SC4 Dat Packer

Serkanner · February 17, 2007, 01:14:14 PM

Quote from: dioangel on February 17, 2007, 01:12:38 PM
What's the key command taking desktop pictures, because if I show you the picture will make sense.

Print Screen?

dioangel · February 17, 2007, 01:17:16 PM

Yes..

Edit - ok I have a window pop out saying No compressed after the dat packer was finished.. I should of say that earlier.

High5Tower · February 17, 2007, 04:49:36 PM

This is just a follow up on how things are running now that I am using the data packer. I have read all the above posts to glean all the lastest information and here is how I now stand. I don't check the box to recompact. I removed all the special essental files and others you listed and put them in their own folder titled "uncompressed essentials." Everything works great, especially now more zoom crashes. Three items did not like being compressed. 1. Shmail Sherriff Stations; Got a (brown Box.) 2. Bosham Church (Brown Box) in cities where I had it placed,plus it did not show up under the landmark menue. 3. GR-Garage Block, no bown box but was missing the building. I remove these items and reran the datacompacter again and put these three items in there own folder titled "sensitive stuff" and they work great like that. Great tool, this is by far the best simcity game improvement device yet thank you, thank you, thank you

ript7368 · February 17, 2007, 08:30:55 PM

Thanks for replying wouanagaine. My path is just C:\Documents and Settings\user\My Documents\Simcity 4\Plugins

I will try the removing config.ini fix in the meantime.

Thank you!

-Mark

wouanagaine · February 18, 2007, 12:32:34 PM

dioangel => it is not an error, it is just a debugging message I forgot to remove before uploaded the tool

High5Tower => Strange as I use the gshmail tiny lots ( police, clinic and firestation ) without problem

However it seems that for unknown reasons, the fact that you play a region/city that was saved with uncompressed files only, with compressed files may cause some problems
this is unfortunatly unreproductible, and I never achieve to have that kind of bug. I know other have but until I can reproduce it myself, I can't make a fix as I don't know what happen

ript7368 => I will get rid of that and the config.ini

dioangel · February 18, 2007, 02:22:36 PM

Oooo I see.. I put the plugins in ABC order except CSX Deadwoods and BSC

Emperor Stormont · February 19, 2007, 06:05:39 PM

Hi guys, I ran the DAT Packer and after a few problems with a corrupt BSC file I loaded SC4 and it was so much quicker, however I was then presented with a pop-up box stating that I was missing plugins.

How did that happen??? Any help is greatly appreciated.

wouanagaine · February 19, 2007, 11:25:55 PM

Can you see what plugin you're missing, ie the game should replace it with a brown box. Query it and you may be able to know the name of that lot.
I have no idea why the tool can't read a file but SC4 can. I always assumed that if the tool can't read it, neither can SC4.
What are the corrupted files ? can you give us the list ?

Craiggles · February 20, 2007, 12:26:49 PM

I'm really sorry if the question I'm about to ask has been asked before, but I really don't have time to go back through all of these pages to try to find an answer.

I've already ran the Dat Packer and generated my Plugins Compressed Folder. Then, I downloaded a deadwoods product from the LEX, and it appeared in the plugins folder beside the Plugins Compressed Folder:

I went into Dat Packer and checked the box next to deadwoods and hit start. The bar almost got to the end, but it stopped just shy and never did move anymore (even after a few minutes). I know I've got to be doing something wrong, but I don't know what it is. How do you get the separate deadwoods folder to be compressed into the deadwoods file in the Plugins Compressed Folder? Yes, I read the readme, but it wasn't that clear to me.

ALSO, when I ran the Dat Packer for the first time, there were a bunch of files generated in the bottom box that said that they weren't valid SC4 game files. My question about that is this: After the process is over, are those nonessential files erased, or are they compressed with the valid files?

I'M USING WINDOWS XP IF THAT HELPS.

Thanks for reading this and taking time to answer, whosoever shall do so.

wouanagaine · February 20, 2007, 12:57:46 PM

When you add new plugins, get all your originals plugins structure back, install the new plugin, run datPacker, move your originals plugins subfolder out of the folder.
No need to check any boxes but 'usefull TGI only'

About the window still displaying after few minutes, does the 'close' button is enable or not ? The window won't close automatically as you may have to identify some files in the report

Speaking about those files in the report, it is up to you to decide what to do with them. If you think there is a valid file that can't be read ( .SC4Model, .SC4Desc, .SC4Lot, .Dat ) you'll need to check with reader or datgen that file is corrupt. other files like jpg, png etc.. can be safely moved away

Craiggles · February 20, 2007, 01:28:56 PM

Yes, the close button works. Also, so I have to go through the original plugins and delete all the nonessential files (like .jpg and .txt) in order for them to not get packed with the rest of the valid files? BTW, what does TGI stand for anyway?

Also, I just discovered another problem: I ran my game with the compressed plugins, but when I went into one of my city tiles, all of my trees were gone.

Examples (KEEP IN MIND THAT NOTHING EXTRA HAS BEEN MODIFIED):
With regular plugins folder:

With compressed plugins folder:

It seems that cycledogg's trees have went missing from the game. I went to the menu where they would be at, and they were gone. All of the rest of the custom trees were there, as I try to show in this pic:

What happened to cycledogg's trees? And if I were to redownload them, would they show up if I run the game with the compressed plugins folder?

wouanagaine · February 20, 2007, 02:19:21 PM

QuoteYes, the close button works. Also, so I have to go through the original plugins and delete all the nonessential files (like .jpg and .txt) in order for them to not get packed with the rest of the valid files? BTW, what does TGI stand for anyway?

you can delete them. As I said it is up to you, they won't be pack. Packed files contains only pertinent SC4 files
TGI stand for Type Group Instance. You can see all SC4 related files as kind of zip, each files contains lot of tiny files, those tiny files are identified by their TGI. a TGI should be unique on all your differents files

I have never had such problems and I play with compressed files only.
The only suggestions I can give you is to delete your plugins_compressed folder and re run datpacker to recreate them.

Craiggles · February 21, 2007, 01:27:25 PM

Well, the Dat Packer was nice while it lasted. I just can't play the game without the trees that I'm missing, so it's back to slow game now. Thanks for trying to help me, guys.

Diggis · February 21, 2007, 02:27:06 PM

Graiggles, delete the compressed plugins folder and restore all your other plugins. Run the dat packer again and pay close attention to what is reported as unpackable. If there are any sc4 files (dats SC4model etc) you need to let Wouanagaine know what they are so someone can look into why.

When you move the other files out, do you leave the files that are in the root of the folder there still, so you should have the plugins compressed folder and a list of DAT's, usually the essentials.

wouanagaine · February 21, 2007, 02:43:38 PM

What Diggis said
And if you have some ilive reader experience, please look into the compressed file that should get the CP trees and report me if they are in or not
It appears that for some players, playing a region that was built prior to using DatPacker, result in strange behaviors like props not showing, but it is not your bug as even the menu item disappeared

On my 2 computers, I play with compressed files only, without any major problems since day 1 (minor problems are corrected and that is why it is v1.7 ). And if you can't get me a repro I can't really fix any bugs

Anyway, from my survey thread and this one, it appears that lot of people do not use the tool the way it is meant to be.
Either they do not read the readme or the readme is not clear at all ( As english is not my natural langage it may be the second one )

High5Tower · February 21, 2007, 04:56:16 PM

This is for Craiggles. I have four files that have problems with the data packer. What I did was to put them in a special folder I call sensitive stuff and placed this folder in the plugins folder and they all work fine. At the end of the day when in want to compact all the new stuff into the data packer I pull this file out(Senitve stuff) and reinstall it in plugins after I am done. This system has worked fine for me. The great part about this is that I have not had a zoom crash since I started using the data packer. In fact I have been playing with my graphics setting on the highest levels and have even been playing (building) while the game is running and still no crashes.

Emperor Stormont · February 21, 2007, 06:55:27 PM

I have sorted the missing plugins problem, my own stupid fault, however I have loads and loads of non .dat files, e.g (SC4DESC, SC4LOT & SC4MODEL files) can these be moved or compressed to increased game speed as the game doesn't seem much faster with all these still in the plugins files.

I apologise of this seems like a stupid question or if it has already been asked.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Regards, M

Diggis · February 21, 2007, 07:23:09 PM

The 3 types you listed are packed by the DAT packer. The DAT file you download from wherever is essentially a compression of those 3 types into one package for convenience. So, no don't delete them, but once you have run the dat packer you can move them out with the rest of the plugins.

Craiggles · February 21, 2007, 08:27:05 PM

Diggis: I have done that, and the JRJ_CPT_Trees_as_props_V2 was one of them. Those are all .dat files in that folder.
Also, I don't really understand your last question, but I will try to respond as accurately as possible. When the whole process is done with, there's the Plugins Compressed folder in the SC4 Plugins folder, and the original files I moved into the Plugins Disabled folder in My Docs/SC4. Within the Plugins Compressed folder, the essential files for everything (BSC, NDEX, and so on) are in there. THERE ARE NO FILES IN THE MY DOCS/SC4/PLUGINS FOLDER OTHER THAN THE PLUGINS COMPRESSED FOLDER. I hope I answered your question in the right manner.
Wouanagaine: Sorry, I don't have any Ilive reader experience.
High5Towerr: I also have four files that can't be compressed, the CPT trees being one of them. You know, I think I will keep the CPT Trees file outside of the Plugins Compressed folder and see if that clears up the problem

Diggis · February 21, 2007, 08:39:15 PM

OK, you answered the question, but I think to work properly essentials files should be kept in the root directory, not compressed. I don't really understand why, but it's a common comment by developers to leave it there. That may be causing the problem.

The CPT trees file has been updated and the new version doesn't cause any problems. I had to update mine.