HaloMods "Classic" Read-only Archive

As some of you are aware, a new auto-update came out today for Halo2, which changes the version number from 1.1 to 1.5. Bungie said it was just to add support for the upcoming DLC and to enhance online cheater detection.

But I found that it supports Mimesis maps, non-Bungie DLC, and non-Bungie map slots unlike the previous 1.1b anti-cheater update.
I'm assuming someone at Bungie has a soft spot for modders and Project Mimesis.

So now, we don't need to use the map pack disk update for Mimesis and mods. The latest AU works fine. Just thought everyone should know.

If it were fine with the admins here, I would post an .ips patch (like a .ppf patch, just more generic) for the new AU's xbe against the retail disk xbe for the people who don't have Live or no longer can connect to Live. I don't think Bungie would have anything against putting out a patch for a free autoupdate (they apparently don't care about Mimesis as long as it's not on Live - see next part).

But custom DLC will not work on Live like it did before the 1.1b autoupdate. If you try to, it will black screen, and bump you back to the lobby just like in 1.1b. I'd advise everyone not to try it unless you don't mind a matchmaking-banned account.


Also, it would be nice if someone could repost this at the Mimesis forums for me - I never could get an account set up at those forums without a hungry internet monster eating the activation email.

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Update: You can download a patch to get this AU if you cannot connect to xbox live by looking at my post further down this page.

That's awesome!
Hmm... So does this mean people with a 360 can now mod old maps with the use of Shade's custom DLC app?

You are allowed to put patches for the xbe but not the full xbe.

Wait... it allows custom DLC to load on Splitscreen and SL, but not Live? Sick!

Yay this is great
no more disabling autoupdate

jkjk wrote:You are allowed to put patches for the xbe but not the full xbe.

Ok, so what does that mean?

mxrider108 wrote:

jkjk wrote:You are allowed to put patches for the xbe but not the full xbe.

Ok, so what does that mean?

same thing for maps... make a patch, just cant put the whole file up

Oh ok, he was replying to Agent ME's question. Got it. I thought it was in reply to my question because he didn't quote

Ins'tthere usually a couple of things changed...Not just one .xbe file?

I'm confused as to what autoupdate disabling is... I feel like an ass because you all seem to know what it is and I haven't got the faintest clue...

ScottyGEE wrote:Ins'tthere usually a couple of things changed...Not just one .xbe file?

When you connect to Live and get the autoupdate, it downloads the new default.xbe, downloader.xbe, and generates a contentmeta.xbx file which is unique to the xbox's eeprom and the files downloaded. But all those files are needed only if you need to run the autoupdate the official way, through the TDATA folders as nature intended. You can take the default.xbe alone (without the other 2 files), and put it in your Halo 2 root directory (like E/games/Halo2), and start it, and you'll be playing with the autoupdate. Nice little quirk/feature Bungie left in probably to make testing it themselves easier.

I'll try and get some patch up in a few minutes.

JackonCougAr wrote:I'm confused as to what autoupdate disabling is... I feel like an *** because you all seem to know what it is and I haven't got the faintest clue...

Autoupdate disabling is when you rename the autoupdate file or its folder so it isn't detected. (Or by using Yelo's handy disable autoupdate feature)
The reason you would want to do that would be that you used to not be able to load maps that you add to the menu with the anti-cheat 1.1b autoupdate. But now there's no need to with this autoupdate.

I'd recommend to go get it by connecting to Live, but for those who can't for any reason can get the update as an IPS patch at this mirror.
To use the patch,

1. Unzip it.
2. Get Lunar IPS or any other compatable IPS application. (Apparently LIPS's site is down, so here's a mirror download link.)
3. Assuming you have Halo2 saved to your harddrive at a place such as E\games\Halo2, ftp the default.xbe from that folder to your computer.
4. (Recommended) Make a backup of the default.xbe, with a name like noau.xbe and send it back to your xbox to the Halo2 folder.
5. Start Lunar IPS. When its asks for the ips/patch file, pick the au15.ips file that you unzipped.
6. When it asks for the file to patch, click the File Type drop-down box and change it from "Common Rom Files" to "Any", and pick the default.xbe file.
7. It should say that the file is patched. FTP the default.xbe back to where you got it from off your xbox, and start up Halo 2 from your hard drive.
8. Halo 2 should now say "1.5" near the bottom-right corner of the menu while it says "Press Start to Continue".

The downside of this method is that it will only work for when you play Halo 2 off the hard drive - using the disk will only use the last Live-installed AU in the E\TDATA\4d530064\$u folder.
If you want to have a modded disk with the 1.5 AU, you can burn a Halo 2 disk like you'd burn any xbox disk with the 1.5 AU default.xbe replacing the retail xbe and it'll work then.

Couldn't you patch the original default.xbe and replace the one in the update folder with it and have the same effect but it would work like real DLC?

EDIT* It's over at Mimesis for ya

I'm pretty sure you'd also need the AU's corresponding downloader.xbe and the EEPROM-signed contentmeta.xbx. I could put up a patch for the downloader.xbe, but it'd be pointless as I can't put up the contentmeta.xbx for you guys unless you all flashed your xboxs to have the same EEPROM as mine.

I am getting an error when trying to extract the patch.

Says: Unknown method in au15.ips
and also: No files to extract.

What program are you using to extract it? I just used WinZip to archive it, which I don't normally do. I'll check to see if it works with programs like WinRar.

EDIT: It didn't work in WinRar, so I re-zipped the IPS patch with WinRar, so it works now. Redownload it.

What does it means? you will make a mimesis for xbox 360 wich make you able to upload the halo 2 maps, downloading it by the halo 2 content download?

Anyway does this update work with Yelo?

Yelo does not work with this update, as it was designed around the original version of Halo2. Hopefully xbox7887 might decide to expand to v1.5.

No, this doesn't help us at all with getting DLC onto the 360. It just makes Halo2 handle non-Bungie content in the same way as the mappack-disk autoupdate when you're not on Live.

Thank you! Dude

Agent ME wrote:What program are you using to extract it? I just used WinZip to archive it, which I don't normally do. I'll check to see if it works with programs like WinRar.

EDIT: It didn't work in WinRar, so I re-zipped the IPS patch with WinRar, so it works now. Redownload it.

I'm almost positive you don't need the corresponding contentmeta and downloader if you have the old ones - I recall replacing my old 1.2 with a 1.1 and simply dragging and dropping it worked.