Frequently Asked Questions For the Universal Game Editor

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This is a FAQ entirely written and designed by David Melanson 
(overkill@ici.net) and is not officially authorized or supported
by  the creator of Universal Game Editor, Jack Hartman of
Hartman Game  Utilities (jhartman@ix.netcom.com).

Q:What is the Universal Game Editor and how does it work? 

A: Universal Game Editor (or UGE) is a program created by Jack
Hartman of Hartman Game Utilities (in other words, no, I did not
create the  base program!). It is designed to be able to make
changes in  hexadecimally-stored saved-game files by reading in
the game files and  showing offset positions within the file for
various pieces of  information that the game references while
running. It contains  various Tools to assist in finding
information that should be changed, as well as the capability to
create and save "plug-in" lists of information locations for 
saved-game files that can be used by any copy of Universal Game
Editor. Most of the files stored on these pages  are these
'plug-in lists' that I have created.

Important Terms To Remember:

UGE = The base program (Universal Game Editor)

Module = A "plug-in" list of locations of information within a
saved-game file

Offset = The number of bytes of information between the start of
a file and a specific location in the file

Relative Offset = The number of bytes of information between two
specific locations in a file

Variable = A piece of information within a file that can be
changed with UGE.

.MDL File = This is a Module file, that can be used by any copy
of UGE.

.LST File = This is a text-file list of all of the locations of
information contained within a Module file. It is  not necessary
for the operation of UGE, but is useful for anyone who wants to
modify the file or find out at a  glance what variables are in
the file.


Q: "What do I need to get Universal Game Editor to work?"

A: You need a PC with a 386 or better processor, and at least 1
MB of RAM, running either DOS or Windows 95.  In order to create
new modules or use any of the modules on this page, you will
need the base program, Universal  Game Editor (UGE) version 1.0,
which you can download by going to the main UGE page (click on
the button  marked "UGE Page" in the frame on the left) and
then click where it indicates you can download the file. To edit
 a specific game listed here, you also need the appropriate
module. To get a module, first click on the appropriate  button
for the name of a game to read its description. At the bottom of
each description page is a link to download  the appropriate
module. 

Q: "I keep getting a request for a user name and password when I
try to download."

A: Some Web browsers don't have Netscape's automatic "anonymous"
login capabilities for FTP transfers (most  notably, apparently,
the America On-Line browser, since this question comes from AOL
users 99% of the time).  Enter anonymous for your user name and
your e-mail address for your password if you get this question.
If it  repeats the user name/password question after that, you
can use the email page to request modules to be mailed  to you
(but not the base program. You can find the base program at
several other locations throughout the Web). 


Q: "I can't download the files. I keep getting errors in the
download."

A: If you're asking this question and you're using America
On-Line, there's your problem right there. Many AOL  users have
a lot of trouble downloading files from my ISP's (Internet
Service Provider) FTP server. This problem  doesn't seem to
arise often with any other service provider, strangely enough.
There are other areas of the  Internet that have the base
program, and if you send in a request on the email page, I'll
mail you the editor  modules you want (I can't mail the base
program).  


Q: "How do I register Universal Game Editor?"

A: Send a check or money order for $35 in US dollars drawn on a
US bank to: 

HARTMAN GAME UTILITIES
P. O. Box 73706
Houston, TX. 77273-3706

along with the order form below (print it out here or copy it):

                                 ORDER FORM

  +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
  |                                         Item   Quantity   Total     |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
  |                                                                     |
  |         Universal Game Editor   ($35.00 each)  ________   _________ |
  |                                                                     |
  |                 Texas residents add sales tax    7.25%    _________ |
  |                                                                     |
  |   Shipping FREE in US.  Foreign orders add $4             _________ |
  |                                                                     |
  |                               Amount enclosed             _________ |
  |                                                                     |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
  | Please specify disk size      (  ) 5.25"      (  ) 3.5"             |
  |                                                                     |
  | If you do not specify disk size, you will get 5.25".                |
  | All disks are high density.                                         |
  | The disk will contain the latest version of this program, all       |
  | MODULES in the UGE library, and a key file to block out shareware   |
  | advertising.  Registration entitles you to free product support     |
  | and notice by mail of future versions of Universal Game Editor.     |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
  |   Please fill in the address where you want to receive your disk    |
  |                                                                     |
  |                                                                     |
  |    Name:  ____________________________________________________      |
  |                                                                     |
  | Address:  ____________________________________________________      |
  |                                                                     |
  |           ____________________________________________________      |
  |                                                                     |
  |                                                                     |
  |                                                                     |
  |                                                                     |
  |  Where did you hear about Universal Game Editor?                    |
  |                                                                     |
  |    ___________________________________________________________      |
  |                                                                     |
  |    ___________________________________________________________      |
  |                                                                     |
  +---------------------------------------------------------------------+
                          Thank you for your order


Q: "How do I register the plug-in modules downloaded from this site?"
A: There is no need to. I provide these modules free of charge. 
The reason I do not charge for them is that I  create the modules for 
my own use in PC games, and then distribute them via the Internet for 
anyone else who  wants them...it doesn't cost me anything extra to 
share them, so I just figured "why not?" 

Q: "How do I set up Universal Game Editor?"
A: First, create a directory on your hard drive to hold the programs. 
Then use PKUNZIP version 2.04g or  better...or WinZIP ...to uncompress
the UGE10.ZIP file into the new directory. If you want to use a
plug-in module,  also use the same program(s) to uncompress the
zipped module file into the same directory. 

Q:"Will Universal Game Editor work in Windows 95?"
A: Yes, it will work in Windows 95. Just set up a 
Shortcut to UGE.EXE. HOWEVER, UGE appears to be incapable of 
resolving the "ProgramFiles" subdirectory correctly.  So, if you're 
running Windows95, do NOT install any games you want to edit to the
ProgramFiles directory.


Q: "How do I install a plug-in module?"
A: Start up UGE. You have to Add the game to the main menu screen 
(blue) that appears. As that suggests, press  the "A" key. A red 
box will appear on the right. Type the name of the game in there and
press Enter (actually,  you can type anything you like; it won't
matter, but typing the name of the game just might be useful for
 identifying it later on!) Now a list of files with the
extension ".mdl" will appear in a box on the right. (There will 
also be one called "**New File**," which you DON'T want to
choose right now...later, if you decide to create  your own
modules, this will be very useful).  Use the arrow keys
to highlight the file that says GAMENAME.MDL, where GAMENAME,
once again, is the  name of the game (or an abbreviation or
approximation), then press Enter. Now you should see a directory
listing  of your hard drive in the box on the right. Use your
arrow keys to select the file you wish to edit, in the following
manner: 
Use the arrow keys to highlight the directory
where the actual GAME (NOT U.G.E!!) is stored on the hard drive.
 Press Enter. Now scroll up and down the list and look for a
saved game file...usually, the module's instructions will  tell
you the name of the file to look for (so read the instructions)
but as a general rule, the file formats take one of  several
forms:
  
1.> If you saved a game with a specific name,
you may see that name followed by a three digit extension (for 
example, you named a saved game WALKING, then you might see
WALKING.SAV or WALKING.DAT  or something similar...that's your
saved game file).

2.> Maybe there is a separate
directory for saved games...usually, this'll be named SAVES or
SAVEGAME or  GAMES or something like that...go into that by
highlighting it, then pressing Enter...and then keep
looking.

3.> Sometimes games are saved with numeric
extensions that indicate which "slot" they are saved
in...for  example, let's say a game has a "Save Game"
screen with ten available slots for games. When you save to  the
first slot, you create, say, a game called GAME.001, or
GAME0.SAV, or something like that. When you  save the game to
the SECOND slot, you create a file called GAME.002, or
GAME1.SAV, or something like  that. Some games start numbering
with 1, some with 0. It's a matter of which game you're
playing.

4.> Still other games save a series of game
files in a numeric subdirectory...for example, let's say a game
has  ten subdirectories called SAVE01, SAVE02, SAVE03, etc...to
SAVE10. Inside THOSE directories are the  saved game files for
the various slots...once again, these work the same way as a
numeric extension-ed  game file...so that, if you save a game in
the first "slot" of the saved game screen, the files you
want to  modify would be in the SAVE01 subdirectory. If you save
in the second slot, the files would be in the  SAVE02
subdirectory.

An Example: STONEKEEP (by Interplay)

Finding the file:
(This assumes you used the default installation directory).
Highlight INTRPLAY, then press  Enter. Highlight STONKEEP, then
press Enter. Highlight SAVEGAME, then press Enter. Now,
highlight the  subdirectory appropriate for which saved game
"slot" you want to modify. For example, if you saved your
game in  the first available "slot" on the Stonekeep Saved
Game screen, highlight GAME00 and press Enter. If you saved  it
in the second "slot," highlight GAME01 and press Enter. A
list of files will appear. Highlight the one that says 
GAMEINFO.SAV, and press Enter. 

Q: "Okay, I set up the module. What do I do now?"
A: The game name should now appear in the list on the left. To start 
editing the game, highlight the game name  with the arrow keys and 
press Enter. You should see a number of fields on the left, with their
appropriate values to  the right of the field names. To change a
value, highlight the value you wish to change with the arrow
keys. Then  press Enter. The box with the value will appear
(should be red in color). Type in the new value (what you want
it to  be) in the red box and press Enter. Be sure to read each
module's README.TXT file for restrictions on the  values you put
in here, as well as, in some cases, what certain values to go
into fields actually mean (i.e. inventory  item listings, unit
type codes, etc). When you are finished editing, press the ESC
key twice. If you have not  registered UGE yet, you will get a
message asking you to do so. Look at the bottom of the screen to
see what key  to press to exit UGE for now. Then you should be
able to go back to the game, restore the saved game you just 
modified, and see the effectiveness of your changes.

Q: "I'm playing Stonekeep, and edited my
characters. My Runecasters lock up after only one casting. What 
happened?"
A: A deliberate limitation in the
Stonekeep engine prevents it from successfully calculating
magical damage or  effects caused by casting a spell when your
character has a Magick skill of greater than 5 (the game's
normal  maximum). Therefore, if your Runecasters lock up as
described, save the game and use UGE to set Drake's  Magick
skill value down to 5 or less. That should clear up the problem
when you restore the game. 

Q: "The Shadowcaster Module doesn't work on my version of the game. 
What's wrong?"
A: When Origin re-released Shadowcaster on CD-ROM, they changed the 
saved-game format to an encoded scheme. The module therefore only 
works for the 3.5" floppy version of the game. 

Q: "The Daggerfall Module doesn't work on my version of the game. 
What's wrong?"
A: When Bethesda released the patches to fix the
numerous bugs in the original game, they changed the  saved-game
format. If you created your character and initially saved your
game with the version installed directly  from the CD...and THEN
patched the game, you should still be able to edit your
character (Daggerfall can read & write either the old or
new saved game format) If, however, you patched the game and
THEN created a character  and saved, the Daggerfall editor
module will be editing the new, encoded version of the save-game
format, which it  can't read; therefore it won't work.

Q: "Why don't you have a module for (fill in game name here)?"
A: Perhaps another way to phrase
this question would be "why don't you take requests?" The answer is
fairly  basic:

1.> In order to make a module for a game, you need the actual GAME. I
do not believe in or support software  piracy, and therefore,
any game you see me make a module for I have bought myself or
received as a gift.

2.> Games cost money. As I do
not charge anything for the modules I create, I do not get any
money back from  my efforts. I create modules for my own
purposes, then share them with the public via this Website. I do
not  take requests for games I do not have because that would
involve me buying the game for effectively  nothing in
return.

3.> Not every game is editable by UGE.
Some software companies encode their saved game files in a
manner  that cannot be interpreted by Universal Game Editor.
Prime examples would be Arena, Dungeon Master II,  and nearly
any Sierra game. Lately-patched versions of Daggerfall also fall
into this category.

Q: "Are you going to make a module for (fill in game name here)?"
A: Click on the "Upcoming" button in the left frame
to load the description of any modules I'm currently working 
on. This page is not a guarantee that these modules will be
delivered, simply that I'm attempting to build a module  for the
game. If the game isn't listed, I'm not currently working on it
(this doesn't mean I never will; I'm simply not  doing it right
NOW). And unless you plan to buy me a registered copy of the
game you want edited, don't even  THINK about asking me to make
a module for it. 

Q: "How do I create my own modules?"
A: Creating a new module is a relatively
complex and often arduous process, and is dicussed in detail in
the file  UGE.DOC that came with the base program's Zip file. I
suggest you read that file over very carefully; it contains 
many helpful hints for designing modules and finding variables.