Invader is an open source toolkit for creating maps and assets for Halo: Combat Evolved.
Our Discord server is https://discord.gg/RCX3nvw
Our IRC channel is #invader on Libera Chat (irc.libera.chat/6697 [TLS])
The official source code repository is https://github.com/SnowyMouse/invader
See LICENSE.md for information about what is licensed under what.
This readme addresses a few topics:
Note there is no automatic update mechanism in place of these builds or any notification system. You are responsible for ensuring you have the latest Invader build. For an explanation, see Why don't I get notified of updates?.
To check if you are on an up-to-date version, run one of the tools (e.g.
invader-info) with the -i parameter. On the top of the output is the version
number that corresponds to the installation of Invader (e.g.
Invader 0.26.1.r1776.9db4cc5). This is the project name (Invader), version
(0.26.1), commit number (r1776), and a truncated commit hash (9db4cc5).
Next, go to the commits and check the commit hash against the topmost commit. If the commit hash in Invader matches the beginning of the full hash, then you are using the latest build of Invader.
Invader is not finished, so it is important to stay up-to-date to obtain the latest features and fixes. Staying on an old version means staying on unfinished software that likely has known issues.
See CONTRIBUTING.md.
Invader can be obtained by either downloading pre-compiled binaries or compiling from source.
You can download precompiled Windows builds. These will typically be up-to-date unless commits were made very recently.
Note that these builds are Windows-only. So, if you are not on Windows, you should not use these builds.
Also note that these builds require Windows 10 or later. Windows 8 and older are unsupported due to dependencies now requiring later versions of Windows.
If you got this readme from an archive containing pre-compiled Invader binaries, this section probably doesn't apply to you, but you are welcome to compile Invader if you want to. Regardless, you can browse and download the source code for free on GitHub.
If you use Arch Linux, the Arch Linux AUR has a package you can use to build Invader. This will pull from the main repo on GitHub, so you only have to rebuild the package when you want to update.
Invader depends on software in order for it to build and work properly. This section lists the dependencies required to fully utilize Invader. Note that some of these dependencies may have their own dependencies (and so on), but if you use a package manager to get them, then it should take care of that for you.
- C++20 compiler
- C11 compiler
- CMake 3.14 or newer
- Python 3.7 or newer
- LibTIFF 3.6 or newer
- libvorbis 1.3.6 or newer
- libsamplerate 0.1.9 or newer
- Qt6
- SDL2
- zlib
- Corrosion 0.1
- LibArchive (invader-archive)
- freetype (invader-font)
- git (git commit hash in version - build only)
First, you will need to download the Invader repository onto your computer. You can do this using the command:
git clone https://github.com/SnowyMouse/invader --recursive
Everything in this section, from this point on, assumes the Invader repository was cloned in a directory called "invader" in the current directory.
Next, you will need to create an out-of-source build directory. You can use this command to make the build directory and CD into it upon success:
mkdir invader-build && cd invader-build
Next, use the cmake command to set up your build directory, optionally
specifying the build type to Release:
cmake ../invader -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
Lastly, you can compile this using the make command.
make
To remove the reliance of one huge executable, something that has caused issues with Halo Custom Edition's tool.exe, as well as make things easier to develop, this project is split into different programs.
- invader-archive
- invader-bitmap
- invader-bludgeon
- invader-build
- invader-collection
- invader-compare
- invader-convert
- invader-dependency
- invader-edit
- invader-edit-qt
- invader-extract
- invader-font
- invader-index
- invader-info
- invader-model
- invader-recover
- invader-refactor
- invader-resource
- invader-script
- invader-sound
- invader-string
- invader-strip
This program generates a .tar.xz archive containing all of the tags used to build a map.
Usage: invader-archive [options] <-g <engine> <scenario> | -s tag.class>
Generate .tar.xz archives of the tags required to build a cache file.
Options:
-C --copy Copy instead of making an archive.
-e --exclude <dir> Exclude copying any tags that share a path with
a tag in specified directory. Use multiple times
to exclude multiple directories.
-E --exclude-matched Exclude copying any tags that are also located
in the specified directory and are functionally
the same. Use multiple times to exclude multiple
directories.
-F --format <format> Specify format. Valid formats are: 7z, tar-gz,
tar-xz, tar-zst, zip. Default format is 7z
-g --game-engine <engine> Specify the game engine. Valid engines are:
gbx-custom, gbx-demo, gbx-retail, mcc-cea,
native, xbox-demo, xbox-ntsc, xbox-ntsc-jp,
xbox-ntsc-tw, xbox-pal
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-o --output <file> Output to a specific file. Extension must be
.tar.xz unless using --copy which then it's a
directory.
-O --overwrite Overwrite tags if they already exist if using
--copy
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-s --single-tag Archive a tag tree instead of a cache file.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
-v --verbose Print whether or not tags are omitted. Do
verbose comparisons.
This program generates bitmap tags from images. For source images, .tif, .tiff, .png, .tga, and .bmp extensions are supported.
Note that image sharpening and blurring, while supported, are not recommended, and output may not exactly match the Halo Editing Kit's output.
Usage: invader-bitmap [options] <bitmap-tag>
Create or modify a bitmap tag.
Options:
-A --alpha-bias <bias> Set the alpha bias from -1.0 to 1.0. Default
(new tag): 0.0
-B --budget <length> Set the maximum length of a sprite sheet. Can be
32, 64, 128, 256, 512, or 1024. Default (new
tag): 32
-C --budget-count <count> Multiply the maximum length squared to set the
maximum number of pixels. Setting this to 0
disables budgeting. Default (new tag): 0
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-D --dithering <val> Apply dithering to 16-bit or p8 bitmaps. Can be:
off or on. Default (new tag): off
-f --detail-fade <factor> Set detail fade factor. Default (new tag): 0.0
-F --format <type> Pixel format. Can be: 32-bit, 16-bit,
monochrome, dxt5, dxt3, dxt1, or auto. 'auto'
will be replaced with the best lossless format.
Default (new tag): auto
-h --help Show this list of options.
-H --bump-height <height> Set the apparent bumpmap height from 0.0 to 1.0.
Default (new tag): 0.026
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-I --ignore-tag Ignore the tag data if the tag exists.
-M --mipmap-count <count> Set maximum mipmaps. Default (new tag): 32767
-n --allow-non-power-of-two Allow color plates with non-power-of-two,
non-interface bitmaps.
-p --bump-palettize <val> Set the bumpmap palettization setting. Can be:
off or on. Default (new tag): off
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-r --reg-point-hack <val> Ignore sequence borders when calculating
registration point (AKA 'filthy sprite bug
fix'). Can be: off or on. Default (new tag): off
-R --regenerate Use the bitmap tag's compressed color plate data
as data.
-s --mipmap-scale <type> Mipmap scale type. This does not save in .bitmap
tags. Can be: linear, nearest_alpha, nearest.
Default (new tag): linear
-S --square-sheets Force square sprite sheets (works around
particles being incorrectly stretched).
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
-T --type <type> Set the type of bitmap. Can be: 2d_textures,
3d_textures, cube_maps, interface_bitmaps, or
sprites. Default (new tag): 2d_textures
-u --usage <usage> Set the bitmap usage. Can be: alpha_blend,
default, height_map, detail_map, light_map,
vector_map. Default: default
Refer to Creating a bitmap for information on how to create bitmap tags.
This program convinces broken tags to work with Invader.
Usage: invader-bludgeon [options] <-b [expr] | <tag>>
Convinces tags to work with Invader.
Options:
-b --batch <expr> Run the command on all tags with a given
expression.
-e --batch-exclude <expr> Run the command on all tags that do not match a
given expression. This takes precedence over
--batch
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-j --threads Set the number of threads to use for parallel
bludgeoning when using --all. Default: CPU
thread count
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
-T --type Type of bludgeoning. Can be:
broken-lens-flare-function-scale,
incorrect-sound-buffer, invalid-enums,
invalid-indices, invalid-strings,
invalid-model-markers,
invalid-reference-classes,
invalid-uppercase-references,
mismatched-sound-enums, missing-script-source,
missing-vertices, nonnormal-vectors,
out-of-range, missing-bitmap-sequences,
everything
This program builds cache files.
Usage: invader-build [options] -g <target> <scenario>
Build a cache file.
Options:
-a --anniversary-mode Enable anniversary graphics and audio (CEA only)
-A --auto-forge Ensure the map will be network compatible with
the target engine's stock maps.
-b --stock-resource-bounds Only index tags if the tag's index is within
stock Custom Edition's resource map bounds.
(Custom Edition only)
-B --build-string <ver> Set the build string in the header.
-C --forge-crc <crc> Forge the CRC32 value of the map after building
it.
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-E --extend-file-limits Extend file size limits to 2 GiB regardless of
if the target engine will support the cache
file.
-g --game-engine <engine> Specify the game engine. Valid engines are:
gbx-custom, gbx-demo, gbx-retail, mcc-cea,
native, xbox-demo, xbox-ntsc, xbox-ntsc-jp,
xbox-ntsc-tw, xbox-pal
-h --help Show this list of options.
-H --hide-pedantic-warnings Don't show minor warnings.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-l --level <level> Set the compression level (Xbox maps only). Must
be between 0 and 9. Default: 9
-m --maps <dir> Use the specified maps directory. Default:
"maps"
-N --rename-scenario <name> Rename the scenario.
-o --output <file> Output to a specific file.
-O --optimize Optimize tag space. This will drastically
increase the amount of time required to build
the cache file.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-q --quiet Only output error messages.
-r --resource-usage <usage> Specify the behavior for using resource maps.
Must be: none (don't use resource maps), check
(check resource maps), always (always index tags
in resource maps - Custom Edition only).
Default: none
-R --resource-maps <dir> Specify the directory for loading resource maps.
(by default this is the maps directory)
-S --script-source <source> Specify the script source data location. Can be
"data" or "tags". Default: data
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
-T --tag-space <size> Override the tag space. This may result in a map
that does not work with the stock games. You can
specify the number of bytes, optionally
suffixing with K (for KiB) or M (for MiB), or
specify in hexadecimal the number of bytes (e.g.
0x1000).
-w --with-index <file> Use an index file for the tags, ensuring the
map's tags are ordered in the same way.
In some instances, specific tags will be modified. Some of these are a holdover from tool.exe, or they are done to account for different versions of the game. Admittedly, this is poor design, but that's ultimately on Gearbox and Bungie for changing the tags in the first place rather than creating new tags.
Invader will silently modify a few tags for single player:
weapons\pistol\pistol.weapon- Minimum error: 0.2°
- Error angle: 0.2° to 0.4°
weapons\pistol\bullet.damage_effect- Elite energy shield modifier: 0.8
weapons\plasma rifle\plasma rifle.weapon- Error angle: 0.25° to 2.5°
This is a holdover from tool.exe, and it is done in Invader to prevent the core single player experience from being affected. If you do not want it to do this, copy these respective tags to a different path.
Invader will also silently modify the ting sound effect for multiplayer to have a gain of 1.0 if Custom Edition and 0.2 if not. This is so the sound is not too loud or too quiet when played on their respective versions.
Invader will modify a few tags when building a stock multiplayer map:
vehicles\ghost\ghost bolt.damage_effect,vehicles\banshee\banshee bolt.damage_effect- Stun: 0.0 if Custom Edition, else 1.0
- Maximum stun: 0.0 if Custom Edition, else 1.0
- Stun time: 0.0 if Custom Edition, else 0.15
vehicles\rwarthog\rwarthog_gun.weapon- Autoaim angle: 6.0° if Custom Edition, else 1.0°
- Deviation angle: 12.0° if Custom Edition, else 1.0°
This is done to prevent desyncing caused by using tag sets from different versions of the game. If you do not want it to do this, copy these respective tags to a different path. Custom maps (i.e. maps that don't use stock scenario tag names) are not affected by this. Also, if any changes are applied, a minor warning will be emitted.
This program creates .tag_collection tag files from .txt files, where each path is on a separate line.
Usage: invader-collection [options] <tag>
Generate tag_collection tags.
Options:
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
This program compares tags against maps, maps against maps, and tags against tags.
Usage: invader-compare [options] <-I <opts>> <-I <opts>> [<-I <opts>> ...]
Compare tags against other tags.
Options:
-a --all Only match if tags are in all inputs.
-B --by-path <path-type> Set what tags get compared against other tags.
By default, only tags with the same relative
path are checked. Using "any" ignores paths
completely (useful for finding duplicates when
both inputs are different) while "different"
only checks tags with different paths (useful
for finding duplicates when both inputs are the
same). Can be: any, different, or same (default)
-e --search-exclude <expr> Search for tags (* and ? are wildcards) and
ignore these. Use multiple times for multiple
queries. This takes precedence over --search.
-f --functional Precompile the tags before comparison to check
for only functional differences.
-G --ignore-resources Ignore resource maps for the current map input.
This option must be used after --input.
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-I --input Add an input. This option is required before
using --tags, --maps, --map, and
--ignore-resources.
-j --threads Set the number of threads to use for comparison.
Default: 1
-m --maps Add a maps directory to the input to specify
where to find resource files for a map. This
option must be used after --input.
-M --map Add a map to the input. Only one map can be
specified per input. If a maps directory isn't
specified, then the map's directory will be
used. This option must be used after --input.
-p --precision Allow for slight differences in floats to
account for precision loss.
-s --search <expr> Search for tags (* and ? are wildcards) and
compare these. Use multiple times for multiple
queries. If unspecified, all tags will be
compared.
-S --show Can be: all, matched, or mismatched. Default:
all
-t --tags Add a tags directory to the input. Specify
multiple tag directories in order of precedence
for the input. This option must be used after
--input.
-v --verbose Output more information on the differences
between tags to standard output. This will not
work with --functional.
This program converts tags from one type to another. This is especially useful in conjunction with invader-refactor for porting maps between different versions of the game.
Usage: invader-convert [options] <--all | -s <tag>>
Convert from one tag type to another.
Options:
-a --all Convert all tags. This cannot be used with -s.
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-o --output-tags <dir> Set the output tags directory.
-O --overwrite Overwrite any output tags if they exist.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-s --single-tag Convert a specific tag. This can be specified
multiple times for multiple tags, but cannot be
used with -a.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
-T --type <type> Type of conversion. Can be: gbxmodel-to-model
(g2m), model-to-gbxmodel (m2g),
chicago-extended-to-chicago (x2c)
This program finds tags that directly depend on a given tag.
Usage: invader-dependency [options] <tag.class>
Check dependencies for a tag.
Options:
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-r --recursive Recursively get all depended tags.
-R --reverse Find all tags that depend on the tag, instead.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
This program edits tags in a command-line interface. This is primarily used for scripting. If you want to edit tags in a graphical user interface, use invader-edit-qt.
Usage: invader-edit [options] <tag.class>
Edit tags via command-line.
Options:
-c --copy <key> <pos> Copy the selected struct(s) to the given index
or "end" if the end of the array.
-C --count <key> Get the number of elements in the array at the
given key.
-E --erase <key> Delete the selected struct(s).
-G --get <key> Get the value with the given key.
-h --help Show this list of options.
-H --checksum Output the calculated checksum of the tag.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-I --insert <key> <#> <pos> Add # structs to the given index or "end" if the
end of the array.
-l --list List all elements in a tag.
-L --list-values List all elements and values in a tag. This may
be slow on large tags.
-M --move <key> <pos> Swap the selected structs with the structs at
the given index or "end" if the end of the
array. The regions must not intersect.
-n --no-safeguards Allow all tag data to be edited (proceed at your
own risk)
-N --new Create a new tag
-o --output <file> Output the tag to a different path rather than
overwriting it.
-O --save-as <tag> Output the tag to a different path relative to
the tags directory rather than overwriting it.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-S --set <key> <val> Set the value at the given key to the given
value.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
-V --verify-checksum Verify that the checksum in the header is
correct and print the result.
This program edits tags in a Qt-based GUI.
Usage: invader-edit-qt [options] [<tag1> [tag2] [...]]
Edit tag files.
Options:
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-L --listing-mode Set the listing behavior. Can be: fast,
recursive (default: fast)
-n --no-safeguards Allow all tag data to be edited (proceed at your
own risk)
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
This program extracts tags from cache files.
Usage: invader-extract [options] <map>
Extract data from cache files.
Options:
-e --search-exclude <expr> Search for tags (* and ? are wildcards) and
ignore these. Use multiple times for multiple
queries. This takes precedence over --search.
-G --ignore-resources Ignore resource maps.
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-m --maps <dir> Use the specified maps directory. Default:
"maps"
-n --non-mp-globals Enable extraction of non-multiplayer .globals
-O --overwrite Overwrite tags if they already exist
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-r --recursive Extract tag dependencies
-s --search <expr> Search for tags (* and ? are wildcards) and
extract these. Use multiple times for multiple
queries. If unspecified, all tags will be
extracted.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
This program generates font tags.
Usage: invader-font [options] <font-tag>
Create font tags from OTF/TTF files.
Options:
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-l --latin1 Use 256 characters only (smaller)
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-s --font-size <px> Set the font size in pixels.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
This program builds index files for usage with --with-index with
invader-build.
Usage: invader-index [options] <input-map> <output-txt>
Create a file listing the tags of a map.
Options:
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
This program displays metadata of a cache file.
Usage: invader-info [option] <map>
Display map metadata.
Options:
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-T --type <type> Set the type of data to show. Can be overview
(default), build, compression_ratio, crc32,
crc32_mismatched, engine, external_bitmaps,
external_bitmaps_count, external_bitmap_indices,
external_bitmap_indices_count,
external_bitmap_pointers,
external_bitmap_pointers_count,
external_indices, external_indices_count,
external_loc_indices,
external_loc_indices_count, external_sounds,
external_sounds_count, external_sound_indices,
external_sound_indices_count,
external_sound_pointers,
external_sound_pointers_count, external_tags,
external_tags_count, internal_bitmaps,
internal_bitmaps_count, internal_sounds,
internal_sounds_count, is_compressed, is_dirty,
is_protected, languages, map_type,
protection_issues, scenario, scenario_path,
stub_count, tag_order_match, tags, tags_count,
uncompressed_size, uses_external_pointers
This program compiles model tags. It can compile both model and gbxmodel formats directly from .JMS files.
JMS files should be placed in the data folder in a models folder in a folder
relative to where the model tag will be generated in the tags directory. So, if
you want to compile a model tags/weapons/pistol/pistol.model, you would put
your JMS files in data/weapons/pistol/models. A tutorial will be made sometime
in the future regarding this.
You can make JMS files for free using Halo-Asset-Blender-Development-Toolset in Blender.
Usage: invader-model [options] <model-tag>
Compile a model tag.
Options:
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
-T --type <type> Specify the type of model. Can be: model,
gbxmodel
This program recovers source data from bitmaps (if color plate data is present), models, string lists, tag collections, and scenario scripts.
Usage: invader-recover [options] <-b <expr> | <tag.group>>
Recover source data from tags.
Options:
-b --batch <expr> Run the command on all tags with a given
expression.
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-e --batch-exclude <expr> Run the command on all tags that do not match a
given expression. This takes precedence over
--batch
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-O --overwrite Overwrite data if it already exists
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
This program renames and moves tag references.
Usage: invader-refactor <-M <mode>> [options]
Find and replace tag references.
Options:
-D --dry-run Do not actually make any changes. This is useful
for checking for errors before committing
anything, although filesystem errors may not be
caught.
-g --group <f> <t> Refactor all tags of a given group to another
group. All tags in the destination group must
exist. This can be specified multiple times but
cannot be used with --recursive or -M move.
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-M --mode <mode> Specify what to do with the file if it exists.
If using move, then the tag is moved (the tag
must exist on the filesystem) while also
changing all references to the tag to the new
path. If using no-move, then the tag is not
moved (the destination tag must exist on the
filesystem unless you use --unsafe) while also
changing all references to the tag to the new
path. If using copy, then the tag is copied (the
tag must exist on the filesystem) and references
to the tag are not changed except for other tags
copied by this command. Can be: copy, move,
no-move
-r --recursive <f> <t> Recursively move all tags in a directory. This
will fail if a tag is present in both the old
and new directories, it cannot be used with
no-move. This can only be specified once per
operation and cannot be used with --tag.
-R --replace-string <a> <b> Replaces all instances in a path of <a> with
<b>. This can be used multiple times for
multiple replacements. If --group or --recursive
are used, this applies to the output of those.
Otherwise, it applies to all tags.
-s --single-tag <path> Make changes to a single tag, only, rather than
the whole tags directory.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
-T --tag <f> <t> Refactor an individual tag. This can be
specified multiple times but cannot be used with
--recursive.
-U --unsafe Do not require the destination tags to exist if
using no-move
This program builds resource maps. Custom Edition resource maps require all stock tags to be present in order to be built. Files created by this tool are not guaranteed to work with existing cache files.
Usage: invader-resource [options] -g <engine> -T <type>
Create resource maps.
Options:
-c --concatenate <file> Concatenate against the resource map at a path.
This cannot be used with -T loc
-g --game-engine <engine> Specify the game engine. Demo and retail maps
also require either --with-index or --with-map
to be specified at least once. Valid engines
are: gbx-custom, gbx-demo, gbx-retail, mcc-cea.
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-m --maps <dir> Use the specified maps directory. Default:
"maps"
-M --with-map <file> Use a map file for the tags. This can be
specified multiple times.
-S --show-matched Print the paths of any matched tags found when
using --concatenate.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
-T --type <type> Set the resource map. Can be: bitmaps, sounds,
or loc.
-w --with-index <file> Use an index file for the tags, ensuring tags
are ordered in the same way (barring
duplicates).
This program compiles .hsc scripts. Scripts are stored in the scripts folder
relative to the scenario tag's path in the data directory.
It uses the Rat In a Tube script compiler.
Usage: invader-script [options] <scenario>
Compile scripts. Unless otherwise specified, global scripts are always compiled.
Options:
-c --clear Clear all script data from the scenario tag
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-e --explicit <source> Explicitly compile the given source in the
script directory. This argument can be used
multiple times.
-E --exclude-global-scripts Do not use global_scripts source.
-g --game-engine <engine> Specify the game engine. Valid engines are:
gbx-custom, gbx-demo, gbx-retail, mcc-cea,
native, xbox-demo, xbox-ntsc, xbox-ntsc-jp,
xbox-ntsc-tw, xbox-pal
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-r --reload-scripts Only recompile sources referenced by the tag.
-R --regenerate Use the scenario tag's script source data as
data.
-t --tags <dir> Add the specified tags directory. Use multiple
times to add more directories, ordered by
precedence. Default (if unset): "tags"
This program generates sound tags. Sound tag data is stored in the data directory as a directory containing .wav and/or .flac files. Each file is one permutation, and only 16-bit and 24-bit PCM with either one or two channels are supported as input.
You cannot have two permutations with the same name (i.e. mypermutation.wav and mypermutation.flac). Also, unless you are modifying an existing sound tag, you will need to supply a sound class.
You can, however, supply permutations with differing bit depths and sample rates and channel count. By default, the highest sample rate will be used for the entire tag, and if that is not 22050 Hz or 44100 Hz, then it will automatically be resampled.
Usage: invader-sound [options] <sound-tag>
Create or modify a sound tag.
Options:
-b --bitrate <br> Set the bitrate in kilobits per second. This
only applies to vorbis.
-c --class <class> Set the class. This is required when generating
new sounds. Can be: ambient_computers,
ambient_machinery, ambient_nature,
device_computers, device_door,
device_force_field, device_machinery,
device_nature, first_person_damage, game_event,
music, object_impacts, particle_impacts,
projectile_impact, projectile_detonation,
scripted_dialog_force_unspatialized,
scripted_dialog_other, scripted_dialog_player,
scripted_effect, slow_particle_impacts,
unit_dialog, unit_footsteps, vehicle_collision,
vehicle_engine, weapon_charge, weapon_empty,
weapon_fire, weapon_idle, weapon_overheat,
weapon_ready, weapon_reload
-C --channel-count <#> Set the channel count. Can be: mono, stereo. By
default, this is determined based on the input
audio.
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-F --format <fmt> Set the format. Can be: 16-bit_pcm, ogg_vorbis,
or xbox_adpcm. Default: 16-bit_pcm
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-j --threads Set the number of threads to use for parallel
resampling and encoding. Default: CPU thread
count
-l --compress-level <lvl> Set the compression level. This can be between
0.0 and 1.0. For Ogg Vorbis, higher levels
result in better quality but worse sizes.
Default: 0.8
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-r --sample-rate <Hz> Set the sample rate in Hz. Halo supports 22050
and 44100. By default, this is determined based
on the input audio.
-s --split Split permutations into 227.5 KiB chunks. This
is necessary for longer sounds (e.g. music) when
being played in the original Halo engine.
-S --no-split Do not split permutations.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
Refer to Creating a sound for a guide on how to create sound tags.
This program generates string tags.
If building a 16-bit (unicode) or 8-bit string list, strings are stored in a
.txt file, with each string ending with a line, ###END-STRING###.
If building hud_message_text tags, strings are stored in a .hmt file with each
string stored as a key=value line.
Usage: invader-string [options] -T <type> <tag>
Generate string list tags.
Options:
-d --data <dir> Use the specified data directory. Default:
"data"
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
-T --type <type> Specify the type of string tag. Can be:
hud_message_text, string_list,
unicode_string_list
This program strips hidden data from tags and recalculates their CRC32 values.
Usage: invader-strip [options] <-b [expr] | <tag>>
Strips extra hidden data from tags.
Options:
-b --batch <expr> Run the command on all tags with a given
expression.
-e --batch-exclude <expr> Run the command on all tags that do not match a
given expression. This takes precedence over
--batch
-h --help Show this list of options.
-i --info Show credits, source info, and other info.
-P --fs-path Use a filesystem path for the tag.
-t --tags <dir> Use the specified tags directory. Default:
"tags"
These are a selection of questions that have been asked over the course of Invader's development.
- I get errors when building HEK tags or tags extracted with invader-extract
- What operating systems are supported?
- Who owns my map when I build it?
- Why GPL and not MIT or BSD?
- Why is Invader multiple programs?
- Are there any GUI tools?
- Are 32-bit Windows builds available?
- Can invader-build create .yelo maps?
- Can invader-build create Xbox maps?
- The HEK says my bitmap tag is "too large" when opening.
- How close to completion is Invader?
- Should I use invader-build for my map right now?
- Why don't I get notified of updates?
The stock Halo Editing Kit tags as well as a number of extracted tags have a number of issues such as invalid enumerators, indices, and references. In many cases, this can result in undefined, unexpected behavior or crashing. Obviously, the stock Halo Editing Kit doesn't crash, but this data is still invalid nevertheless.
The most common issues can be fixed by running the following command:
invader-bludgeon -b "*" -T invalid-indices -T invalid-enums -T out-of-range
The stock Halo Editing Kit also comes with a number of tags that reference model tags instead of gbxmodel. The Halo Editing Kit automatically changes these on tag load, likely because Gearbox developers felt it would be better to just do this than fix their tags (since their engine only supports gbxmodel tags).
Invader supports multiple engines INCLUDING the Xbox version, so we cannot just do this. Fortunately, there is a command you can run that will actually fix the tags for you:
invader-refactor -M no-move -g model gbxmodel
Lastly, invader-build checks the CRC32 checksums of each tag. This is done to ensure that the tags have been modified correctly, giving you a warning in the case they have not. However, some HEK tags do not have this set for some reason. You can fix this by running this command:
invader-strip -b "*"
Note that the above commands take -t <path-to-tags-directory> just like
invader-build, so if you use a tags directory that isn't "tags" on the current
directory, simply append that. And, of course, if Invader isn't installed
system-wide, you will need to replace the program names with paths to their
respective executables.
Invader does not support any one operating system, but Invader is developed on Arch Linux, and 64-bit Windows builds are available via Nightly Builds.
There is a commonly-spread myth that, once you build a map with tool.exe, your map belongs to Microsoft. Likewise, people may assume that, if you build a map with Invader, your map belongs to us. However, this is like saying that, once you print a document with an HP printer, your document belongs to HP. That's not how it works.
The only "ownership" that applies to your map is to the tags and assets in the map, as a map is effectively an archive of a tag directory intended to be loaded by the game. You own your BSP, Microsoft owns the assault rifle, etc. Not one person owns your map unless you made all of the tags to your map, in which case you would certainly own it.
Note, however, that you may be subjected to additional license(s) if you choose to use assets you don't own (assuming you even have permission to use them), including the assets that came with the Halo Editing Kit. Using Invader does not give you permission to use any of these assets, nor does it give you permission to use any extracted assets (or to even extract those assets). Consult a legal expert if you need assurance on your rights.
This is primarily due to Halo's modding history. The Halo: CE modding community has traditionally obfuscated knowledge that could be used to help other people. This is often done through these means:
- Map protection
- Writing closed source software
- Obfuscating software
- Keeping helpful information locked behind secret forums and groups
Many tools have been released without accompanying source code, and in nearly all cases, they have gone unmaintained. Even if the idea of a source code release is expressed, this rarely happens.
As time goes on, unmaintained, closed-source software becomes more seemingly broken, incomplete, or even incompatible. For example, the Halo Editing Kit has numerous issues that prevent people from making the content they want to make, yet it is still the only way to fully create maps.
Many great accomplishments have been lost to time, as most of the people who made them are no longer there to support what they have made. Unfortunately, most users do not make any sort of effort to replace this software with working software as they either do not know how to or they do not feel it is worth the time or effort. Therefore, the broken, unmaintained software continues being used. This is where Invader comes in.
An editing kit made in the open ensures that learned information shall be available for those who want to learn and expand upon or make their own tools.
Modding tools run by a user should be open for all to use, share, change, and learn from. At the same time, we also feel that a requirement for people give back to the community the source code to any derivatives of our tools they have chosen to share is not too much to ask for.
This ensures that modding stays free and open instead of left to stagnation behind closed groups and obfuscation as modding this game has been in the past.
Also, a weak license like MIT has proven to not be helpful. A common argument is that more people will be willing to use and contribute to it. However, a number of open source mods, which were released as MIT and BSD, have been used in closed source projects, or they have been converted to closed source with the original open source versions receiving zero contributions.
That is why Invader uses version 3 of the GNU GPL. It keeps it free for everyone to use.
Invader takes the approach of making each program do one thing well. There are a few benefits to this:
Invader emphasizes good, scriptable tools, as these can drastically increase the efficiency of your work. What took hours in the HEK (e.g. refactoring tags or regenerating bitmaps as lossless) takes minutes in Invader. As such, command line has to be first class!
For example, most shells support tab completion. If Invader is correctly set up in your path and you type "inv" and press TAB, it'll autocomplete to "invader-". You can then type "de" after that and press TAB again to autocomplete to "invader-dependency" (or "invader-dependency.exe" on Windows). This means you've typed 18-22 characters in just 7 keystrokes! That's 2x-3x as efficient. But if it was just one executable, you would only be able to tab complete the word "invader".
Also, if Invader one executable, arguments would need rethought. Consider these two commands:
invader-build levels/test/bloodgulch/bloodgulch -g gbx-custom -r always
invader-dependency levels/test/bloodgulch/bloodgulch -r
How would this be done as a single executable? Well, tool.exe does the verb-then-argument method:
invader build levels/test/bloodgulch/bloodgulch -g gbx-custom -r always -t tags
invader dependency levels/test/bloodgulch/bloodgulch -r -t tags
But now there's an issue! The -r argument in invader-build takes one argument, but it doesn't in invader-dependency! There's no way to know how many arguments -r takes or even what -r does UNTIL it has read the first argument.
Invader is written to process hyphenated parameters, first, and then parse any remaining arguments second, but you can't just change it to process the non-hyphenated arguments since "tags", "always", and "gbx-custom" do not start with a hyphen but are part of a hyphenated parameter (which, again, it doesn't know this yet!). So, it'd have to be written to specifically read the very first argument before doing anything. This is certainly doable, but it's much harder to document, and having argument order not usually matter is typically more elegant to write in - both for developing the tools and actually using them.
We also want to avoid tool.exe-isms as much as possible. The tool.exe way is to pass all of the arguments in a set order. Sure, it's faster to write tool.exe since you don't have to do any sort of complicated argument parsing, but if you get it in the wrong order, it may not work as expected.
For example, these are interpreted differently:
tool lightmaps levels\test\bloodgulch\bloodgulch bloodgulch 1 0.1
tool lightmaps levels\test\bloodgulch\bloodgulch bloodgulch 0.1 1
Something like "-f -q 0.00001" or "-q 0.00001 -f" is fine. Invader having arguments you can usually specify in any order prevents errors! This makes Invader far more user friendly, especially for beginners getting into command-line and/or CE modding. The tool.exe way is not, and the lack of well-made documentation further compounds these issues.
Also, a Vulkan renderer is being developed for Invader's scenario editor, but not everyone has Vulkan! You may have an outdated GPU (e.g. an Intel HD 2000) or no GPU (i.e. a "headless" system - very common in servers). If a program linked against Vulkan (linking is generally the best way to use a library), then unless you had Vulkan installed, the program wouldn't run.
For Invader, if you do NOT have Vulkan, then you simply wouldn't be able to run the scenario editor. However, if the entire toolkit is a single executable, you couldn't run Invader at all! If you just want to do simple tasks such as tag extraction or tag stripping, you aren't going to need a renderer. Sure, there are ways around this. Invader could be provided in such a way where you had a Vulkan-less build, but this would confuse users and create a maintenance burden. Invader could load an external renderer library at runtime, but this would defeat the point of making Invader into one executable.
Officially, only one of these tools has a graphical user interface, invader-edit-qt. However, there is a program you can optionally download called six-shooter which provides a graphical interface for some of Invader's other tools.
Only 64-bit builds are uploaded to Nightly Builds. You can compile Invader for 32-bit x86 Windows, but due to architectural and performance differences, these builds are not recommended. People who are unsure may even download a 32-bit build even though a 64-build will work better. Nearly all desktop x86 PCs made in the past decade come with a 64-bit operating system.
Officially, invader-build only creates maps for officially-released versions of the game. The .yelo file format is specific to Open Sauce, a mod of Halo Custom Edition. Therefore, the Invader project does not support it. However, this does not mean that you can't make a fork of Invader that supports it, and there are people who have said they were willing to do this.
Yes. Pass -g xbox-ntsc (for NTSC Halo) into invader-build. You may need to
fix some tags if using tags for other versions of the game.
The original HEK has a 16 MiB limitation for bitmap data. You can install the newer MCC Halo CE: Mod Tools and use this for your workflow as it contains a number of fixes and improvements such as more accurate BSP generation, higher limits, and fixed shaders.
It can be downloaded free of charge on Steam even if you do not own Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary on Steam.
There is still a lot to do in Invader. Check the Issues page for more information.
It depends.
Because tool.exe has a number of bugs and invader-build does quite a few things tool.exe doesn't do (such as better error checking), there are a few reasons to use invader-build over tool.exe for multiplayer maps.
However, invader-build isn't finished and has a number of issues that need ironed out before this FAQ can confidently recommend it for every use case, while tool.exe is basically the reference when it comes to building cache files.
However, we do ask that you consider testing invader-build so we can improve it to a point where it can be a better and free replacement for tool.exe.
Automatic updates sound like a good idea, but there are a few issues with this.
It is obvious that, if the update server is hijacked, they can put malware on these servers. Using signatures will protect current builds from automatically updating as it would fail validation, and this is what many auto update implementations utilize.
However, there is still the matter that, every time the software is used, the software communicates a server. This, in fact, is an issue that current builds of the Halo: CE mod tools. If you use software from the Halo: CE mod tools, it will tell Steam to set your playing status to the Halo: CE mod tools.
This also incurs some additional overhead when starting the software. Imagine
having to ping a server hundreds of times in a second whenever using a find
invocation.
And, of course, there are tons of security considerations whenever we want to connect to anything on a network.
And lastly (and the biggest reason), while we try to ensure our builds are not too buggy, there is always a chance you could automatically update into a totally broken build of Invader.
For these reasons, we have decided to not implement automatic updating.