In the last two articles I explained in detail what the ATTRIBUTEZ.TXT and CHEATZ.TXT files are and how to read them. They’re encrypted configuration files located in the GRUNTZ.REZ archive. The Gruntz Decryptor allows these files to be modified – you can now decrypt such file, change any parameters of interest and encrypt it back again, so that Gruntz is able to properly read them. The program also automatically decodes all cheat codes so that you can freely modify them and add your own.

Only the ATTRIBUTEZ.TXT file is really loaded and used by the game – the CHEATZ.TXT file is just a relic from the game development. Because of that the option of encrypting the CHEATZ.TXT file might seem superfluous; I’ve decided to include it however for completeness’ sake.

DOWNLOAD
Gruntz Decryptor 1.1.0.zip (1.23 MB)

It’s the first version of the application used to modify REZ files based on patches. You provide a list of patches which program then analyzes and modifies the contents of the original REZ package.

Gruntz REZ Patcher is intended to finally make Gruntz a moddable game! To some extent at least.

Since it’s the first working version of the program, you’re likely to encounter some of the bugs. When this happens, report them in the comment section below this post alongside ideas for new features and constructive feedback in general. I don’t think there’s a need for a special place for it at this very moment, maybe I’ll think of it later.

DOWNLOAD
Gruntz REZ Patcher 1.0.0.zip (1.45 MB)

Below are the screenshots of the addition of the custom tileset “Virtual Reality” by Zu:

When I had released the first version 0.1.0, I promised I would take care of a proper, even the simplest GUI to make the program user friendly. Well, it turned out the current release, even though it’s got a GUI, has nothing to do with the original 0.1.0. I should have named it “Gruntz REZ Packer” or something alike and reserve the name “Gruntz REZ Patcher” for a version that actually does patch anything whatsoever. Ah well, should have thought of that sooner.

A brief manual and the way the program works:
The program creates a backup copy of the original REZ file before it patches it for obvious reasons. Later on it treats the backup copy as the base for patching. It’s placed in the folder where the application is located. The program is split into two functional parts: the top list named Pool is a workspace of some sorts used for stashing the patches we’re working with. The bottom one named Patches is the list of patches that actually are included when building a new, altered version of a REZ file. They are read in order from top to bottom (in case of file conflicts between patches, the lower a patch is, the higher priority it’s got). A quick way to add new patches to those lists is to simply drag them onto a program from Explorer window.

As of now patches can have *.zip or *.grp extensions. The latter is in fact a ZIP archive, however it’s interpreted in a slightly different way. The program looks for a patch.txt file in a top directory of the archive and when found, reads detailed patch information included (author and a patch name). This data is viewed in both lists when a program is up and running.

For future reference for modders, here’s an example of how patch.txt file should look like:

[patch]
author=Foo The Third
name=My name for a patch v5.7.0

I’ve just finished the first version of “Gruntz REZ Patcher”. The application is primaly written for use in the game Gruntz, however it’s very likely to work with other Monolith games as well, such as Claw and Get Mediaval. Its primary goal is to make it possible to mod Gruntz: the program would allow anyone to create new tile sets, adding new image sets, sounds etc. As of now it isn’t really possible because of a lack of proper tools.

This version features only the most important functions, which practically are the “basis” of the future versions. These features are: creating a REZ package and exporting its contents. The user input is received via command-line; it’s got no GUI – I’ll add it later, since it’s not a priority now.

DOWNLOAD
Gruntz REZ Patcher 0.1.0.zip (485.32 KB)

A list of arguments can be thought of as a list of commands – they area analized one by one and the proper functions are being executed on the fly. There are four commands so far:

-dr <directory path> <output REZ file>
-rd <REZ file> <output directory path>
-lr <REZ file>
-l

Here are some examples of command lines:

::Packs the entire directory with subfolders into REZ file
"Gruntz REZ Patcher.exe" -dr "C:\Gruntz Data\\" "C:\Gruntz\GRUNTZ.REZ"

::Exports the contents of a REZ file into the directory specified and lists the contents of the same REZ file
"Gruntz REZ Patcher.exe" -rd "C:\Gruntz\GRUNTZ.REZ" "C:\Gruntz Data\\" -l

::Lists the contents of a REZ file specified
"Gruntz REZ Patcher.exe" -lr "C:\Gruntz\GRUNTZ.REZ"

The next version will be all about implementing automatic conversion of PID files during packing as well as exporting a REZ file. Then I’ll think of a simple GUI.