[HELP] WoW Error: Corrupt blp file after texture substitution

[M8rixMan]

Restating nature of help request: Modify SignatureFile in common.MPQ

COPY FROM BELOW:
Hypothesis: SignatureFile in common.MPQ is not being updated, Hash for G_FishingBobber.blp in SignatureFile does not change causing WoW to freak out.

I am not trying to change the model or make it bigger or something weird. I just feel like I am gonna puke looking at the feathers bobbling around for hours at a time. I spend a lot of time fishing to supplement my income.

ANyone know how to get the SignatureFile to be updated?
COPY FROM BELOW:


Situation: Trying to replace common.MPQ/World/Goober/G_FishingBobber.blp file with my own.

Reason: Sick of looking at fruity feathers while fishing.

Software used:
WoW WoTLK 3.0.9
Ladick's MPQ Editor V.2.0.1.280
(MyWarCraftStudio .9 and .10 error out for video driver OpenGL issue)
Paint.NET w/ BLP Plugin or BLP2TGA/TGA2BLP or BLP2PNG/PNG2BLP

Process:
Backup common.MPQ
Open common.MPQ with MPQEditor
Extract common.MPQ/World/Goober/G_FishingBobber.blp
modify with Paint.NET (tried 3, transparent bobbertop left half, black bobbertop left half, coloradjust bobbertop left half) using BLP plugin or use converters first
(preferred result = "filedropperDOTcom/mod1gfishingbobber")
Add file back to common.MPQ accept overwrite file.

all 9 ways did not work.

Result: after change, WoW opens normally. When I try to fish, WoW crashes stating corrupt G_FishingBobber.blp file.

use MPQEdit to reinsert original file: All good and can fish.

Hypothesis: SignatureFile in common.MPQ is not being updated, Hash for G_FishingBobber.blp in SignatureFile does not change causing WoW to freak out.

I am not trying to change the model or make it bigger or something weird. I just feel like I am gonna puke looking at the feathers bobbling around for hours at a time. I spend a lot of time fishing to supplement my income.

ANyone know how to get the SignatureFile to be updated?

[Yamachi]

Don't screw with the original MPQ's. Make a new patch MPQ, and use WoWME.

[M8rixMan]

My concern with this is for 2 reasons.

there are 2 applications that are suposed to enable you to use your own substitutions via a patch-# file.

Both of them are run and launch wow.exe (detectable by blizzware)
Both of them are reported by multiple AVs as WoW PWS applications.
Scan.dll does not look for file changes, it is blizzware to detect WoW PWS.
Deleting this file everytime you launch does not stop Blizzware from detecting WoW being framelaunched, It just keeps blizzware from beaking off that a PWS is active.

There are a couple guides showing how to use MWCS to make these simple texturefile swaps. But as I said It fails to launch for a video driver issue.

I keep trying to order the Blizzard Authenticator but it is always out of stock, and I will not try WoWME till I can get one.
I guess I am just going to have to edit my files on a machine with VidDvrs capable of running MWCS10 and see if that fixes the problem.

[Yamachi]

You still need WoWME to bypass the signature check. Also, WoWME is clean, and you won't get banned for it, so don't worry about it.

[M8rixMan]

OK, I have found some specification on the signature file of the MPQ. I am working on making the modified .blp the same size as the original. I have come extremely close. Original file size = 3,916 bytes. Modified file size = 3,918 bytes. Grr. How close is that. still tweaking for a match.

But, if I do get a match, I have a utility to modify the creation/modified date attributes of the file just in case the HASH process looks at that to match the signature file.

What aspects of the file do they use to generate the HASH in the Signature file?

[lysaara]

If all you're changing is a .blp, you shouldn't need WoWME anyway. Just put it in a new MPQ, it should work fine. I do this all the time for my texture edits as I don't ever use WoWME.

[M8rixMan]

Please define new MPQ. Do you mean a Patch-#.MPQ or another_name.MPQ? If new how is the reference made?

I was under the impression if you were doing a new added MPQ you were required to use patch-#.MPQ and WoWME.

I have read quite extensively the forums on texture replacement and even though they say just insert, I do not know what revision/patch ver Blizz put in the HASH sigfile (from research/guesstimates it was ?2.4.x? or even ?2.x.x?

[lysaara]

Yes, use the patch-x.MPQ naming format and preserve the item's original path within the new MPQ. You don't need WoWME if you're only replacing a texture.

I do this all the time; it does work.