As you know you can open nearly any non executable file in Text Editor....
While I was perusing the looking for a .rez file editor to change the rez files of Combat Arms. I realized that currently no such RezEditor existed. So the idea hit me to view the code stored in the .rez file via a text editor and just to see if it could be decoded.
Here is a preview of code stored in the CHARS_M_HEAD.rez:
Code:
CW_HLMT_HV_DF_CHLOE_JS Në ,M ÒÛ^J BTL CAP &V @) ÒÛ^J BTL CW_CP_NM_PATRIOTCAP1_HM ºp
•£ ÒÛ^J BTL CM_CP_NM_PATRIOTCAP1_HM ‚ Äi ÒÛ^J BTL W_CAP (È ¹§ ÒÛ^J BTL DUMMY S ŠÖ ÒÛ^J BTL BERET O µ0 ÒÛ^J BTL CW_HLMT_NM_SANTABEANIE_HM Y ÍM ÒÛ^J BTL CW_CP_NM_DF_SOPHIAHAIR_HM žÛ
», ÒÛ^J BTL CW_CP_NM_DF_DAWSONHAIR_JS ¤Æ øª ÒÛ^J BTL CM_HLMT_NM_SANTABEANIE_HM b› ¥· ÒÛ^J BTL BEANIE d 5; ÒÛ^J BTL W_DUMMY à 6m ÒÛ^J BTL W_BERET |ñ æ© ÒÛ^J BTL BANDANA ì ¨¬ ÒÛ^J BTL 711_CAP lÜ W= ÒÛ^J BTL W_BEANIE ’a ~6 ÒÛ^J BTL MEI_HAIR *Ý p ÒÛ^J BTL HAIR_W_A %Ï% ¬¬ ÒÛ^J BTL ZADAN_CAP l% ¹¸ ÒÛ^J BTL XMAS_HORN øž t= ÒÛ^J BTL W_BANDANA Ë^ -@ ÒÛ^J BTL W_711_CAP áo ýî ÒÛ^J BTL EOD_HELMET Ü Æ ÒÛ^J BTL BOONIE_HAT ŒÌ$ àI ÒÛ^J BTL W_XMAS_HORN ‚n Ið ÒÛ^J BTL VBSS_HELMET œÓ §½ ÒÛ^J BTL RUDOLPH_SET ™U íÙ ÒÛ^J BTL W_EOD_HELMET Û ‰Y ÒÛ^J BTL W_BOONIE_HAT C‘ ?Ý ÒÛ^J BTL SKULL_HELMET Ëü ÑÖ ÒÛ^J BTL PUMPKIN_HEAD ˜ çë ÒÛ^J BTL PILOT_HELMET 3M _ ÒÛ^J BTL IBH_MK2_SEAL ÒH$ ºƒ ÒÛ^J BTL W_VBSS_HELMET Þ^ L~ ÒÛ^J BTL GOGGLE_HELMET q ·Ã ÒÛ^J BTL DECKLAND_HAIR .Ò p ÒÛ^J BTL COMBAT_HELMET ü×# Öp ÒÛ^J BTL W_SKULL_HELMET t# øc ÒÛ^J BTL W_PUMPKIN_HEAD üÎ! âÖ ÒÛ^J BTL W_PILOT_HELMET $å Øé ÒÛ^J BTL W_IBH_MK2_SEAL ÷ƒ Ôx ÒÛ^J BTL PROTECT_HELMET †/ žµ ÒÛ^J BTL W_GOGGLE_HELMET Fu ¥ ÒÛ^J BTL W_COMBAT_HELMET ‘) Kò ÒÛ^J BTL BONEHEAD_HELMET Þ¥" &Î ÒÛ^J BTL W_PROTECT_HELMET W! %Ð ÒÛ^J BTL BALACLAVA_FACE_D ’N ÅÒ ÒÛ^J BTL BALACLAVA_FACE_C )} iÑ ÒÛ^J BTL BALACLAVA_FACE_B ”* •Ï ÒÛ^J BTL BALACLAVA_FACE_A ù† â… ÒÛ^J BTL W_BONEHEAD_HELMET f 8 ÒÛ^J BTL CW_CP_NM_ROKMC_HM O U² ÒÛ^J BTL CM_CP_NM_ROKMC_HM ¹ ¸„ ÒÛ^J BTL CW_HLMT_SHEMAGH_HM œq ’` ÒÛ^J BTL CM_HLMT_SHEMAGH_HM Þá p ÒÛ^J BTL BULLETPROOF_HELMET
Pretty Crazy right? Its completly illegible, but if you look closely yo can see words like "helmet", "shemagh", "pilot helmet", "pumpkinhead", etc. (including some items that havent been released yet ;P)
Essentially the Lithtech Engine reads these files and creates 3D models, textures, sounds etc. according to what is written. By editing these files you can make your gameplay experience really easy or really hard or just flat out fk up the game xD...
I want this to be a collective community project to play with an decode the .rez file via text editor. Im going to try my hand at it. see what you can do. Switch your regular face with the "bulletproof helmet", switch with your own hair "mei's_hair", be creative, and have fun.
Intructions:
1. Just open up your .rez file in a Text Editor (NOT a word processor)
2. Make sure you dont overwrite the original .rez file. That could cause serious problems and you might have to completly reinstall Combat Arms
3. Be very CAREFUL when messing with rare code. Make sure you save plenty of copies of the originals.
4. IF YOU DONT UNDERSTAND WHAT THIS IS DONT MESS WITH IT.
I hope we create a simi-code for reading the .rez files. Note that this is all client-sided, meaning if you change your regular hat to look like a shemagh no one will know the difference. The added bonus of a rez file hack is that it is completely unpatchable, and therefore undetectable by HackSheild so you can use these hacks with a high level accounts with out fear of detection.