Green Grass and New Median Mod

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## Green Grass Mod (GGM) and New Median Mod
## Terrain texture mods by D.Cain a.k.a. Escape Velocity
## June 6 2012
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## What does this mod do?
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About a year ago, I read an article somewhere about a couple of EA's artists who'd worked on the world and terrain textures of MW, and they described how they went to great lengths to make the boroughs look like typical northeastern U.S. (i.e., the states which comprise New England) in autumn/fall. In other words, mostly brown trees (or trees with brown/dead leaves in them), brown grass in the highway medians, etc. etc. etc. Brown everywhere. That's all fine and dandy, and don't get me wrong – I'm not denying their talent, they certainly achieved a genuine northeastern autumn look – but I'm not a guy who particularly enjoys fall. It's depressing to me, the days are getting short and cold, and of course, brown vegetation everywhere.

Since I'm a summertime guy at heart, I'd have much preferred if the artists had put in a bit more green in the game. Since they didn't, I decided to do it myself – at least as far as the grass in MW, anyway. To that end, I've recolored the textures that comprise practically all of the grassy areas in the MW world from brown to lush and dense green, just as it would appear if you were driving around the boroughs in July instead of November. I was pleasantly surprised at how much it perks up the game, and thought it might be cool to release share the "green grass mod" (or GGM for short) with you.

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## Do I have to run TexMod every time I want to use this GGM?
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Nope. TexMod is a pain in the ass as far as I'm concerned. What's more annoying than having to run a background program simultaneously with your game to take advantage of nicer textures? Well, maybe leprosy or tuberculosis are more annoying than TexMod, but not by much. I like the concept of "one-and-done" (see below). In addition, you DON'T need to be running Arushan's MW Mod Loader to take advantage of the GGM (but if you're not using the Mod Loader, you're missing out on THE single greatest add-on for MW, bar none).

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## How do I install this mod?
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Very easily, assuming you're familiar with using NFS-TexEd (I'm not including a tutorial for it, so if you don't know how to use it, go learn it).

Included in this download are 5 DDS "greener grass" files which bear the numbers of where they can be found by opening the C:\Program Files\EA Games\Need For Speed Most Wanted\TRACKS\STREAML2RA.BUN with NFS-TexEd. For example, the "3-65.dds" texture is found in texture archive 3, line 65 (see included screen). Simply import the appropriate DDS texture into its corresponding address in NFS-TexEd, click "Archive –> Save", and proceed to the next one until all 5 are in place.

***NOTES***

1. It SHOULD go without saying, but I'll mention it anyway: before importing these replacement textures, export and save the original ones, just in case you don't like the mod and want to revert back to the original brown terrain.

2. In the screens I've provided, you'll notice awesome-looking green trees (instead of the original brown ones). That Green Tree Mod was authored by Push, and I highly recommend installing it in conjunction with the GGM. Just like this GGM, his mod is also a "one-and-done" DDS texture swap; no need for using TexMod. You can find Push's Green Tree Mod here:

http://www.nfscars.net/file/view/mostwanted/14704.aspx

3. If you're wondering about the "[new median] 6-55.DDS" file, it's a bonus feature I'm including with this GGM mod. It is simply a new median texture that replaces the old "Crappy-Grass-Growing-Through-The-Tiles" median with a very clean and appealing crosshatched tile layout, interspersed with a "New World Man" tile motif in jade green, and outlined by dark brown concrete separators (see included screens). If you like it, you can install it the same way as the GGM files with NFS-TexEd (but it isn't required to get the greener grass if you don't like it). In other words, it's optional.


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## Thanks/acknowledgements/credits
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Arushan for MW mod tools
Adobe PhotoShop CS3 w/ nVidia DDS plugins
Push for his Green Tree Mod
Gamer Boy – that's his Diablo GTR in the screenshots (you can find it at NFSCars.net)
SLZ Roadstar – that's his R34 SpecV Skyline in the screenshots (also available from NFSCars.net)
Racer_S for the MW Cam Hack tool
BodyKiT for his unquestionable (and contagious) enthusiasm for the MW game – every MW modder has AT LEAST one of your mods in their current game setup (and I'd put down good money on it, too).

ENJOY!

This mod © Dean Cain (a.k.a. Escape Velocity), June 6, 2012
E-mail: [email protected]