Retro Game Walkthroughs for Max Payne (PC Games)
Submitted By: Gabe Logan
HOW TO USE RASMAKER ON MAX PAYNE TO EXTRACT MUSIC AND DATA
BY GABE LOGAN
*Alright, first off, this can only be done using the PC-CD ROM version of Max Payne. Anyone who has found this page through a search engine and hopes to extract stuff from a console game might as well leave right now.*
Special Note: You must have installed Max Payne AND MAX-FX onto your computer fully before doing any of the following.
I am not really a PC gamer, and do not know a whole lot about computers. I had a real job extracting the music from Max Payne the first time round, which is why I have written this tutorial. I have written it in the simplest terms possible, so this might seem a bit too explanatory at points. I’ve done this so that even people with absolutely no computer knowledge at all will be able to do this relatively easily. Enjoy!
You need to create a new folder that you extract files to. Do not make the same mistake that I originally did: it cannot be a folder on your Desktop. It must be on your actual hard drive. Here is how to do it. Click:
My Computer > Local Disk (C:)
This will bring up a folder containing other folders like “Program Files” and “My Download Files”. If you can see any folders named similarly to these, you’re in the right place. If not search for them through your Start menu.
Once you’re there, right click on an empty space inside the folder and click “New” and then “Folder”. Now rename this however you like following only 2 rules.
1) Make sure it’s a name that is easy for you to remember. Don’t type in any collection of random numbers or letters, as this can get confusing. This is a rule simply to make life easier for you later on.
2) This is the most importantly vital rule. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FOLDER’S NAME HAD NO SPACES! I made this mistake and I couldn’t extract anything later on. It can be anything just as long as it is one word.
As an example for these 2 points, I named my folder MaxPayne. This is a name that will definitely work, as I have done it myself.
Now that you have your folder, “Search: For Files or Folders” (found on Start) for RASMaker. Alternatively, you can find it yourself by going to:
My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > MAX-FX Tools > RasMaker
Here, you will find a RASMaker application. If you double-click on the icon, and it won’t come up, don’t worry. There is nothing wrong with it, and you won’t need to use it directly anyway.
Also in the folder will be something called rl.dll (Search for it if you haven’t found the folder manually). You will need both of these things.
Right click on one of them and click “Copy”. Now go to the folder that you created earlier, and in an empty space, click “Paste”. You need to paste both RASMaker and rl.dll into your folder, so that you have a duplicate of each there. Then you will need to right click on RASMaker and click “Copy” again. However, when you come to pasting it into your folder again, do not click “Paste”. You MUST click “Paste Shortcut”.
If you have done this correctly, you will have in your new folder:
RASMaker
Shortcut to RASMaker
rl.dll
Next, you need to Command Prompt. I’m told that you can use DOS as well, which I’m sure works fine, but make that a last resort.
To find Command Prompt, go on your Start menu and click on “Run”. Then type:
command.com
and press enter.
Now that you have Command Prompt up, things get complicated, so follow these instructions exactly.
In the window, you will have:
C:\>
Don’t leave a space from the above writing, and then type:
cd [the name of your new folder]
Do not put the []’s in, as it will not work. Simply type in the name of the folder you created at the start of this tutorial. In my case, I would type:
cd MaxPayne
This will then change the “C:\>” to (in my case) “C:\MAXPAYNE>”. Remember to make sure that there are no spaces. If the name of your folder replaces the MAXPAYNE, then you have done this part correctly.
Now type in:
RASMaker.exe
This will bring up a whole load of writing, which explains how to use RASMaker.exe. I did find this a bit confusing, but this is meant to happen.
After all of the new writing it comes up with, it once again says (in my case):
C:\MAXPAYNE>
Now you need to decide what it is you want to extract. There are 3 different files that you can extract, but each one contains more than thing. They are:
x_data.ras: This contains a lot of technical information, things like skeletons for characters, and things like that. Unless you particularly want this stuff, or are planning to make a mod for the game, you will probably find most of this useless.
x_music.ras: As simple as it sounds. Music tracks from the game, some sounds from different weapons, sound effects, and ambient background noise from the game. I think the music in Max Payne is really great, so this is in my opinion one of the most interesting files to extract.
x_english.ras: Obviously, this is only for English language copies of Max. American copies should have this, and I presume that other languages will have the same stuff under a file with their language. In here, there is more sounds, like voices of enemies and Max’s death, but most interestingly is the Graphic Novel related stuff. Not only are there all of the bitmaps from Novel’s pages, but there is also all of the voice acting to go with them! I find these very easy to listen to.
Right, so now that you know roughly what each one contains, you need to extract the folder(s) that you want. I will use the music file as an example throughout this section, but to extract any of the others, replace the x_music.ras with the file of choice.
First of all, you must go to the Max Payne folder got created when you installed the game, NOT THE NEW ONE YOU CREATED AT THE START OF THIS TUTORIAL. To do this, go to:
My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > Max Payne
In here you will find (amongst other things) all three files: x_data.ras, x_music.ras, and x_english.ras. You need to right click on x_music.ras (or the file of choice) and click “Copy”. Then go back to the file that you created earlier (MaxPayne in my case), right click in space, and click “Paste”.
Now, go back to the Command Prompt and type:
RASMaker.exe –x x_music.ras
It will come up with more writing, and an indicator showing the files being extracted. Now go back to your folder created at the start of this tutorial, and HEY PRESTO! The chosen file has now been extracted, and if you explore the new folders inside your own one, you will eventually find everything you wanted! You can use the same extraction method to extract the other two files (x_data.ras and x_english.ras) and get all of the rest of the Max Payne goodness hidden on the disk.
Just one last thing…If you extract any sound files whatsoever, then take note that they will be .WAV files. If you want to write them onto a CD so it doesn’t take up too much room on your computer, or for any personal reason, then they must be changed to .MP3. To do this you need a .WAV to .MP3 converter. I got mine absolutely free from here… It is easier and quicker to use than any other I have seen. Click below:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm
Just download and use!
So I think that brings us to the end of this here tutorial. I hope that this has cleared up most of your problems, so that you now benefit from Max Payne even when you not playing as him. Enjoy!
BY GABE LOGAN
*Alright, first off, this can only be done using the PC-CD ROM version of Max Payne. Anyone who has found this page through a search engine and hopes to extract stuff from a console game might as well leave right now.*
Special Note: You must have installed Max Payne AND MAX-FX onto your computer fully before doing any of the following.
I am not really a PC gamer, and do not know a whole lot about computers. I had a real job extracting the music from Max Payne the first time round, which is why I have written this tutorial. I have written it in the simplest terms possible, so this might seem a bit too explanatory at points. I’ve done this so that even people with absolutely no computer knowledge at all will be able to do this relatively easily. Enjoy!
You need to create a new folder that you extract files to. Do not make the same mistake that I originally did: it cannot be a folder on your Desktop. It must be on your actual hard drive. Here is how to do it. Click:
My Computer > Local Disk (C:)
This will bring up a folder containing other folders like “Program Files” and “My Download Files”. If you can see any folders named similarly to these, you’re in the right place. If not search for them through your Start menu.
Once you’re there, right click on an empty space inside the folder and click “New” and then “Folder”. Now rename this however you like following only 2 rules.
1) Make sure it’s a name that is easy for you to remember. Don’t type in any collection of random numbers or letters, as this can get confusing. This is a rule simply to make life easier for you later on.
2) This is the most importantly vital rule. MAKE SURE THAT YOUR FOLDER’S NAME HAD NO SPACES! I made this mistake and I couldn’t extract anything later on. It can be anything just as long as it is one word.
As an example for these 2 points, I named my folder MaxPayne. This is a name that will definitely work, as I have done it myself.
Now that you have your folder, “Search: For Files or Folders” (found on Start) for RASMaker. Alternatively, you can find it yourself by going to:
My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > MAX-FX Tools > RasMaker
Here, you will find a RASMaker application. If you double-click on the icon, and it won’t come up, don’t worry. There is nothing wrong with it, and you won’t need to use it directly anyway.
Also in the folder will be something called rl.dll (Search for it if you haven’t found the folder manually). You will need both of these things.
Right click on one of them and click “Copy”. Now go to the folder that you created earlier, and in an empty space, click “Paste”. You need to paste both RASMaker and rl.dll into your folder, so that you have a duplicate of each there. Then you will need to right click on RASMaker and click “Copy” again. However, when you come to pasting it into your folder again, do not click “Paste”. You MUST click “Paste Shortcut”.
If you have done this correctly, you will have in your new folder:
RASMaker
Shortcut to RASMaker
rl.dll
Next, you need to Command Prompt. I’m told that you can use DOS as well, which I’m sure works fine, but make that a last resort.
To find Command Prompt, go on your Start menu and click on “Run”. Then type:
command.com
and press enter.
Now that you have Command Prompt up, things get complicated, so follow these instructions exactly.
In the window, you will have:
C:\>
Don’t leave a space from the above writing, and then type:
cd [the name of your new folder]
Do not put the []’s in, as it will not work. Simply type in the name of the folder you created at the start of this tutorial. In my case, I would type:
cd MaxPayne
This will then change the “C:\>” to (in my case) “C:\MAXPAYNE>”. Remember to make sure that there are no spaces. If the name of your folder replaces the MAXPAYNE, then you have done this part correctly.
Now type in:
RASMaker.exe
This will bring up a whole load of writing, which explains how to use RASMaker.exe. I did find this a bit confusing, but this is meant to happen.
After all of the new writing it comes up with, it once again says (in my case):
C:\MAXPAYNE>
Now you need to decide what it is you want to extract. There are 3 different files that you can extract, but each one contains more than thing. They are:
x_data.ras: This contains a lot of technical information, things like skeletons for characters, and things like that. Unless you particularly want this stuff, or are planning to make a mod for the game, you will probably find most of this useless.
x_music.ras: As simple as it sounds. Music tracks from the game, some sounds from different weapons, sound effects, and ambient background noise from the game. I think the music in Max Payne is really great, so this is in my opinion one of the most interesting files to extract.
x_english.ras: Obviously, this is only for English language copies of Max. American copies should have this, and I presume that other languages will have the same stuff under a file with their language. In here, there is more sounds, like voices of enemies and Max’s death, but most interestingly is the Graphic Novel related stuff. Not only are there all of the bitmaps from Novel’s pages, but there is also all of the voice acting to go with them! I find these very easy to listen to.
Right, so now that you know roughly what each one contains, you need to extract the folder(s) that you want. I will use the music file as an example throughout this section, but to extract any of the others, replace the x_music.ras with the file of choice.
First of all, you must go to the Max Payne folder got created when you installed the game, NOT THE NEW ONE YOU CREATED AT THE START OF THIS TUTORIAL. To do this, go to:
My Computer > Local Disk (C:) > Program Files > Max Payne
In here you will find (amongst other things) all three files: x_data.ras, x_music.ras, and x_english.ras. You need to right click on x_music.ras (or the file of choice) and click “Copy”. Then go back to the file that you created earlier (MaxPayne in my case), right click in space, and click “Paste”.
Now, go back to the Command Prompt and type:
RASMaker.exe –x x_music.ras
It will come up with more writing, and an indicator showing the files being extracted. Now go back to your folder created at the start of this tutorial, and HEY PRESTO! The chosen file has now been extracted, and if you explore the new folders inside your own one, you will eventually find everything you wanted! You can use the same extraction method to extract the other two files (x_data.ras and x_english.ras) and get all of the rest of the Max Payne goodness hidden on the disk.
Just one last thing…If you extract any sound files whatsoever, then take note that they will be .WAV files. If you want to write them onto a CD so it doesn’t take up too much room on your computer, or for any personal reason, then they must be changed to .MP3. To do this you need a .WAV to .MP3 converter. I got mine absolutely free from here… It is easier and quicker to use than any other I have seen. Click below:
http://www.dbpoweramp.com/dmc.htm
Just download and use!
So I think that brings us to the end of this here tutorial. I hope that this has cleared up most of your problems, so that you now benefit from Max Payne even when you not playing as him. Enjoy!
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