Now that SE is open to more things....

[Thegreatmonkey]

Dear SE,

Could you give us a tool so we could mod are own dat files (pic's of items, char, etc) and let us copy any ones we download from what other people have made? You dont even have to support it, just slap a warranting on it saying you do not support it and that using this tool may cause your FFXI install to be corrupt. This will give the user more control over what they want there FFXI experience to be.

Thank you.

[Shenul]

As awesome as a tool like that is, it would need to be implemented for all systems. It probably wouldn't get implemented. However, SE probably isn't going to start doing hash checks for each dat file on startup anytime soon, so if you're on PC, keep doing what you're doing.

[Thegreatmonkey]

As awesome as a tool like that is, it would need to be implemented for all systems. It probably wouldn't get implemented. However, SE probably isn't going to start doing hash checks for each dat file on startup anytime soon, so if you're on PC, keep doing what you're doing.

Well, SE has all ready gave updates that only effect the PC. Why not give PC users a tool that lets them mod there own dats? 95% of PC users all ready do and it would be nice so they do not have to go to use a 3rd party system just to mod them.

[Arcon]

95% of PC users all ready do [..]

I very much doubt that. I bet the most people who use DAT mods only use the custom font/item packages, and even those I doubt come anywhere near that number. By far most people I know don't use any mods at all.

Not that I would mind this, but it would probably require quite a bit of effort on their part to make tools for this that otherwise already exist, and I know a dozen things off the top of my head that they should use their development time on before wasting it on cosmetic tools that don't affect the game at all.

[Kjara]

Happy to be in that 5%. Seeing my brother hacked from a virus downloaded with a 3rd party program was enough for me. x_X

[wildsprite]

Happy to be in that 5%. Seeing my brother hacked from a virus downloaded with a 3rd party program was enough for me. x_X

being hacked is possible from almost anywhere you go, I had my XI account hacked from a flash keylogger on a web site years ago, using something that stops scripts on sites you are unsure about is kinda important, also getting the programs you use from the actual source is kinda important, and being careful what programs you get is also important, there are a lot of programs out there disguised as something else, such as versions of Norton Antivirus that have a trojan in them(just an example), there will always be risk no matter how much you do to protect your system, it is just like life in many ways, anything worth doing comes with risks, being afraid to try something because of the risks involved can be kinda silly especially if it is for dat modding, which I suspect your brother was not trying to do

as for dat modding, the tools for that are fairly simple and straight forward, model viewer, a plugin to view the unpacked dat files and or something to edit the skeletons of the dat

[Thegreatmonkey]

being hacked is possible from almost anywhere you go, I had my XI account hacked from a flash keylogger on a web site years ago, using something that stops scripts on sites you are unsure about is kinda important, also getting the programs you use from the actual source is kinda important, and being careful what programs you get is also important, there are a lot of programs out there disguised as something else, such as versions of Norton Antivirus that have a trojan in them(just an example), there will always be risk no matter how much you do to protect your system, it is just like life in many ways, anything worth doing comes with risks, being afraid to try something because of the risks involved can be kinda silly especially if it is for dat modding, which I suspect your brother was not trying to do

as for dat modding, the tools for that are fairly simple and straight forward, model viewer, a plugin to view the unpacked dat files and or something to edit the skeletons of the dat

I know it is easy but I was just trying to think of an idea that would help out people who are not that good with computers and still want to mod there dats.

[wildsprite]

I know it is easy but I was just trying to think of an idea that would help out people who are not that good with computers and still want to mod there dats.

I agree with you, I clicked like on your original post

[Dragoy]

I agree, that the amount who do use such things is probably a lot lower (I, for one, don't even use the 'windower').

I also agree that it would probably be very unlikely to see this sort of tool(s) to be provided by them.

For one, although I can't really think of anything right now that is still relevant, there at least used to be things one could change so that one would get an unfair advantage, which is no doubt one of the reasons why 'data mining' or 'dat modding' is a violation of the FINAL FANTASY XI User Agreement. Not many even realise that (which is also why I wouldn't go around here suggesting people to do it (or well, I wouldn't go anywhere suggesting that), but yeah, I know they've probably never enforced that rule in that particular case etc., just sayan, yo).

That is not to say I wouldn't like them to provide such a tool, and more, so I'd probably be saying yes for it.


As for getting “hacked”, yeah, such tools no doubt are prone to do just that. Surfing the net in general can be precarious! The two probably most important things are to keep one's software up-to-date, and surf responsibly. It tolls especially true for what was mentioned above, adobe-flash. This one has a long history of security issues, so it's worthwhile to consider running only such flash applets you know to be safe, or at least feel you trust it enough to be so (not to forget keeping it updated).

A healthy amount of paranoia is OK. Getting hacked almost anywhere is a bit much, though that is if you're up-to-date, and don't ask for it to happen.

Using Linux or some similar OS goes a long way, too, but don't go making it too popular now; I would like to keep mine as safe as it is, and make it safer! More popularity will mean more malicious software and such being developed. ^^;


Whoosh—