Miscellaneous

This page describes every change in Vinifera that wasn’t categorized into a proper category yet.

Vinifera hardcodes the shroud and fog graphics to circumvent cheating in multiplayer games.
Vinifera redirects saved screenshots using the keyboard command to a new sub-directory in the games folders, Screenshots.
Vinifera allows Skirmish games to be started with no AI house(s).
Vinifera implements the Blowfish algorithm into the Vinifera DLL itself, removing the requirement for the external BLOWFISH.DLL library. As a result, this allows the game will run without BLOWFISH.DLL registered on the target system or present in the installation directory. The game can still load encrypted mix files to be loaded without any issues.
Vinifera allows players to set a rally point for their service depot, similar to the functionality already available for factories.
OverlayTypes 27 to 38 (fourth Tiberium images) were hardcoded to be impassable by infantry. This limitation is removed.
Harvesters used to drop their cargo as Tiberium Riparius on death. They will now drop the Tiberium types they are carrying, instead.
It is no longer required to list all Tiberiums in a map to override some Tiberium’s properties.
FreeUnit or PadAircraft would in some cases affect the cost of a building. This functionality has been removed.

Quality of Life

Harvesters are now considered when executing the “Guard” command. They have a special case when assigned with the Guard mission that tells them to find the nearest Tiberium patch and begin harvesting.
Harvesters now auto harvest when built from the war factory.
Vinifera changes the default value of IsScoreShuffle to true.
Vinifera changes the default value of AllowHiResModes to true.
Factories now hold their object if there is no war factory available for the unit to exit from instead of refuding construction.

Starting Unit Placement

Vinifera changes starting units to be placed in the same way as they are in Red Alert 2.
The starting unit placement in Tiberian Sun is awkward and requires the player to micro-manage their units before they can deploy the MCV. Now, with this change, the starting units are placed exactly like Red Alert 2, allowing the player (and the AI) to instantly deploy the MCV at the starting spawn location;

MCV Auto-deploy

Vinifera allow you to start the game with the MCV deployed, or have the MCV auto-deploy on start.

In RULES.INI:

[MultiplayerDefaults]
AutoDeployMCV=no      ; boolean, should player MCV's auto-deploy on game start?
PrePlacedConYards=no  ; boolean, should pre-place construction yards instead of spawning an MCV?
                      ; NOTE: This option only has an effect if the unit count is set to 1.
                      ; NOTE: This option has priority over AutoDeployMCV.

Prerequisites

Multi-MCV

Vinifera allows turning off the check for the house that built the MCV to allow giving each faction their own MCV (instead of a shared MCV).

In RULES.INI:

[General]
MultiMCV=no  ; boolean, should MCVs allow the construction of buildings of any house, not only the house that built them?

Sticky Technologies

In vanilla, technologies are “sticky”, that is, for example, if you lose a tech center, you will not lose access to objects that require a tech center until you lose all factories of the type. Vinifera allows turning off this behavior.

In RULES.INI:

[General]
RecheckPrerequisites=no  ; boolean, should prerequisites be rechecked, and unavailable items removed from the sidebar, when buildings are lost?

Multi-Engineer

Vinifera fixes EngineerDamage and EngineerCaptureLevel to be considered by the game, like they were in Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert.

In RULES.INI:

[General]
EngineerDamage=0.0        ; float, the engineer will damage a building by this percent of its full health each time it enters.
EngineerCaptureLevel=1.0  ; float, if the building’s health is equal to or below this percentage of its strength it can be captured by an engineer.

Warning

Upon observing the values used in FIRESTRM.INI, this could potentially cause an issue with the vanilla game. FIRESTRM.INI has the values EngineerCaptureLevel=1.0 and EngineerDamage=0.0. Below are some values to help test these bug fixes and their potential impact on the vanilla game.

Red Alert Default values: EngineerDamage=0.33 EngineerCaptureLevel=0.25

Red Alert Multiplayer (MPLAYER.INI) values: EngineerDamage=0.33 EngineerCaptureLevel=0.66

Build off Ally

Vinifera implements the “Build Off Ally” feature from Red Alert 2 as a Quality of Life improvement. This is now the default behaviour for multiplayer games.

In RULES.INI:

[MultiplayerDefaults]
BuildOffAlly=yes                   ; boolean, can players build their own structures adjacent to structures owned by their allies?

[SOMEBUILDING]                     ; BuildingType
EligibleForAllyBuilding=<boolean>  ; Is this building eligible for proximity checks by players who are its owner's allies?
                                   ; For buildings with ConstructionYard=yes this defaults to yes, otherwise it defaults to no.

Window Title, Cursor and Icon

The game’s Window title, Cursor and Icon can be overridden. These controls are loaded from a new INI file, VINIFERA.INI.

Note

While this is INI file is optional, it is recommended the ProjectName and ProjectVersion are set by the mod developer as this information is printed into debug logs and crash dumps to aid in the troubleshooting process.

In VINIFERA.INI:

[General]
ProjectName=     ; string, the project's title name string. Limited to 64 characters.
ProjectVersion=  ; string, the project's version string. Limited to 64 characters.
IconFile=        ; string, the name of the icon file (including the .ICO extension) to use for the games window. Limited to 64 characters.
CursorFile=      ; string, the name of the cursor file (including the .CUR extension) to use for the game's cursor. Limited to 64 characters.

Note

The filenames also support subdirectories.

Custom Saved Games Directory

By default Vinifera changes the game to save games into a subdirectly called Saved Games. This can be customized.

In VINIFERA.INI:

[General]
SavedGamesDirectory=Saved Games  ; string, the name of the directory in which to save games.

Note

Subdirectories are also supported, e. g. Tiberian Sun\Saved Games.

File System

GENERIC.MIX and ISOGEN.MIX mixfiles can now be used to place common assets between theaters.
The game now loads ELOCAL(00-99).MIX expansion mixfiles. These can be used to override files normally found in LOCAL.MIX.
Vinifera reimplements the file search path override logic of -CD from Red Alert. This effectively allows the end-user to copy the CD contents to the game directory and run the game without any CD required to be inserted. The argument supports multiple entries separated by the ; character. Below are some examples: -CD. - Sets the games root directory as the location to search for the CD contents. -CDcd_path - Sets the cd_path sub-directory as the location to search for the CD contents. -CDcd1;cd2;cd3 - Sets the sub-directories cd1, cd2, and cd3 as the search locations for the CD contents.

Developer Features

You can enable the developer mode by running Vinifera (LaunchVinifera.exe) with the command line argument -DEVELOPER. You can also explicitly enable the debug console with -CONSOLE.
-NO_VERSION_STRING can be used to hide the build version number from the in-game view.

Note

If you are using Vinifera with the TS Client, you can add these to the ExtraCommandLineParams= in Resources\ClientDefinitions.ini

Do not release your project/mod with either of these arguments defined, they will break multiplayer!

The game will no longer fail to start if the startup mix files are not found.

Note

It is not recommended that you modify or remove any of the original mix files, this could lead to undefined behaviour and the Vinifera developers will not be able to troubleshoot any issue related to these changes.

The game will no longer fail if the side specific mix files are not found.

Rule Selection

Vinifera re-enables a feature from Tiberian Sun’s development which allows you to select the Rules file if multiple are found in the game directory.
At startup, the game will scan for files in the root directory with the format RULE*.INI, with * being a wildcard for any character or string (for example, RULE_VERSION1.INI or RULE_TEST_WEAPON.INI). While it has no impact on the loading, it is advised to use the format RULE_*.INI to help with file sorting in Windows Explorer.
The name shown in the dialog is the value of the Name= (with a limit of 128 characters) entry under [General] in the Rule INI. If the user presses Cancel on the dialog, the game will load the standard RULES.INI file.

Note

Due to the nature of its use, this feature is only available when Vinifera is running in Developer Mode.

NULL house warning

Vinifera adds a warning to the debug log output when a null house pointer is detected during the game loading screen.
Also, if the user has Developer Mode enabled, then a dialog will be shown to notify the user of the offending objects name.

Command Line Options

Vinifera adds a number of command-line arguments allowing the user to skip the startup movies, or skip directly to a specific game mode and/or dialog.
-NO_STARTUP_VIDEO Skips all startup movies.
-SKIP_TO_TS_MENU Loads the game directly into the Tiberian Sun main menu (also skips startup movies).
-SKIP_TO_FS_MENU Loads the game directly into the Firestorm main menu (also skips startup movies). This option has priority over the TS main menu argument.

The following options will be affected by the choice of menu you skip to, otherwise, they default to the Tiberian Sun game mode.

-SKIP_TO_LAN Loads the game directly into the LAN dialog.
-SKIP_TO_CAMPAIGN Loads the game directly into the Campaign dialog.
-SKIP_TO_SKIRMISH Loads the game directly into the Skirmish dialog.
-SKIP_TO_INTERNET Loads the game directly into the Internet dialog.
-EXIT_AFTER_SKIP This option tells the game to exit when you press Cancel or Back from the dialog you skipped to.

Developer Commands

`[ ]` Memory Dump

Produces a mini-dump of the memory for analysis.

`[ ]` Dump Heap CRCs

Dumps all the current game objects as CRCs to the log output.

`[ ]` Dump Heaps

Dumps all the type heaps to an output log.

`[ ]` Dump Trigger Info

Dumps all existing triggers, tags, and local and global variables to the log output.

`[ ]` Reload Rules

Reloads the Rules and Art INI files.

Warning

This could very well crash the game, please use it with caution and make small incremental changes only!

`[ ]` Instant Build (Player)

Toggles the instant build cheat for the player.

`[ ]` Instant Build (AI)

Toggles the instant build cheat for the AI.

`[ ]` Instant Special Recharge (Player)

Toggles the instant recharge cheat for the players super weapons.

`[ ]` Instant Special Recharge (AI)

Toggles the instant recharge cheat for the AI player super weapons.

`[ ]` Place Infantry

Places a random infantry at the mouse cell.

`[ ]` Place Unit

Places a random unit at the mouse cell.

`[ ]` Place Tiberium

Places tiberium at the mouse cell.

`[ ]` Reduce Tiberium

Reduces tiberium at the mouse cell.

`[ ]` Place Fully Grown Tiberium

Places fully grown tiberium at the mouse cell.

`[ ]` Remove Tiberium

Removes tiberium at the mouse cell.

`[ ]` Toggle AI Control

Toggles AI control of the player house.

`[ ]` Toggle Frame Step

Toggle frame step mode to step through the game frame-by-frame (for inspection).

`[ ]` Step 1 Frame

Frame Step Only: Step forward 1 frame.

`[ ]` Step 5 Frame

Frame Step Only: Step forward 5 frames.

`[ ]` Step 10 Frame

Frame Step Only: Step forward 10 frame.

`[ ]` Build Cheat

Unlocks all available build options for the player house.

`[ ]` Toggle Elite

Toggle the elite status of the selected objects.

`[ ]` Damage

Apply damage to all selected objects.

`[ ]` Spawn All

Spawn all buildable units and structures at mouse cursor location.

`[ ]` Delete Object

Removes the selected object(s) from the game world.

`[ ]` Map Snapshot

Saves a snapshot of the current scenario state (Saved as ‘SCEN_.MAP.).

`[ ]` Ion Storm

Toggles the ion storm on/off.

`[ ]` Bail Out

Exits the game to the desktop.

Note

Explosion and Super Explosion are currently disabled due to a possible engine bug.

`[ ]` Explosion

Spawns an explosion at the mouse cursor location.

`[ ]` Super Explosion

Spawns a large explosion at the mouse cursor location.

`[ ]` Ion Blast

Fires an ion blast bolt at the current mouse cursor location.

`[ ]` Lightning Bolt

Fires a lightning bolt at the current mouse cursor location.

`[ ]` Free Money

Hands out free money to the player.

`[ ]` Special Weapons

Grants all available special weapons to the player.

`[ ]` Capture Object

Take ownership of any selected objects.

`[ ]` Force Win

Forces the player to win the current game session.

`[ ]` Force Lose

Forces the player to lose the current game session.

`[ ]` Force Die

Forces all of the player’s units and structures to explode, losing the current game session.

`[ ]` Instant Build

Toggles the instant build cheat for the player.

`[ ]` Instant Build (AI)

Toggles the instant build cheat for the AI.

`[ ]` Toggle Shroud

Toggles the visibility of the map shroud.

`[ ]` Heal

Heal the selected objects by 50 hit points.

`[ ]` Toggle Inert

Toggles if weapons are inert or not.

`[ ]` Dump AI Base Nodes

Dumps all the current AI house base node info to the log output.

`[ ]` Toggle Alliance

Toggles alliance with the selected objects house.

`[ ]` Encroach Fog

Increase the fog of war by one step (cell).

`[ ]` Encroach Shadow

Increase the shroud darkness by one step (cell).

`[ ]` Toggle Berzerk

Toggles the berzerk state of the selected infantry.

`[ ]` Place Crate

Places a random crate at the mouse location.

`[ ]` Add Power

Adds 2000 power units to the player.

`[ ]` Cursor Position

Displays cell coordinates of the mouse cursor.

`[ ]` Cycle Starting Waypoints

Cycle the camera between the starting waypoints on the map.

`[ ]` Meteor Impact

Sends a meteor at the current mouse cell.

`[ ]` Meteor Shower

Creates a meteor shower around the current mouse cell.

INI

Add loading of MPLAYER.INI and MPLAYERFS.INI (Firestorm only) to override Rules data for multiplayer games (including Skirmish). Data contained in these INI’s will not be loaded for the campaign and World Domination Tour games.

Miscellaneous

Quality of Life

Starting Unit Placement

MCV Auto-deploy

Prerequisites

Multi-MCV

Sticky Technologies

Multi-Engineer

Build off Ally

Window Title, Cursor and Icon

Custom Saved Games Directory

File System

Developer Features

Rule Selection

NULL house warning

Command Line Options

Developer Commands

[ ] Memory Dump

[ ] Dump Heap CRCs

[ ] Dump Heaps

[ ] Dump Trigger Info

[ ] Reload Rules

[ ] Instant Build (Player)

[ ] Instant Build (AI)

[ ] Instant Special Recharge (Player)

[ ] Instant Special Recharge (AI)

[ ] Place Infantry

[ ] Place Unit

[ ] Place Tiberium

[ ] Reduce Tiberium

[ ] Place Fully Grown Tiberium

[ ] Remove Tiberium

[ ] Toggle AI Control

[ ] Toggle Frame Step

[ ] Step 1 Frame

[ ] Step 5 Frame

[ ] Step 10 Frame

[ ] Build Cheat

[ ] Toggle Elite

[ ] Damage

[ ] Spawn All

[ ] Delete Object

[ ] Map Snapshot

[ ] Ion Storm

[ ] Bail Out

[ ] Explosion

[ ] Super Explosion

[ ] Ion Blast

[ ] Lightning Bolt

[ ] Free Money

[ ] Special Weapons

[ ] Capture Object

[ ] Force Win

[ ] Force Lose

[ ] Force Die

[ ] Instant Build

[ ] Instant Build (AI)

[ ] Toggle Shroud

[ ] Heal

[ ] Toggle Inert

[ ] Dump AI Base Nodes

[ ] Toggle Alliance

[ ] Encroach Fog

[ ] Encroach Shadow

[ ] Toggle Berzerk

[ ] Place Crate

[ ] Add Power

[ ] Cursor Position

[ ] Cycle Starting Waypoints

[ ] Meteor Impact

[ ] Meteor Shower

INI

`[ ]` Memory Dump

`[ ]` Dump Heap CRCs

`[ ]` Dump Heaps

`[ ]` Dump Trigger Info

`[ ]` Reload Rules

`[ ]` Instant Build (Player)

`[ ]` Instant Build (AI)

`[ ]` Instant Special Recharge (Player)

`[ ]` Instant Special Recharge (AI)

`[ ]` Place Infantry

`[ ]` Place Unit

`[ ]` Place Tiberium

`[ ]` Reduce Tiberium

`[ ]` Place Fully Grown Tiberium

`[ ]` Remove Tiberium

`[ ]` Toggle AI Control

`[ ]` Toggle Frame Step

`[ ]` Step 1 Frame

`[ ]` Step 5 Frame

`[ ]` Step 10 Frame

`[ ]` Build Cheat

`[ ]` Toggle Elite

`[ ]` Damage

`[ ]` Spawn All

`[ ]` Delete Object

`[ ]` Map Snapshot

`[ ]` Ion Storm

`[ ]` Bail Out

`[ ]` Explosion

`[ ]` Super Explosion

`[ ]` Ion Blast

`[ ]` Lightning Bolt

`[ ]` Free Money

`[ ]` Special Weapons

`[ ]` Capture Object

`[ ]` Force Win

`[ ]` Force Lose

`[ ]` Force Die

`[ ]` Instant Build

`[ ]` Instant Build (AI)

`[ ]` Toggle Shroud

`[ ]` Heal

`[ ]` Toggle Inert

`[ ]` Dump AI Base Nodes

`[ ]` Toggle Alliance

`[ ]` Encroach Fog

`[ ]` Encroach Shadow

`[ ]` Toggle Berzerk

`[ ]` Place Crate

`[ ]` Add Power

`[ ]` Cursor Position

`[ ]` Cycle Starting Waypoints

`[ ]` Meteor Impact

`[ ]` Meteor Shower