Shall we talk about file sizes in mods?

[Jeff-Groves]

So. I dug out some old DVDs and found my Delphi stuff and installed it.
Since ref gave me his source code for the SH3 to SH4 converter?
I'm going to ATTEMPT to adjust that to just search the SH3 files and whack the dynamic shadow stuff. The converter has that ability so I hope to remove the fluff and just scrub SH3 dats in one click.
Freaking Delphi programmers! C or C++ is SO much easier for me!

[propbeanie]

Ah yesh... good ole Pascal... glad I forgot ya...

[Jeff-Groves]

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Ah yesh... good ole Pascal... glad I forgot ya...

Been YEARS since I played with Pascal. If I can cut out the interface stuff and such? I'd be happy. Tell it to whack all files in a folder structure and we should be good.

[ArnoldR]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

How to duplicate Units in SH3 the SH4 way:

Look at the BBNevada in SH4
ClassName=BBNevada
3DModelFileName=data/Sea/NBB_Colorado/NBB_Colorado

This type setting works in SH3 also!
Follow the files.

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

In SH4 it works fine.
I know damned well I had it working in SH3 at one point!
I'm still looking at what I had working and trying to duplicate.
If I can't get it working I don't have a problem saying.....
"Oh Crap!! I was wrong!"

So, we still don't know if this is working for SH3...????

[ETR3(SS)]

Originally Posted by ArnoldR

Thank you for the reply! So,you mean that both ships (original and cloned) are exactly the same (AA guns, hitpoints.....), except for the texture?
I don't have SH4, could you send me the files, or show me a screenshot?

So, the file structure for SH4 is different than it was for SH3 despite being the same game engine. The Colorado is the base model for several of the US battleships utilizing the same 3d model, texture, and damage model. Each individual entry differs in it equipment and sensors to provide it with the appropriate main, secondary, and AA weapons and sensors for the particular class of battleship. For example the Colorado had 8 16" guns while the Nevada had 10 14" guns.

From the Colorado:
[Equipment 1]
NodeName=M01
LinkName=16in_Double_base_US
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231

From the Nevada:
[Equipment 1]
NodeName=M01
LinkName=14in_Triple_base_US
StartDate=19380101
EndDate=19451231

[Jeff-Groves]

One thing I do know.
I did get the SH4 way working at one time in SH3!
There is a difference I need to check out. I was running the original release with the No-StarForce patch at the time.

Maybe the newer version with no StarForce is the reason?
Would not surprise me if Ubi jacked that ability or the patch allowed it.

On the program to clean files of the Damages stuff?
I asked for help from a member here at Subsim who works with Delphi.
I did cut some stuff in Studio 2006 and it seems it should all work but it is so different from what I know that help is needed.
I'm not giving up. Just asking for help.

[bigboywooly]

Nothing wrong with asking for help. You can't know everything

[Jeff-Groves]

What was it Jim use to say?
None of us are as smart as all of us?
Or something like that.

[bigboywooly]

Indeed he did and he was right

[Jeff-Groves]

Originally Posted by bigboywooly

Indeed he did and he was right

Like we need to help his head grow larger!!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

What was it Jim use to say?
None of us are as smart as all of us?
Or something like that.

Just one word short " None of us are as clever as all of us?

[Jeff-Groves]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Just one word short " None of us are as clever as all of us?

Then I didn't do to bad for a Colonist!

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

Then I didn't do to bad for a Colonist!

Rgr that matey

[gap]

Interesting thread Jeff, I am following it

Originally Posted by ArnoldR

Thank you for the reply! So,you mean that both ships (original and cloned) are exactly the same (AA guns, hitpoints.....), except for the texture?
I don't have SH4, could you send me the files, or show me a screenshot?

This is an example taken from SH5, but it works the same in SHIV and probably also in SHIII (never tried in the latter game but I trust what Jeff says )

File: data\Sea\NAMC_Patroclus\NAMC_Patroclus.cfg:

[Unit]
ClassName=AMCPatroclus
3DModelFileName=data/Sea/NAMC_Rawalpindi/NAMC_Rawalpindi
UnitType=13
MaxSpeed=15
Length=165.89
Width=21.39
Mast=39.69
Draft=9.00
Displacement=11198
DisplacementVariation=10
RenownAwarded=220
CrewComplement=40
SurvivalRate=70
SurvivalPercentage=40
RecManualCategory=TroopTransport
BowShape=Plumb
Funnels=2
ShowInRecognitionManual=No;it is a clone. the player will identify it as another single ship
;*********** THE END ************

Note the line marked in orange: the Patroclus has not 3D model of her own, but her cfg file is pointing to Rawalpindi 3D model (dat file, or gr2 file in this case, since we are talking about SH5).

Other files found in the same folder (besides the above cfg file):

NAMC_Patroclus_sil.dds
NAMC_Patroclus.eqp
NAMC_Patroclus.sns

All other (sim, zon, val, dsd, etc.) files are shared with the Rawalpindi. The two ships have most features in common, but textures, armaments and sensor outfits can be customized.

The external look of two ships having the same 3D model can be customized as well, to some extent: all you need to do is removing parts you want to customize from the main model, edit them in two or more variants, and storing them in an external library file whose content can be linked to the units sharing the said model through equipemnt nodes/bones and .eqp files. There are not examples of this type of advanced technique in stock SH5, but there is at least one in SHIV.

In general, this method is very useful for dealing with sister ships, similar ship classes and aircraft variants. We refer to it as "proxy-cloning" as opposed to simple "cloning" where you duplicate an unit with all her binary files

[ArnoldR]

@gap: thankx for the detailed explain!!

A question: do the proxy-cloned unit have a dat file?? If no, how can you call the new texture, you must have a different name, or not?????????