Rez Hacking

Due to some events, the old thread got deleted. But here it is again, I'll try and get all the info back up.

Rez has a really useful way to sequence it's music. Inside of Rez is a midi based music system. This midi based system uses midi files with 32 channels to create the music for a level. The game loads up the midi file, and then looks for and loads an MPB file and an FPB file. The FPB file tells the game what channels to activate at each layer, while the MPB file actually contains the samples for the song. These samples are then used on the midi file, and then you get the music you hear in-game.

Enemies and other normal level events (Camera angle changes, BPM changes, etc) are handled by a system called 'Mainflow'. There is an editor in the beta for these files. In the beta, if you have created a Mainflow file, and saved it (By default to the VMU), the game will first check for this file, and then fall back to the versions on the disc.

Levels are assembled via another system, this time called a 'Pass'. The beta contains parts of this PassEditor, but I have been unsuccessful in using it. Perhaps it could be invoked with a Katana Unit. Though you can delete every object of a level in the beta. But that can crash the game.

Textures are in the common .PVR format, inside of .PVM archives. These can be edited with the right tools.

There are some interesting things missing on the leaked beta. Such as the STG50 files. You can select from the left click menu stages 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, and 20. Loading 50 will crash the game on a 'Can't find STG50.BIN!!' screen. Another missing file is a module file. SNDTEST. I can only assume this was a sound testing module. It will crash the game on a similar screen to STG50's.

Some unused test mode textures-











Alpha and Beta videos-

Work in progress #1
Work in progress #2
Work in progress #3
Early footage

Beta menu texture-



Every texture from both beta and final versions-

http://www.mediafire.com/?yon2m3jkdln

Unused texture from a different, unused title video in the beta-



Message from a source-

There are some videos floating around, we had concepts of the guy being in a big chair with crazy woofer speakers, much more hip hop. Then it went through a very organic phase, undersea microscopic creatures and stuff, which kind of survived the transition into the current form.

I wanted it to be a bit deeper, like 2 or 3 buttons but Mizuguchi-san insisted it stay very minimal so everyone could enjoy it. Thats also why we included the trance mode, where you basically cant die so even people who suck at games can enjoy our game.

Beta keyboard commands-

http://www.mediafire.com/?52jzokqdmt3

Beta Test mode commands-

http://www.mediafire.com/?dtjrkn03m2h

Beta Area1 enemy-



Info on the beta enemy from a source-

'Holy **** thats awesome I forgot all about him!! He was the original bigger enemy from stage 1 that I designed and modeled, the art director towards the end of the game decided he didnt like it and made the new one with the one big fin hanging down. I miss that guy, his tentacles were bright blue and waved all over the place, I was very proud of it. Sad that it didnt make it!'

More beta enemies-





Beta player form (From this video- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxAcC1lqrNU&NR=1 )



Info on these images-

'wow those are all old prototypes. It took us a while to really nail down the aesthetic and how we were going to approach everything visually. The squares all transformed into different shapes in time with the music, and the other two are prototypes of undersea microscopic life we were almost decided on before we found the tron-like aesthetic we ended up going with.'

Some early work on Rez's .mpb format compression-

Area5

More recent work on the compression-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY9wpp53198
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IQjhCBk30NU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsmFP2Hf31M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeoV6JDCgNE

 

Turns out I'm me again. Still, this thread will remain, as the other one has gone.

 

That's interesting the developers developed that mainflow inside the game. Using it can you create a entire new soundtrack for the final game?

 

Well, yes, theoretically.

Though you would need a way to recompile .mpb files. And then .fpb files would need to be documented. And the midi type is a bit odd... It can play as a normal midi on a computer, but if you insert a different midi file, it causes very bad sound errors. There must be a tool for Dreamcast midi files...

Still, that is one of my goals for the future.

 

Not sure how much attention this post will receive, but..

Can anyone with a Pal Dreamcast, and a Japanese keyboard, please try and use the _ key on the Rez beta console menu?

 

Does it need to be a jpn keyboard? I got a blue swirl DC and an american keyboard!

 

You could try, it might let you use the _ key. Let me know how it goes!

 

I have those things, but I am currently in Japan for at least one year, so can't test! I might know someone that can though!

 

Let me know if this person you might know is able to test it, and enjoy Japan.

 

Pressing Print Screen on a keyboard will bring up a handy utility that displays what file are being accessed, memory usage, and also debug mode information. Particularly useful in the test mode.

On the subject of debug modes, there was one in Area4 I was unable to recreate anywhere else. Using the keyboard, I could spawn the different enemies at will, even the one used in the Lost Area, that spins lifelessly. One enemy, the small one that fires four lasers at you, triggers debug information to be displayed. So long as the Print Screen menu is up.

Using the debug modes again, one allows you to trigger level phases. A phase is a command that triggers events in the level. For example, Phase 0 might trigger the activation of the first Mainflow file. Phase 1 might load the next.

Phases also trigger the boss after the end of the previous phase.

To use them, activate the last two debug modes, hold Alt and press a number (0-9). It helps to have the console menu open, to check the command went through.

Using the last two debug modes, you can force the level to 'evolve' (Spacebar). Somehow managed this in the level select, Area1 loaded Area6 (Final Boss Rushes). Press A to disable or enable the Map Autochanger. This forces the transition segments to evolve into the ones you play in properly.

I'm unable to check if the key combination I posted here is the right one, will edit once I'm on my desktop.

 

good find. I'll have a play around tonight with that. Time to drag out the DC keyboard again.

 

the _ key doesn't work on my US dreamcast with US keyboard in the k-project console, it winds up typing a ~ if I recall correctly

 

Hmm.. That's a shame then. Just need the Japanese keyboard testing now.

I tried following the different keys once, but it ended up on the console menu button.

 

there were a few of the upper right buttons of the main keyboard rows which didn't produce the SHIFT + KEY character that they should have

 

Yeah, I noticed that. I wonder, Yakumo, are you using a Japanese Dreamcast keyboard?

 

Yeah, I have a Japanese keyboard with a Japanese DC. I also use the mouse which is very hand for navigating the menues.

yakumo

 

Does the _ key function correctly in the console window?

 

no idea, never tried it. Looks like I'll have to give it a try tonight. I'm sure I closed the window with the mouse.

 

Alright. Just there are commands (Type 'help' into the console window), that use the underscore. And that doesn't function correctly with Europe, and American keyboards, or so I have seen.

 

So I continued my research into the STM and STP formats used in Rez.

The STM format is a sound file, and can be imported into Audacity as a 'Signed 16 bit PCM'. This is not it's correct format, but it's close and works. Unlike with the MPB files, importing in this way does not create distortion in the audio. Though entry points and end points are still played as a clicking sound.

The STP file is just a container format for multiple STM files. It can also be imported as a 'Signed 16 bit PCM'.

But these files are odd. They seem to use some sort of stereo separation. they are played as a mono track, but seem to include data for stereo tracks, and this results in the audio repeating roughly every 0.175 seconds. I wondered if anyone has the knowledge to find out more about these formats? Or knows of a way to separate out the stereo from the mono track?

I will include some examples;

Here

To import these into Audacity, go to File>Import>Raw Data.

Choose a file, and set the Encoding to 'Signed 16 bit PCM', you can experiment with the other settings, but for now, just leave them as they are.