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"merging" prop/texture packs for personal use

Started by Tyberius06, January 06, 2018, 05:03:30 PM

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Tyberius06

Hi!

Probably there are topics about this over the forums (especially that there are a few megapacks here and there officially), but for me easier to ask this way. Sorry for my lazyness.
So I'm about to recollecting a lot of stuff which I lost back in last August due to a flash drive crash, and now I started to download a bunch of WMP stuff, and it's quite a mess, since prop/texture packs can be found separatelly, included into the related Lots, merged with other stuff into the same *.zip etc... And I would like to make some order. I found this WMP Fence & Garden Prop Pack which has a cleanitol list and I thought that the zip contains only one *.dat with the merged data, but instead I got the very same version of the files into one *.zip, than they can be downloaded separatelly. And those props also can be found as included dependencies with a few other LOTs.
Here are my questions:

1. Using the reader can I copy the fsh/s3d/examplar datas from the original prop packs into a blank.dat which would be named as I wish? Do I need to do extra steps (new TGI or anything else) apart from the "reindex-rebuilding DIR file"-combo?

2. How about using the DATPack? Would that tool do the same?

3. Can these processes cause any compatibility issues with the related lots or using them with PIM-X or Lot Editor (in the future - and I'm still talking about only personal use)?

Thanks in advance!

- Tyberius
You may find updates about my ongoing projects into my development thread here at SimCity 4 Devotion: Tyberius Lotting Experiments
or over there on Simtropolis into the Tyberius (Heretic Projects) Lotting and Modding Experiments.
I'm also member of the STEX Custodian and working on different restoration projects on behalf of non-anymore-active custom content creators.
Current projects: WMP Restoration and SimCity Polska Restoration.
Member of the NAM Team and RTMT Team.

Andreas

1. Yes, you can use the Reader, and you can name the file whatever you like. Do not change the TGI values, though, as those are used by the game to reference the FSH/S3D/Exemplar files and such. Do not copy the DIR file either, and there's no need to re-index, since the Reader will do this automatically upon saving the DAT file.

2. The DAT Packer would work just as well, and obviously, it'll save you a lot of manual work. You just have to arrage all files into a folder or several folders first, then the program picks them up and compresses them into one or several DATs. There's also a tool called "FileMerger" in SC4Tool, which does the same job. Both can remove unnecessary stuff (preview pics, XML files and such) that SC4 doesn't need for gameplay.

3. For personal use, it doesn't matter how to arrage your files, the game simply reads ALL TGIs in your entire plugins folder, picks up the last instance of each of them (so you don't have to worry about duplicates in the first place, they only need more space on your hard drive). All editor tools can read the datpacked files just as fine as the individual files as well.

The Lot Editor or SC4Tool's dependency scanner will display the name of the datpacked file, this makes it harder to track down dependencies when you want to release a file, obviously, but as long as you keep your stuff for your own, there's nothing to worry about - unless you forget to merge something to the megapacks, but you can add the necessary files any time.

There's one thing you need to check, though: I can't remember if any of the aforementioned tools check for duplicates, so it's possible that multiple copies of your source files end up in the megapacks. I'd suggest to collect the source files in a folder first and either weed out duplicates manually, or use some file comparing tool that does the job for you.
Andreas

matias93

The DATpacker finds and consolidates duplicate files, but keeping the last loaded one, just in the same order the game would load them.

"Lets be scientists and as such, remember always that the purpose of politics is not freedom, nor authority, nor is any principle of abstract character,
but it is to meet the social needs of man and the development of the society"

— Valentín Letelier, 1895

Tyberius06

#3
Thank you Andreas and Maria's Matias the answers.
I'll plan to keep the original files and of course I will make a list about the merged files.

Thanks again!

- Tyberius

EDIT: PS: Sorry Matias, I was on a phone and it changed your name during the typing...   :angrymore:
You may find updates about my ongoing projects into my development thread here at SimCity 4 Devotion: Tyberius Lotting Experiments
or over there on Simtropolis into the Tyberius (Heretic Projects) Lotting and Modding Experiments.
I'm also member of the STEX Custodian and working on different restoration projects on behalf of non-anymore-active custom content creators.
Current projects: WMP Restoration and SimCity Polska Restoration.
Member of the NAM Team and RTMT Team.