New file formats support

[IntinteDAO]

I wonder if there will be an option to pull and add new files over time. In general, I want (in theory) to do a LibreVCMI project that would allow the creation of a "free version of Heroes 3".

In general, I see 2 possibilities here:

• Replacing graphics, effects, etc. with new ones.
• Somehow making everything from scratch.

I don't know if it's realistically possible to make everything from scratch and implement it into VCMI / FreeHeroes, or if it's better to modify the files. On the other hand, I don't think there are many tools (open source) that allow you to rip and swap game files.

And I wonder if you will want to develop your code with additional file support.

[neunato]

Creating new (LOD/DEF/PCX) files from scratch and editing existing ones is definitely doable. It was in fact planned from the get-go.

I am not familiar with the equivalent formats in VCMI (iirc, they use JSON), but translating between the two should be straightforward if they are well documented. I would also bet that you can find the translation code in VCMI itself.

Whether and how that would be included in this project is not something I can answer without knowing more details.