tjc.. you will be missed by all of us...   
                                                                           
  [Iron_Forge] Map rebuilding would have never seen the light of day       
  without the massive amount of help Iron_Forge gave me in the form of     
  debugging, testing, and hardcore reverse-engineering.  There were many   
  times that I was completely stuck and was only able to progress because  
  of his help. He's also one of the few people in the scene that I really  
  consider a friend, and he has provided me hours of good conversation     
  throughout this project and has helped me to stay motivated.  So thanks  
  Forge! ;oP                                                               
                                                                           
  [Grenadiac]  While gren hasn't actually contributed to HMT, his awesome  
  app - SparkEdit - has really helped to expand the scene and has inspired 
  me to make Halo Map Tools the best that it can be.  Watch for future     
  versions of SE, as it just keeps getting better and better.              
                                                                           
  There are many others who have contributed to the scene in one way or    
  another.  Although I rarely see him these days I also wanna thank        
  Pfhorslayer for bringing everyone together for this project and doing a  
  ton of work that has helped all of us.                                   
                                                                           
  Also, thanks to the HMT Beta team.                                       
  You guys were a huge help in getting things ready for release.           
                                                                           
  I hope everyone enjoys HMT.V3 and I can't wait to see some of the        
  awesome new mods that are created using it.                              
                                                                           
  Have fun and read the manual before you ask questions!                   
  -Monoxide                                                                
                                                                           
 Ŀ
   Send questions, comments, and bug reports to HaloMapTools@hotmail.com   
 