SC4 Dat Packer

[wouanagaine]

No, but you can do it the other way, let SC4 use another folderwith the -userdir option and let SC4DP scan My Docs\Plugins and pack to the userdir folder

That is how I'm playing

[daolian89]

I repacked my plugins with it then i realised that there was an plugin i dont want,i tried to remove it from my the .dat file  i had repacked using BSC cleanitol but  nothing was removed? Anyone know how to remove it from dat file?

[Andreas]

Move your backupped individual files (to be more precise, the folder that you DATpacked and which contains the unwanted plugin), remove said plugin, run DATpacker again to create a new DAT from that folder and delete the old one.

[hazsmix]

hey
this is a great tool, no more crashes
just a question: does the force repack 'repackage' the files (ie so you dont have to recompile) or do you have to keep all the uncompressed files (out of the plugins folder) so you can keep adding mods?
thanks heaps for this great tool btw

[BarbyW]

I keep all the original files in their folders and repack each time I add new stuff. That way if there are problems you can go back and find them easily with out having to deal with huge packed files.

[City Builder]

The way that I work it is that I've got a folder named PluginsU where all my "un"packed files are located.  I then datpack them to PluginsC.  When I want to datpack, I rename my PluginsU to Plugins (deleting the current Plugins folder).  Then datpacker goes to work and creates PluginsC for me.  When it's done I rename Plugins to PluginsU and rename PluginsC to Plugins.

So now all my unpacked plugins are in PluginsU and my packed files are in Plugins like they shoudl be.

When I add new files I add them to both Plugins and PluginsU and test them out in the game (if they're ploppable).  So now the new additions are in both the unpacked plugins folder and they are also "unpacked" in the packed folder inside of a folder the name of which is your choice, mine is simply named unpacked.

When I get enough (your choice how many) new plugins added to the game I simply delete the Plugins folder again (remember that all the new files are also in your PluginsU folder) and rename PluginsU to Plugins, then run datpacker again when it recreates the PluginsC folder with all the packed files.  When it's done I rename Plugins to PluginsU and rename PluginsC to Plugins and all is synced up again in packed files.


Anyway, that's the way that I have been dealing with adding new files.

But I too wonder what the force repack option does and if it would make transfering around all these files and renaming folders obsolete by using that option or if I'm already doing it the most efficient way possible?

Thanks,

Edit: I also use a small program named dupit to find duplicate (before packing my files) files so that if I've added any new files of which I already had them I can remove them from my plugins before packing them.  Very useful little program, until an author decides to repack his files into a new file with a different name as I've seen some authors do between here and some of the other sites that have an exchange.

[Crazy_Ivan80]

Tried to reinstall the latest version but no dice. The installer itself crashes on me
Shame cause I could really use it right now.

[Panda_Power]

Hello!

Could someone help with this Dat Packer problem? I keep getting the following error message to do with one mod...the DT Keaton Plaza and I really need it as it is a dependency for a CAM mod:

********************* ERROR *********************
in examplar 0x6534284AL 0x2D2D42D9L 0xD658243L
located in C:\Mark\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\Misc\DT_Keaton Plaza Growable.dat
0x00000010:{"Exemplar Type"}=Uint32:0:{Buildings}
*************************************************
********************* ERROR *********************
in examplar 0x6534284AL 0x2D2D42D9L 0xD658243L
located in C:\Mark\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\Misc\DT_Keaton Plaza Growable.dat
0x27812832:{"Wealth"}=Uint8:0:{High Wealth}
*************************************************
********************* ERROR *********************
in examplar 0x6534284AL 0x2D2D42D9L 0xD658243L
located in C:\Mark\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\Misc\DT_Keaton Plaza Growable.dat
0x27812833:{"Purpose"}=Uint8:0:{Office}
*************************************************
********************* ERROR *********************
in examplar 0x6534284AL 0x2D2D42D9L 0xD658243L
located in C:\Mark\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\Misc\DT_Keaton Plaza Growable.dat
0xAA1DD396:{"OccupantGroups"}=Uint32:6:{Building: Commercial,Building: CO$$$,Style: Chicago,Style: New York,Style: Houston,Style: Euro}
*************************************************
********************* ERROR *********************
in examplar 0x6534284AL 0x2D2D42D9L 0xD658243L
located in C:\Mark\Documents\SimCity 4\Plugins\Misc\DT_Keaton Plaza Growable.dat
0xAA83558F:{"Crane Hints"}=Uint8:0:{Outer Then Inner Crane}
*************************************************

My plugins folder is at 1.5GB and the rest of the contents pack fine except for this one mod! I have tried splitting the files into folders of less than 1GB, but it didn't make any difference...this mod still errors.

Thanks!

*edit*
I have 2 files in my plugins folder that relate to this error:

DT_Keaton Plaza Growable (dat file)
KEATON PLAZA-0x5ad0e817_0x2d2d42d9_0x640000.SC4Model

[z]

For CAM dependencies, the only file you need, and the only file you should use, is the model file.  I'm not sure why you're getting errors with the Growable file (although it looks like it might be errors in the file), but you really shouldn't be using it if you're using CAM.

In your other CAM dependencies you should also remove files other than the model files, although you should be sure to bulldoze any growable buildings that arose from these files in your cities first.

[Panda_Power]

Oh...didn't realize that! Now that I've looked closer at my plugins folder I can see that the CAM folder has all the lot files in it and the corresponding model files are in the main plugins folder. I've been installing mods that are CAMpatible and putting all the files in my plugins folder!

Just noticed as well that the Keaton Plaza is in there twice as CAM Residential and CAM commercial.....probably the reason for the Dat Packer error!

Thanks for your help...looks like I really need to reorganize my plugins folder!

[xxdita]

Only the original lot is giving you the error, not the CAMelots. Indeed, the CAMelot starter packs use several buildings on multiple lots, but they don't conflict with each other in any way.

[MOREOPTIONS]

Before I would use this Dat Packer. is there a way i can see the contents of my dat's before. so i may be able to rem things i dont whant or need?  Thank you..

[z]

Ilive's Reader will show all.  But there's no way to comment out things that you don't want; you basically just need to copy them to someplace outside your Plugins folder.

[kaylacey]

I want to know when files are dat-packed, say a dependency I need is in PEG.dat on my computer, but the file calls for PEGPROD.dat on the dependency listing, will I get a brown box? 

[Andreas]

File names are completely irrelevant for the game, only the content (or the IDs of the content, to be precise) needs to fulfil the requirements. The only case where file names are relevant is the loading order (needed for some mods in particular) of certain items.

[xxdita]

I'm getting a new error. mfc71.dll is missing. Win7 Home Ultimate 64bit, pretty fresh install.

dll is available from here. dll installed and no more problems.

- Nate

[Dime3us]

At first, too, was an error about missing mfc71.dll. I downloaded and copied this dll into the folder of the program. Now just offers to watch the log. And there is -

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "datPacker.py", line 1, in ?
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 2822, in ?
pywintypes.error: (5, 'RegOpenKeyEx', '\xce\xf2\xea\xe0\xe7\xe0\xed\xee \xe2 \xe4\xee\xf1\xf2\xf3\xef\xe5.')

OS Win7 Ultimate 32bit

[sim-city_freak]

Hello i need help with this error,

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 2701, in OnStart
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 2358, in RecurseAllFilesFull
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 2450, in BuildIt
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 2200, in WriteADat
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 1879, in Copy
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 1779, in IsBinary
AttributeError: Examplar instance has no attribute 'sig'

it only happened to a specific folder that i was datpacking all the other ones were fine.

[wouanagaine]

Dime3us, a vey strange log as it doesn't report any function, I can't help you, I only can guess it looks like the problem with 'My docs' under a folder starting with a 'u'

sim-city_freak, looks like a file is not understood by SC4DP, can you do a binary search on that folder to find it out and then either post it here or provide a download links so we can look at it ?

[sim-city_freak]

i am rather inexperienced at these things , so how do a do a binary search on my computer?