Alter Ego - *.erp

[AlphaTwentyThree]

I thought it would be nice to post the quickBMS scripts I write into the forum. Maybe someone can then make entries on the Xentax Wiki.

Here's the script to extract the files from the game "Alter Ego". A little unusual to have these short-variables in between...

Code: Select all

# game: Alter Ego
# file type: *.erp
# (c) 2010 AlphaTwentyThree

set NAMEDAT 0x3D
get FILES short

for i = 1 <= FILES
   get ZEROS short
   get DUMMY long
   get SIZE long
   get OFFSET long
   get TYPE short
   get NAME string
   savepos CURR
   strlen NAMEL NAME
   set RES NAMEDAT
   math RES -= NAMEL
   math CURR += RES
   goto CURR
   
   log NAME OFFSET SIZE
next i

The file extensions are specific, for example *.ESA are sounds and music, *.EIT are dds files and so on. If you want you can write a little extractor into the code so you can directly work with the files. I don't have the game so I can't check all formats.

[Mr.Mouse]

Nice! But why don't you put it in the wiki ?

[XpoZed]

Strange but, the structure you provided seems wrong to me ?!

Here's my pack/unpacker for Alter Ego's ERP files. I'll be happy for any feedback.

[Sheen]

Works great XpoZed, . The problem is all files are encrypted (EMA, ESA, EIT and so on).

Its look like they wanted protect Alter Ego's files like a state secret.

Regards.

[XpoZed]

Works great XpoZed, . The problem is all files are encrypted (EMA, ESA, EIT and so on).

Its look like they wanted protect Alter Ego's files like a state secret.

Regards.

Not encrypted actually... ESA are OGG, EIM are DDS and so on... they just have a small header at the beginning.
For example EIM has the following structure :

Code: Select all

{
   header[DWORD] {
      "EIM\x20"
   }
   size[DWORD] {
      DDS file size
   }
   width[DWORD] {
      DDS width dimension
   }
   height[DWORD] {
      DDS height dimension
   }
   DDS[size] {
      Standard DDS file data goes here...
   }
   t[n] {
      N number of \x00 bytes to make the whole file dividable by \x0F
   }
}

[Sheen]

Aha, ok thank for the advise. But if anybody wants to open a dds file, how he can do it? I suposse is not so easy like changing the extension of the file (I tried ), and the lang files don't appear. Where i looked for I only found code...and I looked for in all compressed files.

Regards.

[XpoZed]

You can edit DDS easily with photoshop and a free DDS plugin ffrom nvidia (google it).
To edit EIM files as DSS, open the file with some text editor and remove the first 16 bytes until you reach the DDS header. Then change the extension to .DDS and you're ready.
The language file is located in US_D_UI_Local.erp as Alter_Ego_Texty.ete.
The ETE file has very simple structure, so you can edit it quite easy with any HEX editor.

Code: Select all

ETE {
	header[4] {
		"ETE\0x20"
	}
	unknown[9] {
		\x01\x00\x01\x00\x00\x00\x00\x00\x10
	}
	row[0] {
		id_len[WORD] {
			
		}
		id[id_len] {
			
		}
		unk[DWORD] {
			
		}
		data_len[3] {
			
		}
		data {
			str1[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str2[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str3[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str4[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str5[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str6[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str7[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str8[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			str9[n] {
				// 0x00 terminated
			}
			eod[BYTE] {
				"\x10"
			}
		}
	}
	...
	row[n] {
		...
	}
}

[Sheen]

oh, thanks a lot XpoZed!

I have two dds programs (dds converter and image converter plus, and photoshop and fireworks of course) already cause I work a lot with graphics files, but i'll take a look for that nvidia dds plugin that you said.

Best regards.

[bacter]

I created two simple programs help converting files from .EIM to .DDS and vice-versa.
Now I'm working on .ETE <-> .TXT converter, to help translating the game texts.

Updated! I combined the two programs into one. If the given file extension is .EIM, then converts to .DDS; If .DDS, then converts to .EIM

[bacter]

Here's the new proggy: the .ETE <-> .TXT converter.

[XpoZed]

btw, hit Ctrl+F1 while playing Alter Ego

[bacter]

The latest version of my ETE <-> TXT and EIM <-> DDS converter.
I added new function to help the updating of .ERP files.
(To replace only one file in the existing ERP archive)

Example of the usage:
1: extract the files from the contents of the "US_D_UI_Local.erp" archive:
AE_TOOL.EXE X US_D_UI_Local.erp e:\mydir

The tool automatically generates a hash value for each file, to help the replacing:

Alter_Ego_Texty.ete => Alter_Ego_Texty.[46690988f13307b07508d45d].ete

2: convert to text file:
AE_TOOL.EXE Alter_Ego_Texty.[46690988f13307b07508d45d].ete

3: edit your Alter_Ego_Texty.[46690988f13307b07508d45d].txt file

4: reconvert it to .ete file:
AE_TOOL.EXE Alter_Ego_Texty.[46690988f13307b07508d45d].txt

5: insert it into the original archive:
AE_TOOL.EXE R US_D_UI_Local.erp Alter_Ego_Texty.[46690988f13307b07508d45d].ete


You can also convert EIM files to DDS and vice-versa

[Sheen]

I'm gonna try your new tool bacter. Using XpoZed tool with your executables together all works perfectly.

Thanks to both.

[JirkaB]

2: convert to text file:
AE_TOOL.EXE Alter_Ego_Texty.[46690988f13307b07508d45d].ete

Hello Bacter, extract was OK, but convert does not work, please help me, what am i doing wrong.

edit: it works!!! , great work!!!, thanks a lot, and sorry for spam..

[pitbon1986]

thx for all