Twisted D.I.R.T. Archive

Tool documentation

Practical guides for preserved track-making and game-modification tools.

Unleashed Editor Too (UE2)

Download: UnleashedToo_09122.zip
Game: MX vs ATV Unleashed
Purpose: Advanced terrain-tile, spline, scene, object, ecosystem, package, and test-rider editor.

The preserved archive contains UnleashedToo.exe, UnleashedTooHelp.chm, d3dx8d.dll, and xbxgrph.dll. Keep all four together.

Install

  1. Extract the ZIP anywhere convenient; no installer is required.
  2. Keep MVA installed through its official installer. UE2 locates it through HKLM\SOFTWARE\THQ\MXvsATV\Install. A manually moved game can fail even though MVA itself still runs.
  3. Install a compatible legacy DirectX runtime.
  4. Later 0.9.4 builds with the ATV test rider require NVIDIA PhysX system software 2.8.1 or newer. This is a legacy dependency best handled inside a VM.
  5. Keep both included DLLs beside the EXE.

Working method

  • Begin from a valid Rainbow Editor project/PAK when possible.
  • Keep separate copies before importing tiles, changing files, or repacking.
  • A terrain needs a valid activity to appear in MVA.
  • Use the Files tab to edit supported text resources such as SCN and some TOY content. Changing tabs or pressing Save writes supported edits back; old versions did not edit ATY/ATYFILE.
  • Turn on logging when an object or material disappears. A “material failed” entry commonly indicates incomplete model files or a library name that does not identify a fully usable stock model.

Tiles and terrain

UE2 supports multi-tile layouts and .tile import/export. Historical releases supported 2×2 through 7×7 arrangements.

  • A normal displacement tile is 257×257.
  • A normal visible tile texture is 960×960, but the game uses an eight-pixel overlap on every edge.
  • UE2 supports 976×976 imports so authors can control that overlap themselves.
  • Version 0.9.18 could create black/white lines with 960×960 imports; the forum recommended 976×976 until the next fix.
  • Tile-export dialogs in some builds said Open rather than Save. Supplying an existing placeholder .tile file worked around the dialog problem.

Version 0.9.4 allowed displacement import per tile, which was excellent for rapid testing. Its author still recommended Rainbow's tiled files for a final build because UE2's imported terrain rendering was experimental.

Friction maps

The documented UE2 import expects a 257×257, 4-bit indexed BMP with a 16-color palette. Select the terrain tile, switch to the zone/friction view, and import. Reused terrain tiles reuse their friction maps. Test every tile because old versions were reported to invert or otherwise misinterpret some inputs.

Objects and ecosystems

Put either an object PAK or its .dxg, .dxt, .dxm, and .col files in:

<MVA>\Media\CustomModels

Use the ecosystem tab for large tree populations. It can switch trees to 2D billboards at distance; placing hundreds as ordinary objects costs much more performance. Choose the ecosystem on the Resources tab, select a tree on the Ecosystem tab, then use Add tree.

Splines

  • UE2 stores both point coordinates and an overall spline offset. A valid spline with the wrong offset can be far outside the terrain.
  • Import a spline made over a composite map, then move/scale it into the true tile coordinates.
  • Keep course and AI spline behavior separate. Validate direction, start/finish crossing, lap closure, and AI paths in game.

Test rider

The 0.9.4 test rider exposes many interacting PhysX values. Load one of the included DefaultPhysicsSettings1..4.rmx files, adjust only one subsystem—sliding, controls, engine/gearbox, or suspension—then compare. The test rider is a development aid, not proof that a packaged activity will behave identically in MVA.

Sources