Beginner Tutorial Setting Up/Installing a LEGO Racers 2 Mod

[Jimbob]

This is a tutorial on how to set up and install a LEGO Racers 2 mod. I’ll try to break down this tutorial to the simplest terms possible, so if you’ve never modded before this is the place to start!

 

Contents:

   - >Step 1: Setting Up

   - >Step 2: GTC Extraction

   - >Step 3: Modification

   - >Step 4: GTC Recompilation

   - >What Next?

 

This tutorial is rather lengthy, so if you want the quick method, check out the spoiler below.

Step 1: Setting Up

- Copy the folder where your original LEGO Racers 2 game is stored, and paste it somewhere else. This is your new mod directory.

- Download the >UNGTC tool by JrMasterModelBuilder

 

Step 2: GTC Extraction

- Place the relevant ungtc file in the bin folder of your download into the mod directory.

- Run this file, wait for the program to finish and close.

 

Step 3: Modification

- If creating your own mod, perform whatever modifications you like now.

- If installing someone else's mod, merge their distributed files with your own, or place them in the relevant locations.

 

Step 4: GTC Recompilation

- Delete the COMPRESS.INF, FILELIST.INF and GAMEDATA.GTC files from your mod directory.

- Place the ungtc file into the GAMEDATA folder, so that it is alongside the .GTC file.

- Run this file, wait for the program to finish and close.

 

Congratulations, tutorial complete!

[Jimbob]

Step 1: Setting Up

Before you can create a mod, or install one that someone else has made, you will need to set up a directory to store it in. Navigate to the install directory of your original game. By default, this should be located in C:Program FilesLEGO MediaLEGO Racers 2. The screenshot below shows the files it contains:

 

Here’s a quick breakdown of the contents, if you’re interested:

   -

game data: In here are three folders. Movies, which holds the in-game cutscenes that are played (for instance, when you enter Dino Island). music contains all the music tracks that you hear in the game, and Saved Games is empty (yup, your game saves aren’t actually here, they’re in your documents folder).

   - COMPRESS.INF and FILELIST.INF: If you open these files in Notepad you’ll see that they’re a little odd. They tell the game how to read the GAMEDATA.GTC file, so should be left alone.

   - GAMEDATA.GTC: Ah, this is where all the action takes place. This file stores everything in the game (with the exception of movies, music and the main code), so you’ll be doing all your modding in here. More on this file later.

   - LEGO Racers 2.exe: This is the game file that you run. It tells the game how to use all the files in GAMEDATA.GTC, and contains all the main code required to run the majority of the game. However, as it is an EXE file, you cannot modify the code.

   - readme.txt: Not much explanation required for this. It’s a typical user guide that is released with most programs, written by the developers for the user.

 

To create your own mod, you’ll need to copy this folder and paste it somewhere else. Go back outside the folder and select the folder LEGO Racers 2, as in the screenshot below:

(You can see my own mod directory here, the one spammed with exclamation marks, along with some other games I have installed)

 

Copy this folder. Now that it is on your computer’s clipboard, you need to decide where you’d like to store your new mod. Preferably you should choose a place where you have read/write permissions, that is, if you’re not an administrator on your computer (you’d be a limited user instead) you’ll want to place this new folder in your Documents folder or somewhere similar. You can change it later if you like. In this tutorial, I’m going to create a folder in My Documents > Games > Mods. Navigate to your new folder and paste the LEGO Racers 2 folder there.

 

You have now prepared your mod directory! But, before you can move onto the next step, you will need to download a tool. The GTC Tool by JrMasterModelBuilder is available for download >here. Download it and stick it somewhere on your computer; this is the tool you’ll use to extract and recompile your mod.

 

Congratulations, step 1 complete!

[Jimbob]

Step 2: GTC Extraction

Your mod directory is prepared and you should be able to run LEGO Racers 2 from this directory instead of your original one (Tip: To run this mod from your desktop, right-click the LEGO Racers 2.exe file and choose Create Shortcut, which will create a shortcut that you can place anywhere you like).

In order to mod LEGO Racers 2, you’ll need to extract the GAMEDATA.GTC file – this file is actually a compressed folder, containing several folders which in turn contain the games files that you can mod. Open the UNGTC folder you downloaded previously and find the ungtc file within (it is located inside the bin folder, choose the folder which fits your computer specifications). Copy this file and paste it into your mod directory. In the example below, I chose the ungtc.exe file in the win32 folder as I run 32-bit Windows.

 

Now double-click the file to run it. A window will pop up, and the application will run through all the different files in GAMEDATA.GTC as it extracts them. Do not interfere with it, just wait until it finishes and the window closes.

 

Voila! You have successfully extracted the GAMEDATA.GTC file. The UNGTC program will have created a folder called GAMEDATA, which contains another folder called GAME DATA and a file called .GTC. Leave the .GTC file as it is important, and instead open the GAME DATA folder. You will be presented with the folders below.

 

Congratulations, you have completed step 2!

[Jimbob]

Step 3: Modification

It’s modification time! If you intend to create your own mod, now is the time to explore all the folders and modify whatever you wish. There are some suggestions in the What Next? section of this tutorial should you be unsure what to do.

 

Alternatively, if you’re installing someone else’s mod, you can install the files now. Generally mods should be distributed in a GAME DATA folder, so you can just copy the contents over the original files and they will merge/replace the relevant files. If not, follow the mod’s installation instructions. If none are provided, you’ll have to guess where the files go or use the search function.

 

When you’re satisfied with your mod, move on to step 4.

[Jimbob]

Step 4: GTC Recompilation

With your mod prepared, the final step is to recompile it ready for testing/playing. First, delete these files from the mod directory: GAMEDATA.GTC, FILELIST.INF and COMPRESS.INF. The ungtc application will create new versions of these files for you.

 

Then, move the ungtc file into the GAMEDATA folder so that it sits next to the .GTC file.

 

As before, double-click the ungtc file to run it. The application will go through the entire GAME DATA folder and recompile it into a GAMEDATA.GTC file.

 

Again, you will need to wait for the program to finish running and the window to close. The GAMEDATA.GTC file is placed in the directory above, which is where your game is stored.

 

CONGRATULATIONS, you have finished setting up a LEGO Racers 2 mod. Give yourself a pat on the back. Now you can run the game and check out your new mod!

[Jimbob]

What Next?

Although LEGO Racers 2 modding is still very new, there are plenty of things you can do. You can play other people’s mods, or make your own – there are some great tutorials to help you out.

 

Here are some suggestions for mods to make:

   - Change the conversations to be more engaging, with camera tricks and other fancy touches.

   - Create new sound effects, perhaps to change the voices of the characters.

   - Retexture an island, or its inhabitants, to give it a new look.

   - Put your own music in the game.

   - Mess around with the game physics.

Experiment and mess around, see what things do. And, most of all, have fun!

 

Some helpful places to go for help:

   - Modding Tutorials, there are a few tutorials here to show you how to mod various aspects of the game.

   - Modding Discussion & Support, here there's some more information on how to mod the game, as well as other modding topics. If you've got an issue, ask here.

   - Modding Tools, some helpful tools to use in game modification.

   - Custom Textures, check out some amazing textures that people have made!

   - Misc. Mods, here are all sorts of mods that people have made, great if you want a change of scenery in the game.

[Shadowblaze]

Whoa great job! I'm sure it will help a lot of people out there.

[Jimbob]

Whoa great job! I'm sure it will help a lot of people out there.

Thank you! There are a couple of things I need to update (le717 mentioned a few things that I've since forgotten, and there's the new running-without-archives method too thanks to JMMB), so it's not finished yet

[Shadowblaze]

Yeah I've seen that topic. One of the most useful findings of this month (cause some months ago there was the LR2 modding discovery).

[Rocket Racer]

Thanks for creating this topic and sharing this tool!

It's really easy to follow and opened up a lot more possibilities for me, as I'm sure it has done for others!

[RocketRacer123]

This has helped me a lot! Thank you so much for making this! :) :) :)

[LegoStorm]

Thanx I'm tryin this out

[Scruffy Sam]

This hasn't helped me. I did all according to instructions, but it hasn't helped me. Studs' Linkin ('?do=embed' frameborder='0' data-embedContent>>) head, torso, legs and helmet didn't appeared in menu. HELP ME PLEASE !!!!!!!!! Or make video tutorial, to make it clearer.

[aidenpons]

didn't appeared in menu

 

What does appear in the menu? Is it the same as usual?

In that case:

1) Check that the files you're trying to move into the game data are actually the files you want.

2) Make sure that they're actually copied.

3) Make sure they're copied in the folder you want them to be. There's no use in them just sitting under GAMEDATA when they should be under GAMEDATA/CHARACTERS and then split between "Bodies" and "Heads," (both in the Textures folder) depending on whether they're the body or the head.

4) Recompile the .GTC.

 

Also, the search bar is your friend. Look at the video, especially around the 3:50 mark (the first four minutes are basically Xiron just getting his game files together and finding the stuff he wants to replace with).

 

 

Also, you said you didn't understand Step 3? That's basically saying "change the stuff you want changed."

[Scruffy Sam]

I DID ALL, ACCORDING WITH INSTRUCTIONS. NOTHING HELPED ! I did all 7 times, but Studs' skin never appeared !

Help me, Please !

[dacuber]

On 27-11-2013 at 0:30 AM, JimbobJeffers said:

The GTC Tool by JrMasterModelBuilder is available for download >here.

thank you for sending me to the same page... now where is the download?

[lol username]

4 hours ago, dacuber said:

thank you for sending me to the same page... now where is the download?

A forum software upgrade broke the link in that four-year-old post (as well as lots of other formatting), no need to be snarky. You can get UNGTC here.