SC4 Dat Packer

[Craiggles]

Diggis: Yes, that is with the updated CPT file. What I'm going to do is just leave the CPT tree files outside of the Plugins Compressed folder and see if that works. Be back in a few minutes with results...

Edit: IT DIDN'T WORK. Diggis, I'll try what you said in your last post tomorrow, as it is very late here for a school night.

[Diggis]

if I were you I'd put all the essentials files in the root of the plugins folder, delete the plugins compressed folder and run dat packer again.

Good Luck.

[Craiggles]

I fixed the problem with the trees! It turns out that the CPT_7, 8, and 9 files were not placed into the Plugins Compressed folder, so I took them out of Plugins Disabled and transferred them to Plugins Compressed, and it worked!!

[Emperor Stormont]

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.

Many thanks, I just moved them all into a new folder and packed it, thank you. Really has made the game so much more playable.

[Pat]

Hey Wouagaine,

I went to go and run Datpacker again tonight and this what keeps popping up on me.
I've deleted datpacker and reinstalled it 2x's now and still same error message keeps popping up on me.
I don't have a clue what im doing wrong please help!!!! - Pat

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 662, in OnClose
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 666, in ShowMain
  File "config.pyo", line 14, in __init__
UnicodeDecodeError: 'unicodeescape' codec can't decode bytes in position 25-27: truncated \uXXXX escape

[CabraBuitre]

Has it been determined if the dat packer works for Vista yet?  I just got my new computer yesterday, but I haven't transferred over any of my SC4 stuff yet...

[Diggis]

Give it a go, and let us konw. 

[wouanagaine]

Craiggles
Where ( In which subfolder ) those files are located before you use DatPacker ?
And did that subfolder is packed ?


patfirefghtr
I'm making a fix for that one.
It will be uploaded tomorrow ( Monday )
In the meantime just delete the config.ini that is located in the DatPacker installation folder

CabraBuitre
I don't know. So as Diggis said, let us know
You may need to downloads dlls for vista, I don't know if those Dlls ship or not with vista
here is the full list of dependencies ( yeah dependencies )
  OLEAUT32.dll
  USER32.dll
  COMCTL32.dll
  SHELL32.dll
  ole32.dll
  WINMM.dll
  WSOCK32.dll
  MSVCP71.dll
  ADVAPI32.dll
  gdiplus.dll
  WS2_32.dll
  GDI32.dll
  KERNEL32.dll
  comdlg32.dll
  RPCRT4.dll

On WinXP they are useally in c:\windows\system32, and the MSVCP71 and gdiplus are not shipped with WinXP.
you can find dlls here http://www.dll-files.com/

But first give it a go, then if you have an error, try to locate those 2 dlls, then the others

[Pat]

wooohoooo
so far so good wouagaine it loaded up and will look for that fix. thank you again - pat

[wouanagaine]

A new version ( v5 ) has been uploaded to LEX

it will fix the '\uxxxx' unicode error in folder name
Less check boxes
And for those who have some missing items, I added a 'Write report' feature, you can send me the log so I can find out what is happening
Just delete the file in plugins_compressed that compressed the missing item and restart the tool

The readme has been updated so you will more technical insight of what is going on

I have the feeling that the '\uxxxx' error may be the cause of missing lots/menu items. Can you all of you who have problem tell me in which subfolder ( full path ) the missing item should have been ?

If you have no problems, you are not forced to update

Take care and thanks for your support and help

[XL2007]

Tried to run Dat Packer and got this message:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 679, in OnClose
  File "datPackerApp.pyo", line 683, in ShowMain
  File "config.pyo", line 14, in __init__
UnicodeDecodeError: 'unicodeescape' codec can't decode bytes in position 25-26: malformed \N character escape


What gives?

[Heinz]

hello again. i tired datpacker and i dont know if it worked?  lol! cause when the bar was full both on top and the second one(the loading bars?), it didnt say if it was done. just that the bars were full and the "close" button. so i left it there while i ate breakfast and then took a bath. after, same thing. two full bars and i don't know if datpacker had completed the process because it still said "compressing" and "writing".. so i dont know if it was done. stupid problem maybe. sorry. newbie here. looks like great work with tools! thanks in advance

[Cali]

hello again. i tired datpacker and i dont know if it worked?  lol! cause when the bar was full both on top and the second one(the loading bars?), it didnt say if it was done. just that the bars were full and the "close" button. so i left it there while i ate breakfast and then took a bath. after, same thing. two full bars and i don't know if datpacker had completed the process because it still said "compressing" and "writing".. so i dont know if it was done. stupid problem maybe. sorry. newbie here. looks like great work with tools! thanks in advance

from what i know..it's done.

[Heinz]

sure, cali?  200 posts isnt something i should doubt, huh?      then if it is done, i hope that it wont hurt if i suggest with all due respect to wougie to change "close" to "finished" when the packing is done?  hope i wasnt too rude. thanks cali and wougs 

[Diggis]

Yeah, if it's not done then you can't press close.  So yes it's done, and your right, that would be a good change.  But we mere mortals wouldn't dare make suggestions to him. 

[Heinz]

lol right. thats why im being(or trying my best) to be humble and polite about it.

[wouanagaine]

But we mere mortals wouldn't dare make suggestions to him.

lol
Well I thought it was clear enougth to have the close button disabled when the process isn't finish, and activate it when finished
I will think about it in next version

XL2007, download the latest version ( from yesterday ) it should correct that bug. And unisntall previous version and delete the 'config.ini' located in the installation folder before running the new version

[emilin]

Well, wounagaine helped me sort out another problem which partly included the DATpacker and asked me to post a description over here too:

Since I didn't want to compress the entire plugin folder because I move some plugins in and out of it at a regulare basis (I know, I know, I should use the StartUpManager instead, but right now I don't). One of these plugins was Trolca's dirt roads (extended version by jeronij). I did however want the NAM and most other transit files compressed. So I moved the dirt roads (and some other stuff that I wanted easy to move, like terrains and tree controllers) out of the plugins folder before running the DATpacker.

When I fired up the game everything went smoothly (and much faster despite me not having an extremly large plugins folder to begin with, thank you!) but all the diagonals of the dirt roads were now ordinary concrete streets. Uh?

I think what happend was that the order in which the files where loaded after compression was messed up because of this. In the dirt road ReadMe it states that NAM must load first, euro roads then (in case you use that), dirt roads last. My folder structure remained the same after compression as before, but for some reason it looks like the game started up the uncompressed dirt roads before the NAM. I don't now why, but when I redid the whole process without compressing the NAM and euro roads it worked just fine again.

So, that's what happend.

[Note: I don't need any additional help right now, but since wounagaine (or God as he is also known to us mere motrals) asked me to post this I did.]

[wouanagaine]

Yes I will emphasis everyone to read what I wrote in the readme of the latest version about loading order
I describe a fictionnal scenario like yours and how and why it can mess the game. But yours is better as it is real

So for everyone, if for some reason you want to mix packed and unpacked plugins,
if the unpacked plugins state to be loaded first, put them in a 0000 subfolder of your plugins
if the unpacked plugins state to be loaded after some of the packed plugins, put the unpacked plugins in a zzz subfolder of your plugins.

This will keep the correct loading order

[Pat]

Hey wouagaine,
I've narrowed down my problem and it seems to be revolving around Datpacker?
I had redid all my plugins and in my new region i tried to put them in (compressed ones)
and the game crashed again.  took out the compressed plugins and reloaded the unpacked ones and
the game loaded fine.  ok now im at a loss help and btw i still get the same exception report after the crash.
- pat