!! Ultimate Max Payne Vista Sound Patch !!

[Crimson Behelit]

!! Ultimate Max Payne Vista Sound Patch !!

Hello everyone.

I'm a big fan of the original Max Payne because of the mods, so in light of the movie coming out and the imminent release of “The Real World”, I decided to fire up the game in Vista 64bit. Needless to say, I was despondent when I found out that the sound was essentially nonexistent and that there was no official patch to fix it. But I googled around for a home brew fix and found this forum and the 3D Relms forum.

The sound fix that Darkje has created is excellent, it restores the “stock” game sounds and music quite nicely. However, it has the unfortunate flaw of not being able to play mods. Then I noticed Maddieman's post about fixing/repacking the game sounds, but I couldn't get it to work either. I kept getting the same annoying "Exception in startupInit: Directory data not found." message that tombenton had. Even when I got it to where it SHOULD work, I couldn't get both the “stock” sound AND the mods working at the same time. It was like tug of war or something. Then I started to analyze the problem.

Darkje's patch is a little sloppy in that it combines the files from all 6 *.ras files and then just leaves them there. When there is a /data directory there, the game thinks: “oh, there is a mod in that /data directory. It gets top priority.”. So no matter what mod you pick in the “Choose Customized Game” menu, it will load what is in the /data directory instead. That's the flaw, but it's also part of the solution.

With a little experimentation, I was able to improve on Darkje's fix and made a procedure that not only permanently fixes the game's “stock” sound, but allows you to easily load mpm / mod files as well. Mods can be loaded, played with working sound, and unloaded with relative ease.

I found out that 3 of the *.ras files only contain level information and thus do not need to be decompressed. So rather then dumping all 6 *.ras files into a single data folder, my patch extracts and converts only the x_data, x_english, and x_music *.ras files individually. Once each *.ras file is moved and decompressed in it's own separate directory, all sounds and music are converted. The patch then repacks all *.ras files one by one, which replace the originals. At this point the “stock” game runs perfectly, everything should be working just like with Darkje's script. But if you try loading a mod in the normal way,“Choose Customized Game”, nothing happens. Also like Darkje's script.

But unlike Darkje's script, my fix offers a workable solution for loading mod files. There is no /data folder now. Remember what I said earlier about the /data folder taking priority? Well, now that it's gone, *.mpm mod files can be extracted and converted in exactly the same way that Darkje's script converts *.ras files. There is one small drawback to this method. You can only load one mod at a time, literally. If you try to put more then one *.mpm / mod file in the MaxPayne folder, the script will combine all the decompressed files into the /data folder... and that's bad. However, you can easily switch mods by using a batch file that loads and unloads mpm / mod files. I have included the full patch and instructions below...

Download the Max_Payne_Vista_Toolkit.zip here:
http://www.mypixelstory.com/maxpayne...ta_Toolkit.zip

Fixing the stock Sounds & Music: *Do This First!*

1.
Install Max Payne to the c:\MaxPayne directory, no spaces. This step is very important, because the patch works out of c:\MaxPayne.

2.
Unzip the “Max_Payne_Vista_Toolkit.zip” into the c:\MaxPayne directory. If for some reason you want to save the original ras files, backup x_data.ras, x_english.ras, and x_music.ras now. Those are the only files affected.

3.
Run the sound_patch.bat file. You will see a lot of "Premature EOF" and "syntax" messages, just like Darkje's script, but everything is OK. When the patch is done, the batch file will ask you to remove 4 directories and then delete itself. Just answer (Y)es 4 times. You can stop at this step if you don't want to run any mods.

Loading mpm / mod files:

1.
Copy or Move the mpm / mod file into the c:\MaxPayne directory. It is important that only one mpm / mod file is loaded at a time.

2.
Run the sound_patch.bat file. You will see a lot of "Premature EOF" and "syntax" messages, just like before, but everything is OK. When finished, simply run the game and the mod will load automatically.

3.
If you want to load a new mpm / mod file, simply run the sound_patch.bat file again to unload the old file. Move the old mpm / mod to a different directory and repeat from step 1. If you want to play "Original Mode", simply leave the mpm / mod file unloaded and the game will load normally.

If you did everything correctly, then Max Payne will have fully working sound and music, for both stock mode and game mods. I have tested this procedure several times on 64bit Vista and can say for sure that it works flawlessly. I have even tested several mods, including Katana and the Real World Demo, and they work flawlessly. The only mod I can't get to work is Kung Fu 3.0, it seems to hang before anything loads. However, most mods work just fine. Even the menu screen music in Katana plays perfect. If Vista has been the bane of your Max Payne existence, then you are going to love this fix.

Special thanks to Darkje and Maddieman for doing most of the ground work.

Enjoy.

[Maddieman]

Nice one, hopefully this will be the end of it. If you haven't done so already, you should probably post this at 3drealms.

Am I right in thinking that your patch unpacks a mod's mpm file, fixes the audio, then repacks it? If so, I'd be curious to find out how much bigger the mod becomes after the conversion (I'm thinking about releasing a 'Vista ready' version of TRW - but not if it's 500+MB).

Btw, one thing that troubles me about Darkje's fix is that it converts the sound effects to stereo format. That's fine for music and graphic novel dialogue; but in my experience, it can cause bugs with the 3d sound effects -- usually in the form of random ripping or popping sounds. Not only that, but the file size also become unnecessarily large. Seeing as your fix accounts for everything else, it might worth nipping this one in the bud, if it's possible.

Anyway, well done.

[Crimson Behelit]

Thank you. It took me a little while to work everything out.

To answer your question, it just moves the original mod file, decompresses it, and then converts the decompressed data. It doesn't actually change the original mod file at all. With my fix, there would be no need to have a separate "Vista" version. "I am trying to post this on 3D Relms, but I'm waiting for my account to get approved. "

About the sound glitches. Personally, I have played through the game several times using the current procedure, and so far the sound has been flawless. Then again I'm just using a generic on-board sound card, no 3D sound. You are correct about the increased file size, my patch uses 326mb more then the original game. However, this is still MUCH less then what Darkje's patch uses, which is 594mb more then the original game. I will have to look into the 3D sound thing tho. If anyone experiences glitchy sound, let me know so I can make adjustments.

[Maddieman]

To answer your question, it just moves the original mod file, decompresses it, and then converts the decompressed data. It doesn't actually change the original mod file at all. With my fix, there would be no need to have a separate "Vista" version.

Yeah, but if I understand this right, if you want to a play another mod, then you have to run the bat, unpack everything, and patch it again. Whereas if you simply repack the mpm file after the conversion (like you've done with the ras files) then that's it fixed for good -- once the user fixes all of their mpm files, Max Payne will presumably run like normal, mods and all.

[AnttiApina]

Good work mate! Definetly will come handy .

[Crimson Behelit]

Originally Posted by Maddieman

Yeah, but if I understand this right, if you want to a play another mod, then you have to run the bat, unpack everything, and patch it again. Whereas if you simply repack the mpm file after the conversion (like you've done with the ras files) then that's it fixed for good -- once the user fixes all of their mpm files, Max Payne will presumably run like normal, mods and all.

Presumably, but unfortunately, thats not the way it is. After the game's ras files have been fixed, you can load a unconverted mod file like normal, but once again there is the sound problem. Then you can unpack everything and patch it, the sound works and it loads perfect. BUT.... If you repack the fixed mod and try to run it like normal, then the mod doesn't load and it goes directly to a "normal game" when you try to load it. Very annoying. As far as I can tell, this is the only working method to get both the normal game sounds AND the mods working at the same time. If anyone knows why the mods won't work after being repackaged or has a trick for making the converted mods work like normal, let me know so I can make a new patch.

"On a side note, even tho it doesn't work, the patched Katana.mpm is 498mb after conversion."

[Maddieman]

If you repack the fixed mod and try to run it like normal, then the mod doesn't load and it goes directly to a "normal game" when you try to load it. Very annoying. As far as I can tell, this is the only working method to get both the normal game sounds AND the mods working at the same time. If anyone knows why the mods won't work after being repackaged or has a trick for making the converted mods work like normal, let me know so I can make a new patch.

That's strange. Wish I had Vista so I could investigate further (although at the same time, I'm very glad I don't ).

I did, however, try the following:

* Copied Katanav1.2.mpm to a new directory, ran mpm_loader.bat.
* Repacked the converted mod with Rasmaker:

Rasmaker.exe -a data KatanaVista.mpm

(both rasmaker and the mod's 'data' folder are in the same directory)

* Copied KatanaVista.mpm to my Max Payne dir and ran it.

... and it ran perfectly, no errors whatsoever. Bear in mind this is on XP, but I can't see how Vista would stop mods running like that. An mpm file is essentially the same as ras file, just with a different extension; so in theory, if you managed to pack the ras files, then the mods should work too. Also, I didn't bother running the sound_patch.bat (my Max Payne dir is over 5gb already ). Perhaps there's a conflict there... (doubtful)

I'd send you the file if it wasn't over 500MB. Although, I could do the same with the TRW demo if you want.

[Crimson Behelit]

Originally Posted by Maddieman

That's strange. Wish I had Vista so I could investigate further (although at the same time, I'm very glad I don't ).

I did, however, try the following:

* Copied Katanav1.2.mpm to a new directory, ran mpm_loader.bat.
* Repacked the converted mod with Rasmaker:

Rasmaker.exe -a data KatanaVista.mpm

(both rasmaker and the mod's 'data' folder are in the same directory)

* Copied KatanaVista.mpm to my Max Payne dir and ran it.

... and it ran perfectly, no errors whatsoever. Bear in mind this is on XP, but I can't see how Vista would stop mods running like that. An mpm file is essentially the same as ras file, just with a different extension; so in theory, if you managed to pack the ras files, then the mods should work too. Also, I didn't bother running the sound_patch.bat (my Max Payne dir is over 5gb already ). Perhaps there's a conflict there... (doubtful)

I'd send you the file if it wasn't over 500MB. Although, I could do the same with the TRW demo if you want.

Arg, I feel you, I'm having the same frustration. I can't for the life of me figure out why it doesn't work. This is what I run into:

1. Normal mod loads, but no sound.
2. decompressed and converted mod in /data, it loads with full sound.
3. Recompress the fixed mod, it doesn't want to load. XD

So, I'm thinking is HAS to have something to do with my mpm_loader.bat file. But you said that it loaded the decompressed/fixed/re compressed version just fine in XP. Arg, how frustrating. I thought it might be a size thing, but TRWkungfu.mpm doesn't work either. I'm going to experiment further to see if I can get your method to work. Like you said, it's ideal to re compress the mod and load it normally, but Vista is being a royal bastard in this regard.

If worse comes to worse, I'll make a frontend loader that will allow you to pick a mod from a menu, then it does all the work for you. It would still be a separate program, but at least you wouldn't have to go through the trouble of moving the mods manually each time you want to play a new one.

[Maddieman]

So, I'm thinking is HAS to have something to do with my mpm_loader.bat file. But you said that it loaded the decompressed/fixed/re compressed version just fine in XP. Arg, how frustrating.

I take it you don't have XP as well? If you want I could send you the TRWkungfu.mpm file that I patched, to see if it works on yours. If so then it would suggest that there's a problem on your side compiling mods (which is fairly plasuible - some Rasmaker parameters cause mods to not function correctly). If it doesn't work then I'd guess problem is either Vista playing up or something to do with your Max Payne install.

EDIT: Btw, do you get any error messages when a mod tries (and fails) to load?

[EnergyRecruitm]

If you want to load a new mpm / mod file, simply run the sound_patch.bat file again to unload the old file. Move the old mpm / mod to a different directory and repeat from step 1. If you want to play "Original Mode", simply leave the mpm / mod file unloaded and the game will load normally.

If you did everything correctly, then Max Payne will have fully working sound and music, for both stock mode and game mods. I have tested this procedure several times on 64bit Vista and can say for sure that it works flawlessly. I have even tested several mods, including Katana and the Real World Demo, and they work flawlessly. The only mod I can't get to work is Kung Fu 3.0, it seems to hang before anything loads. However, most mods work just fine. Even the menu screen music in Katana plays perfect. If Vista has been the bane of your Max Payne existence, then you are going to love this fix.

[MarkusRMD]

I haven't had any time to look at this all but the guesses we had at the office had us pondering whether the problem could be the lack of ADPCM codec in Vista x64.

[Darkje]

Hi everyone!
Nice to see you are still playing the game

Crimson Behelit, good work on the fix! congrats... I always knew mine was quick&dirty, but at the time it did the job. I was quite bussy then so I never looked back, but now I did and found this thread.

Haven't tested it yet but you did some good finds there.

Ok, that it for now, I'm off installing max1 again ... thanks to everyone for keeping the game alive.

[Darkje]

Updated in post No.18: http://www.alanwake.com/forum/showpo...5&postcount=18

[Darkje]

*reserved*

[MentalSentinel]

I think it's good because it says it's initializing something.

[Darkje]

Important update!

The Conversion Script will now check for problems with the Vista UAC and offer a solution if there are.

This should help people having problems a lot. Steam users try this!

as always, post your results.

[ADM]

Great work Darkje!

[Darkje]

edit: I made a new post at the link below so I can edit it for a week again...

http://www.alanwake.com/forum/showthread.php?p=38552

[DEMON212]

Hi Darkje.

I'm really sorry about this, I can quite clearly see that you're busy, but I was wondering, could you spare 2 mins to help a P.C n00b/idiot?

Because I've got Max Payne on Steam and Vista 32 bit. And I've read the above and I've read your posts on the 3D Realms forums and I just got a massive headache, I just don't have a clue.

Is there any chance that you can just post up in one post what people with Steam need to do and in what order?

Because I seriously don't know if I start with the first post opening up those black boxes (Whatever they are) or if I just download your latest patch.

Once again I apologise about this and I understand completely if you are unable to spell it out any clearer.

Thanks for your time.

David.

P.S. I've heard rumours that Max Payne 2 has the same problem, any chance you can confirm or deny this?

[Darkje]

Originally Posted by DEMON212

... Is there any chance that you can just post up in one post what people with Steam need to do and in what order? ...

Hi,

Sure I'll help you, I'm set on solving any MP1 problems that may come up, including install and setup issues.

Installing the sound patch on the Steam Game

It's really very simple, here are the steps:
1 - you install the steam game.
2 - you download the latest version of my patch.
3 - now you have to unpack the patch to your game directory.
4 - in your game directory, locate the file MaxBatch and click it.
5 - press [C] to convert the game and wait for the script to finish.
6 - press [L] to launch the game.

elaborating on the steps:
1 - Should be no point, just go to the steam store and get it.
2 - Available from link in the above post 18
3 - This is where it get's a little more complicated. To unpack the patch you need an unpacker that supports RAR files, like Winrar. If you downloaded the patch and it does not open when you click it, that's a sign you need Winrar (http://www.rarlabs.com/rar/wrar380.exe). Once you are able to open the patch you hit the 'Extract to' button and browse to your game directory. With the steam game this is probably: 'C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\max payne' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\max payne' depending on your version of vista(32 or 64bit). Hit the OK button to complete step 3. If you have problems locating the game directory, please report.
4 - Open the windows explorer and go to your game directory, the location where you just extracted the patch. Once there click on MaxBatch(.bat). This step is only needed once, because the program will create a shortcut on your desktop the first time you exit it.
5 - Once you are there, it's easy. You only have to [C]onvert once. It can take several minutes to convert all found files, mainly depending on the speed of the drives and the cpu.
6 - After L the game should launch and a settings window should pop, and launch the game for you.

When you want to run the game again, you don't have to do the steps again, Just click the MaxBatch shortcut on your desktop and use [L]aunch again. You can also still launch the game from steam or from the steam/maxpayne shortcut, whatever you like.

Now if there is any point causing problems, please let me know, maybe I can clarify it more, or try to make it easier.

If you succeeded I'm happy for you if not, please tell me where it went wrong.

edit:
I don't know about any MP2 sound issue, it worked just fine here without conversions... but if there is one I'll see what I can do...

edit2:
took a walk and thought about this, mainly step 3 is bugging me ... maybe I should zip the file next time instead of rar, so you don't need to install an extra app to unpack... Using rar has become such a habit I did not even think about that before...

[DEMON212]

Originally Posted by Darkje

Hi,

Sure I'll help you, I'm set on solving any MP1 problems that may come up, including install and setup issues.

It's really very simple, here are the steps:
1 - you install the steam game.
2 - you download the latest version of my patch.
3 - now you have to unpack the patch to your game directory.
4 - in your game directory, locate the file MaxBatch and click it.
5 - press [C] to convert the game and wait for the script to finish.
6 - press [L] to launch the game.

elaborating on the steps:
1 - Should be no point, just go to the steam store and get it.
2 - Available from link in the above post 18
3 - This is where it get's a little more complicated. To unpack the patch you need an unpacker that supports RAR files, like Winrar. If you downloaded the patch and it does not open when you click it, that's a sign you need Winrar (http://www.rarlabs.com/rar/wrar380.exe). Once you are able to open the patch you hit the 'Extract to' button and browse to your game directory. With the steam game this is probably: 'C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\max payne' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\max payne' depending on your version of vista(32 or 64bit). Hit the OK button to complete step 3. If you have problems locating the game directory, please report.
4 - Open the windows explorer and go to your game directory, the location where you just extracted the patch. Once there click on MaxBatch(.bat). This step is only needed once, because the program will create a shortcut on your desktop the first time you exit it.
5 - Once you are there, it's easy. You only have to [C]onvert once. It can take several minutes to convert all found files, mainly depending on the speed of the drives and the cpu.
6 - After L the game should launch and a settings window should pop, and launch the game for you.

When you want to run the game again, you don't have to do the steps again, Just click the MaxBatch shortcut on your desktop and use [L]aunch again. You can also still launch the game from steam or from the steam/maxpayne shortcut, whatever you like.

Now if there is any point causing problems, please let me know, maybe I can clarify it more, or try to make it easier.

If you succeeded I'm happy for you if not, please tell me where it went wrong.

edit:
I don't know about any MP2 sound issue, it worked just fine here without conversions... but if there is one I'll see what I can do...

edit2:
took a walk and thought about this, mainly step 3 is bugging me ... maybe I should zip the file next time instead of rar, so you don't need to install an extra app to unpack... Using rar has become such a habit I did not even think about that before...

Thank you so very much, I really do appreciate it

I'll try it tonight and get back to you

Cheers

[DEMON212]

Yes! It works!

thank you, you legend!

[Darkje]

Originally Posted by DEMON212

Yes! It works!

thank you, you legend!

okay thank you too! it was easy after all, I hope.

The early versions of the patch writeup do look intimidating, but I can't edit those posts any more ...

I'll do a similar writeup on Installing the patch on the CD game also, because there are slight differences.

[Darkje]

--- deleted ---
I double posted there, sorry.

[Darkje]

Installing the sound patch on the CD Game

It's really very simple, here are the steps:
1 - you install the CD game.
2 - you download the latest version of my patch.
3 - now you have to unpack the patch to a folder on your desktop.
4 - copy the files from the folder on your desktop to the game directory.
5 - in your game directory, locate the file MaxBatch and click it.
6 - press [C] to convert the game and wait for the script to finish.
7 - press [L] to launch the game.

elaborating on the steps:
1 - There are some known problems installing the CD game (on Vista/Windows7 (x64)). I'll summarize:

(A) You insert the CD and run the installer and get an error: "The version of this file is not compatible with the version of windows you're running..."
Solution: Go to Computer/CD-Drive and open it, open the folder 'Disk1' and click setup(.exe).

(B) When you run setup.exe a warning pops up saying "You don't have enough memory to run the game."
Solution: Just ignore and click OK. Twice!!!

Now the rest of the install should go okay. Pick the full install option. After install there is an other minor problem:

(C) If you chose 'create shortcut on desktop' during install, and you installed in the default location, the created shortcut will not work when clicked. You receive an error; "Max Payne has stopped working" followed by an other error when closing the first one.
Solution: Use 'right click: run as admin' or you can also use 'right click/properties/compatibility/run this program as admin' to permanently change it and just click it next time.

You also need to install the v1.05 Max Payne update, available here; http://www.3drealms.com/max/downloads.html
2 - Available from link in the above post 18
3 - This is where it get's a little more complicated. To unpack the patch you need an unpacker that supports RAR files, like Winrar. If you downloaded the patch and it does not open when you click it, that's a sign you need Winrar (http://www.rarlabs.com/rar/wrar380.exe). Once you are able to open the patch you create an empty folder on your desktop, hit the 'Extract to' button and browse to the empty folder you just created. Hit the OK button to complete the unpacking.
4 - Open the windows explorer and go to your game directory. If you did not change the default install path, it is probably located in 'C:\Program Files\MaxPayne\' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\MaxPayne\'. Open a second windows explorer on the location where you just extracted the patch. Move or copy all files from the patch folder to your game directory, by selecting all of them and dragging them to the game directory. If you get messages saying you need permission, please allow them.
5 - After you copied the files, click on MaxBatch(.bat) in the game directory. This step is only needed once, because the program will create a shortcut on your desktop the first time you exit it.
6 - Once you are there, it's easy. You only have to [C]onvert once. It can take several minutes to convert all found files, mainly depending on the speed of the drives and the cpu.
7 - Then, after using [L] the game should launch and a settings window should pop, and launch the game for you.

When you want to run the game again, you don't have to do the steps again, Just click the MaxBatch shortcut on your desktop and use [L]aunch again. You can also still launch the game from the maxpayne shortcut, whatever you like.

That's really all there is to it...
Hope it works for you, please let me know if it doesn't...

[DEMON212]

Originally Posted by Darkje

okay thank you too! it was easy after all, I hope.

The early versions of the patch writeup do look intimidating, but I can't edit those posts any more ...

I'll do a similar writeup on Installing the patch on the CD game also, because there are slight differences.

Yeah dead easy, once I knew what I was doing

And I've just put Payne 2 on (Bought the double pack but had only planned to install 1 until I'd beaten it) and the sound is fine, so thankfully those were just BS rumours

When I one day get around to reviewing Max Payne, mind if I mention you in the vid?

Because basically in a nutshell, I'm a retro reviewer and I wanted to do the Payne's in a build up to 3 and then I ran into this wall.

So if you don't mind, I'll just basically say that for Vista users, they need to check out the Darkje patch

This is my channel though incase you want to look things over first, because now that I've got sound, I'll do it soon

http://www.youtube.com/user/DEIVION212

[Darkje]

Fine with me! Max 1 is in my opinion one of the best games ever (it looks dated now, but still like the way you get drawn in...), so good choice for a retro review. I'm looking forward to it, and it would be an honor to be mentioned there.

[DEMON212]

Yeah the narration is IMO the best I've ever heard in a game, hence why I was so desperate to get it fixed.

I'm just glad that I'll finally be able to finish it, 'cause I had it on the PS2 and despite it being my older brothers console, it was my younger brother who used it, and my parents went ape when they seen it because "what if he played it". The fact that I hid them in the top of my cupboard where even now at the age of 12 he still can't reach, meant nothing to them and Max as well as all of my other violent games had to go

But that's great news and I'll give you a bell when it's done

Just before I make a fool of myself, pronounced Dark-Jay?

Only other way I can think of is with an accent, so like Dark-Jè.

[Darkje]

it's Dutch, for little Dark

[DEMON212]

Cool

[Darkje]

Hi,

Since I wrote the first versions of conversion script (v0.1 and 0.2) back when vista was released and the sound-issue first surfaced, I've always known it was not finished. I did not have much time to finish it, but it seemed to be working quite well as it was, so I posted it over at the 3dRealms forum, and had no time to look back.

Lately I found some time and looked at it again, and I also checked the forums to see what happened there and found the current state of affairs (March-09). Since the release of v0.2, June '07 some issues came up with it (of course!), main issues being the lack of support for mods and leaving the data in extracted state without repacking it.

Crimson Behelit and MaddieMan did a great job, picking it up where I left it: releasing v0.3 and trying to tackle the main issues. Some good finds where done, but also some new complications crept in. The script was over-complicated and over-informative, I wanted to clean that up and tackle some of the remaining issues.

So I decided to pick it up again and release v0.5beta (probably few more releases will follow). Stay tuned here for updates and workarounds. I will constantly update this post.

>> Download v1.0 Here<<
Updated 03-May-09.

If you have any issues or concerns please feel free to ask.
Best regards and Please post your results!

Darkje


------
Read Me! -Ultimate Max Payne(1) Vista/Win7 Sound Fix- v1.0 updated 03-May-09
------
If you install Max Payne (1) on Vista or Windows7 you will probably notice that most music, intro sound, cut-scene talks and many of the original in game sounds are missing. This patch will fix that, by converting the original sounds to a format that does play right in Vista/Windows7. Mods can also be converted and played with sound now.

Usage:
Unpack the maxpayne_soundpatch.rar file in your game directory and click MaxBatch(.bat). A command window will pop up, giving you choice of the options explained below, depending on what it finds in the game directory. You can also stop at any stage. Upon exit the script will create a shortcut in your start menu/all programs to itself, so you can easily start it again any time. If you want to restore or convert more mods you added later on, just run the script again. It's best to start with an unconverted game and unconverted mods because the script will remember what is converted or not, by looking at the backups it made. If it does not find any backups it will presume an unconverted game/mod. (* converting an already converted mod or game again won't damage it, but is no good for the restore part). On vista you may need an account with admin rights, to be able to copy the files to the game directory.

Location of game directory:
The Location of the game directory depends on how you first installed the game. If you used the original CD and did not change the default install path, it is probably located in 'C:\Program Files\MaxPayne\' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\MaxPayne\'. If you installed the game from Steam, it should be located in 'C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\max payne' or 'C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\max payne'. Make sure you copy all patch files there, if you get messages saying you need permission, please allow them, so the script files are all copied there. As of version v0.85 the script will run in any directory, even if it's protected by vista's UAC. The script will prompt for elevation once at start-up if needed in any phase.

Options:
When you run the script you will presented with some of the following options, depending on status found.
[C] - Convert game. This will convert the game .ras files that contain sounds. Backups are kept so you can restore later on.
[M] - Convert mod(s). This will convert the mod .mpm files found. Backups are kept so you can restore later on.
[B ] - Convert both game and the found mod(s). This will do both the above, with backups.
[R] - Restore options. This will launch the restore menu. (picture)

[A] - Restore all original files. Will restore both game and mods from the backup to the game directory. Only shown in restore menu.
[G] - Restore original game files. Will restore the game .ras files from the backup to the game directory. Only shown in restore menu.
[O] - Restore original mod files. Will restore the mod .mpm files from the backup to the game directory. Only shown in restore menu.

[S] - Start analysis again. This restarts the analysis phase. All file detection is done over again. Useful if you updated the contents of the game directory, added more mods, or fixed missing files.
[L] - Launch game. Will attempt to launch game if the file maxpayne.exe exists. If additional files are missing, this will be reported in the analysis phase, but as long as maxpayne.exe is there, launch will still be attempted. After launching the script will exit and create a shortcut in 'start/all programs' to itself if it did not exist already.
[D] - Debug Level (0/1/2). Levels explained below, but please also read the 'Tips for debug option:' section. Pressing D will cycle through the debug options 0-2, so if you accidentally get at a level you don't want, just press D a couple of more times until you're back at the first level.

- Level 0 is off, stay here if you don't know about debugging.
- Level 1 will switch the script to verbose mode, so it comments on the file analysis and other phases. Meant for users with minor problems. Level 1 comments are also shown at higher debug levels. (picture)
- Level 2 will set sox to verbose and will show lots of info during a conversion phase. The conversion of each sound is documented.(picture)

[E] - End. This will do guess what .

Possible issues:
- I've sometimes seen a "file in use/directory not empty" error popping up in the conversion phase, if this happens please restore the file you where processing and then exit the script. Edit maxbatch.bat at line 10 where it says "set var_Delay=5" and try a higher number there like "set var_Delay=10", and convert again, that should solve it.
- Install issues, for easy step by step guide look here:

Easy step guide to fully installing the game with sound patch:
- Installing the sound patch on the Steam Game
- Installing the sound patch on the CD Game

Files needed and Errors reported:
The patch will check if any of the needed files are missing. If something is possibly wrong you will get a message 'Possible problem(s) detected, use debug level 1 for more info' (picture). Doing so will report several possible issues, and details what file(s) are missing.:
- If the files needed by the script are there. If not phases of the script may fail. Files required to pass this phase are: rasmaker.exe. rl.dll, shortcut.exe and sox.exe.
- If files needed for converting a basic game are there. If not conversion may fail. Files required to pass this phase are: x_data.ras, x_music.ras and a x_(language).ras file.
- If a game .exe is found. If not the launch option will not work. File required to pass this phase is: maxpayne.exe
- If all additional files required to run the game are found. If this is not the case you don't have the same files I got when I installed from the original CD and also steam. This may or may not be an issue. Files required to pass this phase are: e2driver/e2_d3d8_driver_mfc.dll, movies/intro.mpg, e2mfc.dll, grphmfc.dll, maxpayne.exe, mfc42.dll, msvcirt.dll, msvcp60.dll, msvcrt.dll, rlmfc.dll, sndmfc.dll, x_data.ras, x_level1.ras, x_level2.ras, x_level3.ras, x_music.ras and a x_(language).ras file
- If a x_(language).ras file was found its name is displayed. If not this is a problem. You need one!
If any file needed is missing, I suggest replacing it by reinstalling the patch or game, verifying it from steam or otherwise. Not doing so will prevent certain parts of the script or game to function. Make sure you don't have directories named 'backup' or 'tmp' in your game directory, the script will use those along the way. Also please don't store any files in these directories yourself. (picture) where all possible file errors are shown.

Language file:
You need one x_(language).ras file. Where(language) is the language the game was installed in, I found English, Italian and Russian existing, but there are probably more. Please only use 1 language file at the time; I don't know what happens with 2 or more.

Tips for debug option:
Be aware that debugging a large file, like the game itself on level 2 can take some time, since it waits for 1 sec after each sound, and there are hundreds of sounds. Try it on a small mod if you just want to look what it does. You can speed it up by pressing the space-bar or if you can't wait for it to finish, you can stop the debugging by terminating the script with Ctrl+C, if you do please manually delete the 'tmp' directory and use the script to restore the backups. An other useful tip is to stretch the window in height, so more info can be seen at once.

Mods:
Mods are modifications for the original game. Some are minor adaptions, others are so extensive that it's really a completely different game. You can also install mods on the steam game. There are so many mods around that I never tested all of them, but converting should not be a problem. Mods are usually installed by placing a .mpm file in the game directory. If you want to convert a mod's sounds, install the mod as instructed and restart the script or detect again.

How I tested:
I myself tested it with the CD game with maxpayne v1.05 update patch on vista x64 and Windows7 build 7000 (installed in default location) with 2 mods: katana and kungfu_30 and in both I can hear more sound with the conversion. I also tested with the Steam version of the game lately, and found no problems. I tried it on 1.05 demo too, but that did not work, it's in a format not supported by rasmaker, so I'm afraid the demo can't be converted.

How does the script work:
Basically the script is a DOS batchfile that calls existing helper applications to convert the game or do other tasks. It extracts the game or mod modules to a temporary directory, converts the wave files and repacks it back to a module in the game directory. Since conception of the fix, it has grown from a few basic commands typed at the commandline, to a quite complex batchfile of over a 1000 lines, that checks for many possible scenarios and does the hard stuff for you! Batchfiles are textfiles containing a series of commands you would otherwise type at the commandline. They can be opened in a basic editor like notepad, so if you are interested in it's inner workings you can review it that way.

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WIP
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Work In Progress: waiting for more issues to surface

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UPDATES
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V1.0 Final, 03-May-09

OK people, here is my final one! This should do it all, and unless something major comes up with it I plan no further updates in the near future.
- Colors indicating status, green screen all ok, red screen possible problem(s)
- Separate elevate.vbs no longer needed, the script will auto-generate one in %temp% if it needs it.
- Converted file check if conversion worked by comparing size to original, if conversion results in equal size or zero size file, it was not needed, or the file was already converted, or conversion failed. Backups are restored.
- Debug levels 3&4 removed, where only used during beta phase.
- Shortcut no longer placed on desktop, but in startmenu/all programs.
- Many small tweaks.
Download it here: http://www.filedropper.com/maxpaynesoundpatch10
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HISTORY
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It's in the read me with the download.

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PICTURES
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Original game:


After conversion:


Posted some more pictures of v1.0 here: http://nl.tinypic.com/useralbum.php?...2BlxiSFA%3D%3D

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FILES INCLUDED
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MaxBatch.bat, the conversion script.
Elevation part of script based on Microsoft TechNet Elevation Powertoys example, adapted by me.
maxpayne soundpatch(xxx).txt, the read me file.
Rasmaker.exe, Original Max Payne tool to create/extract ras and mpm files.
Rl.dll, Original helper dll for rasmaker.
Shortcut.exe, creates a shortcut.
Sox.exe, sound conversion program.

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Copyrights
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Some files included and names used are © but in here for ease of use or readablility, I hope to satisfy their respective owners by mentioning:
Max Payne, rasmaker.exe and rl.dll © 3dRealms/Remedy at http://www.3drealms.com/ and http://www.remedygames.com/
Shortcut.exe © by Marty List at http://www.optimumx.com
Sox.exe freeware from http://sox.sourceforge.net/
Steam © Valve Corporation at http://www.valvesoftware.com
Vista and Windows7 © Microsoft http://www.microsoft.com
MaxBatch and other files included; freeware by me, Darkje ™

[Darkje]

Did some testing of Max Payne 1 CD version +1.05 update on Windows7-x64-RC1 (Build7100) last night:

- The CD-install has the same issues as on Vista: the default install.exe does not work, you have to use Disk1/setup.exe.
- The shortcuts created by the installer don't work, you have to 'run as admin' on them. The installer pre-dates vista and does not know how to deal with UAC, it uses a protected directory in the 'Program files(x86)', when installed in the default location, causing the problem with the shortcuts.

After the usual setup problems, I launched the unconverted game, looking if it would maybe work without the sound patch. I almost fell from my chair!, when the game startup movie suddenly had sound in this version of windows... my hopes where up that the patch was no longer needed... but as soon as I started a new game sound disappeared again ...
So I tried the sound patch, and then it worked okay! Seems it is still needed after all... and that Max1 will still live on ...

[Darkje]

It's finished! I've released 1.0 final...

[DEMON212]

Originally Posted by Darkje

It's finished! I've released 1.0 final...

Cool, just downloaded it

I'll hopefully be recording Max today, but no idea when it'll be up, my brother edits my vids for me and he's been busy, I've got about 5 already recorded and waiting.

BTW, I take it I was supposed to restore completely and then start again from scratch? 'Cause that's what I done, lol.

[Darkje]

Originally Posted by DEMON212

Cool, just downloaded it

I'll hopefully be recording Max today, but no idea when it'll be up, my brother edits my vids for me and he's been busy, I've got about 5 already recorded and waiting.

BTW, I take it I was supposed to restore completely and then start again from scratch? 'Cause that's what I done, lol.

The new version will also detect the work of the previous one by looking at the backups, so you could have just upgraded the patch file, there is no need to convert again, but it won't harm either.

Only if you have a game converted with the early versions of the fix, or you manually deleted the backups for space there would be a need to start fresh, but with the 2009 versions there should be no such need.

The last few versions did not really change the way the game got converted, but only added options and the way the script handled missing files and unexpected situations, making it more robust and informative of what went wrong. You can test that by placing the script without any files in a folder and running it (result), or temporary move a file from your maxpayne dir, and check with the script, but usually you should never get there if you installed like instructed, and it all worked out.

[DEMON212]

That's cool then

Just recorded it, so hopefully it'll be up soon

Hard to do a review though when you're also trying not to spoil anything, I basically just had to show off the prologue and the subway XD

[DEMON212]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqG5Mrkmouk

Hope you like it

[Darkje]

Good review, I agree that for it's time it was one of the best games around, pioneering the bullet time effect, great voice acting, and apart from Max's jumping looking kind of funny sometimes, good animation, like the slowmo on boss-kill effect. The review looks quite appetizing if I had not played it like 10 times already, I'm sure I would after seeing the review... and thank you for mentioning the soundpatch in there.

[DEMON212]

No probs, thank YOU for MAKING it

I'm also glad you liked the vid

[Albertos]

Whew! Max PayNe.

I love the game. I just played it starting today. It's fantastic. Maybe I will get addicted to it. lol

Simulation pret