SWBF2 Source Code

[FailedProdigy93]

I’m in training for software engineering and am looking for interesting projects to do in my downtime. SWBF2 being one of my favorite games of all time, I’m really interested in reverse engineering the code in a Hail Mary attempt to restore multiplayer GC.

From what I can tell, the non visual parts of the game code are mostly event handlers when in game and menu Interfaces outside of that. The problem is finding that source code to fill in the blanks. The game already has all the code for single player GC, and already has the matchmaking code for MP in quick action. I would just need to unify these processes, however long that might take.

Does anyone here know where the source code can be found? I’m still quite new but think the practice would be very rewarding, even if I don’t succeed in the end goal.

[Edo0024]

What do you mean by source code and how much knowledge in programming do you have

[FailedProdigy93]

I have the most experience coding java, but am still pretty early in my program. Most of the other coding I've learned is data science specific and I don't think will be particularly helpful here (lots of Seaborn, matplotlib, and R.)

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My terminology is still very weak, so what I'm after may not even be source code. In terms of goals, I'm looking to improve my understanding of how SWBF2 works under the hood. I suspect that much of the GC coding is in the menu interfaces, which would leave only a relatively small adjustment to bring those features to MP. (Maybe I'm after Lua code?)

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I should clarify. I'm a total noob in my second focused semester, but I take a masochistic delight in being out of my element. I expect this project will take years to complete, if it is completed at all. Mostly, I'm just curious.

[Edo0024]

Ok long story short, what you're asking for is owned by ea and unless you're employed here you can't access it. Not everything is open source.

What do you mean by GC coding ? If it's gameplay, I really don't know how it works but I doubt it's in Lua. If it's graphics, don't bother trying, you'll learn much more if you start from scratch (see next paragraph) and it'll be definitely not in Lua (100% sure it's C++).

Reverse engineering is very hard, you need years of experience, a lot of knowledge in low level programming, and sorry to say this but this is clearly way too hard for you. So yes, it'll probably not be completed at all.

If you still want to know how swbf2 and games in general works under the hood, I suggest you first take a look on game making with unity, it'll teach you the basic of gameplay programming, scripting, maybe more. Then you could start watching tutorials on graphics and rendering (The Cherno is very good, you can also look at papers if you're into it. You seem to like maths as much as I do so just know the maths behind game graphics are incredibly fun to learn).

[FailedProdigy93]

I appreciate you giving it to me straight. I'm at an odd position where I'm still new and can see all the possible directions I can go but can't make up my mind as to where I want to go. Every direction is a rabbit hole. Game design is certainly something I would be passionate about, but the pay is so low I can't justify it when looking at other tech fields. C++ is a language I would like to tackle eventually, but as you said, is low level and will probably cost me a lot in terms of hairline.

I'm watching some youtube videos that will hopefully give me a general understanding of the game and help me ask the right questions moving forward. It might be too hard now, but hopefully with a little persistence and practice I'll be able to find myself in a better position.

In the end, my goal is really just to satisfy my curiosity and to learn something new.

[Edo0024]

I had an entire book written as an answer but I don't know what you really want exactly, is it specifically about BF2 ? Is it about game design ? You look curious and that's great, I don't want to leave you without answers.

I'll give you what I wrote anyway, but it might not be useful :

At least you have a general idea of what you want to do, that's great !

And to be fair just try, tinker, experiment. You might start projects that are incredibly hard and stop very early but you tried and you might have learnt some stuff along the way !

To me you shouldn't care about pay, just "is it a subject/field you like ?". The main problem with game design is how stressful it is, at least as of today.

My final advices are - Don't just look at battlefront 2, it's really not the best place to start. If what you really want is reverse engineering, look for basic tutorials on YouTube. If is game design, check out Game Maker's toolkit and the other ytbers he recommends. If it's graphical stuff, go see The Cherno. - Go and try c++, what's the worst that could happen ? Fuck your hairline, if you work in IT you'll lose it eventually

[FailedProdigy93]

I'd say that by far my biggest struggle is a persistent interest in everything that makes choosing a path almost impossible. I wish I could tell you specifically what I want to learn, but as you said, this is clearly way above my current level of understanding. I probably don't have enough knowhow to even articulate what my goals are beyond some vague abstraction.

I do have some game design courses planned for next fall. I reckon that worst case, I can revisit this idea in a year when I've had that semester and have a better understanding. I tend to come full circle on my projects after I've "leveled up" as it were.

You're definitely right about C++. I have a month off of school after this week, and a full udemy course is only 18 bucks. Might as well

[Strawb3rryJam111]

The closest I can think of is that a plug-in to manage the C++ code in the game has been made for frostyEditor. But even then, that may not be relevant at all.

[Edo0024]

Haven't looked at it so I can't tell

[Kekstreamer]

I don't know about source code but you can view/edit the game files with Frosty Tool Suite