Information pending...

[thefiremind]

@TFM: Can you post your files that made the LAMIA subtype appear in game? I followed your edited instructions but I'm still unable to make it appear.

It could be because I decided to do the math for the constant value by myself, I remember having problems with it in DotP2014 as well. Anyway here are the files. I didn't include the creature, you can use yours.

EDIT: Scroll down and you'll find my newest version of the files.

[Tejahn]

It works perfectly! Thanks!

[GrovyleXShinyCelebi]

I took TFM's Wakestone Gargoyle, put in a copy of my own (at id 387), and threw in Thoughtrender Lamia (at id 388), and none of them showed up ingame:

http://www84.zippyshare.com/v/bLKjAJej/file.html

Do we have to edit anything in the METADATA section before re-zipping the directory?

[thefiremind]

Do we have to edit anything in the METADATA section before re-zipping the directory?

No, just be sure to re-zip .METADATA and DATA_0xx, not the upper DATA_0xx directory which contains them (in case you created one when extracting).

[Tejahn]

Exactly as TFM said. There needs to be two folders that you're zipping. And please be sure to RE-ZIP WITHOUT ANY COMPRESSION (i.e, the two files you're placing in the zip shouldn't be compressed). I personally use Winzip because it informs you that the files you're zipping are not compressed. You'll have to change the settings in Winzip to allow no compression. I'll probably do a step by step tutorial eventually. But the process is pretty straightforward.

[GrovyleXShinyCelebi]

Ah, now it works!

Time to get modding!

[spirolone]

I verified it's possible to overwrite a file from a previous archive, so I think we had better to don't edit DATA from 000 to 041 and simply add a new DATA_91.ZED file (as example) obtained from DATA_41.ZED and with all the files we want to change or to add...

[Xander9009]

It seems we're getting pretty close. The next thing, I think, is to figure out what we're going to do about the card limit. Once I have a very clear idea what we all want to do about that, how we want to manage that limitation, I'll start diverting some free time to getting a CW like system set up for 2015. (Assuming no one else wants to do so. No one has said anything, so I'm assuming everyone is fine with me doing it.)

[thefiremind]

I verified it's possible to overwrite a file from a previous archive, so I think we had better to don't edit DATA from 000 to 041 and simply add a new DATA_91.ZED file (as example) obtained from DATA_41.ZED and with all the files we want to change or to add...

Sure it's possible to overwrite a file by making a new copy with the same name... but if you make a DATA_091.ZED with your ZipToZed tool starting from DATA_041, its Header.xml file will still mention DATA_041 as directory. The ZED file name can be probably renamed with no consequences, but I think that they will appear as the same file from the game's perspective and I'm not sure about what side effects this could have.

On a different note, do you think it's possible to modify your ZipToZed so that it can use compressed zip files? I'm not sure about what is the problem in doing it (totally unfeasible or just time-consuming?), I'd just like to know if you think you can do it sooner or later, otherwise I'll start considering other possibilities: for example, putting only illustrations in ZED files (TDX are already compressed so they couldn't be compressed much more anyway), and all the rest in WAD files.

The next thing, I think, is to figure out what we're going to do about the card limit.

I see 2 possible courses of action:

1. We collect all the files we produce (cards, illustrations, functions, text_permanent, etc.) and we keep them organized as they were into a WAD/ZED file, but without creating the WAD/ZED itself. Everyone can download the cards they want and build their package as they want.
2. We make a WAD or ZED (or both, see my idea in the paragraph above) with all the files we produce, except for the CardPools XML. Everyone can download the whole package and then build the CardPools XML with the cards they intend to use.

[sweetLu]

I think with 2015 we need a deck building utility more than ever. I'm not sure of how many of you have used the in game deck builder or not but it can get quite cumbersome. Especially if we are going to increase the card pool to 2 to 3 times it's current size. IMO the best option is to have a deck builder that generates a CardPools XML based on the decks you've made.


On a side note I heard they aren't changing the deck builder for Duels Origins. While this probably won't be an immediate problem I think it'll compound into something unmanageable if the expansions are as large as some people claim and are continually added to the DO engine.

[spirolone]

Sure it's possible to overwrite a file by making a new copy with the same name... but if you make a DATA_091.ZED with your ZipToZed tool starting from DATA_041, its Header.xml file will still mention DATA_041 as directory. The ZED file name can be probably renamed with no consequences, but I think that they will appear as the same file from the game's perspective and I'm not sure about what side effects this could have.

On a different note, do you think it's possible to modify your ZipToZed so that it can use compressed zip files? I'm not sure about what is the problem in doing it (totally unfeasible or just time-consuming?), I'd just like to know if you think you can do it sooner or later, otherwise I'll start considering other possibilities: for example, putting only illustrations in ZED files (TDX are already compressed so they couldn't be compressed much more anyway), and all the rest in WAD files.

I didn't write it cause it seems to be unnecessary, but I verified that you can overwrite Header.xml file too (in same archive): I created a zip file with a modified Header.xml in .Metadata folder and a Data_91 folder, and it works!
Actually, I think we cannot create compressed zed files without patching game exe. Problem is that for game "compressed" means "compressed and encrypted"!

[thefiremind]

I didn't write it cause it seems to be unnecessary, but I verified that you can overwrite Header.xml file too (in same archive): I created a zip file with a modified Header.xml in .Metadata folder and a Data_91 folder, and it works!

Well, then I have no complaints.

Actually, I think we cannot create compressed zed files without patching game exe. Problem is that for game "compressed" means "compressed and encrypted"!

Understood. Then I'll keep illustrations in ZED and everything else in WAD, that's fine. In DotP2014 I was already using different packages since cards need the most revisions and it was faster to repack only cards when fixes were needed.

-------------------------------

EDIT: I discovered that I can't seem to be able to use a card pool ID greater than 22, which is used by the last expansion pack. I'll just override that card pool and add my cards there. Incidentally, my white expansion pack wasn't unlocking because I was reusing card pool ID 18 which is used by that.

-------------------------------

EDIT 2: I added all the creature types that were missing from DotP2014 (except Surrakar which was added by the developers). Here are the updated files. We can add them to the community card pool as soon as we are ready for it.

[Tejahn]

Excellent! The CW for 2015 will help us stay organized. I'm still waiting for the official thread so I can know how we will structure things. Thanks again for the creature types TFM!

And I agree with sweetLu. We definitely need a deck builder for 2015.

[logoliv]

Good news, at last we can add cards to Magic 2015 !
I will try to add all IA cards first, has someone already made a cardpool with IA cards only ?
I would love to have it

[thefiremind]

has someone already made a cardpool with IA cards only ?
I would love to have it

GrovyleXShinyCelebi made an attempt at that, here.