Importing FRUA Designs: Decrypting Hacking Files

[Shadow Stranger]

Importing hacked FRUA designs will require the ability to decrypt all files used to hack the design. I get the impression that decryption of hacking files seems not to be covered in the Rosedragon notes.
Source code for hacking programs would help here.
Game.fon, font files, if they can't be decrypted easily, they can be approximated by comparing screen captures with font files.
Files with a "dif" extension. (I am not too sure what they do. Modify tlb files?)
UAT files, item files. Start hacking items and see what is generated.

TLB files can be converted to pcx or bmp formats by programs like tlb2pcx.exe and tlb2bmp.exe. From there they can be converted to png format, they will probably need to be tidied up first.
Dat files are well understood. Ditto glb files.
Instr.ad: seems to be a straight music file.

[Shadow Stranger]

Which graphics are custom and which are not? Fortunately there is the simple program TLB2BMP, which can do batch conversions, convert all TLB files in a given folder into BMP pictures. Relevant command is: TLB2BMP *.tlb
I think this program comes with UAShell, found at: http://frua.rosedragon.org/pc/uashell/uashellc.zip.
After the batch conversions you have a directory full of pictures, you can compare the standard FRUA types with those found in the given design. I was using the Windows Picture and Fax Viewer to look at the graphics found in AT1 Dark Alliances while using the XnView program to look at those found in the standard FRUA directories, I compared the two views for each file. Eventually I figured out that the view in the XnView was wrong, it didn't correspond to what was actually there. Apparently the culprit is a file named: C:\Documents and Settings\[User Name]\Application Data\XnView\XnView.db. this records the view in a given directory no matter what happens.

When making the comparisons I use TLB files coming straight from the relevant zip files, UAShell seems to overwrite the supplied FRUA graphics.

[Shadow Stranger]

I don't know if the current import function makes allowance for customized monsters or not.
If it does not:
Start FRUA, load the Tutorial design. Create 127 Monst###.dat files in the Monster Editor, simply press Edit then OK for each monster.
Then compare these with the Monst###.dat files occurring in the given design. The File Compare function can be used in the Command Prompt, see what the differences are.
I figure all the monster information is written into the program but I don't know where.

Then make the appropriate changes to the DC monster database files for the monsters concerned.

[manikus]

I'm not really into hacking and decoding that much unless it's the only way.
For me, I found it easiest to have both the FRUA and DC editor open at the same time. You can easily edit monsters and figure out graphics this way.
It's not as automatic as creating a master decrypter file, but I think at this time, it's probably faster and (in my opinion) easier.

[Shadow Stranger]

Actually, it seems that the monster information is written into the file Monst.glb. I altered some names in the file and then restored the Default records in the FRUA Monster Editor, all the records had the names written in by me. Information in the glb file must be heavily condensed, decrypting it will take some time.

A list of what monster corresponds to a given ### will tell you what monsters have been modified. You only get Monst###.dat files when alterations have been made. (Note, here an "alteration" means pressing Edit and then OK, so there is no requirement that you actually change anything. Thus some "alterations" may feature no actual changes whatsoever.) Use of the File Compare function will show if this is the case.
That list of number, monster pairs is given in Monst.glb.

Each FRUA monster editor record has six pages, so it could be slow going, however it is your style and choice that matters.
Edit:
Looking at AT1: Dark Alliances, a lot of the monsters are heavily customized, half the time the AT1 monsters have nothing in common with the default varieties. This scenario could not be properly ported unless the monsters were properly translated too.
The File Compare function in action:
C:\OldGames\FRUA>FC /B C:\OldGames\FRUA\Alliance.dsn\MONST001.DAT C:\OldGames\FRUA\Reference\Monst.dat\MONST001.DAT

[Shadow Stranger]

Batch programs are included in the download found in the post above: Monstdat.zip, they automatically run the File Compare command at the Command Prompt. MonstdatA.bat handles monsters 1 thru 40, MonstdatB.bat handles monsters 41 thru 80 and MonstdatC.bat handles the rest, monsters 81 thru 127.

If there are no actual differences between the two files you will get a message: "FC: no differences encountered".
I only found this message once for all the AT1 Monst###.dat files, it was monster 69.
File compare in action:
FC /B C:\OldGames\FRUA\Design\MONST001.DAT C:\OldGames\FRUA\Reference\Monst.dat\MONST001.DAT
Here the Design folder contains any Monst###.dat files found in the given design while the Reference folder contains the stock 127 default files.