FIFA MASTER tools are the recognized world leading tools for editing the games of the FIFA series, FIFA 08 is (almost) available to everyone (tomorrow for me) and I want to inform you about all the exciting plans for this season.
First of all let me say that this year the FIFA MASTER 08 tools will be distributed under a shareware license. You can download and use them for free without any time-limit, but some of the most advanced feature may be disabled. In order to exploit the full functionality of the tools you can buy a FIFA MASTER 08 License Key that will unlock the complete functionality of ALL the tools.
Now let’s come to the tools that are under development, at the moment I cannot give you a detailed schedule of when the tools will be releasde but you can have an overview of what is going on.
First of all I will release a FAT Master 08. The FAT structure is changed this year and you need a new tool to regenerate it when data are added or removed to the zdata_xx.big files. This tool will be available also in the command line version in order to be used by patch makers installation. Though I recommend to use the .cmp files to produce patches
Next, a new version of the “general purpose” tools for manipulating file structure and databases will be released. File Master 08 will allow to navigate through the file system of FIFA 08, importing and exporting any file. DB Master 08 will allow to open and edit any database file present in the game, the most important is of course the fifa.db. In addition to the well known features of these tools, the 08 versions will include some “diagnostic options” to check the sanity of your database and file system revealing many of the potential causes of malfunctioning of the game.
Then it will be the time for the specialized editors. The most successful and the one that everybody is asking for is the Creation Master 08. It will not be a merely update of the CM07 version, a completely new approach to the user interface will speed up the editing process and many additional features will be present, one for all: the 3D preview of faces, kits, balls and shoes.
Creation Master 08 is a tool for editing the main database fifa.db but you know that, up to now, when the fifa.db database is changed, you cannot continue to play a previously saved career or tournament. Now we have a solution: the Career Master 08 will allow to modify the career files without changing your fifa.db. You will be able to do many changes to your career: transfer players, change stadiums, reschedule the fixtures and so on.
If you instead have changed, for some reason, you fifa.db you should know that, under certain condition, the career files can be adapted to a database different from the one from which they have been generated. There will be a function that will try to “adapt” your career file to the new fifa.db and, in many cases, will allow to you to continue your career also if you have changed the main database.
Another “by product” of the Creation Master 08 will be another tool whose temporary name is Onthefly Master 08. The scope of this tool is to modify some aspects of the game while the game is running or, eventually, that can be changed if the game is not running but without altering the fifa.db structure, so that you can come back immediately in the game and continue to play. Some examples ? You can use it to change “on the fly” the ball and the adboards when playing in Champions League or to change the kit if it may be confused with the the one of the team you are going to playing with, etc. etc.
Then we have a tool that maybe is not so popular but has a good number of fans, the Sound Master 08. As usual, it will allow to modify commentary, chants and songs.
The creation of cmp patches had a very good success during the past season and the plan for this year is to have a dedicated tool to create and load patches stripping it away from the CM08: the Patch Master 08. One of the target for this tool will be to allow the use of cmp patches created for FIFA 07. A new feature that I am planning to introduce is to merge the cmp files with the audio patches so you can, for example, release a team patch including chants and player names.
Many of you are asking for a Kit Master 728 for converting 07 kit in 08 kits. I gave a look to this possibility but it seems very hard. I mean it is possible but the final result is very poor due to the differences between the formats and I don’t think it makes sense to spend time on this point if the final result cannot be good.
Instead I have decided to develop a tool dedicated to the kit makers in order to create new kits in a very short time (also if you are not a great artist). It will be called Design Kit Master 08 and will allow to create a kit combining layers (e.g. shorts, collar, jersey, logos etc.) and coloring each layer staring from a template picture. OK, not so easy to explain but …wait and see.
A similar idea is under development also for the face makers, the Design Face Master 08, will allow to create a face texture starting from a real picture of the player and to choose the best head and hair models among all the models available in the game.
Then it will be the time for some minor but very useful tools.
For sure it will be available the Free Kick Master 08, an already well known tool used to modify the schemes used during corners and free kicks.
I also have some other ideas for new tools and I would like to know from you if you think they can be useful or not. Let me make a list
Camera Master 08, could allow to modify the cameras used during certain phases of the game (Kick off, goalie kicks, corners, etc).
Gameplay Master 08. I know that there are some editors specialized in the Game Play editing and, at the end it is a text editing job so, maybe, you don’t need a specialized tool for that! Btw the Game Play Master 08 scope could be to make the game play editing easy for everyone using a clear and friendly user graphical interface.
Backup Master 08 could be a simple tool to archive and restore the files saved by FIFA 08(careers, teams, tournaments) together with the database from which they were generated so you can recover them at any time without the risk to loose anything.
Last but not least: I am working from two years to an Animation Master (do you remember the Animation Patch 06 that added some new movements to the game ?) I would like to give you a tool for making the same changes I did for that patch but, unfortunately, it is a very complex matter and I am not sure that I will be able to release such tool. If I can, I will do it.
Disclaim: this list is not a commitment but it is just the honest plan of what I am thinking to do this year.
First of all let me say that this year the FIFA MASTER 08 tools will be distributed under a shareware license. You can download and use them for free without any time-limit, but some of the most advanced feature may be disabled. In order to exploit the full functionality of the tools you can buy a FIFA MASTER 08 License Key that will unlock the complete functionality of ALL the tools.
Now let’s come to the tools that are under development, at the moment I cannot give you a detailed schedule of when the tools will be releasde but you can have an overview of what is going on.
First of all I will release a FAT Master 08. The FAT structure is changed this year and you need a new tool to regenerate it when data are added or removed to the zdata_xx.big files. This tool will be available also in the command line version in order to be used by patch makers installation. Though I recommend to use the .cmp files to produce patches
Next, a new version of the “general purpose” tools for manipulating file structure and databases will be released. File Master 08 will allow to navigate through the file system of FIFA 08, importing and exporting any file. DB Master 08 will allow to open and edit any database file present in the game, the most important is of course the fifa.db. In addition to the well known features of these tools, the 08 versions will include some “diagnostic options” to check the sanity of your database and file system revealing many of the potential causes of malfunctioning of the game.
Then it will be the time for the specialized editors. The most successful and the one that everybody is asking for is the Creation Master 08. It will not be a merely update of the CM07 version, a completely new approach to the user interface will speed up the editing process and many additional features will be present, one for all: the 3D preview of faces, kits, balls and shoes.
Creation Master 08 is a tool for editing the main database fifa.db but you know that, up to now, when the fifa.db database is changed, you cannot continue to play a previously saved career or tournament. Now we have a solution: the Career Master 08 will allow to modify the career files without changing your fifa.db. You will be able to do many changes to your career: transfer players, change stadiums, reschedule the fixtures and so on.
If you instead have changed, for some reason, you fifa.db you should know that, under certain condition, the career files can be adapted to a database different from the one from which they have been generated. There will be a function that will try to “adapt” your career file to the new fifa.db and, in many cases, will allow to you to continue your career also if you have changed the main database.
Another “by product” of the Creation Master 08 will be another tool whose temporary name is Onthefly Master 08. The scope of this tool is to modify some aspects of the game while the game is running or, eventually, that can be changed if the game is not running but without altering the fifa.db structure, so that you can come back immediately in the game and continue to play. Some examples ? You can use it to change “on the fly” the ball and the adboards when playing in Champions League or to change the kit if it may be confused with the the one of the team you are going to playing with, etc. etc.
Then we have a tool that maybe is not so popular but has a good number of fans, the Sound Master 08. As usual, it will allow to modify commentary, chants and songs.
The creation of cmp patches had a very good success during the past season and the plan for this year is to have a dedicated tool to create and load patches stripping it away from the CM08: the Patch Master 08. One of the target for this tool will be to allow the use of cmp patches created for FIFA 07. A new feature that I am planning to introduce is to merge the cmp files with the audio patches so you can, for example, release a team patch including chants and player names.
Many of you are asking for a Kit Master 728 for converting 07 kit in 08 kits. I gave a look to this possibility but it seems very hard. I mean it is possible but the final result is very poor due to the differences between the formats and I don’t think it makes sense to spend time on this point if the final result cannot be good.
Instead I have decided to develop a tool dedicated to the kit makers in order to create new kits in a very short time (also if you are not a great artist). It will be called Design Kit Master 08 and will allow to create a kit combining layers (e.g. shorts, collar, jersey, logos etc.) and coloring each layer staring from a template picture. OK, not so easy to explain but …wait and see.
A similar idea is under development also for the face makers, the Design Face Master 08, will allow to create a face texture starting from a real picture of the player and to choose the best head and hair models among all the models available in the game.
Then it will be the time for some minor but very useful tools.
For sure it will be available the Free Kick Master 08, an already well known tool used to modify the schemes used during corners and free kicks.
I also have some other ideas for new tools and I would like to know from you if you think they can be useful or not. Let me make a list
Camera Master 08, could allow to modify the cameras used during certain phases of the game (Kick off, goalie kicks, corners, etc).
Gameplay Master 08. I know that there are some editors specialized in the Game Play editing and, at the end it is a text editing job so, maybe, you don’t need a specialized tool for that! Btw the Game Play Master 08 scope could be to make the game play editing easy for everyone using a clear and friendly user graphical interface.
Backup Master 08 could be a simple tool to archive and restore the files saved by FIFA 08(careers, teams, tournaments) together with the database from which they were generated so you can recover them at any time without the risk to loose anything.
Last but not least: I am working from two years to an Animation Master (do you remember the Animation Patch 06 that added some new movements to the game ?) I would like to give you a tool for making the same changes I did for that patch but, unfortunately, it is a very complex matter and I am not sure that I will be able to release such tool. If I can, I will do it.
Disclaim: this list is not a commitment but it is just the honest plan of what I am thinking to do this year.
I'm really excited to hear the about the animations master. 
But I dont like the thing with the license...