I have tutorial for viewing the high-poly game assets. You can't rip them out (believe me I've tried), but it's the best reference. Better yet, you're looking at them in the "animation browser" so your seeing the weapons in action.
Appolo asked me for this, and I e-mailed it to him, but since there seem to be interest, I'llj ust post it right here for ya'll:
Step 1: Get the one and only patch for the game
Step 2: Follow this file structure:
C:\Program Files\LucasArts\Star Wars Republic Commando\GameData\System
Find and open the file named "UnrealEd" (you will want to make a short cut on your desktop, the program tends to crash from time to time). It will take a little while to start the editor.
Step 3: When the editor is open, you should see a "tip of the day". Feel free to turn that on or off. If you odn't see it, don't bother. You should also see a window pop up that says "Textures", has several tabs up top, and specificly, a large texture that looks like warped and broken glass. With this browser, you can view all the texures of the game, but using the drop down menus, and the "open file" button. Each tab as an "open file" button, each that go directly to the correct fodler, and onyl opens the files within those specified folders.
Go to the "Animations" tab.
Note:This is called the "assets browser". You can access this browser at any time b using the top menu button in the main editor window (tenth button over).
Step: 4 In the "Package" drop down menu, go to "HudArms". This brings up all animations that the players sees as his/her HUD. This is not limited to the health bar, shield bar, graphics, ect.... Hence the name "HudArms" this package has only to do with the arms, and guns the player uses, whether in single player or mutiplayer.
In the "Animation Set" drpo down menu, go to "HudArmsHelmetSet".
In the "Mesh" drop down menu, go to "HudArmsHelmet". In the viewport, you'll see the meshs displyed, change texture, as well as the high poly helmet will appear. This is the helmet that you see youself inspecting during the intro seen at Kamino.
Controls for the viewport are strange, to say the least. I will try to explain them as best I can:
1. click/hold left mouse button, and drag to move foreward/back, and rotate your view.
2. click and hold both mouse buttons, and drag fore/and back to go up and down.
3. click/hold right mouse button to rotate view from that point.
4. click/hold right muse button and alt to rotate the viewport (not reccomended unless you need too)
If you go up to the view menu, and select "HudArms View", you'll immediatly go into "first-person view" (as if you were playing the game), to reset your view/orientation in the viewport. This comesin handy when you look 360 degress, and find yourself lost in the dark grey.
Step 5: Once you'd gotten used to the controls, go to the aforementioned "HudArms View".You will now see nothing for lines and dark grey. you ahven't selected an animation yet. In the left window pane, select the "LOAD [300]" slot. Again, nothing appears (excet maybe the tip of thehelmet...don't move our view to see it just yet). Click the play button at the lower left corner to view the animaton (you may or may not hear the sound fx, dpending on the settings of your editor...if it doesn't don't freak. If it does, squeel with joy)
Step 6: Now that you can navigate through the viewpart, select the package, select the corresponding animation set, select the associated mesh, and play the animations, and view whatever high-poly model you wish. Long winded explaination for something you pick up very quickly, hope it helps XD Use the play and pause button to get any specific angle that you need, in association with the position of the arms and hands (they do get in the way).
NOTE: Now you can zoom all around, and get the view you like. What the bueaty of this is, you can see where the light reflections screw up your peseption of depth.
NOTE: Using similar methods with the other browsers, you can view almost any game asset you wish.
TEXTURE/Models/Game_Suck! Info:
This is game mechanics. In real life, yea hefty detail, depth, ect would be there. Where else would it go? Fact is, though game designers would love to make games look like real life movies, or get as close as they can, adding every detail, every real time shadow, ect....computers can only do so much at one time. Several tricks have been made to get the game to run faster, and get to add more detail, but even then, the programmers can only do so much with the technology available. Business speaking, what a customer's $300 computer can handle, vs what another customer's $50,000 computer can handle. They have to be open to a broad range of customers, and a customer's budget. This game was built around old-gen computer gaming. New-gen computer tech would allow for alot for detail, because games, like UnReal, Team Fortress 2, ect, can now handle TONS of more polygons, and new and better tricks ahve popped up. But we're stuck with an old-gen game, so deal with it XD
So, since not every seam is modeled in, a texture is flat. All the scratches, seams, bevels, ect...it's all flat. You will have to figure out what is a raised detail, an insetted detail, a curved edge vs a square edge...a rounded corner vs a square corner. The high-poly helmet is awesome, bt it still lacks alot of detail. It would be perfect, though, for pepakura, then jst carving those details in.
I have already included screent shots of this "anihelmet" (textured and wifre framed), and the "lowpoly-helmet" (textured only).
The texutres included are of the inside of the helmet, the armor itself (for the helmt met texture...saved space/time for the game developers to do it this way), as well as the textures for the arms.
I hope this helps, let me know if you have any more questions. I will be putting up detailed instructions for ripping models yourselves as well, but that'll be a while. I wrote this up some few months ago, and I have several other things going on right now.
My email is
ghwildfire@hotmail.com.
Good luck
P.S. The high poly weapons can't be pulled off the game. I've already tried several hundred times, and in several different ways. But if you can figure it out, I would very much appreciate the know-how.
It's good to know we can at least get better reference shots using this method!!
