The Complete Halo 3 Modding Tutorial (Part 1 of 5)

[iBotPeaches]

The Complete Halo 3 Modding Tutorial (Part 1 of 5)

Written by iBotPeaches of iBotModz.net

 

What we are covering in this session

Today we will be cover ripping Halo 3 to your computer so you may use the .MAP files and image files which other sites cannot provide. It will require lots of things. For people saying "omg wtf, this ain't no tutorial for h3" If you actually modded and didn't sniff off every thing like XSATA and resigners then this is what you have to do. Most people go beyond this, but this is the lowest you can go. Halo 2 required a raw dump to get clean maps. So this is the tutorial built for Halo 3. Written by iBotPeaches of iBotModz.net

 

 

Requirements

-CD Disc Drive

-wxRipper (Ripping Halo 3)

-wx360 (De-compiling the direct Halo 3 dump into files)

-Halo 3

-Phillips and Flathead screwdrivers

-Movie larger than 8gb

-Patients

 

Steps

Here we have a normal CD Drive (DVD Drive if you want, but CD will work and is better to use just in case you break it) , with the sticker removed around the plastic piece that holds a disc in place

 

 

After you've sliced or cut your sticker around your plastic piece its time to take apart the drive. All driver are different, and all you need is some screwdrivers to remove the case. I've already done it, and try to match your drive closest to the below picture. Notice how there is only the blue thing, so you can "hot swap" it.

 

 

Now you must find a DVD that is longer than 140 minutes. So that will make it larger than 8gb. I'm using Pirates of the Caribbean 3. Any movie newer than 2006 however is too smart and cannot be burn.

 

 

 

This next part is confusing and will require you to pay attention and follow it exactly. Otherwise you will get a failed raw dump. Your job is to successfully get the movie (Pirates) spinning around on the disc in the "hot-swapped" disc drive. Like so.

 

 

(Its spinning around in Real Life, my camera shutter speed is fast enough to catch it, even though its moving. Our frame rate as a human is too slow, so its moving, but for the camera picture its not)

 

Now load up wxRipper (Download at bottom)

 

 

Click that Magnifying Glass on the right of the green arrow. This will load up the DVD and make sure it loads. If it does you will be greeted like this. It will say "done" in the log box and show tons of numbers.

 

 

Now for the hotswap. Click "Stop Drive" under the HotSwap menu. That should slow the DVD down to a stop.

 

 

Now you can remove the little blue thing, remove the DVD and neatly and carefully place Halo 3 on the disc drive and place the blue thing back on top.

 

 

Go back to wxRipper, and go back to the HotSwap menu and select "Spin Drive"

Now Halo 3 should spin up and you now have "tricked" the system into thinking its burning a DVD. Go to "File" "Start Dump" and begin the RAW DUMP transfer. It may ask you to name your ISO, save it to your desktop and call it "Halo3.iso" This is temporary till we extract it.

 

 

 

This is the start of it. It counts the file size up on the far left till it reaches the full size. I took a picture fairly early so it has awhile to go.

 

 

Go grab a drink, and sit down this takes a good 20 minutes. I was gone during this tutorial, so I did not get a picture, and too lazy to burn another copy just to get a picture. It says complete and you now have a Halo3.iso on your desktop.

 

 

With this image, lets open wx360. Which comes in the same folder as wxRipper. Once you load up wx360. Go to "File" "Open"

 

 

Now browse into your desktop and select Halo3.iso

 

 

Like a miracle, all the files load up into a English language that you can read. Go up to "File" "Extract All Files"

 

 

Now it will ask you to save it somewhere. I save my stuff on my desktop. so I named it "Halo 3 Files" and saved it there.

 

 

 

Then you watch and wait as it takes about 40 minutes to convert raw .ISO material into usable files.Watch the log on the bottom of the program as it displays the current file being transferred and its fun to watch. The code below is an example of what is shown in the box.

         subfile : 040_voi.map @ 0x288720, size 0x18137000 in C:Documents and Settings----DesktopHalo3Filesmaps
  subfile : 050_floodvoi.map @ 0x2B898E, size 0x17E50000 in C:Documents and Settings----DesktopHalo3Filesmaps
  subfile : 070_waste.map @ 0x2E862E, size 0x19BA1000 in C:Documents and Settings-----DesktopHalo3Filesmaps

 

You now have all the Halo 3 raw files on your computer!

 

Next Tutorial features....

-Getting DLC Maps

-Using these maps with Sandbox

-Making a Mod in Halo 3 to "Mod"

-Connecting to your xbox 360 with either xPort or xSATA

 

Glossary

Hotswap=Hot swapping may be used to add or remove peripherals or components, to allow a device to synchronize data with a computer, and to replace faulty modules without interrupting equipment operation.

 

ISO/IMAGE=An ISO image is an archive file (a.k.a. disk image) of an optical disc using a conventional ISO format that is supported by many software vendors.

 

Downloads

iBotModz_wxRipper_wx360.rar

 

 

Common Errors

Q: I get this error.

 

 

A: You need to get a bigger disc that's not 8gb. Or you when you put in the DVD you took too long and the disc stopped spinning. You always need to disc spinning, until you stop it.

 

 

This was written 100% by iBotPeaches of iBotModz.net. All images and words were written by him. No images were taken, and nothing but the glossary was from 3rd party sites. Part 2 will come very soon. This tutorial is only authorized on iBotModz.net and iBotModz Affiliate sites. If you see this elsewhere. Please contact iBotPeaches.

[zZDarkLegacyZz]

(borat voice)

 

VERY NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dark Slipstream]

Appearance - 10/10

Coomunication - 10/10

Effort - 11/10

Understandable - 10/10

Overall - 10/10

 

Peaches, if the rest of your Tutorials are going to look like this, I might as well just copy and paste my ratings. VERY VERY Good Job Peaches. I hope you put as much effort into your future Tutorial's as you did this one.

[PREPPY DIABLO]

can you .map mod and make a new disc like h3 or would you need a .map resigner???

[Dark Slipstream]

can you .map mod and make a new disc like h3 or would you need a .map resigner???

 

Please ask questions in the H3 Support/Help section.

 

No, you cannot .MAP mod at all so far. But if you were, you would have to swap the .MAP with the .MAP on your current Halo 3 disc, so that would be the map you load.

[Guest ashking08]

nice tut cant wait till part 2 comes out

[SmokiestGrunl]

Thank you very much for this peaches. Now I know why you were doing the dumps .

 

I am going to follow this tutorial so I have all the Halo 3 maps and stuff.

[PREPPY DIABLO]

can you .map mod and make a new disc like h3 or would you need a .map resigner???

 

Please ask questions in the H3 Support/Help section.

 

No, you cannot .MAP mod at all so far. But if you were, you would have to swap the .MAP with the .MAP on your current Halo 3 disc, so that would be the map you load.

thnx for lettin me kno i cuz i knew you could with h2.

[Dark Slipstream]

No problem, always glad to help.

 

Yea Peaches, thanks. Now I can also have a raw Halo 3 dump to mess around with.

[Curtis]

What can i say that hasn't been said already.

 

Great job. Looks nice.

 

This is the kind of stuff that brings traffic and users to the site.

[SmokiestGrunl]

So we can use a CD drive for this? I do have a DVD one but I would rather not use it incase I break it.

[iBotPeaches]

So we can use a CD drive for this? I do have a DVD one but I would rather not use it incase I break it.

 

Yeah, I think I said DVD alot, but thats just because you will be using a DVD. I'll re-edit my post to make that more clear. Sorry about that. And let me tell you, having a raw dump is fun. I'm watching all the .bink videos and credits/intros and looking at mainmenu pics. Its fun.

[wackogamered]

thanks that will help a lot.

[Lux]

Good tutorial, but you don't need to take apart your DVD drive to rip the game. You can use the emergency ejection button on your DVD drive to replace your DVD with your game disc.

[iBotPeaches]

Good tutorial, but you don't need to take apart your DVD drive to rip the game. You can use the emergency ejection button on your DVD drive to replace your DVD with your game disc.

 

That little button didn't work for me on Halo 2 ripping or DVD ripping. It would always throw an error that the disk stopped spinning and registered that they disc drive was ejected, then it would re-read. If that works for you though, go for it.

 

 

I've recieved quite alot of messages saying how garbage this is, because you can just download these maps from xboxsoftmods. (Eazy B, after I left your party 2 noobs joined and dissed my tutorial) You can't download .info and the images from xboxsoftmods. This gives you the .XEX and all the files, its just better. Trust me

[.Eli]

Good job peaches, Looks like you put time, effort, and a good o'l creativity in it. 10/10

[SmokiestGrunl]

You have posted on this thread twice, showing that you are spamming just to get your post count up.

 

Second warning.

Ban level 1. Refer to rules to see ban levels

[Norbert220]

Thanks, this is VERY helpful, but I'm not much for computer terms or anything. I don't have a removable disc drive. What should I do?

[iBotPeaches]

You then take apart your computer and remove it. Every disc drive comes out one way or another this one just might take quite alot of skill/work to get out.

[matty0]

very good tutorial, but with an obvious mistake.

 

you HAVE to use a dvd drive. seeing as your,

A)first reading a dvd (therefore you automaticaly need a dvd drive or it just wouldnt read it)

B)your ripping an x360 DVD, therefore you need a dvd drive or it just wouldnt open it

 

it has 2 be a dvd rom drive, and it is impossible to work with a CD rom drive. i tried this myself and can 100% guarentee it. (i work in a computer shop so i have access to 100's of drives a day)

 

sorry. just warning you all so you dont wreck CD rom drives when a DVD is nescesary.

 

Matty0

Edited September 9, 2008 by matty0

[KennyP]

do you have to do this part of the tutorial? what does the dump do?

[KennyP]

(borat voice)

 

VERY NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!

do you have to do this part of the tutorial? what does the dump do?

[Korupt Data]

You do not have to do this tut at all, there are easier ways.. download forge 2.6 from the halo modding tools section.

[iBotPeaches]

The tut was made for mainly research as I looked at it, because you end up the with full Halo 3 game on your computer out of the encased ISO. So you can research or what not. Little did we know, we were on a dead end.

 

You can still put it on your computer and try and play with it.

[gruntmods]

pics broke