[Supermodder911]

How to Mod Halo 3 Forge variants tutorial shows you how to create, modify, and resign a Halo 3 Forge variant. This is intended for beginners who would like an introduction into Halo 3 modding of usermaps.

How to Mod Halo 3 Forge Variants
Written by Supermodder911

Overview
What you will learn in this tutorial:
How to get a usermap off of your Xbox 360 HDD using Xplorer360 or XPort 360.
How to extract and inject a usermap into a CON file.
How to properly rehash and resign a usermap file.

Requirements

• XSATA or XPort

• Get XSATA here:
  • USA: XB360 XSATA - Codejunkies US
    
  • UK: XB360 XSATA - Codejunkies UK
  
  
• Get XPort here:
  • USA: XB360 Xport - Codejunkies US
    
  • UK: XB360 Xport - Codejunkies UK
  
  
• CON Resigner and CON Hasher: http://www.se7ensins...-resigners.html
  
• XPort360 - Datel: http://us.codejunkie...rt_360_1.07.zip
  
• Sandbox - Shade45: Sandbox.zip - FileFront.com
  
• Container Edits (CE) – GoldBl4d3: Container_Edits.rar - FileFront.com

In this tutorial, I will be using derived’s CON resigner and Shade45's CON Hasher.

Please download all of the above software, as each program will be needed throughout the tutorial.


The Tutorial

First you should create a map on your Xbox 360 by placing a few frag grenades (or whatever you want.)

Next we save the map. If you save the map once it is normally 116kb, if you save more than once, it becomes 176kb, because Halo 3 creates a backup of your map.

After saving, transfer the maps to your computer using XPort or XSATA and using the XPort 360 software to manage them. You can extract the files by dragging them out of XPort 360 and into your folder.




Now, open the CE tool and open your usermap.

Hit the “Extract sandbox from Container” and get ready to use Sandbox.



Before we go on, make sure you have all of the maps from Halo 3 or the .map file of the usermap you are modifying. You can edit the settings of Sandbox to specify your .map folder.
Open Sandbox and open the extracted map file: _____.map
With Sandbox, many opportunities are opened up that were hard to do with hex editing. You can edit the location all of the editable objects on the map, switch out objects for another and multiply them as you wish. Sandbox’s layout is made to be simple and very useful, so utilize it for great things.




After you are done editing the map, save the edits and close Sandbox. Open the CE tool and open your original CON file. Hit the “inject Sandbox into container” button and select the .map file you edited in Sandbox.





On to rehashing and resigning
Open up Shade’s rehasher and click the button in the middle and select your usermap file. It will now be rehashed.



Open derived’s resigner. Click the load button and select your usermap. After verifying it is the correct file, click the sign button. It will ask for a KV.bin file. Select the one you have and the usermap will now be resigned.




The final step is to Transfer the map back to your Xbox 360 HDD/MU.
If all goes well when you load it in H3 just fine.

Here is an example:

Thank you for reading this tutorial.

Credits:
Unknown v2: TONs of help.

[PatIsLegend]

VERY nice tutorial. most complete ive seen yet.

[Supermodder911]

If there is anything else you think it should cover, tell me and I'll do my best to add it in.

[QWEEWQAZ]

Maybe you could give an example afterwords. Also maybe you could say somewhere that you don't need to extract the sandbox map to modify it. Those aren't really needed but this tut is very nice.

[unknown v2]

qweewqaz667 said:

Maybe you could give an example afterwords. Also maybe you could say somewhere that you don't need to extract the sandbox map to modify it. Those aren't really needed but this tut is very nice.

Well Sandbox is the best publicly-available app and giving people the best option is better than the copy-and paste Idents way.

[PatIsLegend]

something that really isn't really important at all, but people might worry about...when you put the HDD back on the 360 from using it with Xport, the first time you play a disc it says "the disk cannot be read. try wiping with a cloth" etc. if you just press "ok" and try loading the disc again it works fine. its normal, not sure why it does it.

[Eon89]

Dumb question: Were do you find your console and profile id?

[unknown v2]

Eon89 said:

Dumb question: Were do you find your console and profile id?

They appear whenever you open it in any of the resigners and even in Container Edits. You don't have to enter them. They were just blanked for security purposes.

[Supermodder911]

qweewqaz667 said:

Maybe you could give an example afterwords. Also maybe you could say somewhere that you don't need to extract the sandbox map to modify it. Those aren't really needed but this tut is very nice.

Example added, I'm sure people would rather use a Program than do it manually.

[snowshredder34]

The best TUT iv seen. Good Job. Try making a vid TUT. thanx

[Holy Ownage]

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What you will learn in this tutorial:
How to get a usermap off of your Xbox 360 HDD using Xplorer360 or XPORT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You say you need Xplorer360 OR XPort. You mean XPlorer360 WITH either XPort or XSata.

[Supermodder911]

Holy Ownage said:

-------------------------------------------------------------------------
What you will learn in this tutorial:
How to get a usermap off of your Xbox 360 HDD using Xplorer360 or XPORT
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
You say you need Xplorer360 OR XPort. You mean XPlorer360 WITH either XPort or XSata.

The XPort software is called XPoty 360. Xplorer360 works the same way, but XPort is used in this tutorial.
Edit: I see your point. Edited.

[monkeyspat]

You should also show how to change the Name, Description, and Author of the usermap.

[Supermodder911]

You can change the variant name and description in game. As for Author, why would you want to change it? If I did people would abuse it and put inappropriate gamertags.

[monkeyspat]

Sorry I brought it up then and yes I agree that they would, but it can also help protect people's real gamertags.

[Supermodder911]

It's not that hard to make a new gamertag to put mods on....

If people are afraid of getting banned they shouldn't mod...

[I Matze I]

could someone pls link me to the .map files =)

[QWEEWQAZ]

I Matze I said:

could someone pls link me to the .map files =)

Check the usermap F.A.Q.

[I Matze I]

ok thx...im downloading so fast...68kb/s =/

[AWW5]

Mine keeps saying map folder has not been set when it comes to load in sandbox how do I fix this what am i doing wrong:(:(:(:(:(:(:(