MVP Baseball 2005 for Dummies

[xiberger]

Hello and welcome to the wonderful world of MVP Baseball 2005!

This is a short summary of the fundamentals of our beloved baseball game. The main goal is to create some general understanding of the way the game works. I've divided this guide into two parts. The first part will have an emphasis on the ID system that governs the assignment of cyberfaces, portraits and audio files to the players. The second part will deal with other aspects of modding that are team-specific, such as uniforms or stadiums.

Don't expect to get clear-cut answers to modding questions! In order to find out how cyberfaces, portraits, uniforms or stadiums are done, search the forums because all the information is right there. Two threads I'd like to recommend to modding newbies and pros alike are The big, nasty, all-encompassing FAQ list! and Modding questions?

I would also like to stress out that I'm a user of the PC version, which is why I don't know how the game works on consoles. Consequently, this summary deals exclusively with MVP for the PC.

One last thing: I tried to be as precise as necessary, but also as simple as possible. If there's anything I got wrong or didn't explain enough, please feel free to post your comments in here.

Ok, enough said. Here we go...

Part One: Player-specific modding

In MVP Baseball 2005, there are four different elements which are closely linked together. These basic elements of the game are:

1.) Rosters

Rosters consist of all the different DAT files in the data/database folder and they determine almost everything in the game. Whether it's the name of a player, his height and weight, his batting and fielding skills, or his appearance attributes: it's all part of the rosters! Rosters (as the name suggests!) also contain all the information on the pitching rotation and batting order of each team. In addition, they assign each player a cyberface and photo/audio ID, so the game knows what files belong to which player.

In order to modify rosters, you need to use rglass95's MVPedit. For information on how to use it, check out the FAQ thread.

NOTE: MVPedit only allows you to edit the default rosters. You can't edit saved rosters with it. If you want to modify a player in your Dynasty/Owner Mode, use tywiggins' MVP2005 Editor instead.

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2.) Cyberfaces

Cyberfaces are stored in the data/models.big file. There are three files that make up a cyberface in the game: c000.fsh, c000.ord, c000.orl (valid numbers: 001-900!). While the FSH file contains the image of the player, the ORD and ORL files contain the model data (head shape and mapping information). The cyberfaces in MVP come in two different styles. Most are 05 style (full face) and some are 04 style, where half of the face is mirrored. Both come in two sizes, either 128x256 pixels (original) or 256x512 (2x textures).

Examples:

05 style:

04 style:

Cyberface files have to match the player's cyberface ID!

Example:

Vladimir Guerrero: cyberface ID = 12

Cyberface files: c012.fsh, c012.ord, c012.orl (in data/models.big!)

WARNING: All three cyberface files have to be compressed or the game will crash!

For information on how to create cyberfaces, download jogar84's The Essential Cyberface Making Tutorial or Homer's Cyberface Video Tutorial.

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3.) Portraits

Portraits are stored in the data/frontend/portrait.big file. Unlike cyberfaces and audio files, there's only one kind of portrait file: 0000.fsh (valid numbers: 0001-9999!). Each of those FSH files consists of two BMP files: the image itself and the alpha (b/w) image. While the image of the player is the base for the portrait, the alpha acts as a kind of filter. Everything that's black in the alpha will be transparent in the final portrait file, and everything that's white will be displayed in the game. Portrait sizes are either 128x128 pixels (original) or 256x256 (2x texture).

Examples:

Image:

Alpha:

NOTE: The image needs to be a 24-bit BMP and the alpha an 8-bit grayscale BMP!

A Portrait file (like audio files!) has to match the player's photo/audio ID!

Example:

Albert Pujols: photo/audio ID = 1239

Portrait file: 1239.fsh (in data/frontend/portrait.big!)

NOTE: One tricky thing about portraits is the fact that there's a very important detail inside the FSH file. The attachment "name" has to be set to the player's ID as well or the game won't recognize it. So, it's not enough to just rename the FSH file, but the attachment has to be modified as well.

WARNING: Portrait files have to be compressed or the game will crash!

For information on how to create portraits, check out krawhitham's Portrait Tutorial or download his Portrait Maker.

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4.) Player audio

Player audio files are stored in the data/audio/spch_pbp and data/audio/spch_pa folders. There are four different kinds of audio files in the game: 0000a.dat, 0000c.dat, 0000d.dat, 0000.dat (valid numbers: 0001-9999!). The letter behind the numbers determines who of the two main (play-by-play) announcers says what. "A" means Krukow announces the player's full name. Kuiper announces the files with "c" (full name) and "d" (last name only). The DAT file without a letter governs the PA announcement in the stadium.

NOTE: Not all of these audio files have to be present! However, every DAT (audio) file needs a corresponding HDR (index) file!

Audio files (like portrait files!) have to match the player's photo/audio ID!

Example:

Vladimir Guerrero: photo/audio ID = 339

Audio files (PBP): 0339a.dat, 0339c.dat, 0339d.dat (in data/audio/spch_pbp/pnamedat.big!)

Index files (PBP): 0339a.hdr, 0339c.hdr, 0339d.hdr (in data/audio/spch_pbp/pnamehdr.big!)

Audio file (PA): 0339.dat (in data/audio/spch_pa/pnamedat.big!)

Index file (PA): 0339.hdr (in data/audio/spch_pa/pnamehdr.big!)

For information on how to modify player audio files, check out emeyekayiee's tutorial or download Homer's Player Audio Tutorial, which also includes some of the necessary editing tools.

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Conclusion:

Besides defining the most important characteristics of players and teams alike, rosters also serve as a kind of reference list for the many entries in the different BIG files (models.big, portrait.big, pnamedat.big, pnamehdr.big). They tell the game what files are associated with which player.

WARNING: Every player needs to have both IDs (cyberface and photo/audio) and the respective files in the correct BIG files! Missing cyberfaces will cause the game to crash, while missing portraits will result in a black box! Audio files are optional.

NOTE: While it's possible to have a number of different rosters in the game, the BIG files are always unique. There's only one BIG file for cyberfaces (models.big), one for portraits (portrait.big), and two each (pnamedat.big, pnamehdr.big) for play-by-play and PA audio files. Thus, the IDs have to be consistent throughout all rosters, or there will be irregularities and even crashes in the game. That's also the reason why many rosters require specific BIG files.

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Part Two: Team-specific modding

There are also aspects in modding MVP that aren't player-specific, but affect entire teams:

5.) Uniforms

Uniforms are stored in the data/models.big file. They consist of two seperate fsh files. One starts with the letter "u", the other with the letter "f". The "u" file contains most aspects of a uniform (jersey, pants, shoes etc.), while the "f" file contains the font for jersey numbers and player names.

Every uniform in MVP has its own ID. The ID number has to match both the uniform file and the font file. Teams in MVP can have up to 15 different uniforms installed under their ID (also often referred to as "slot"). The various uniforms (home, away, alternate etc.) are labelled with letters following the ID number.

Example:

Toronto Blue Jays: uniform ID = 013

Home uniform: a

Uniform file: u013a.fsh (in data/models.big!)

Font file: f013a.fsh (in data/models.big!)

To find out more about the uniform slots available in the game, check out Kccitystar's list.

NOTE: There are also files in models.big that start with the letter "a". Those are font files for numbers on the front of certain jerseys. Also, some uniforms in the game don't have numbers (or names) on the back, most of them being retro uniforms. You can't add numbers or names to these uniforms because it's hard-coded into the game!

If you want to start editing uniforms, follow the steps given in hiheat32's Uniform Modding thread. The entire tutorial is also available for download here. Another good description on how to mod uniforms can be found in redsox's Uniform Creation Tutorial.

NOTE: Uniform select screens are located in the data/frontend/uniforms.big file. They follow the same ID pattern as uniforms do. You can create your own uniform select screens using rolie's Photoshop Jersey Templates.

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6.) Stadiums

Stadiums are located in the data/stadium folder. The .big file names always follow the same pattern. The first four letters stand for the stadium name and the last four letters stand for day or night version.

Examples:

Yankee Stadium day version: yankday.big (in data/stadium!)

Wrigley Field night version: wrignite.big (in data/stadium!)

NOTE: Stadium file names can't be changed! Just because SBC Park is now AT&T Park, doesn't mean the file name has to change as well. It's still sbcpday/sbcpnite.big, even though the stadium version might be an updated park.

There are also two files named venuday.big and venunite.big in your data/stadium folder. Those are the two stadiums for your Owner Mode team. However, if you don't have an Owner Mode file, you can't play in them.

NOTE: You can't add stadiums to your game, just replace those that already exist!

Stadium files also have to match the respective stadium datafiles, which are located in the data/datafile/datafile.big file. Those files control many aspects of the gameplay in the stadiums, like replay cameras, field physics, blimp shots etc.

WARNING: If the stadium file and the respective stadium datafile don't match, you'll experience problems during gameplay!

If you want to edit stadiums yourself, I suggest you use ZModeler to do so. Check out rolie's Zmod Stadium Guide for instructions on how to do it. You can also use OEdit, but it's more complicated to use. To find out more about this method, read Pirate's Stadium Editing Tutorial.

NOTE: Stadium select screens are stored in the data/frontend/stadiums.big file. For instructions on how to modify them, follow the steps outlined in Jim825's tutorial.

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FAQ:

- Is it possible to update cyberfaces in the middle of a Dynasty/Owner Mode?

Yes. If you simply update a cyberface, you don't have to worry at all. If you want to assign a player a new cyberface, you'll have to change his cyberface ID accordingly (with MVP2005 Editor). The same applies for portraits and audio files (with their respective photo/audio ID!).

- After importing a new cyberface for Jacoby Ellsbury, it works in my default rosters, but not in my Dynasty/Owner Mode. Why is that?

This kind of problem occurs when two different sets of rosters are involved. In this case, each has its own cyberface ID for Ellsbury. While the default rosters are using the new (and correct) ID, the ones in the Dynasty/Owner Mode aren't. This can easily be fixed with MVP2005 Editor. The same applies for portraits and audio files (with their respective photo/audio ID!)

- I've got a created player in my rosters. I made a cyberface and a portrait for him, but no audio files. Will this cause my game to crash?

No. Audio files are optional. However, cyberfaces and portraits aren't! If either one has a specified ID, but the files are not where they're supposed to be, the game will crash!

- After importing a portrait for my created player, all I get is a black box. What's wrong?

The ID in the attachment "name" (inside the portrait FSH file) doesn't match with the player's photo/audio ID in your rosters. Adjusting the attachment will take care of the problem.

- I downloaded and installed a new cyberface for Magglio Ordonez, but I don't see any changes in the game. How come?

After downloading a cyberface, always make sure the file names match the cyberface ID in your rosters. The same applies for portraits and audio files (with their respective photo/audio ID!).

- I would like to create a new player. How do I find a free ID for him?

All you need to do is take a look into the respective BIG file and find an ID that's not taken. Again, a cyberface ID has to be between 001 and 900 and a photo/audio ID between 0001 and 9999.

- Some players have their photo/audio ID set to "0". What's the deal with that?

That's the ID used for all the players who don't have their own portrait. They all use the same file (0000.fsh), which is the black picture with the white silhouette. It's strongly advised not to change that portrait!

- How can I transfer a team from one mod (e.g. TC 61) to another version of MVP?

There are many things that need to be considered when transferring teams to different slots. I suggest you read through Jim825's list. It's very detailed and will help you a lot.

- I created my own uniform and imported it into the game, but there are no numbers on the back of the jersey? Did I forget something?

There are some uniform slots (mostly those for retro uniforms!) that won't display numbers on the back of a jersey. This can't be changed, since it's hard-coded into the game! So, make sure your uniform is installed in a slot that supports jersey numbers.

- I downloaded the new Nationals Park and there are two .txt files (rfksday.txt and rfksnite.txt) included. What's up with them?

Those are stadium datafiles that control many aspects of the gameplay in the stadiums you downloaded. Stadium datafiles are stored in the data/datafile/datafile.big file. However, you don't need to import updated stadium datafiles into your datafile.big file! Putting them in your data folder is sufficent because from there they override the entries in the datafile.big file.

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Final note:

I recommend you use krawhitham's Total installer Thingy (available on EAmods.com) to install all kinds of mods for MVP (cyberfaces, portraits, uniforms etc.). And I strongly advise you to back up your files before adding a mod! This will save you a lot of hard work, in case something goes wrong. Always remember, it's better to be safe than sorry!

Enjoy the game!

xiberger

[MarkB]

Stickied. Very nice thread, xiberger. Thanks! :D

[Borgi]

Wow this is a wonderful thread, right up there with the all compressing FAQs. Good job man

[Totte]

Love it man and I'm sure it'll come in handy for a bunch of people :)

[Yankee4Life]

Wonderful idea!!

[xiberger]

Thanks, guys! And as I stated above, if there are any questions or corrections regarding this thread, please feel free to post them here.

[Maestro23]

Excellent thread Xiberger. Now if the people will just READ it!!!! :headache:

[meteamo]

:wave:

Great thread xiberger. I'll be a frequent visitor of this thread. I woke up thinking that such a thread would be nice. And here it is. It's kind of like I was psycho or something.

:loco:

Great work. :wtg:

Question:

For the cyberfaces, is it possible to go above 2x?

[xiberger]

Technically, it should be possible to go above 2x textures for cyberfaces. I don't think it would be wise, though, as bigger textures are more demanding on the hardware. Many computers (including mine!) can't handle hi-res textures too well, so going above 2x might cause crashing issues for them.

[AlexTony]

Hmm, pretty nice maybe make the whole read its own seperate DL?

[xiberger]

Is it necessary to make this a download as well? I think it'll be enough to keep it here, but if people want me to put together a file, I can do that, too.

[Homer]

excellent indeed. you beat me to the punch since i've been thinking about doing something like this for a long time now. just a few things to add if you want:

1. you mentioned the cyberfaces are numbered 001 to 900. there are also generic faces. they begin with "g" and go from 001 to 045. in mvpedit, they correspond to the cyberface id's above 900. however, you can only assign generic cyberfaces 901 to 915. the rest are used by the game engine. generic faces will not have a preview in mvpedit like the rest. unclemo would be the guru of generics.

2. actually, if you don't install a portrait, it will not crash. you will just get the black box in game.

3. unlike portraits, the cyberfaces can simply be renumbered and installed.

4. you could possibly talk about different methods of installation.

5. you may assign the same cyberface id number to two or more different players if you like. they will just share the same cyberface.

6. you cannot edit all star teams in mvpedit. it will crash your game. the only way to edit them is to use notepad or some other text editor, and edit the roster.dat file.

7. typical game crashes. though is indicative, but not 100%:

a. while the initial splash screen is loading = a roster problem, or you're using an illegal version of the game. did you edit the all star teams? did you create some players, and if so, do you now have more than 3250 guys on the roster? did you assign a generic face above 915?

b. while at the uniform select screen = possible problem with the uniform portraits

c. mini game (HR derby, batting, pitching) = your roster is missing shane reynolds (actually his id #0f844e070). the original game uses him for these games, so if he's missing from your roster, someone else needs to have his player id#.

d. the loading screen right before the game starts = stadium or models.big or overlay problem. cyberfaces might not be compressed. your system might not be able to handle the combination of the stadium or the 2x uniforms or the overlay.

e. the game loads, but you only see a couple screens of the field before it crashes = cyberface problem. most likely a compression issue.

f. a guy in the game has a face that looks like it's a picasso painting = cyberface id. you have an 05 cyberface, but have the id set to yes as an 04, or vice versa.

8. you can also use mvpedit to see what portrait id's are being used. there's a Photo List under the Tools menu. looking in the portraits.big file will only tell you what portraits are installed. there are guys that carried over from mvp 04 that are still in the game but hidden (such as mo vaughn). you could simply use their id's if you don't care. you can install a portrait over theirs, but just make sure you install audio over it too. looking at the models.big again will only tell you what cyberfaces are installed, but not what is being used. again, some of these faces carried over (like mo vaughn). you could simply install over them too if you choose to. otherwise, the only way to know if a cyberface slot is used or not is to get a list from the roster maker, or going through every player in the game and creating a list.

9. also maybe talk about uniforms if you want to.

othewise, great post.

[xiberger]

Thanks for your comments, Homer! I'm going to update my post accordingly, but only the things I got wrong. That way your list will remain an essential part of this thread, instead of being swallowed by mine.

I don't really want to talk about different ways of installing files because there are simply too many. If everybody agrees, I will put in a recommendation to use kraw's TiT. From what I've heard, that's the easiest way (especially for new users).

As for uniforms, I just don't know enough about them to write a summary. Maybe someone with a more experience in this field of modding can contribute a comment, such as your post.

[omardj38]

Excellent......

[baseballinjapan]

there are plenty of more in depth threads about the above mentioned topics, so why not just post the links instead?

[hiheat32]

sweet cover lol

heres one i made a while back:

[Homer]

there are plenty of more in depth threads about the above mentioned topics, so why not just post the links instead?

not a bad idea. especially hiheat's tutorial.

[SESbb30]

great idea man! i wish this was made when i joined....lol.

[Homer]

have we ever considered making a tutorial section of the forums? this and things like markb's faq list could and should be there.

[Homer]

Here's another thing you could add here:

Question:

Hi

I am a big Dwight Evans fan, and currently enjoying playing MVP94, how can I move Evans cyberface from the Total Classics mod to the MVP94 mod. I would like to take him out of retirement and into the year 1994. He is also featured in the 1978 mod, and if this can be mastered I am tinkering with having a 1986 Mod using a combination of the 1978, Total classics mod and MVP94 cyberfaces.

Answer:

extracting and installing the player into the rosters:

1. open up the Total Classics mod in mvpedit, or whichever mod you're taking his CAP from.

2. locate him, and take note

3. go to the menu File>Export>Player

4. locate the team he's on, and then drag him over to the right side of the screen.

5. hit ok, and you will be prompted to save it somewhere, anywhere you wish, name it what you wish

6. open up Total Classics in mvpedit, or whichever mod you're inserting him into

7. go to File>Import>Player, then locate the file you saved in step #5. save him to the team you want him on. you may do add if you wish to just add him, or replace if you want him to replace someone.

8. if you're adding him, make sure: 1. your roster doesn't have more than 25 players on the team 2. you won't have more than 3250 players total after you add him 3. don't add him to the All-Star team

9. if you're replacing someone with him, don't add him to replace mickey mantle, mike piazza, or shane reynolds

extracting and installing the cyberface:

1. open up the Total Classics mod in mvpedit, or whichever mod you're taking his cyberface from.

2. locate him, and click the appearance tab. take note of what number his cyberface is.

3. go the the data folder for Total Classics

4. open the models.big with Biggui

5. locate the cyberface files (they begin with 'c') that has the corresponding number to what you saw in step #2

6. hold shift or ctrl and highlight all three files

7. then use the extract function and extract it to anywhere you want

8. open up your 94 mod, or whichever mod you want to add him to, with mvpedit

9. locate him in the roster. you will need to dig around to figure out if there is a cyberface number (1-900) that is open. if there is one, assign that cyberface number to him. if the face you're using is an 05 style, make sure that box says NO under 04 style.

10. rename your cyberface numbers to match the one you just assigned. zip up the files and install it with Tit.

for the audios and portraits, you will need to do similar things. ask if you don't know how.

[MissDCole]

ill be needing this thanx lol

[Homer]

xiberger, might wanna update the links to the portrait maker and portrait tutorial.

[xiberger]

Said and done. Thanks for bringing it to my attention, Homer.

[Homer]

really, this thread should have it's own page or section right out in the front page for new users.

[Trues]

really, this thread should have it's own page or section right out in the front page for new users.

I agree. I'll see what I can do.

Thanks guys.