CnCNet and Mods?

[Allen262]

It has been request that I set up Red Dawn a RA-1 Mod for CnCNet. Since I want to update Red Dawn  I thought I would look into what would be need to set it up for CnCNet. I plan to set up Red Dawn "2012" around the http://redalert1.com/ 's  online version and expansions addon files that already work with CnCNet. Of course I need to see if I can use http://redalert1.com/ 's  online version and expansions addon as base to build Red Dawn "2012".

 

Any help and info would be nice for CnCNet for mods and who made the files at http://redalert1.com/

[Nyerguds]

um, in the cncnet setup thingy you just need to set your exe. If you use a custom exe, you just choose that one?

[Allen262]

The cncnet.exe won't work with my custom exe. I tried to rename it to ra95.exe so that I didn’t get “Couldn’t find any compatible games in current directory. Sorry :-(“ After I rename my custom exe to ra95.exe that cncnet.exe could find. The cncnet.exe would only boot my custom.exe to the main menu. It would not take me to CnCNet RedAlert lobby.

 

Red Dawn was almost a standalone mod as it was but for the lack of the Main.mix and RedAlert.mix. So I set "2012" up with Main.mix and RedAlert.mix, All my custom named files are back to default names so I can use the un-modded Ra95.exe from http://redalert1.com/ ‘s expansions add-on.

 

Right now I have Red Dawn running from the un-modded Ra95.exe from http://redalert1.com/ ‘s expansions add-on. I can connect to CnCNet RedAlert lobby by way of cncnet.exe and play Multiplayer on CnC Net fine. I set it up on 2 computers and I was able to have them both join CnC Net. I was able to play on both computers fine but it was not fun to run room to room.

 

Single player is still intact so far. I will test this more. I’m afraid that I will find error like listed here http://www.cnc-comm.com/community/index.php?topic=1735

 

I think Red Dawn will need its own sever on CnC Net as there is no way to tell if a player is using Red Alert or Red Dawn tell a player tries to join the room and get a compatibility error.

[KevinLancaster]

Err, you can get it to work with the RA-1 to C&C95.exe if you select it in the settings before it tries to start up the game. You don't have to rename it, but you still get the same problem with it going to the main menu. In fact, I think the exe from redalert1.com has been modded because if you try running CnCNet with RA1 off the disk there are no players in the lobby, but using the one from the website there are. Also the fact that it crashes if you select "Internet" in the multiplayer menu, even with Westwood Online installed.

[Allen262]

I know that the RA95.exe from redalert1.com has been modded. This is why I want to use the expansions addon RA95.exe from redalert1.com. It is set up for CnC Net. Something that both RA-1 to C&C95.exe are not.

 

By using the following files from redalert1.com I have a test build that dose work on CNC Net. I set it up on 2 computers and I was able to have them both join CnC Net. I was able to play on both computers fine but it was not fun to run room to room.

 

cncnet.exe From online version

ddraw.dll From online version

ddraw.ini From online version

edwin.exe From online version

mpgdll.dll From online version

ra95.exe From expansions addon

rasetup.exe From online version

redalert.ini From online version

wsock32.dll From online version

 

I made my own mix files since I needed to replace may of them with files and mixes from the first Red Dawn. I pulled the unmodded mix files from the RA-1 CD since I own all 4 CDs.

 

Right now in the test build.... All files from Red Dawn set to work with expansions addon RA95.exe from redalert1.com. Nod and GDI Campaigns, Counterstrike and Aftermath missions seem to work just fine. I have not checked "Ant" mission yet. Multiplayer on CnC Net fine via cncnet.exe is good. However there is no way to tell if a player is using Red Alert or Red Dawn tell a player tries to join the room and get a compatibility error.

[Killa57]

ya i was thinking of the same thing but in aftermath games maybe someone can write something that only allows so many letters and and the last 2 to 3 letters In the INI file to specify weather its [AM] for aftermath , [P] for pro, [N] for noob [A], average and so on.... but this is Red Dawn [RD] could be used for, you know Red Alert Dawn or, [MOD] modded game something can be done. just gots to use the imagination      just throwing ideas out there.

[Allen262]

A lettering system would be nice. I do know that Red Dawn will come set with aftermath on. This way Red Dawn will only use one game.exe so there will be no compatibility error between Aftermath and Non-Aftermath users.

[hifi]

First, all the changes that has been done to the redalert1.com package is in the package documentation. You should read it if you're modding so you know what's in it.

 

Also, we're using 3.03 version of Red Alert. This is the version of Red Alert that runs with "wsock32.dll" as the IPX networking and not "thipx32.dll" which was the case of 2.00 and earlier. CnCNet doesn't detect the game version and always expects 3.03, so it only creates wsock32.dll for the game if it is RA. This 3.03 also has CCHyper's -LAN patch that allows it to go directly into Network lobby with the -LAN parameter.

 

It is possible to use older versions if you rename CnCNet's wsock32.dll after you've run cncnet.exe once to thipx32.dll. That way the game will probably connect fine but will miss updates as cncnet.exe will keep creating wsock32.dll. You also don't need necessarely to use ra95.exe, you can set the exe in cncnet.ini and it will use it no matter what.

 

I don't recommend using older than 3.03 because of the on going projects to improve it.

 

If you want separate stats and lobby for your mod later, it might be possible to modify the game like we did with Tiberian Sun mods so the protocol would be incompatible with vanilla RA and that way we can detect it in the stats and you'll have a clean lobby and incompatible game with vanilla RA.

 

Happy modding!

[Allen262]

Red Dawn has always used 3.03 but it was the old one modded by Nyerguds that pre dates CnC Net. Red Dawn is already out but it is only for singleplayer. Its got 50+ missions.

 

Right now I'm the following files from redalert1.com.

 

cncnet.exe  From online version

ddraw.dll  From online version

ddraw.ini  From online version

edwin.exe  From online version

mpgdll.dll  From online version

ra95.exe  From expansions addon

rasetup.exe  From online version

redalert.ini  From online version

wsock32.dll  From online version

 

I made my own mix files since I needed to replace many of them with files and mixes from the first Red Dawn. I pulled the unmodded mix files from the RA-1 CD since I own all 4 CDs. I put all my need files in to the mix files from the CDs. I'm using the unmodded ra95.exe from expansions addon.zip

 

Right now in the test build.... All files from Red Dawn set to work with expansions addon RA95.exe from redalert1.com. Nod and GDI Campaigns, Counterstrike and Aftermath missions seem to work just fine. Multiplayer on CnC Net fine via cncnet.exe is good. I tested this with 2 computers my self. However I'm being put into the RA-1 lobby.

 

Separate lobby if it could be done would be best. I know next to nothing about how the game.exe is made. So I have no idea where to start. A mod like done for Tiberian Sun mods TI and DTA would be vary good. I want to use the files list above since they already work with CnC Net and change the icon of the ra95.exe to the one from C&C95 like I did in the singleplayer Red Dawn.