Silent Machete Assassinations - Toolkit & Guide file - Far Cry 2: Vanilla+ (Tom's Mod) for Far Cry 2

This guide is for other modders that want to add working 100% silent machete assassinations into their own mods using already existing VANILLA files from your Far Cry 2 game! This has been a collaborative project between all of us but credit goes to dannyhl2 for first creating this feature. We wouldn't have completed this without knowing it was possible first and we wanted to work it out so we can share it with the community. There is a google docs version of this guide available here. Marc has also uploaded a version of this mod bundled with Far Cry 2: Redux 2.9 as an example package, available here.

Unpacking Files

The only commonly available mod unpacking/packing tools that will not cause crashes are found here: Moddb.com

This is a different set of tools than is listed elsewhere but the old method using bootstrap doesn't work for modern mods.

Download the mod tools and then follow these steps:

Unpacking worlds.fat/worlds.dat

1. Find your “worlds.fat” and “worlds.dat” from your vanilla install within \Far Cry 2\Data_Win32\worlds\.

2. Copy both files into your mod tools folder. Drag "worlds.fat" onto "Gibbed.Dunia.Unpack.exe". This will unpack the files and create a folder called "worlds_unpack" which contains all of the files.

Unpacking patch.fat/patch.dat

This step is only needed if you are going to install the optional ‘creeping’ mod. See Section 4 for details.

1. Take your "patch.fat" and "patch.dat" from whatever version/mod you're using and copy them into the mod tools folder.

2. Drag "patch.fat" onto "Gibbed.Dunia.Unpack.exe". This will unpack the files and create a folder called "patch_unpack" which contains all of the patch's files.

3. Go to \patch_unpack\generated\ and copy "entitylibrarypatchoverride.fcb" to the mod tools folder. Drag it onto "Gibbed.Dunia.ConvertBinary.exe". This will create a folder called "entitylibrarypatchoverride" which contains all of the mod's .xml files.

(Essential) Section 1 - Weapons.gosm.xml

1. Copy “weapons.gosm.xml” from \worlds_unpack\scripts\engine\objects\pawn\statemachine\ and copy it into the same folder within your patch folder: \patch_unpack\scripts\engine\objects\pawn\statemachine\. Create these folders if they are not present.

2. Open “weapons.gosm.xml” and find this section:

<Sink Name="melee attack success" Start="0" End="100">
<Connection Target="::Pawn Weapons/Weapon Mechanics/States/Machete/MeleeAttackBegin"
Signal="melee_attack_success" />
</Sink>
<Sink Name="melee attack miss" Start="0" End="100">
<Connection Target="::Pawn Weapons/Weapon Mechanics/States/Machete/MeleeAttackMiss"
Signal="melee_attack_miss" />
</Sink>

Change these sections to the following, but please note that only the “melee attack success” section is essential to change. The “melee attack miss” section can also be changed if you want to guarantee successful assassinations:

<Sink Name="melee attack success" Start="0" End="100">
<Connection Target="::Pawn Weapons/Weapon Mechanics/States/Machete/MeleeAttackFinishDouble" Signal="melee_attack_success" />
</Sink>
<Sink Name="melee attack miss" Start="0" End="100">
<Connection Target="::Pawn Weapons/Weapon Mechanics/States/Machete/MeleeAttackFinishDouble" Signal="melee_attack_success" />
</Sink>

(Essential) Section 2 - Silent Animations

1. Find “3rdge_uppb_lethalslash_+000fw_hhmac_i1.mab” in \worlds_unpack\graphics\characters\_common\animations\weapons\handtohand\machete\.

Copy this file into the following directory in your “patch_unpack” folder: \patch_unpack\graphics\characters\_common\animations\weapons\handtohand\machete\sync_finishground\

Again, create these folders if they are not present.

Rename this file to “3rdge_syns_finishground_+000fw_nowep_i1.mab”.

(Optional) Section 3 - Screams

By default the enemies will scream in pain or make dying sounds when you perform an assassination. This screaming can be disabled with the instructions below if it is weird for you that the enemies don’t react to the noise.

1. Copy “hmr.gosm.xml” from \worlds_unpack\scripts\game\objects\pawn\statemachine\ and paste it into the same address within your patch folder: \patch_unpack\scripts\game\objects\pawn\statemachine\. Create these folders if they are not present.

2. Open the file. Find and delete this section:

<Event Name="DeathBark" Type="CGOStateEventBark" Start="30" End="31">
  <Parameter Name="alwaysTrigger" Value="0" />
  <Parameter Name="triggerOnce" Value="1" />
  <Parameter Name="triggeredOnEnd" Value="0" />
  <Parameter Name="triggeredOnBegin" Value="0" />
  <Parameter Name="requestType" Value="0" />
  <Parameter Name="barkEvent" Value="14" />
 </Event>

(Optional) Section 4 - Creeping

Enabling creeping

This feature will make stealth easier when playing using mouse and keyboard because in the vanilla game stealth was designed around being able to walk slowly behind enemies using a controller. By enabling ‘creeping’ you will be able to hold the right mouse button while using the machete to walk at half speed.

There are two methods to making this change, with and without using an XML converter to decrypt hash values. Both methods are described below:

Without using a XML converter

1. Find and open “xx_WeaponProperties.xml” within the “entitylibrarypatchoverride” folder. If you do not have this folder then you need to convert “entitylibrarypatchoverride.fcb” into .xml files. This is done by dragging it onto “Gibbed.Dunia.ConvertBinary.exe”, which will create your “entitylibrarypatchoverride” folder containing your .xml files.

2. Within “xx_WeaponProperties.xml” there are three machete entries that need to be edited:

• WeaponProperties.HandToHand.Machete
• WeaponProperties.HandToHand.Machete_HomeMade
• WeaponProperties.HandToHand.Machete_Primitive

Find these entries and then use ctrl-f to find this set of values for each machete:

<object hash="BB04E184">
              <value hash="7D725133" type="BinHex">0000803F</value>
              <value hash="E49EEB82" type="BinHex">00</value>

3. Edit each of these sections to the following:

<object hash="BB04E184">
              <value hash="7D725133" type="BinHex">0000003F</value>
              <value hash="E49EEB82" type="BinHex">01</value>

With using a XML converter

An XML converter will decode hash values into English. There are a few out there, like Razor’s Modified Binary+XML Converter and I have one available here: Moddb.com

1. Find and open “xx_WeaponProperties.xml” within the “entitylibrarypatchoverride” folder. If you do not have this folder then you need to convert “entitylibrarypatchoverride.fcb” into .xml files. This is done by dragging it onto “Gibbed.Dunia.ConvertBinary.exe”, which will create your “entitylibrarypatchoverride” folder containing your .xml files.

2 Within “xx_WeaponProperties.xml” there are three machete entries that need to be edited:

• WeaponProperties.HandToHand.Machete
• WeaponProperties.HandToHand.Machete_HomeMade
• WeaponProperties.HandToHand.Machete_Primitive

Find these entries and then use ctrl-f to find this set of values for each machete:

<object type="IronSight">
              <value name="fMoveSpeedFactor" type="Float">1</value>
              <value name="bCanIronsight" type="Bool">False</value>

Edit each of these sections to the following:

<object type="IronSight">
              <value name="fMoveSpeedFactor" type="Float">0.5</value>
              <value name="bCanIronsight" type="Bool">True</value>

“fMoveSpeedFactor” can be changed to any multiplier of the vanilla walking speed depending on how fast you want creeping to be.

Improving the creeping animation

1. Find “1stge_uppb_wsafewalk_+000fw_hhmac_i1.mab” in \worlds_unpack\patch\graphics\characters\animations\weapons\handtohand\machete\.

Copy this file into the same directory within your “patch_unpack” folder:

\patch_unpack\patch\graphics\characters\animations\weapons\handtohand\machete\

Create these folders if they are not present.

Rename this file to “1stge_uppb_walkcrh_+000fw_hhmac_i1.mab”.

Packing Files

1. Once you're done making your changes it's time to put everything back together. If you have installed the ‘creeping’ changes then continue with this step, if not you can skip to step 2. Within your mod tools folder drag "entitylibrarypatchoverride.XML" onto "Gibbed.Dunia.ConvertBinary.exe". This will produce a new "entitylibrarypatchoverride.fcb" and automatically overwrite the original you copied into this folder when you fist unpacked. Copy the new "entitylibrarypatchoverride.fcb" back into \patch_unpack\generated\ and overwrite the one in there already.

2. Drag your "patch_unpack" folder over "Gibbed.Dunia.Pack.exe" and this will create "patch_unpack.dat" and "patch_unpack.fat". Copy these and go to your Data_Win32 folder (Steam\steamapps\common\Far Cry 2\Data_Win32). Delete your original "patch.dat" and "patch.fat", paste your copied files in and rename them to the same.

Changelog

v1 - First upload.

v1.1 - Made the takedowns truly silent but at the cost of a bug where if the takedowns are performed far from the enemy then the player will become invisible during the animation.

v1.2 - Dannyhl2 has given some input and helped refine the method and improve our knowledge of what features can be customised.

v1.3 - Fixed a mistake in the guide.

v1.4 - Fixed the bugged animation where if the takedowns are performed far from the enemy then the player will become invisible during the animation.