|
'Officially MRA Compliant' Patch Certification Programme
 Contents
Why
'Official MRA Compliancy'?
The Sweetpatch MRA has been developed to provide people
with an easy way of loading patches into their FIFA game
whilst at the same time only needing one version of their
game loaded. This means that with one version of the
FIFA game and one MRA they can benefit from all the excellent
patches that are developed around the world, when they would
like to.
Previously people tended to have
multiple installs of their FIFA games, one for each patch
loaded, or they had the painstaking task of installing and
uninstalling their game each time they wanted to run a different
patch. So that is where the idea for the 'Official MRA Compliancy'
evolved from.
With developers ensuring their patches
are 'Compliant' then they are making a statement to their
potential users that they have made a commitment to make
their patch as easy to install as possible and that they
only need one version of their FIFA game loaded.
Return
to top
How
will the Users Benefit?
- They will only need one installation
of their FIFA game.
- They will be able to install
the patch into their FIFA game via the MRA thus saving
on multiple installs of the game or copying files
around when they want to play a different patch
- They can rest assured that any
patches with the 'Officially MRA Compliant' logo will
have been fully tested for use with the MRA and
will work effectively after they have taken the effort
to download them.
Return
to top
Criteria
for making a patch Compliant
The main criteria for a patch to be compliant is
that it can be loaded easily into a directory location other
than the actual FIFA directories whilst still maintaining
the structure of FIFA. Currently most people load their
patches into a directory in their main FIFA root directory,
e.g.
- C:\Program
Files\EA Sports\FIFA 2001\MRA Patches
Under this they then have a separate
directory for each patch, i.e.
- C:\Program
Files\EA Sports\FIFA 2001\MRA Patches\PotD
The essential element for the patch
to be compliant is that it can be easily loaded into this
location whilst maintaining the FIFA directory structure,
e.g.
- C:\Program
Files\EA Sports\FIFA 2001\MRA Patches\PotD\data\cmn\fe
With the introduction of Fifa 2001's .big
files, which contain a number of .fsh files, the MRA now
makes it very easy for you to install the above files into
your game/patch.
- you need to create an extra directory where the .big
file is located with exactly the same name as the .big
file
- e.g.
C:/Program Files/EA Sports/Fifa 2001/MRA Patches/PotD/Player/kits.big/[*.fsh
files here]
- this rule applies for any .big files and works very
well
Refer to screenshot below for graphical
representation. (Click on image for larger picture).
Once your patch has been made compliant
you then need to package it so it can be loaded easily by
the user. This is usually achieved by either:
- setting up a WinZip file (.zip)
which includes all the Fifa directory information and
files for the patch
- or creating a setup program which
will allow the user to define where the patch should be
installed and then keeps the Fifa structure when it is
loaded
If this can be easily achieved then
the user can load in their Patch when they want to, using
the MRA and you have created a compliant patch to be proud
of.
Return
to top
Steps
to follow to make a patch 'Officially Compliant'
- Required
- include a file named FIFA-MRA.txt which provides information
on the patch, please refer to example included in Resource
Kit. This file must be located at the root level of the
patch, e.g.
C:\Program Files\EA
Sports\FIFA 2001\MRA Patches\PotD\FIFA-MRA.txt
- Required
- include the 'Officially MRA Compliant' logo, included
in the Resource Kit, in any documentation or graphics
to signify patch compliancy.
- Required
- include the following text, included in the Resource
Kit, in any patch documentation to certify the patch as
'Officially MRA Compliant':
"This patch
has complied with the requirements for achieving 'Official
MRA Compliancy', as specified by the Sweetpatch MRA Compliant
Patch Certification Programme at http://www.fifa-mra.com/Compliancy/Resources.shtml
This patch is therefore certified as 'Officially MRA Compliant'.
Further details of this patch can be found at http://www.fifa-mra.com/Compliancy/Patches.shtml"
- Optional
- include a file named FIFA-MRA.bmp, example included
in the Resource Kit, which is a graphical picture/logo
of the patch (probably the Main Menu screen or the Legal
screen). Its dimensions should be in pixels 265w x 179h.
This is not essential but enables patch makers to advertise
the patch graphically. This file must be located at the
root level of the patch, e.g.
C:\Program Files\EA
Sports\FIFA 2001\MRA Patches\PotD\FIFA-MRA.bmp
- Optional
- if you use advertising boards in your patch, then there
is an MRA board included in the Resource Kit which can
be used
- Optional
- develop an 'MRA Skin' to compliment your patch based
on either your Main Menu background or your Legal Screen,
or another graphic. Click
here for further details on providing an MRA Skin
for your patch.
- Required
- Develop a patch which can be easily distributed and
maintains the format of the Fifa game but can be installed
where the user dictates. This can be either a WinZip file
(.zip) or a setup program.
- Required
- Provide me the following details regarding the patch,
or as much as you can if it is a forthcoming patch,
so I can keep a database
of compliant patches up to date. (I am looking
to provide this database facility online for patch developers
to maintain in the future and for users to post their
comments).
- Patch Name
- Patch Features
- Release Date
- Size (Mbs)
- Home Page
- Compliant features
Return to top
Resource
Kit
The resource kit is 155Kb and contains the following items
for patch developers:
- reproduction of this page in text and html format
- example of FIFA-MRA.txt file
- example of FIFA-MRA.bmp
- 'Officially MRA Compliant' logo
- 'Officially MRA Compliant' text
- MRA Advertising Board
Please download Resource Kit by
clicking on logo below:
|
