**Firestar is a cross-platform Java-based mod manager for WipEout 2048**, which runs on a desktop/laptop computer and aims to allow easy installation of mods with very little hassle. It is compatible with both real PSVita hardware, as well as with emulators.
- **All Platforms:** Grab the [Portable ZIP](https://files.worlio.com/users/bonkmaykr/tools/firestar/latest/firestar_dekka-1.2_portable.zip), extract it, and run the JAR file.
You are always free to copy the Firestar source code and compile the latest work-in-progress version for yourself.
Firestar uses the Gradle build system. We write our code and perform all our tests on Linux, but these same steps should apply to all major operating systems.
## With Intellij IDEA
1. Create a new project cloned from this Git repo
2. Open the run configurations editor by clicking "Default" in the top right corner and selecting "Edit Configurations".
3. Set the JDK to Java 17, the module to firestar.firestar.main and the main class to Firestar's Main class.
4. Go to Modify Options > Add before launch task, then add a Gradle "clean" task
5. Go there again and add a Gradle "build" task
6. Delete the default build task that has now appeared as step 1.
7. Save your options and click the Play button to compile and test.
## From the command line
1. Ensure you have both Git and Gradle installed on your system.
- Windows: Visit [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com/downloads) and the [Gradle Installation Guide](https://gradle.org/install/).
- Linux/BSD: Install the `git` and `gradle` packages from your package manager. For example:
- Arch-based: `sudo pacman -Sy git gradle` (if this breaks your computer then run -Syu to rectify it)
- Debian-based: `sudo apt install git gradle`
- Mac: Figure it out! None of us on the dev team use Macs and we can't be assed to.
2. Open the terminal and clone the git repo. This will download the Firestar source code to a `firestar/` folder in your current working directory.
There's no #1 place for Firestar mods as of now, but we can give you a few sample mods to test out if you are interested in seeing the program in action:
- [XP Rebalance](https://files.worlio.com/users/bonkmaykr/patches/2048/XPhack2.fstar): Reduces the amount of grinding required to level up for players who can't access the online campaign. **Leaderboard safe version!**
- [Continue?](https://files.worlio.com/users/bonkmaykr/patches/2048/continue.fstar): Allows you to exit the pause menu without taking your thumb off the throttle. By ThatOneBonk
For making your own mods, we recommend grabbing one of the many leaked PS Vita SDKs off of Archive.org since it has many of the tools you will need. I recommend using Photoshop CS5 for textures, since Sony officially provides a texture export plugin for CS5 in their SDK. There is also an included at9tool which can help with replacing sounds and music.
Many things like HUDs, custom translations, and even some game variables are kept in XML format and can be edited in any normal text editor like Microsoft Notepad, GNU Nano, GEdit or KWrite. (Please play nice when you're online.)
Firestar itself can run natively on the system, but it needs WINE in order to handle the game assets because many of the utilities it runs in the background are for Windows only. If you're curious, a list of these tools is available in the "[Third Party Code](#third-party-code)" section below.
When adding new features to Firestar, the Screw Gravity! team (loosely) follows this procedure:
1. The developer prototypes the feature, in part or in full, on a Linux system.
2. After completion, a QEMU/KVM running Windows 10 w/ VC++ 2012 libs and the latest JDK is deployed to test Firestar on.
3. Code refactoring is done to account for Windows bugs.
4. The final commit is pushed.
Try to stick to these conventions:
- Avoid allowing the user to interact with the main window (MissPiggy.java) while another menu is open that alters any data, and keep this window Always-on-top. This is usually done by passing the master JFrame as a parameter to the child and telling it to freeze the parent's JFrame until the user closes that menu.
- Keep formatting consistent and readable.
-`if` statements should have a space separating the conditions and code block.
- Use tabs instead of repeat spaces for indentation where possible and keep one indentation per layer, avoid flattening unless appropriate.
- Split up long equations and statements into new lines with an operator at the start of the new line.
- Divide really long functions into paragraph for certain major steps.
- [pkg2zip](https://github.com/mmozeiko/pkg2zip) & [psvpfsparser](https://github.com/motoharu-gosuto/psvpfstools), for (legal) asset decryption from Playstation Network.
- [libcurl](https://curl.se/libcurl/), allows psvpfsparser to communicate with Henkaku's F00D server.
All of these, save for psp2psarc, appear in Tetsuo (1.3) and onwards. The licenses for Sony's psp2psarc and at9tool are polar opposite from Firestar's own GPL, so you should not expect Firestar to be a completely "libre" application (but then again, you're a WipEout player, the free software movement clearly isn't a huge concern). The open source nature of Firestar is provided with the hopes of allowing others to critique, audit, and improve upon the software, not necessarily for idealogical reasons.
Because many third-party programs for opening PSARC files either have no ability to create new ones or are prone to corruption bugs. Using the one made by the developers of the file format is the best option as it's what the game developers would have used. Obviously this creates all kinds of legal grey areas, so I can't distribute Sony's proprietary software next to my code. It's downloaded separately during the setup process.
Cross-platform support with no hassle, a built-in UI framework, and I don't need to sell my soul like every Electron or React 'Native' developer is doing these days.
Firestar was a secret track in the original WipEout which you unlocked after beating the game at least once, the mod manager is just named after that. Major versions are named after pilots or tracks. Internal class names are named after Muppets characters as this is the same naming convention that Sony used to codename parts inside the PSVita's SOC.
## Fast Mode vs. Compatibility Mode
"Fast Mode" was a legacy option that was scrapped before it could be developed. It skipped the creation of a PSARC file and simply dumped the final game assets to their destination folder. This works great for emulators, and doesn't require proprietary stolen SDKs from SCE. However the filesystem on the Playstation Vita really hated this method and would glitch out when this was done, causing textures to be corrupted once placed on the memory card. The WipEout engine has no fault tolerance for malformed or missing assets, so it just crashes instantly when it encounters one. This is where Compatibility mode comes from, which is the default setting for 2048.
