pgchip.exe README
by pieguy
last modified: 4/24/06
version: 1.0
Acknowledgement
Thanks to:
- ccexplore for providing resources to help me with every aspect of my patch, providing insight into many details of
the patch itself, helping me debug it, letting me reuse his code, and modifying chipedit.
- Chuck Sommerville for providing information about how the ice block tile acts in Chip's Challenge 2.
Contents
The zip file should contain the following files:
- pgchip.exe -- the patch program
- pgchip.c
pgchip.h -- source code (warning: not very well-commented)
- pgchip.txt -- (a text version of this page)
Other Files
- pgchip-sample.avi
- a sample avi showing most of the features of the patch.
- pgchipedit
- a modified version of chipedit which displays ice blocks
correctly and allows ice block cloners to be connected.
- twold1.3.0+iceblock3.zip
- a modified version of tile world (thanks to Andrew E.) that
incorporates the ice block.
How To Use
should be self-explanatory. just run the program and follow the instructions.
Note: because this is a DOS program, long filenames are not supported. keep your filenames to no more than 8 characters + an optional 3-character extension. The patch program will automatically append a .exe extension for you if you don't type in any extension in the filename. Pathnames are supported.
Description of Patch
pgchip.exe is a DOS program that can patch your CHIPS.EXE to convert one of the previously unused tiles (tile 56) into an ice block. the ice block tile acts the same as a regular block except that:
- ice blocks can push other ice blocks
- tanks and teeth can push ice blocks
- ice blocks turn fire into water and water into ice
- ice blocks can remove dirt
- ice block clone machines consist of an ice block in the top layer and a normal block clone in the bottom layer
additionally, pgchip.exe modifies the game to accept data files with a signature of 0x0003AAAC in addition to the usual 0x0002AAAC.
Interaction with other patches
as far as i know, pgchip.exe is fully compatable with any other known patches, including mychip, chipend, fullsec, and ccpatch. however, fullsec causes CHIPS.EXE to ignore file signatures, so it will attempt to open and play levelsets designed to be played with pgchip even if pgchip has not been installed.
Side effects of patch
certain levels which rely on uninitialized data will no longer play
properly (such as the old version of pi^2.dat level 10, which i removed).
also levels with obscure cloning combinations (pi.dat level 41). however,
this type of level is extremely uncommon.
Known bugs
- ice blocks which are being teleported cannot push other ice blocks. this was intentional to avoid an infinite recursive function call.
- the cloning of an ice block cannot trigger the same clone machine. again, this was intentional to avoid a very large number of recursive function calls (not infinite, but still more than enough to crash the game)
- ice blocks can be pushed off of their clone machines by other ice blocks while the clone machine is attempting cloning.
- ice blocks in front of teeth/tank clone machines will cause cloning of the creature to fail
Change Log
Version 1.0:
- first working version of pgchip released. made a minor change the following day which didn't warrant a new version number.