Tutorial on Swapping character models

[Bluecast]

Almost forgot about this topic.
Awesome stuff as usual. Did Shenhua swallow major wood? her neck shows she was doing it wrong.

[Master Kyodai]

If anyone can post an in-detail "for dummies" guide on which files to switch and edit i might be able to make a program for automating the manual work.

[kakuzawa]

Does anyone tested this swapping on xbox version? In my humans.afs are only files called afs00000 (with no extension).

edit:
I chacked the other topic about modding S2. Well, it looks like there are only these files afs0000 instead of pks/pkf files. Instructions in this topic http://www.shenmuedojo.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=756 are not accurate enough for me. I would like to know how can I swap (e.g.) Shenhua on Disc 4 with Lan Di (after this I think I will know how to make other swappings) when having Xbox version of S2.
I extracted files from Human.afs (which is in scene04/npc) and all i get is about ~1,500 files which names are afs00000,afs00001 and so on. I have this idx file but I don't know what to do with both of them to swap models. I already downloaded this face packs from the 1st post of the topic, but they suit Dreamcast version not Xbox (even if the names were correct their names are way different than the ones in xbox version (afs0000 etc)).

[wude]

i think , you need a list of s2 xbox chars names, if they are differents like you said, then just open afs foles with a hex editor , and go the bottom page and read the name, after that you can swap it , it's harder than dreamcast since the files are not named but it's not impossible, i don't have an xbox version so try that and see what you get.

[kakuzawa]

Ok, I finally swap Shenhua with Lan Di / Baihu with Lan Di.
Is is possible to swap Ryo? What are called files with him? (I mean pkf & pks filenames)

[wude]

couldn't swap ryo in shenmue 2 myself, when , i change it in the mapinfo file the game freezes (only ryo actually but you can hear music and stuff),seems that it can't make the transition ,not like in shenmue1, and the hand problem is anoying too i swapped dou niu with landi and here is the result :

in game model(everything all right)



cut-scene model( wtf!!)

[Fenix]

Ok, I finally swap Shenhua with Lan Di / Baihu with Lan Di.
Is is possible to swap Ryo? What are called files with him? (I mean pkf & pks filenames)

I think they are called Aki or Akira, LOL.
That beacause Shenmue was called Akira's quest at the begining I think.

You can even swap Ryo from "What's Shenmue" to a Ryo Saturn Style.

[wude]

i think it's called RYO_ , it can be swapped with shenhua, a table, the sapporo machine, very low and transparent chars like dou niu , lishao tao, ren ..

the table opening the hidout door ..



in shenmue 1 it's YKB_( swapped with KYK_).

[Oppy]

^ In that last pic, Ryo looks like Riku as a child, just with a big tumor on his back.

[kakuzawa]

wude, i already figured that out
the only thing possible is to change mt7 model of Ryo with almost (didn't check all of them to be honest, but i think it doesn't matter) any other available on the disc
btw. Shenuha model looks absolutely ridiculous on Ryo (when you swap her mt7 with Ryo)
and this "tumor ryo" reminds me modding training monks (in SII) with other characters, most of them are so distorted that it gives you creeps

I almost forgot.... it concerns hand problem issue you discussed on the top of the page: have you also swapped hands in folder model/hands (or something like that)? I recenetly did this, when trying same swap as you did, and it looks as if Lan Di has his hands (the really easy way to check if it works ok in cutscenes was checking on Ren/Lan Di swap and of course focusing on Ren's hands)

[wude]

i think i have to swap hands in the scene folder, but i don't have a list of shenmue 2 locations/scenes folder, and i feel sad that i can't play as dou niu or iwaw, but i'll try to replace shenhua in the mt7 folder .

[kakuzawa]

i think i have to swap hands in the scene folder, but i don't have a list of shenmue 2 locations/scenes folder, and i feel sad that i can't play as dou niu or iwaw, but i'll try to replace shenhua in the mt7 folder .

try swapping mt7 files with hands in: scene/0x/model/hand/

Check-out my program, here is the link:
With this you can swap characters without extracting afs file. The downside of such solution: it eats RAM But other than that I find it to be rather fast working. When selecting afs file either of the version DC/Xbox should not be a problem. When using extracted content: for now, only S2X supported. Still much to do: to identify persons/creating better previews than the samples from pvr.
Swapper does not support swapping with multiplying cause I haven't been able to do something like that. In spoiler is the description of what I'm talking about.

posted by LanDC Get this. At Shenhua's house at about 8 pm, I just kept walking way past the actual map... Untill, eventually, the MOON slowly appeared in the sky! I also seen one of the funniest/coolest things ever.. Lan Di as Dou Niu when you first meet him, AND Lan Di as Ren when he busts in and tries to take out Dou Niu. So here we have, a Lan Di kicking at another Lan Di LOL. It's really a show of the XBOX's strength too.. Because one Lan Di model will tear up the DC, where on the XBOX, there are 2 Lan Di's and a Ryo model which is double the size of his DC counterpart all on screen at once without the slightest chance of lag.

Program will of course update *.idx file.

[dotsona]

Great work kakuzawa!

[wude]

great tool but it didn't work for me (DC version).

ryo of Shenmue II is the only editable char for the moment ,waiting for the next version of sizious's IPAC browser.

[kakuzawa]

swapped Shenhua with VCN_ & Lan Di with Joy with edit of HUMANS.afs and HUMANS.idx files (checked on nulldc)





Known issues (probably texture/variable in files problems, don't know how to make it correct) :

*JOY_ (Joy with mini jeans) as soon as you approach her/enter cutscene with her -> crash (game freezes/sound is "scratchy")
*training monks swapped with other characters : much glitches (it happened on Xbox, so Dreamcast shouldn't behave any better, I think)

It looks as if swapping cat/dog with human went just find (not on X... where game crashes... dc only?)!