J2lathp

[Matrix]

Hi All,

Since it aint look like im not going to get the source (no reply :mad: ) ive decided to startup J2LATHP (Jazz 2 Level and Tileset Hack Project). The purpose of this project is to try and figgure out the format of the jazz 2 levels and tilesets. The site will be up soon so ill keep ya informed.

Site Preview:
<CENTER>http://homepage.mac.com/creatorsoft_online/J2LATHP/Images/mainLogo.GIF (http://homepage.mac.com/creatorsoft_online/J2LATHP/) </CENTER>

Matrix

[Michael]

How do you do that wicked font? ;)

[Matrix]

Here's how:

Boot up a DRAWING program not a painting program. A drawing program is where everything is a object that can be selected ect.

Next i placed a rectangle with the gradient and put the text on top of the gradient filled rectangle (because of anti-alising) then made it red. Next i copied the whole lot into a painting program and filled the text with the gradient.

Simple, eh?

If you want me to do any text like that just email me at creatorsoft_online@mac.com.

Matrix

[Krezack]

*sigh* and how do you plan to do this? it would take a year of non-stop fiddling and didling aound with lvl's and such take a look here if your insterested in this kind of stuff http://link.idlegames.com/j2hg/ but dont even think of joining if you wish to keep it all your little secret like you did the source code.

[Newspaz]

The levels are compressed zlib. It's not like that's a secret, or was it? Anyway..... Hmmrrmhb.

[Matrix]

What do you mean "compressed zlib". Do you mean that the levels are compressed WITH zlib or something else?

Matrix

[Krezack]

Yes newspaz im afraid it was.

[Haze]

Newspaz, you &^%$@#!!! *tapes up Newspaz' mouth* :)

BTW, something like this was already done before... can't remember by whom.

[Kaz]

Bah! Yes plenty of people did this and I was the one... well actually F.Quist and I figured out the levels were compressed with Zlib format from the Gzip people. WWW.GZIP.ORG/zlib/

Perhaps somebody could take the source and attempt to "Decompress" the levels. other than that most of the level is encoded in backwards binary so it'll be kind of tough.

[Newspaz]

Haze, it's not like nobody else than Kaz could have figured that out. It's not very hard, if you take a hex editor you can read the names and copyright notices of the tools they used, out of the exe file.

[Krezack]

Tools eh? lemme check i only ever see copyright epic bla bla and ive hexedited a few lvls uh...for....educational purposes yes thats it!

[Krezack]

hmmm but the only real benefit of this would be discovering it in hexediting then when youve found out how to change it actually memory editing it but i mean thats gotta be slow and pointless hasnt it?

[Haze]

No, I don't mean finding out which compressing methods they use. :) I meant decompressing the level files to a raw "somewhat readable/interpretable" format.
The only problem is: I can't remember who did it. Anyone care to search for this on the net? I KNOW it has been done.

[Kaz]

It looks like they took the source and just slapped it into there... And even in the memory the levels are compressed somehow, anybody know how there? And the source code is for download on their site if anybody thinks they could adapt the program to J2l standards.

[Lama]

I've experimented with the data you gave me over ICQ in Hackman but I still have no solution.

[Matrix]

Well i've got REALbasic for the macintosh (www.realbasic.com) and i can compile for windows (demo mode only for me since i've got the standard version and dont wanna upgrade to pro ($300 -> Aust $600 :( )). I've also got zlib and the docs and sources on how to use it in REALbasic. So ill see what i can come up with :D

If i do ever manage to uncompress/deflate the format ill create a prog and release the step for doing it :D

Cheers,
Matrix

[Krezack]

another australia hmmm?