MCG Darkest Hours Extracted Mission Source v3 file - Modding MechCommander

Those files you will need when you would like to mod MCG Darkest Hours. This file package contains those files sorted and extracted (original missions in a clean naming manner - all other customer missions with its editor ID-strings as name:

• Original single player campaign missions
• Expansion campaign missions
• Xenocide & Bengal Lancers standalone missions
• X-Ray & DSC Raid standalone missions
• Exodus & Turncoat standalone missions
• TheRepulse missions
• Solo-mission Map Pack 1-3 missions
• Multiplayer Map Pack 1-3 missions
• Master campaign files
• Purchase files
• my personal *.sol / *.sav / *.pkk / *.mpk work folders

In other words this file package contains all extracted mission file plaintext. It can be opened and changed via notepad ++ for example and the process coding your own missions like that is called ABL scripting. This way all the MechCommander missions where created. All mission files are stored in compressed file libraries called *.FST or (mission specifically) *.DPK file extensions. When you would like to know more about DPK or FST files - or MechCommander used file extensions in general i recommend you read this "Modding Introduction" article.

Yeah thank you but I've already got all valuable information of all threads of this forum including all extracted data. What I need to know is how to extract two files with the same name out of a

• *.fst:data/missions -> individual mission.fit
• data/terrain -> individual terrain mission.fit

Fstextract only extracts the first file it finds and it's always the mission.fit from mission folder. The mission fit of terrain it doesn't extract cause fstextract refuses to take any paths to sub folders...To your question: all regular mission files you can find in the extracted data from what you gave me above. All regular missions are saved in mission.fst file in root folder. Extracted files from ur download including all regular missions in it. What was harder was to find out which files actually belong to what mission cause the developers didn't had a straight naming procedure... so u need to find out urself what files u need to have a complete regular mission. I already have mission 1-10 separated and can change them successful on own delight.Hope it helps

The solution of the problem above where the Tigress tools - which allow comfortable extracting and recrompressing any mission files!


Edit
I try to explain easy how missions work in MechCommander GameEngine:
Each mission contains several files in sub directories. These files are compressed in *.fst (familiar to zip/7z compressed) files. The mission.fst & terrain.fst files in your game root directory including all files from a mission. In fst files the files are stored like a library with sub directories. To change game you need these:\MCXgamefolder\ all .fst files game contains

• \MCXgamefolder\data\missions (all mission data files)
• \MCXgamefolder\data\missions\warriors (mission brain files and warriors)
• \MCXgamefolder\data\terrain (mission map files)

Each mission should contain those files:
Mission.fst files

• data\missions\campaignmap1.fit (for solo "campaign" mission)
• data\missions\map1.ABL
• data\missions\map1.FIT
• data\missions\map1.txt (briefing text)
• data\missions\map1_INIT.ABI
• data\missions\map1_LOP.ABI
• data\missions\map1_MP.ABI
• data\missions\map1_STR.ABI
• data\missions\map1_VAR.ABI
• data\missions\purchase00.fit (only if campaign mission)

Warrior/brain files

• data\missions\warriors\map1Params.fit - (only when using editor - in abl-scripting more files needed here)

Terrain.fst files

• data\terrain\map1.bdg
• data\terrain\map1.dat
• data\terrain\map1.elv
• data\terrain\map1.fit
• data\terrain\map1.gmm
• data\terrain\map1.log.tga
• data\terrain\map1.obj
• data\terrain\map1.pre
• data\terrain\map1.tga

You see to have successfully implemented campaign mission you need minimum 19 files containing all data mission uses to run with its individual map and mission objectives. When you use original campaign missions it's very simple to extract and separate these missions. Hard is to relink them after changing file names cause missions are linked to the other mission files. When you rename you need to replace these links in the mission data files in order to run it later. And it's important to know that original missions contain more files than these above cause they are scripted and some changes the developers did you can't implement with game editor. When you use the game editor to work on original missions you need to keep in mind that all units on the map are scripted manually by the developers or with another program than editor or extender. The editor just can open the original maps but it won't show you the mission data like objectives and no units will be placed.These are scripted missions and the units and objectives are to find in abl files. In order to edit these without recreating whole mission data manually you need to put in additional units manually instead.What should be possible are map changes without touching mission data means you probably can add buildings and bridges without scripting.

Have fun while modding MechCommander, that's an order!

(c) Regards RizZen 2020