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AHL Armory v1.08
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This document contains important information on how to install & use this program. Please read all of this before using it.


	-Index-
	-----------------------
	1. Disclaimer
	2. What is it?	
	3. Installation
	4. First run
	5. What goes where?
	6. How to use
	7. Bugs or suggestions?
	8. Credits & contacts
	9. Version history
	-----------------------


* 1. Disclaimer
--------------------
'AHL Armory', © 2000 Leon 'CAIRATH' Oskam & Martin 'Rogue' Oberhaus.

'AHL Armory' may be freely distributed subject to, but not limited to, the following terms: 'AHL Armory' may not be sold or resold, distributed as a part of any commercial package, used in a commercial environment, used or distributed in support of a commercial service, or used or distributed to support any kind of profit-generating activity, even if it is being distributed freely, unless you get permission from us. (mail: cairath@zeelandnet.nl) An unmodified version of this document (readme.txt) must be present in the package.

'AHL Armory' and none of its contents may be modified, decompiled, or reverse engineered.

'AHL Armory' is provided "AS IS" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. In no event shall we be liable for any damages whatsoever including direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, loss of data, loss of business profits or special damages, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.



* 2. What is it?
--------------------
AHL Armory is a program which allows you to easily change your AHL weapon replacement models. It has an easy-to-use GUI so you no longer have to manually unzip models into your AHL folder and overwrite/delete them everytime you want to use different models.

I actually wrote the program for my own use only, but I figured it would be interesting for other people. And since the AHL community seems to have a lot of very skilled modelers around that release new weapons very often I decided to improve my program so other people would be able to use it. Rogue joined the project later on to help me with the interface, and he gave Armory it's spiffy look and graphics that it now has. Have fun!



* 3. Installation
--------------------
- Unzip the program to it's own folder (for instance C:\Armory). 

- Make sure the file msvbvm50.dll is present in your Windows\System folder, you won't be able to run the program if it isn't. If you do not have that file then download it here: http://www.sashq.de/Armory/files/vb50dll.zip (ca 680k).

- Check paragraph 5 to see how and where you need to install your custom models



* 4. First run
--------------------
The first time you run Armory it will show you a disclaimer, you can only run the program by pressing "I agree", this is to make sure that I am not responsible IF Armory should screw something up. 

After the disclaimer you will be asked to point out your Action Half-Life folder. This path will be stored in armory.ini which will be created in the same folder as armory.exe. If for whatever reason the path to your Action Half-Life folder should change, or you have somehow corrupted armory.ini then delete it and let Armory make a new one.

After you've pointed Armory to your AHL folder it will make backups of all your installed models & sounds. This is because it needs to install the AHL Default sounds & models in your AHL folder. The backups can be found in the subfolder "\backups\" of your Armory folder. Armory will not do anything with your backups. If you still want to use things from your backups you'll have to sort those out manually. 

The default models & sounds have been included because some models or sounds might be updated later on. Check paragraph 5 to see what you need to do when default AHL models or sounds are updated.

When it's done making backups it will create a file called armory.ini in your Armory folder with all necessary info it needs to run. After this it will open this readme.



* 5. What goes where?
--------------------
Here is a short explanation on how and where you need to install your models, sounds, and HUD sprites.

To install models, simply unzip the replacement models to a the corresponding weapon subfolder of your Armory folder. Give the folder a descriptive name! Armory uses the folder names to indicate which models you have, so do not name it "new folder" or something. 


Example:

.mdl files:
----------
  C:\Armory\anaconda\Gold Anaconda\   <--- Gold Anaconda model files here (.mdl)
  C:\Armory\knife\Desert Dagger\   <--- Desert Dagger model files here (.mdl)
  etc.


.wav files:
-----------
  C:\Armory\beretta\1911\sound\   <--- 1911 sound files here (.wav)
  C:\Armory\mp5\Mac-10\sound\   <--- Mac-10 sound files here (.wav)
  etc.

It will only recognize the sounds files if they are named correctly. The regular sound should be called fire.wav, the silenced sound should be sl_fire.wav. The wavs need to be 22050 hz, 8bit, mono.

If you only have a sound but no models for it, you can still use it. Just create a path similar to the above example, the weapon folder does not have to contain any models.


.spr files:
-----------
  C:\Armory\m4\Mini-14\sprites\   <--- Mini-14 sprite file & weapon_text file here
  C:\Armory\beretta\Socom\sprites\   <--- Socom sprite file & weapon_text file here
  etc.

Sprite files are automatically copied for the view model that you select. There is no way to select a sprite yourself, it simply copies the sprite for the corresponding view model. There is a standard name that the sprite files must have if you want Armory to find and copy them. Here is a list:

Weapon:		Sprite name (.spr)	Weapon_text name (.txt)
-------		------------------	-----------------------
Knife		w_knife.spr		weapon_knife.txt
Beretta		w_beretta.spr		weapon_beretta.txt
Akimbo Beretta	w_akimbob.spr		weapon_akimbob.txt
Anaconda	w_anaconda.spr		weapon_anaconda.txt
MP5		w_hkmp5.spr		weapon_hkmp5.txt
Shotgun		w_ithaca.spr		weapon_ithaca.txt
HandCannon	w_cannon.spr		weapon_handcannon.txt
MSG90		w_msg90.spr		weapon_msg90.txt
50cal SR	w_50cal.spr		weapon_50cal.txt
M4		w_m4.spr		weapon_m4.txt

The weapon_text's are AHL standard, you can't change them, but the sprite name can be anything that the weapon_text refers to. I just created this standard to make the scanning for- and copying of the sprites more easy for me. If the sprite you want to use is not named correctly then rename it as show in the list above, and edit the weapon_text so that it points to the correct file.

- Warning: some custom crosshair schemes have weapon_text's included (for instance Polaris' crosshairs). If you plan on using those you should DISABLE copying of HUD sprites in the Options screen before you start using Armory! If you don't do this it will screw up your crosshair setup.

- Note: Armory can handle any folder name that windows can, so spaces and certain other chars like ' or - can be used without any problems.

- Note: if the A-team should release a patch with updated models, you need to manually update those in the Armory subfolders! Go to the corresponding weapon subfolder, and then put the updated models\sounds in the "AHL Default" folder of the corresponding weapon. It's no big deal if you don't do this, but you will be using old models and sounds then, so it's highly recommended that you DO update this yourself.



* 6. How to use
--------------------
On top you see all the AHL weapons. If you click on one of them you will see the corresponding model & sound frames appear. Simply change everything you want to change by switching between the different gun types and using the combo boxes to select your choices. When you're done changing on all tabs, press "Apply". Armory will now start putting all the models & sounds you selected into place. You don't have to press "Apply" after every weapon class! Just do it once when you're done selecting/changing in all weapon classes.

On the left you can see the different kinds of models. There are 5 possibilities:

- View model		= The gun you see in your own hands
- World model		= The guns that you see lying around on the floor
- Player model		= The guns that you see other people holding
- Player->Silencer	= The guns that you see other people holding when they are using a silencer
- Player->Night vision	= The guns that you see other people holding when they are using night vision

You usually select the same for all the 3 Player model classes, but some models don't come equipped with all the versions.

On the label next to the model class (for instance "view model") you can see which model Armory has found currently in place. Here are the possibilities:
	
- AHL Default (green) = it hasn't found a model, so the AHL default one from the pak will be used.

- Modelname  (blue) = the model it has located, it compares all models in \action\models\ with all models you have placed in the subfolders in your Armory folder.

- Unknown (red) = it has found a model in .\action\models\ that it can't find in any of the subfolders in your Armory folder. It will prompt to backup the model if you try to overwrite an "Unknown" model, but it's really preferred to have all your models placed in the Armory folder. I only added backup support for the accidental "Unknown" model, it's not very extensive, so just make sure there are no "Unknown" models. There is NO backup support for "Unknown" sounds, so make sure that you do not have any unknown sounds! They will be overwritten!


In the sound frame you can select sounds for the normal firing sound and the silenced firing sound. The little speaker icon on the right will play the sound, so you can hear which one you like best. Check paragraph 5 to see where sounds should be placed to be recognized by Armory. 


In the Options screen you can enable/disable the copying of HUD sprites. If you enable this then Armory will automatically copy the sprites for the view model you have installed. There is no way to manually select which sprite you want to install.

You can also set the commandline parameters you want Armory to use when it loads AHL. This is not necessarily required, the default parameters will get you in AHL. This is just for those *tweak* monkeys. :)



* 7. Bugs or suggestions?
--------------------
If you find any bugs/error messages or you have a suggestion that you think could improve Armory then please e-mail CAIRATH at cairath@zeelandnet.nl. If you do so please put "Armory" in the subject, so it will end up in my correct mailbox. This way I will most likely notice it faster and it prevents my IN-box from becoming a total mess. :) 

There might still be some bugs because I was unable to test everything properly. Lack of time is also a factor here. If any important bugs should crop up then I will fix them and release a new version. Also, there is not much error handling since I don't have time to make that at the moment, so please be nice to Armory and don't go f*cking around with the folder structure or something. All the folders that are in the zip are required and Armory will probably act *funky* if they are renamed or removed. (AHL Default and the weapon folders)

Depending on the demand I might add new features and update the program once in a while. 

By the way, I will ignore e-mails regarding stuff that has been discussed in this readme. If you can't RTFM then screw you! And YES I DO realise that people who don't RTFM don't read this. :)



* 8. Credits & contacts
--------------------
AHL Armory v1.08

Code by:	Leon Oskam aka CAIRATH		e-mail: cairath@zeelandnet.nl
Graphics by: 	Martin Oberhaus aka Rogue	e-mail: rogue@action-halflife.de

© 2000 CAIRATH & Rogue.


The program icon, some sounds, and the player models shown in the art pictures are taken from AHL Beta3 and are used with permission.

Special thanks to: 

* Oddjob for showing so much interest in our project and helping me out with some model-related questions. 
* Luebbi for doing his l33t sprites. :)  (and giving me more work...*grumble*)
* The A-team for making Action Half-Life! 
* Everyone who has made or will be making custom weapon models for AHL! You guys keep AHL fresh and fr00ty! :)
* Everyone who tested this and sent in bug reports.
* PaInGyPsY & the rest of the sAs guys/girls who gave me suggestions and tested this with me.
* Everyone who is using Armory and is right now reading this! :)
* Uh.... everyone that should be on this list but for some reason is not......

URLs:

AHL Armory:	 	http://www.sashq.de/Armory
Action Half-Life: 	http://ahl.action-web.net



* 9. Version history
--------------------
v1.08	Added a minimize button (due to popular demand)
	The installer no longer insults you when you specify the wrong folder as your AHL folder... (don't ask)

v1.07	Added a double check for sound files with the same filesize (should have done this right away, I'm a lazy bastard)

v1.06	It now also resets HUD sprites when you use "Reset all to AHL Default"  (*oops* I knew I forgot something!)

v1.05	Re-wrote the entire model copying and scanning code (because Armory now includes the AHL Default models)
	Re-wrote the entire sound copying and scanning code (because Armory now includes the AHL Default sounds)
	Changed the Armory folder structure (related to the above 2 changes)
	Added HUD sprite support
	Added Options screen
	Added "Run AHL", "Return to Armory" and "Close Armory" to the confirm dialog (you can now run AHL from within Armory)
	Moved "Enable HUD sprites copying" to the Options screen
	Removed the help screen and just made it link to this readme.txt (I'm lazy)
	Decreased loading/scanning time (again)
	The first-run code now opens this file to encourage people to read it instead of auto-running Armory. :)


	< Version 1.00 was finished but something cropped up that required me to re-do pretty much everything :\ >


v1.00	Added a disclaimer at first-run
	Added a confirmation screen after you hit "Apply" (with sound)
	Added a texture to the Apply button
	Added a "Help" screen (basically paragraph 5 & 6 from this readme)
	Added a "Reset all to AHL Default" option in the menu
	Improved the first-run code
	Re-wrote sound code, supports as many sounds as you want (it doesn't need to have models included with it anymore)
	Fixed up & deleted some old bits of code
	Plays AHL Default sounds now (are included with the program)

v0.90	Added additional error handling (eg. it makes folders if they are not present etc.)
	Added the "About" screen

v0.85 - Added new graphics by Rogue
	Added new interface layout
	Removed the TABs (tabctrl32.ocx control is no longer needed) 'cus it was causing trouble.
	Re-wrote the ini loading/saving code (no longer need for the richtx32.ocx control)
	Fixed #28 runtime error that sometimes occured during scanning
	Fixed check for models with the same filesize (was one of the causes of the #28 error, now loads faster too)
	Decreased loading/scanning time
	w_xxxt model support is no longer case sensitive (so for instance w_hkmp5T.mdl will be copied now)

v0.67 - Fucked up a whole lot

v0.65 - Added sound support!
	Added a cool splash screen pic by Rogue

v0.60 - Added support for w_xxxt models
	Added support for w_berettaempty models
	Added double check for multiple models with the EXACT same filesize (for instance Bufo's beretta's)	

v0.51 - Fixed small bug in AHL folder detection

v0.50 - First functioning release, doesn't do much besides basic copying



Wow, you actually read all this eh?
