How to Mod Weapons on Halo 1

The ability to add mods to "Halo" is addicting.

"Halo: Combat Evolved," more commonly known as "Halo" or "Halo 1," is the 2001 best-selling video game from Bungie. It is set in the far future when humanity has come under attack from a group of powerful and religious aliens who want to wipe out all life in the universe. The PC and Mac versions were released in 2005 for the Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, opening a new window for modding the game.

Things You'll Need

• Windows XP or higher
• Mac OS X or higher
• "Halo" modding tools

Instructions

1. Download the Halo Mapping Tools from Filefront.com (see "Resources"). Then download the HMT plug-ins, also from Filefront, and place the plug-ins in the HMT plug-in folder. These plug-ins allow you to create more advanced mods.

2. Back up the Maps folder in your "Halo: Combat Evolved" install directory to a safe location on your hard drive. To mod a weapon these map files are directly edited, and you need to keep a clean copy to revert to for normal play, or if an error should occur.

3. Start up HMT and go to "Open > OS > Program Files > Microsoft Games > Halo/Maps."

   Now open a multiplayer map such as Bloodgulch. Once the map is opened, locate the [proj] tag and click on the small "x" next to it to open the subfolders.

4. Locate "weapons > rocket launcher > rocket" and click on it. Then locate the box filled with a series of numbers and letters between "swap" and "revert." Copy the contents of this box.

5. Locate "weapons > assault rifle > bullet" and click on it. Then paste the info you copied from the Rocket Launcher into the same box under the assault rifle. Now click "Save."

6. Close HMT, start "Halo: Combat Evolved" and select the map you just edited in the multiplayer menu. Now when firing the assault rifle, it fires fully automatic rockets.

Tips & Warnings

• Use this same process with other weapons to mod any weapon in the game. The more you experiment with creating these simple mods, the faster you become a proficient mod maker.

• Take the time to visit one of the various halo modding communities on the web; looking at other mods may help you figure out new mods to make yourself. These communities are filled with experienced mod creators.

• If, when starting "Halo: Combat Evolved," a box appears that reads "Exception data," just paste the files from the backup folder you created into the MAPS folder to fix the error.

References

• ModHalo.net
• Halo Modding: Tutorials
• Halo Official Site

Resources

• Filefront: Halo Mapping Tools
• Filefront: Halo Mapping Tools Plugins
• Filefront: Halo