MultiEx Commander
 | This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages)
|
| Developer(s) | Mike Zuurman Jeremy Walton Ben Moench |
|---|---|
| Initial release | v1.07, (August 16, 1999) [1] |
| Stable release | 4.6 [2]
/ November 10, 2022 |
| Preview release | None
/ None |
| Written in | Visual Basic |
| Operating system | Windows |
| Type | File manager |
| License | Shareware (Windows) |
| Website | multiex.xentax.com |
MultiEx Commander was a game resource archive manager for Windows published by the Xentax Foundation. Some features include a built-in MexScript (AKA BMS) interpreter, file extractor and importer, stand alone mod creator EasyMod.
This application is currently written by Mike Zuurman in Visual Basic.[3] The first versions of the program were written in Borland Turbo C in 1998 and 1999 as a user interface for a command line DOS archiving tool, called multiex, that was created in 1997.[4] The program is extensible by programmers via a plugin-API.[5] The first multiex release was built around MexScript, a custom script written specifically to enable programmers to process (game) archives by simply typing a few lines of script. All the low-level events would be carried out by the main program. MexScript (or BMS as it is also called, after Binary MultiEx Script[6]) is still a prominent feature of the tool, as the user can write scripts via the built-in script window.[4] It also enables the use of QuickBMS scripts, a later third party produced improvement (or "forking") of the original MexScript.[7]
Additionally, MultiEx Commander can create stand-alone mods for games via the EasyMod creator. Custom changes made to certain game archives (such as sounds, or textures) are stored as a stand-alone program, enabling users to distribute their mods without others needing MultiEx Commander.[citation needed]
The Windows version is freeware, although it was donateware up until September 2014: users could download it after they donated a certain amount to the Xentax Foundation. As part of the 25th Anniversary of the publisher in 2014, it became free to download.[8]
History
[edit]In 1997, the command line MexScript based game archive extraction and importation tool multiex.exe for DOS was programmed using Turbo C. From 1998 through 2001 MultiEx Commander was created as a GUI for multiex.exe with new versions.[9] One can still see the last DOS version (2.3) in action in this video, a version that was released on February 23, 2001.[10] In that same year, the first Windows version was released (3.0b) along with a number of updates to higher versions,[11][12] a task Mike Zuurman first discussed with fellow programmers.[13] During the years that followed, new versions came out[14][15] up until version 3.9.68, of which source code was uploaded to SourceForge on October 9, 2003.[16][17] A brief Open Source development period started, including a major update to version 4.0 on June 29, 2004.[18] This period ended when version 4.2 was completed[19] in August 2005. The current version is 4.5.1,[20] that has "approval" of Duke Nukem (as acted by original Duke Nukem voice actor Jon St. John).[21] As MultiEx Commander was pirated on, and cracks and registration numbers released, it was an on-line only tool, until November 2022. The developer announced the last version (4.6) had been released, that is stand-alone and is used offline. In addition, they stated there would be no more new updates.[4][22]
Press
[edit]The gaming press had received MultiEx Commander with positive articles in hard-copy magazines, such as PC Action, PC Games Hardware and PC Gameplay.[23] PC Gameplay (a leading Belgian game magazine at the time) stated "MultiEx Commander makes modding possible for everyone",[24] while PC Extreme called it "the ultimate game modding utility".[25] In September 2012, a book was released about MultiEx Commander.[26]
References
[edit]- ^ "readme.txt". 1999-08-19. Archived from the original on 2012-04-12. Retrieved 2012-06-15.
- ^ "MultiEx Commander". xentax.com. 2022-11-10. Retrieved 2022-11-12.
- ^ "MultiEx Commander". 14 August 2015.
- ^ a b c http://www.xentax.com/downloads/multiex/MexComManual.pdf [bare URL PDF]
- ^ "MultiEX Commander .DPC Plugin file". 14 September 2010.
- ^ "XeNTaX - Login".
- ^ "Luigi Auriemma".
- ^ "25th Anniversary of Xentax". Multiex.xentax.com. 2014-08-09. Retrieved 2022-08-12.
- ^ "XeNTaX MultiEx Page!". www.xs4all.nl. Archived from the original on 17 January 2000. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
- ^ "Editing Stuff - New MultiEx - Blue's News Story".
- ^ "Editing Stuff - Blue's News Story".
- ^ "GameSurge - News Archive - May 2001".
- ^ "PLEASE! Some feedback would be welcome!".
- ^ "Quake 3".
- ^ "Planet Quake - News, Screenshots, Previews, Reviews, Guides". Archived from the original on 2013-10-03. Retrieved 2012-06-16.
- ^ "MultiEx Commander / News".
- ^ "MultiEx Commander and OpenMex". 10 October 2003.
- ^ "MultiEx Commander 4.0.0b".
- ^ "MultiEx Commander 4.2.0 - DVHARDWARE".
- ^ "Etc. - Blue's News Comments".
- ^ St. John, Jon. "Xentax Duke Nukem Advertisement". xentax.com (MP3).
- ^ "XeNTaX » Blog Archive » MultiEx Commander 4.6 (Final release)".
- ^ "XeNTaX » Press".
- ^ http://www.xentax.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/pggameplay_multiexcommander_oct2006_eh_s.jpg [bare URL image file]
- ^ http://www.xentax.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/cover_pcextreme_s_large.jpg [bare URL image file]
- ^ Toll, Aaron (13 September 2012). MultiEx Commander. Ceed Publishing. ISBN 978-6201754515.
