JA Unlimited (1.1)
By Kat Angel
Date: 03-15-2008
Version: 1.1
Screenshots
Readme
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= JA UNLIMITED =
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= UNLEASH THE FULL POWER OF THE FORCE! =
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So YAY! People liked my mod! But BOO! There were bugs I didn't notice, because I did the stupid thing and released it too soon! Though, all but one of the 'bugs' were really just intended features that I overlooked somehow, even though I'd originally planned to put them in. ANYWAY, here's version 1.1, which fixes the couple of bugs/missing features that people caught. These are: support for unlimited MAPS, support for unlimited SPECIES (Customized characters), and support for unlimited .VWP (vehicle weapon extension) size. Also, I expanded the thumbnailshrink files to include the in-game player select screen and included an autoexec.cfg file that automatically turns off the pure server option so players don't have to do it themselves. I think that covers everything, but I thought that last time, too, so there still may be something I've left out. If you notice something, please feel free to contact me!
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So what is JA Unlimited?
Well, I can tell you straight off that it's no where NEAR as cool as it sounds. All this does is extend the capabilities for Jedi Academy (Multiplayer only) to handle models and other addons - it removes limitations; thereby, Jedi Academy becomes "unlimited." In all truthfulness, the name is probably a little misleading... but who ever said cool names represented cool things, right?
There was a mod released a long time ago in the filefront forums that was supposed to do the same thing, but by the time I found it, it had disappeared. Besides which, when I actually tried the method that the author posted, it was incomplete, and didn't function fully as promised, so I decided to redo it my own way, and ended up taking it a little farther.
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OK, but what does it DO???
It does a number of things:
-It removes the limit on pictures displayed in the profile menu, so no matter how many player models you have in your base folder, ALL of them will show up in the selection menu.
-It removes the limit on the number of species (customizable characters) you can have, which was previously 32.
-It removes the limit on the number of sabers that show up in the selection menu, so, again, no matter how many sabers you've downloaded, they should all show up there.
-It also removes the annoying limit on the number of sabers you can HAVE. Previously, if you were over the saber limit, not only would your saber not show up in the saber selection menu, but it wouldn't even be obtainable through the console. No longer an issue.
-It removes the limit number of maps available to you.
-It removes the limit on .sab files. You can have as many and as large of .sab files as you choose to have now.
-The same goes for .npc files - have as many as you like, there's no longer a need to delete the .npc file from a model to keep it in your base folder.
-And, surprise surprise, it removes the limit on .veh files, as well! I know that part's already been released in a separate mod, but, unfortunately, there's no way to make the two mods compatible, so this mod handles that, as well.
-And as if that wasn't enough, it even removes the limit on the .vwp (vehicle weapon) files!
I've also included an optional mod that will decrease the size of the pictures in that menu so that you can scroll faster - if you're like me, you have well over 200 models and skins to choose from, not counting team skins, and scrolling through pictures in a 6x3 box takes a while. Thumbnailshrink.pk3 will reduce the pictures to half size, displaying a 12x6 box instead of a 6x3, and, for those of you with a tiny fetish, thumbnailshrink_more.pk3 will take it even further and display your icons in a 16x8 box. If you'd prefer not to have the thumbnail size changed, simply leave both of these out. If you install them both, it will default to 16x8.
Since Raven hasn't released source code for SP, and probably never will, this mod is MP only. Most of it isn't needed in SP, anyway, but the problems of not being able to access some of your sabers if you have too many is still there. This also applies to oversized .npc/.sab/.veh/.vwp extensions, so you will probably have to take some of your files out of your base directory if you want to play SP again. There are ways to keep separate folders for SP and MP without having two copies of the game, but this readme isn't the place to put them, so email me if you'd like some help with it. =^_^=
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Sounds great. How do I install it?
Easy! Simply open up the zip file and dump z_ja_unlimited.pk3 into your base folder, and optionally include thumbnailshrink.pk3 or thumbnailshrink_more.pk3 with it. Then start up JA, and you're done!
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Is this mod compatible with other mods?
It depends. Mods that don't change the game functionality, such as vehicles, models, saber hilts, etc, work fine. It wouldn't make much sense if they didn't, given the nature of the mod. Unfortunately, any mod that alters the .dll files - including mods like JA+ and OJP - will most likely override this mod, and so the functionality will be lost. However, if the developers of those mods would like to collaborate to include these functionalities in their mods, it's a pretty simple change that I'm sure they could add to their mod very easily, and I'd be more than happy to share - any mod developers interested, just send me an email.
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And now, the ****important**** disclaimer/bug report:
The makers of Jedi Academy put a limit on the number of models and sabers shown for a reason: namely, the more data the game has to load, the more memory it takes up, and the more data you want to ALLOW it to load, the more memory you have to reserve, so Raven's decision to put these limiters in place was made for a reason. It's fine if you're just seeing pictures and names, but even on an extremely high-end PC, it causes memory build up.
You know those times when you're loading a game and it says "Awaiting snapshot..."? From what I've been able to tell from experimenting and looking over the code (though I only looked at that section in passing, and don't think it's worth the time to try and actually follow it), that is the point when all of the models you've looked at are cleared from memory. And so, the more things you look at, whether it be sabers, models, species, or whatever, the longer it takes to load the next level. I once looked at every single saber I have in my base directory in one sitting; loading the next level took about 5 minutes, and my computer is, to be honest, quite a monster. So those of you with slower computers, beware, for you may end up sitting through some VERY long wait times.
Other than that, I haven't noticed any adverse effects, but, like I said, my computer is extremely high-end. I can make no guarantees that your computer will continue to run smoothly under these conditions. It's most likely comparable to overclocking - you get more out of your hardware, but you also strain it more, so it can potentially cause problems, but probably won't if you do it properly and carefully. Nevertheless, if your computer crashes, or you are forced to restart due to looking at too many sabers all at once, I take no liability or responsibility for any data or hardware that is damaged or destroyed. You have been warned, use at your own risk, and use responsibly.
Also of note: With this, you can now have a virtually unlimited number of mods. (I say virtually because there IS still a cap, but hopefully it's been increased enough that no one will ever get to it... if you do, that's what email is for, I'll make an updated version for you.) As with all good things, this carries a downside, as well. If you exceed a certain number of .pk3 files in your base directory, you will not be allowed to create a pure server - you'll be kicked out of it, with an error saying you referenced an "invalid .pk3 file." Because of this, this mod automatically turns off pure servers, and you won't be able to start a game if you enable that option. This isn't related to the mod in any way except that the "unlimitedness" opens an option to have that many .pk3 files. And if you have enough files to get that error, you won't be joining any pure server other than your own, anyway, so it's not a big deal.
Finally, I'm obliged to state that I am not affiliated with LucasArts, Raven, Activision, or any other company affiliated with Star Wars: Jedi Academy, and this mod is neither supported nor endorsed by any of the so mentioned entities. Star Wars, Jedi Academy, and all related trademarks belong to their respective companies, all rights reserved.
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As for credits, I would like to thank }HOK{ Deathspike. A small snippet of code he posted back in 2005 went a long way toward guiding me to the changes that needed to be made, even though I didn't use any of it in the long run, save one line. If nothing else, it was enough of a start to get me at least a little bit familiar with the file structure of JA's source code, and that can make a big difference in the time it takes to get something like this accomplished.
And of course, I'd like to thank Raven for releasing this source code. Without that, this mod certainly wouldn't exist!
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So, I hate your mod, it blew up my computer, and now I want to yell at you in person over it. How do I do it?
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I'd like to thank you for your mod. How can I contact you?
To the first group of questioners:
I live at the bottom of the nearest cliff to you that is at least a 50-foot drop and has sharp rocks at the bottom. You can only reach me by car; please drive straight off the cliff, and I'll catch you at the bottom. Promise!!! >.>
To the second group:
You can email me at kasu.dorepa@gmail.com. Questions, comments, bug reports, feature requests, and constructive criticism are all welcome.
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Thanks for trying my mod, and I hope you enjoy it! Hopefully this will ease the concerns of a lot of people, particularly now that the mod from the forums isn't available anymore.
Perhaps some day I'll get around to finishing that map...
=^_^=Kat Angel=^_^=