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How do you change half period?

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Brett22Smith

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Hi there, to you rugby 08 editing geniuses- I've looked and looked but can't seem to find an editor that allows you to change the length of the halves-for me 5 minutes a half is a bit too long-especially when playing world league-I would like to be able to shorten the half period to 2.5 or even 2 minutes.

Plz let me know if there is already an editor for this or how to do it?

Shot..ps great work on the other editors!! (shouldn't be necessary though EA)
 
5min is the minimum but I'm not really sure if it can be done at all. You'll have to wait for Woosah to see if it is a possibility.
 
cant say that i have tried it, i could maybe have a look at it later on.

but yeah 5 is the min probably only be able to change it to what the current limits are anyway
 
I've tried hacking time using cheat engine-but can't seem to find the controlling variable for time-gonna look into it and will let u know if i have any luck
 
i would like to go the other way. is it possible to change the half period from 10 to 15 minutes (20 is too long, too much points)?
that would perfectly fitting my skills and playstyle.
 
Hello maybe it is possible with editing the profiles like with screen resolution i don t tried.
I don t know what are there in the profile files, or it s in hided files like rfe files but nobody know to change thid file.
 
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (pageski @ Feb 19 2009, 05:11 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div>
Hello maybe it is possible with editing the profiles like with screen resolution i don t tried.
I don t know what are there in the profile files, or it s in hided files like rfe files but nobody know to change thid file.[/b]

Hey guys. Has there been any update with changing the half length? I'd like to be able to play a full time match of 40 minute halves. What file needs to be edited for this to happen. I know in FIFA games you can put a locale.ini in the FIFA main directory and put the line HALF_SECONDS = 2700. 2700 is the seconds, which equals 45 minutes for a 45 minute halve in soccer. Can you do something similar to this in Rugby?

There are no locale.ini or common.ini files in Rugby 08 for PC though, unlike FIFA right?

The maximum half length is 20 minutes in this game. Lets make it 40 minutes. How to do so? I will do anything I can to test if anyone has any suggestions.
 
Okay, so I have been going through the data.gob files, and I have found a few variables that may be of interest.

In c3c15942a8d6a5fc041027e3c1c0e868.xml, there is the following:

<qadebug>
<option name="enable" value="on" />
<halflength name="time" value="" />
<gremlins name="enable" value="off" />
<always_injured name="enable" value="off" />
</qadebug>


In 51124fa6bf8a07f29a7207a7a0bac213.rfe, there is text to the right of the hex code that reference half length. Here is a the portion of it...

...FeSelectableObjectOnDown 72.00 Half Length 5 10 Secs|2 Mins|5 Mins|10 Mins|20 Mins|40 Mins|99 Mins OnTestSettingsHalfTimeL1 OnTestSettingsHalfTimeR1 4 96.00 Penalties 7 Default|Warning|Yellow|Red OnTestSettingsPenaltiesL1...

There is also an ini file called c87594b42867df84e5a9b0517aa01790.ini in data.gob. Perhaps in this file we could add parameters that could change the length of the half. I tried adding the parameter halflength name to this file and placing it in the Rugby main directory. I also tried adding half_seconds parameter similar to how I changed the half length in FIFA games, but to no avail.

Did any of you guys notice these references to half length in these data.gob files? There's gotta be a way to get 40 minute halves. This is the one thing holding this game back. Others have suggested they would like to play 15 minute halves or a half length of their preference.

As mentioned by pageski, this could potentially also be solved through the profiles (.pro) file. As it was possible to change the resolution to a resolution setting that was outside (beyond) the choices in game, this could potentially have the same result as the half length. The thing I notice about the profile when looking at the hex code is that there are a lot of 00 00 values in there. And I noticed that when you adjust the half length in stadium select, then save the profile, when you load the profile, and go back into stadium select, it always defaults back to 5 minute halves, even if you had it set at 10 or 20 minute halves. This confirms the fact that the profile is not saving the half length parameter in-game. Meaning, likely, whatever the half length parameter is in the profile file (.pro) (assuming the parameter is there in the hex) it's likely at default or 0, and the game is loading 5 minutes every time you go into the game for some reason. We have to make the game load something other than 5 minutes as the default half length when you load the game.

It can either be done through profiles. (if the parameter is one of those 00 00 somewhere in the .pro file) or by editing an .rfe file, an .xml file, or the .ini file in data.gob, or by perhaps extracting one of those files, editing it, then placing it in the rugby 08 main directory - not sure if that works like it did in FIFA games with .ini files)

This is an old thread that I am trying to dust off. I am obviously not the only one who would like to do this. I think 40 minutes matches would be incredible in this game. 40 minute halves is an option in Rugby League 2 and this is a mod that would do Rugby 08 justice.

The first post in this thread by Brett22Smith was dated April 20th, 2008. woosaah said he would have a look at it on April 22nd, 2008. woosaah, now that it's 2010, almost 2 years later you had a chance to have a look?

On April 23rd, 2008, Brett22Smith tried to hack time using a cheat engine, but couldn't seem to find the controlling variable for time. Well I took a look at the files in data.gob, and perhaps the controlling variable for time could be "halflength", as found in c3c15942a8d6a5fc041027e3c1c0e868.xml in <qadebug>. Or perhaps the controlling variable is Half Length, like the one found in that rfe file above. Or perhaps the controlling variable is half_seconds, like it is in EA's FIFA games.

Perhaps the only way to find it is to do memory dumps when you scroll through the interface that selects half length at stadium select in game, and try to see what changes when you go from 5 minutes to 10 minutes, or from 10 minutes to 20 minutes. Maybe it changes something in hex code that can be applied to the profile. Or maybe it's possible to have the profile save itself while in stadium select, after you change the half length to 20 minutes, but before you go back to the main menu and click on another menu, where the half length time resets when you go back into stadium select.

There's gotta be a way fellas. This is an important project. With all the updated AI work other members here have done, it is time we play 40 minute halves and 80 minute matches in the best rugby game ever made. It's time we really make this game a true simulation game. You can do this in FIFA games, why can't you do this in Rugby 08? Perhaps the same process would work for Rugby 06. This is why we have a PC. This would add exponential replay value to Rugby 08 on PC. This is why we buy PC games so we can mod the game!!

I play 80 minute matches in Rugby League 2, and they are really fun, but I like don't like the scoring in League nor do I like it as much as I like regular rugby.

I bought Rugby 06 for Original Xbox. I loved it. I bought Rugby 08 for PS2 and although it was good Rugby 08 for PS2 had frame rate issues. Now I have Rugby 08 for PC doesn't have these frame rate issues and the only thing holding this game back is the inability to play 40 minute halves.

Lets figure this out guys. Lets think outside the box and get this done. I hope to hear some responses in this thread. This is a very important limitation of the game to overcome. We must be dedicated to solving this issue.

As Brett22Smith said, where are the rugby 08 editing geniuses on this one? I just want to play a match with the clock moving at a normal speed. That's all. I know I'm not the only one.
 
dc371d84ed78d4cf88a641a8d8abc38a.xml

<string id="490" name="CMN_307">
<english>5 MINS|10 MINS|20 MINS</english>
<french>5 MIN|10 MIN|20 MIN</french>

now where the idstring=490 begin FOR to see if we can change it
 
did it work?

i'd like to know too. has there been any progress made in regard to this issue of changing the half length? yesterday i spent a good number of hours doing everything i could conceivably think of to make the clock run at regular speed and have 40 minute halves. i did everything i could think of, from editing the xml files and putting them into the rugby 08 main directory, to editing the xml files and replacing them in data.gob, then compressing the file imported, and rebuilding data.gob, to using cheat engine to try to find the parameter that controls half length.


in cheat engine, there are many half length references when you search for text, but it's confusing because the hex addresses change every time you quit out of a match and go through the front end. there are multiple "HALF LENGTH" references in the cheat engine memory, there's also a "halflength" parameter. but its hard to actually control the parameter when you search for text. (since it's just part of one line in memory you know, and you have to choose between whether it's a byte, 2 bytes, 4 bytes or 8 bytes) i even fond a way to change the text from "20 mins" to "40 mins" in game when you select half length, or even have both a 20 min and a 40 min option. but still even with that text change, the clock still doesn't change to 40 minutes in the game.


from reading this thread, it seems that the most logical thing would be to edit c3c15942a8d6a5fc041027e3c1c0e868.xml and change <halflength name="time" value="" /> to <halflength name="time" value="40" />. i did that and put it in the rugby 08 main directory and that didn't seem to do anything. is that because the game prompts you to select half length in game and possibly overrides that setting? or is it because changing that xml file doesn't actually do anything?

the other thing i tried was editing 51124fa6bf8a07f29a7207a7a0bac213.rfe and edit the line that says half length from 5 to 40. that didn't seem to have any affect in game either. the solution seems to be not a very obvious thing. but there are so many references to half length in xml and in cheat engine memory, it has me truly perplexed and i had to make a post about it. think about it guys, in rugby 2001 on PC it had 40 minute halves as an option in the game without any modding required!!! why did EA take out the 40 minute half option in rugby 06 and rugby 08 in the first place? and then to not even be able to mod it seems very strange, especially considering that's why the PC versions are so great. (to have the ability to mod)


i have a lot of general questions about editing data.gob too. have you guys had success changing any of the files in data.gob? is it as simple as just putting the edited file in the rugby 08 main directory or do you have to import it back into data.gob? i even tried deleting the string id section of the half length references because i know rugby 08 has those english and french files associated with them, apparently unlike rugby 06 as i read in some other thread. maybe the clock speed could be altered in by hex editing the profile (like in the way you do the resolution fix). or maybe you need to hex edit the exe? i was even thinking about maybe trying to hex editing a saved tournament file. (where you set the half length when you first start a new tournament before you save the tournament) the problem with hex editing these things is that there is no descriptive text that tells you what does what when hex editing the profile or tournament. it's all just one letter characters or symbols. do you guys think it's possible to change something in the profile or tournament save file that changes the half length no matter what you set half length to in-game? i am trying to do anything i can to generate discussion about changing the half length in rugby 08 and try to figure this thing out. a pet peeve of mine is playing sports games where the clock is running too fast. when the clock is running fast, i don't get the feeling like i am playing a real match.

one other thing. is there a trainer for rugby 08 besides the "EA RUGBY 08 Money Trainer" for World League Mode? if there was a trainer that at least gave you the ability to stop the clock and restart it when you want to by pressing a keyboard button, then it would be possible to edit the clock that way. i bring this up because do you guys remember that game World Championship Rugby for PC that came out in 2004? well in that game, there's a trainer that allows you to Freeze Time and Restart the clock by pressing the 1 and 7 buttons on the keyboard. since the max match length for that game is only 15 minutes, i decided to try to make the halves 40 minutes in that game. (just to see if i could do it) and i managed to use a program to make the computer press the 1 and 7 buttons at timed repeating intervals that actually allow me to have 40 minute halves in World Championship Rugby! (something that was really fun to do) If there was a trainer like that for Rugby 08 then you would be able to do the same thing in Rugby 08, by repeating the stop clock / start clock keyboard commands and thus slowing down the clock that way. but all i could find is that one trainer that one money trainer for Rugby 08.


all of these are ideas i have been thinking about. i really love rugby 08 and i'd really like to play full length matches. (as i'm sure others would) i hope we can generate a discussion about this here. maybe i can find a few guys who would be interested in talking about this in detail on instant messenger or have a group chat about this or something. i found this old thread and it seems like a few other members tried too but couldn't figure it out. has anyone tried figuring this out since 2010?
 
ok guys, i tried to work with the various xml files in data.gob. it was very confusing dealing with those CMN names and the string ids. but i did manage to find an xml file that had 2 sections of half length, one with "5 mins|10 mins|20 mins" and one with "5 mins|10 mins|20 mins|40 mins", each with different CMN names and string ids. the games menus were accessing the one with only the "5 mins|10 mins|20 mins" options with no 40 mins. so i added a "|40 mins" to the end of that one, and i did notice the change in the menu, but the clock didn't slow down when i selected the 40 minute option. i also tried renaming the string ids / cmn names and was getting string id missing in the game menus as a result. so that was a nice attempt i made and i thought i hit the jackpot for a moment, but couldn't quite get the in-game clock to be 40 minute halves. (i still have a suspicion that there is some way to do this through the xml files in data.gob because i was getting changes in the front end of the game, and there was a 40 minute half reference in one of those xml files there, even if the game wasn't cooperating)

so at that point, although i was making progress and learning how to mod EA rugby on PC, i still wasn't getting the 40 minute half option to actually work even though i got it to show up in the game. so i decided to attempt to try to get 40 minute halves by trying to slow down the clock externally through cheat engine, kinda like how i did world championship rugby with the trainer. however, unlike that game, i didn't find any trainers available that gave you the ability to pause and restart the clock for the EA rugby games. so i had to figure this out on my own. and i did! basically i made my own trainer through cheat engine. i researched how to find the clock value (it's a float) and i created hotkeys that were programmed to start or stop the clock whenever i wanted, then generated those hotkeys as a trainer. now i'm at the point where the trainer works and i'm configuring the millisecond delays that i tell the computer to press the keys in the trainer that start and stop the clock at so the clock essentially runs at a slower speed. it's a bit tricky, but it's pretty cool.

so although i didn't quite figure out yet how to do it through xml editing (although i think i'm close), i did manage to technically accomplish my goal of playing 40 minute halves on the EA rugby games thanks to cheat engine. i'd be glad to share my method or the trainer i created to get this to work. but i also still hope that maybe there still is someway to actually get that 40 minute half option working through actual modding of the game files. as it stands, i'm just glad to finally be able to play some 80 minute classics in this great rugby engine!

 
guys, this is working for me. i figured out how to create a trainer through cheat engine 6.2 and i concocted a way to slow down the clock to real time. (select 20 minute halves, then start and stop the clock in repeating intervals to slow it down)

isn't this an important discovery? if anyone is interested i can share the trainer i made. yet there are so many references to half length in the xml files it's a bit perplexing that editing them doesn't actually seem to make it 40 minutes in the game without the trainer. but the only problem i see with 40 minute halves is that the clock stops prior to the kickoffs (like after a try is scored), and prior to scrums, though oddly enough the clock continues to runs prior to kickoffs after marks or prior to 22 metre drop outs.

the clock does continue to run at lineouts, though it doesn't run during conversions or during goal kicks (like it does in real rugby, though the time does advances a few seconds) so all this means the games are a little longer since the clock stops more than it does it real rugby. now i'm just trying to figure out the best settings (difficulty level, team ratings) to keep the matches low scoring on 40 minute halves. hopefully this discovery is useful for those wishing to play longer matches.
 

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