Arsenic

This program is pretty much all you’re going to need when it comes to modding Halo. Arsenic’s hardcore power ranges from its visually stunning graphics to its built in game and tag editor. You can chose anything within a map such as scenery, weapons, vehicles, etc… and hot swap on the drop of a dime.

Duplication is now made easy with our new point and click system. Any object you wish to move in Arsenic will move and suck to the mesh or structure of your map, this will save you a lot of time when placing stuff in your environment.

Our built in tag editor is amazing and simple to use, for example click on a warthog then chose the tag editor. You will be able to edit a wide range of physics right on the spot, all changes will take effect when you save your map.

When you’re done modifying a map you can use Arsenic’s built in FTP functions for quick and easy transfers. You can edit your Xbox information in the Settings tab (IP Address, Directory, Username and Password). There are two different FTP functions made available to you. The first one is an automatic .scenario upload where Arsenic will prompt you to chose the internal name for the map, it will then compress and upload on the fly. The second FTP function is pretty straight forward… chose a map located in your maps folder and Arsenic will upload to the directory stored in your Settings.

As you play games on your Xbox it will cache files in X, Y and Z folders. These folders need to be cleared if you want to see any changes you have made to current maps you have uploaded. Arsenic has a built in cache clearing function available. This comes in very useful when you’re modifying Halo, trust me!

Arsenic has a built in Auto Update feature which will be a life savor when future updates are released. All updates will come from HaloMaps so anyone using this program will always have an up-to-date version. The updates will automatically be applied when you open up Arsenic.

Arsenic is a HaloMaps exclusive only, welcome back to Halo 1 modding people! This is one bad ass program, better get those old modded Xbox’s out of your closet.

Arsenic SlimDX v1.0.1.0 (beta)
April 3, 2009

First off I would like to thank everyone who has been using Arsenic. We have put a lot of hard work and effort into the development of this project. Without the help from our community we wouldn’t have made it this far. We have gotten a lot of feedback and constructive criticism from our community members since the release back in February. Our test team has been tearing through the SlimDX beta versions like it’s their job, Now it’s your turn…

We’re proud to announce the new SlimDX version of Arsenic. The reason for the switch over from Managed DirectX to SlimDX is pretty simple. “Managed DirectX is still usable, even with .NET 2.0 applications. However, there are a number of problems affecting MDX that make developing applications on it undesirable”. There are numerous reason why MDX was becoming a dead end road for Arsenic.

We felt SlimDX was a much more stable environment for Arsenic especially in the long run. “SlimDX is an open source library originally prototyped by Promit Roy which allows .NET 2.0+ applications (including C#, VB.NET, IronPython, F#, and more) to use Microsoft’s DirectX APIs, as well as several related Microsoft multimedia APIs. This role was previously filled for .NET 1.1 applications by Microsoft’s own Managed DirectX (MDX) library. However, the age of .NET 1.1, and Microsoft’s lack of interest in continuing MDX, have made it necessary to build a new library. Thanks to enthusiastic community support and the invaluable contributions of several other developers who have worked on and with SlimDX, the library has become a fully viable platform on which to build DirectX based applications. Our latest release is March 2009, and can be found for users and developers on the Download page“. If your interested in learning more about SlimDX click here.

For those of you who already have Arsenic all you have to do is launch the program and it will prompt you to upgrade. Remember you must have March 2009 SP1 installed in order for Arsenic to run properly. Once that is done you can begin using Arsenic as you did before.

I would like to thank our test team for all their hard work and everyone else for the interest they have shown in our project. You can expect more within the next few weeks from us. We have a list of add-ons that we are currently working on such as Scripting, adding AI Spawns, finished Tag Editor, etc. So keep your eyes pealed.

Bug Fixes…

  • Handles compressed maps better
  • Weapons and Equipment can now be duplicated

New Updates…

  • Now using SlimDX instead of MDX for better compatibility with 64bit windows

Arsenic Test Team Recruitment
March 20, 2009

At this point in time our test team consists of only a few men. It’s important we extend this invitation out and see what kind of feedback we get from it. The doors will not be open for long, so please take this opportunity to consider what we are asking. If you have the time, effort and are willing to help us out we would very much appreciate it. This is a great way to get involved with your community members and work together as one.

It’s also very important we get a wide range of people with different computer setups (ex: Window XP/Vista 32/64bit, Processors, Graphic Cards, etc.) to test from. Every machine is different and our main focus is ironing out all the wrinkles. Arsenic has come along way since the first initial release and we plan to continue this journey with a solid test team!

Our goal is to make sure everyone can enjoy the same experience as the next person without any holdups. We put a lot of time and effort into listening to what everyone has to say, your input is extremely important and we will continue to value that.

It’s important we keep the Halo Modding Community alive… Thank you!

Arsenic SlimDX Update
March 17, 2009

The new version of Arsenic which contains the new SlimDX is currently being reviewed by our internal test team. If everything goes accordingly we should be ready to roll this update out within the next few days.

We have also fixed a number of bug issues since the last v1.0.0.12 update. Those fixes will be included along side the SlimDX Update. I will post an updated list of changes that have been made via forum.

Thank you for all the support you’ve given us. We value everyone’s input and will continue to take your modding needs to the next level.

Arsenic v1.0.0.12 Update
March 4, 2009

Bug Fixes…

  • Fixed error if you export a map twice without closing between builds.
  • 64bit work around.

New Updates…

  • Loading status is now displayed.
  • Built in FTP Exporting, Xbox Cache Erasing & Map Uploading.

Arsenic 64bit Support
March 3, 2009

As many of you have noticed, a lot of users have had complaints with Arsenic. All of these users are running a 64bit OS. Arsenic is built with a ‘any-cpu’ flag set, which means 32 bit cpus will load the application into 32bit CLR memory, and 64bit cpus will load into their own CLR. The issue isn’t with Arsenic, but with the managed directx wrapper that Microsoft made. Microsoft no longer supports MDX 2.0 and left it in favor for XNA. MDX will not load into 64bit CLR.

There is a workaround, just setting Arsenic to compile for 32bit mode only will fix this, but MDX 2.0 is already too buggy to begin with. I could switch Arsenic to use the XNA framework but I wouldn’t like that since I feel XNA is more of an XBOX API. I have decided that Arsenic will begin using SlimDX, which is in essence a Managed wrapper for DirectX. It is currently active and supported. It also works under 32 bit and 64 bit.

While I transition Arsenic to SlimDX there will be no more updates. The final update before then will be 1.0.0.12 which includes FTP and Loading status.

Arsenic v1.0.0.11 Update
February 28, 2009

Bug Fixes…

  • Auto Update fixed. Now detects internet connection and does not crash if server is down.

Arsenic v1.0.0.10 Update
February 26, 2009

We’ve been paying close attention to what’s been going on in the “bug report” section of our forum. We are extremely dedicated to this project and will continue to work out the kinks!

Thank you for participating and leaving us feedback, it’s very much appreciated.

Bug Fixes…

  • Fixed ‘Save Scenario’ after adding an outside tag to the scenario
  • Opens and properly displays CE BSP’s

Arsenic v1.0.0.9 Update
February 25, 2009

Bug Fixes…

  • Fixed DirectX Anti alias (will now work for more users)
  • Fixed the bug where you can’t reopen a closed tab window

New Updates…

  • Added Selected Object Axis
  • Can now move object via X and Y axis using arrow keys

Arsenic Installation Video Tutorial
February 25, 2009

Punkpc created a two part video tutorial on how to get Arsenic up and running for the people who are new to the modding scene.

There is also a collection or links that will direct you to some of the patches your Windows machine will need in order to run this program.

Part 1: Arsenic Installation Video Tutorial
Part 2: Arsenic Installation Video Tutorial

Arsenic v1.0.0.8 Update
February 23, 2009

Bug Fixes…

  • Minimizing Window Error
  • -1 Name Fix for in Game Objects
  • Device Lost (DirectX / Screen Savor Issue)
  • Save Scenario As (make sure your XboxTags folder is NOT selected as read only)
  • Adjusted Objects Control Speed (hit + and – on the numpad to change the object speed)

New Updates…

  • Verification Updater
  • Changes Internal Map Names
  • Loads Compressed Xbox Maps
  • Tag Explorer & Tag Editor Swapped (easier use)
  • Complies Maps to both NTSC & PAL (view settings tab)

Arsenic Beta Release

February 22, 2009

This program is pretty much all you’re going to need when it comes to modding Halo.

Arsenic’s hardcore power ranges from its visually stunning graphics to its built in game and tag editor. You can chose anything within a map such as scenery, weapons, vehicles, etc… and hot swap on the drop of a dime.

Duplication is now made easy with our new point and click system. Any object you wish to move in Arsenic will move and suck to the mesh or structure of your map, this will save you a lot of time when placing stuff in your environment.

Our built in tag editor is amazing and simple to use, for example click on a warthog then chose the tag editor. You will be able to edit a wide range of physics right on the spot, all changes will take effect when you save your map.

Arsenic has a built in Auto Update feature which will be a life savor when future updates are released. All updates will come from halomaps.com so anyone using this program will always have an up-to-date version. The updates will automatically be applied when you open up Arsenic.

As of right now the beta release will be structured around modding Xbox maps and tags. What you can expect in the near future from us…

  • Built-in FTP (uploading maps to your Xbox)
  • Halo CE Map Editing
  • Load Compressed Xbox Maps
  • Scripting, etc…

Note: Keep in mind this is a beta release!

Arsenic is a HaloMaps exclusive only, welcome back to Halo 1 modding people! This is one bad ass program, better get those old modded Xbox’s out of your closet.

Arsenic Beta Teaser Video
February 19, 2009

We felt it was only fair to release a video that shows you what Arsenic is capable of. In this video you will see its basic functionality and just how easy it is to mod with our new drag an drop system, on the fly swapping and many more in-depth features we won’t spoil as of just yet.

We hope you enjoy the video, leave us some feedback… Thank you!