Custom is a term referring to any content that is not made by the game creators nor originally included in Re-Volt, mostly referring to fan-made content. This can include cars, tracks, models, textures, or any type of file or content that the game can recognize and use during its execution.
Custom content can be installed with the purpose of replace and modify original files (global mods) or they can be standalone as fan-made cars and tracks. The known version of the game to accept standalone custom content, and currently the mainstream of fan-made creations, is the full PC version. Versions that accept custom cars are the fourth generation of demos, and full versions with a carinfo.txt, as the DEV version and possibly the Dreamcast version. Thanks to Ripax77, it was discovered at 2012 that custom content can also be installed in the iOS version of the game.[1]
Packaging
Custom content made by fans is usually shared online at the various Re-Volt websites. The most famous focused in custom content is Re-Volt Zone, created at 2004 and still active, containing more than 3000 cars and almost 2000 tracks[2]. Recently, Re-Volt I/O is also gradually gaining space in the community web ring, accepting both fan-made cars and tracks. Other mainstream websites that group custom content are ReVoltRace and Re-Volt XTG.
In all those websites, a standard packaging is required for the submission. In short, the content is packaged and compressed (usually in a .zip file) in a way that, when the content is extracted, it can be installed as a patch, being palced automatically in the correct folders of the game directory. Therefore, everything the user needs to do for installing cars or tracks is to insert the game directory (install location) at the compression software.
Vehicles are installed at the cars folder. Below is an example of how Adeon files would be placed in a .zip file:
Adeon.zip/cars/adeon/
Tracks are installed at the levels folder, and its preview picture at gfx. Below is an example of how Toy World 2 files files would be placed in a .zip file:
Toy World 2.zip/gfx/ Toy World 2.zip/levels/toy2/
The install process of custom content varies according to the type or files included. For that, people usually include install instructions with their content, mostly in a text document which generaly is named as readme.txt.
References
- ↑ Making tracks for the iOS version of Re-volt. Topic at Re-Volt Live.
- ↑ RVZ Stats, as for January 2016.
