How to open the *.luac files in Windows Vista?

[p.jakub88]

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Hello everyone,

I would like to know how i could open the ETW *.luac files - which editor or program i will need?

Thanks in advance!

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[taw]

You need lua decompiler patched to work with ETW lua engine.

The best currently available decompiler is on etwng repository.

Do not even go there unless you know how to use C compiler.
If you use OSX build script is one click, otherwise you'll need
to configure build options.

[p.jakub88]

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Thanks for the quick reply!

Tell me only how to open the luac's with you lua decompiler?

Thanks in advance!

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[taw]

Not a single line of text is in .lua/.luac

Because all text must differ from language to language version, it's scored in language-specific files with .loc extension

.lua/.luac control mostly user interface - buttons, what to display, what advice to play, etc.
They refer to all text by id, actual text is in .loc files.

[p.jakub88]

----Post outdated----

[taw]

Not with Notepad. Pack editor can handle .loc

[p.jakub88]

Yes, that was a sort of stupid question i know...

I' m using Pack File Manager to open *.pack files and edit them, so no problem for this.

[taw]

Pack manager has builtin .loc editor.

They're in text/ui.loc and text/localisation.loc files in patch_en.pack
or other relevant for your language.

Iirc you can disable naval flags from in-game settings.
If they come back to default after every battle,
your config file might be set to read only - just
set it to writable or open it in notepad.
(it's in your documents directory somewhere)

You do not need to edit .luac for any of that.
(nor even for disabling ui parts - only if you want to add new ones
or change behaviour significantly)

Also deleting .luac will likely crash ETW.

Lua files need those txt and those two types are connected.

Which .lua or .luac file determine the user interface, the floating flags option on land and naval battles?

Maybe deleting or renaming some entries in those files will permanently remove those big floating flags above units head?

I tried to simply change the preferences file and save only to read.

I tried to disable all my mods and run vanilla ETW - the same situation.

I made earlier some changes in patch.pack file , but not related to ui.pack!!

Do you have the same problem??

Otherwise i need every time to disable those flags in user interface panel.

Someone should make a mod that permanently removes the floating flags from Empire Total War battles or remove the possibility to show them in game.

[p.jakub88]

---Post Outdated----

[taw]

Pack Editor marks CA packs as read-only by default, that's probably why you don't see save option.

Most modders copy entire .loc files to separate mod and edit it there. Mod packs override patch packs.

If I recall correctly, .loc files can only be overridden entirely, so you need to copy all of it, not just create
new .loc for your stuff.

[Ishan]

Identical Threads Merged

[p.jakub88]

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----> How i could open the *.luac file in Windows Vista OS?


I mean inside ui.pack, using Pack File Manager or exported *.luac file into the desktop.

I would like to open this particular file : events_message.luac.

Any ideas how to do that?

Thanks in advance!

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[Settoken]

Hi

Lua is a scripting language (like python, delphi etc) which is easily embedable in a C/C++ app like a game. It's a higher level language than C++ so it's easier and faster to code some functionality with it.

I think that a big part of what makes 'Napoleon' and 'Empire' --> 'Napoleon' and 'Empire' in the code is Lua 5.1 coded and that the rest of the code is the core warscape engine in C++.

*.lua files are uncompiled scripts while *.luac are compiled one.
Here is some documentation about lua 5.1 : http://www.lua.org/manual/5.1/manual.html#5.3
and
here is a lua decompiler : http://luadec51.luaforge.net/

I haven't tried it myself so I don't know how it works. I think there's a binary version of the package.

PS: it would be very easy for CA to allow for major modding of their games without releasing special tools and without exposing their engine. But if I'm right, both their latest release and the announced shogun2 are essentially differentiated by their Lua scripting and databases (entries, models, textures etc).
If all that stuff was accesible to the community, we could litterally create new Total war releases like MongolTW, TroyTW etc etc. Ca would just be left with an engine and no more with a franchise...
So I wouldn't expect any tools from them unless they decide to create a new commercial model based on their community and it's unlikely they're in the mood for it considering the fact that they sell, as 'DLCs' and 'expansion packs', locked content already present in their games (at least for Empire I don't know about Napoleon).

[taw]

*.lua files are uncompiled scripts while *.luac are compiled one.
Here is some documentation about lua 5.1 : http://www.lua.org/manual/5.1/manual.html#5.3
and
here is a lua decompiler : http://luadec51.luaforge.net/

This luadec will not work with ETW. You need patches from etwng.

Lua does mostly UI, tutorials, advice, trait system, and related trivia in ETW/NTW.
You cannot use it for total conversion.

[Settoken]

This luadec will not work with ETW. You need patches from etwng.

Ok thx, great someone managed to do this.

Lua does mostly UI, tutorials, advice, trait system, and related trivia in ETW/NTW.
You cannot use it for total conversion.

I didn't mean that custom scripts only would do the job sir. I was talking about access to the Lua code and libs embeded in the application by the dev console.

[taw]

I didn't mean that custom scripts only would do the job sir. I was talking about access to the Lua code and libs embeded in the application by the dev console.

There is no dev console in ETW. It shouldn't be that hard to make one if you knew something
about Windows programming - just use a pair of files for communication between ETW lua vm
and console program, then figure out how to run lua events asynchronously, and that gives you
lua repl. Except for occasional CTDs, but nobody's perfect.

[The Hedge Knight]

Oops, sorry.