Who was Vercingetorix (the person and the modder)

[Professor420]

I'm currently writing an automatic unit-card script in 3dsmax, using Vercingetorix's CAS I/E script to do the importing. I am not maxscript expert but I feel I know enough... who was Vercingetorix? The code in the script is immense- I know it is not exceedingly difficult to write an importer/exporter for 3dsmax for your own file format, but how did he get enough information about the CAS files to be able to read and write them? How did he understand the animation, especially? I know we all know this was a large undertaking by him, but the speed, and efficiency, with which he did it, is simply mindboggling.

Was there information or tools from CA he worked from that I don't know about? I just cannot understand... or was this just a brute-force undertaking by an unbelievably skilled individual?

Which brings me to my next question: who was Vercingetorix the person? I find it hard to believe someone with such MXS knowledge is not in some senior position at a game studio- yet he is NOW only 20! He was, 17 or 18 when he wrote the importer/exporter? Nor can I find him at places like CGTalk, if there at all, he goes by another alias. This man and his tool are an enigma to me, and I ask the EB team, of which he was a part of, these questions, in hope that they may know answers. I have searched his posts here and at the ORG somewhat and cannot avail my curiosity...

Thank you.

[QwertyMIDX]

I linked him to your post, maybe he'll grace you with his presence. :hmmm:

[Vercingetorix]

Hey Professor. I was 17 at the time (20 now) when I wrote the cas import/export script. It was only the second import/export script I'd written so it was definately a massive undertaking. I didn't recieve any help from CA or anything like that, in fact, funny story, but an artist from CA asked for the script because CA did not have an importer -- only an exporter. I decoded the file format using a hex editor and piecing the format together. Basically you look at the file in a hex editor byte by byte and look for patterns in the files. In retrospect I think you need to be a little insane to attempt such a thing, but in my youth with nothing to do it was a thrill. It's been sometime since I've done a similar task so I regard the decoding of the cas script perhaps my greatest programming triumph (by the way, I cannot find the original thread, what happened to it?). In all honesty I don't know if I could do something like that again as I haven't worked with a hex editor for sometime and am probably mentally slower than I once was (college does that to you :p ).

If you're curious about where I am in life I am about to graduate from Devry University with a BS in Technical management. I was considering joining the U.S. army as an officer in the infantry (with a desire to go Airborne/Ranger), but have decided to spend a year or two in a civilian job first and then see. I'm hoping to get a job programming when I graduate, but don't know if it will be in the gaming industry. Most likely I'll take whatever I can get.

[Professor420]

Qwerty: Thanks!

Vercingetorix:
Thanks for replying. I'm currently employed as a tech artist in a game studio, as far as the CAS importer goes, yeah, there's rarely a need for importers since we have the source files (he probably wanted to check out a modder's artwork!!!). Most would scoff at writing a utility like you wrote... it is certainly the realm of young ambitious programmers.

I'm sure the process is much the same for what GrumpyOldMan is doing, and not to take away from his achievments, but I just can't believe how fast and comprehensively this was done. Yes, I think you have to be somewhat insane to do what you did, but I still don't understand how you knew enough to do what you did (simply the graphics/technical knowledge is considerable for a 17 year old, to understand what's going on, to speak nothing of the programming and linguistic understanding).

If you do decide to go into games (or software/applications, which IMO is boring but if it floats your boat), please send me a PM or email, as I would gladly be a reference or see if any of my friends have programming openings... its who you know, eh? As for the Army, it is up to you, but I can't imagine a better industry than video games... I can't wait to wake up every morning and get to work, I'm not sure how many people can say that. And as a programmer you'd probably be making much more than I.

[mdg1125]

I also want to thank you for your contribution to this forum and the modders. Without you pak extractor, file parser, and cas importer it would be impossible to to mod RTW. Thanks alot.

[Aymar de Bois Mauri]

Hey Professor. I was 17 at the time (20 now) when I wrote the cas import/export script. It was only the second import/export script I'd written so it was definately a massive undertaking. I didn't recieve any help from CA or anything like that, in fact, funny story, but an artist from CA asked for the script because CA did not have an importer -- only an exporter. I decoded the file format using a hex editor and piecing the format together. Basically you look at the file in a hex editor byte by byte and look for patterns in the files. In retrospect I think you need to be a little insane to attempt such a thing, but in my youth with nothing to do it was a thrill. It's been sometime since I've done a similar task so I regard the decoding of the cas script perhaps my greatest programming triumph (by the way, I cannot find the original thread, what happened to it?). In all honesty I don't know if I could do something like that again as I haven't worked with a hex editor for sometime and am probably mentally slower than I once was (college does that to you :p ).

If you're curious about where I am in life I am about to graduate from Devry University with a BS in Technical management. I was considering joining the U.S. army as an officer in the infantry (with a desire to go Airborne/Ranger), but have decided to spend a year or two in a civilian job first and then see. I'm hoping to get a job programming when I graduate, but don't know if it will be in the gaming industry. Most likely I'll take whatever I can get.

The programming god himself has spoken, so be appreciative of his post in this thread and of his extraordinary contribution to modding.

[Giorgos]

Vercingetorix, don't waste your talent in the army. Stay out of it.

[makanyane]

I haven't really got anything constructive to contribute to this thread but as Vercingetorix has appeared here I just wanted to take the opportunity to say "thanks" if he's still subscribed. I've been using, almost without thinking about it, various of his tools for years. Every now and again I realise that without people so adept at programming, to be able to create these additions modding as we know it would not be possible. Maybe not earth shattering in global terms but it has kept 100's / 1000's of us amused and off the streets for years

@Vercingetorix, if 'references' from various impressed modders would help you in your career development rest assured we would give them. As I suspect no-one would understand what we are on about I'll stop at wishing you the very best fortune in whatever you decide to do.

[cherryfunk]

Indeed -- you should know better than to declare your interest in the most powerful force for evil on the planet, V. (I'd hope a sarcasm tag wasn't required, but knowing some of the posters here...)

[Lysander13]

Pardon, as i don't mean to hijack this thread. I'm just hoping to receive a recommendation. Vercingetorix briefly mentioned hex editing and i was hoping perhaps someone in the know could recommend to me a good hex editing program. My thanks in advance.

[BozosLiveHere]

Pardon, as i don't mean to hijack this thread. I'm just hoping to receive a recommendation. Vercingetorix briefly mentioned hex editing and i was hoping perhaps someone in the know could recommend to me a good hex editing program. My thanks in advance.

Hex Workshop used to be decent, but I haven't used it in years.

[Renegen]

I believe you need to purchase Hex Workshop, but the older version I also used was very good. There's plenty of hex editors, it's not hard. But Hex Workshop is a whole toolbox that's all very user friendly.

[Vercingetorix]

Pardon, as i don't mean to hijack this thread. I'm just hoping to receive a recommendation. Vercingetorix briefly mentioned hex editing and i was hoping perhaps someone in the know could recommend to me a good hex editing program. My thanks in advance.

I used 010 Hex editor which I found to be very powerful.

If you do decide to go into games (or software/applications, which IMO is boring but if it floats your boat), please send me a PM or email, as I would gladly be a reference or see if any of my friends have programming openings... its who you know, eh?

Thanks Professor, If I do find a game studio (I currently live in Dallas, Texas but will most likely be moving back to the San Jose/Silicon Valley area) to work for I'll take you up on that


As for all the comments on the military, which seem to have been deleted thankfully, I had no idea that that tidbit of personal information would elicit such a response... I had forgotten how political TWC is.

[Lysander13]

I used 010 Hex editor which I found to be very powerful.

Certainly when someone such as yourself makes a recommendation in this area, other's should take note. My thanks to you and BozosLiveHere as well for his recommendation. There are so many hex editors around, i just didn't feel like trying out a bunch of them to see which one i liked best. Wanted to narrow down the field a bit. Anyhow, thanks again, and pardon the intrusion in this thread.

[PSYCHO V]

... and you forgot to mention he's a top bloke to boot.

my2bob

[Elric von Rabenfels]

This thread is about Vercingetorix, not the military. Please stay on topic.

Btw...

Thanks for all your great work Vercingetorix! You have done truly epic things!