[TEC] Does this game have some kind of cache file?

[leovampire]

Another words a main file it builds up information for a quick read and just writes new lines onto it as it finds them in the data base?

I would like to find a way to make it reread all the data in the game's Data file with all the mod's like it is seeing them for the first time so it will fill in all the blanks instead of just writing new one's over old and maybe getting something mixed up in the process.

There must be a reason why some things work in the quick missions and not in the campaign layers and so forth.

The best example I can offer is from another simulator I have for Trains. The game has grown to a size of over 30 GB on one of my hard drives from all the upgrades added and the new content created that I downloaded and once in a while like after a month of constant use it gets new things screwed up and dosn't read them. But there is a main cache file that if you delete it it makes the game relook at every single item in the files. Now being 30 GB that sometimes takes over an hour or more for it to do it but after it is done and the game starts every little single detail is there and stuff I can find to use in my layouts that I forgot I had but can now find in the directory of objects.

So maybe the same thing is going on here. Put this in take this out change this load over and over again and do it again. Maybe some of the data is being writen over in a way where not all of the changes are applied right anymore.

[irish1958]

i agree, there must be one somewhere.

[Digital_Trucker]

I think I know how to find out. I have an application called process monitor that keeps track of all file operations and registry reads/writes. It can be set up to filter out all but one programs actions (if I can just remember how to do it, it's been a while since I've used it). I'll give it a shot and let you know what I find out.

[leovampire]

would be an awsome fine if that solved a lot of mod problems as far as working the way it was intended the first time and not after the game loads a few times just to get it right which I swear sometimes happens.

[Digital_Trucker]

It might take a while to make heads or tails of it all. There are "only" 135,137 entries involved in loading the game and starting a patrol from port . I saved a csv log file that's "only" 25 MB. Sometime in the AM, if I can remember after having slept, I'll upload it somewhere and post a link if anyone else wants to have a gander at it.

[jean74]

Hi,

Perhaps inside SHSound.act Sound.act SHSim.act... But I dont understand how to work this files...

Best regards,

Jean

[Digital_Trucker]

I rar'ed that logfile (it's a standard csv with field names/headers in the first line) and put it up here http://files.filefront.com/Logfilera.../fileinfo.html

I'm going load it into OpenOffice Calc and see if I can't figure out the best way to look at it to figure out what we need to know. If anyone else wants to, feel free to download it and play with it in your favorite spreadsheet (always loved that word, sound like a manure spreader ) program.

Edit:Well, scratch the OO Calc, now I've got to find a spreadsheet program that handles more than 65,536 records I even excluded registry operations and still had over 72,000 records.

[Digital_Trucker]

Ok, I got the log file down to a reasonable number (less than 2 to the 16th power) and hosted it at http://files.filefront.com/Logfile1r.../fileinfo.html
if anyone is interested in abusing it.

[wovik]

What are "SS.bin", "SI.bin" and "SL.bin"? Does anyone know?
I have seen "SI.bin" produced in my SH4 root directory but not the other 2. I believe it only occurred when I had a crash.

I delete it and the SH4 save directory when making major mod changes to similate starting fresh again.

[leovampire]

never fails that way. But I know that is why the lightning is only working in the single mission layers and not the campaign layers. But the more you look at stuff I swear the more confusing it gets as to what actual controls what and what does what as to how the game loads things from the hard drive.

[Digital_Trucker]

LV, did you once say that you did a complete reinstall of the game in order to try to get lightning to work in the campaign mode? If so, do you remember if you deleted the save folder in "My Documents"? I'm grasping at straws here to see what it is that's causing this behavior by the game.

[leovampire]

but I am thinking that the next time I go into port I am going to do away with all past saves and start with new ones to see if it makes a difference.

[wovik]

My experience is that it can make a difference deleting the SH4 saves root folder and letting SH4 recreate it on the next startup. I have made many small changes trying to get it how I would like it and even loading from an autosave from port doesn't always guarantee the changes will be implemented or worse, it may make a mess of some other aspect of the similation. When I delete the save folder I always get the changes in the game. Sometimes I tweaked too much but you do get them.

[Digital_Trucker]

I just finished going cross-eyed looking at that gaggle of file accesses that the game makes and I can't find anything overly strange (other than it accessing browser cookies and a few other unexplained anomolies having nothing to do with the game). I did notice that it creates some .bin files but it looks like it creates them first before it reads them, so I don't think they would be holding any leftover bits and pieces from a previous save. It's going to be something simple, I'm sure, as it usually is in a like this.

[wovik]

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

I just finished going cross-eyed looking at that gaggle of file accesses that the game makes and I can't find anything overly strange (other than it accessing browser cookies and a few other unexplained anomolies having nothing to do with the game). ......

Perhaps this is for internet access for multiplayer?