decompress.exe and cmputil.exe

[Darkhunter]

Where do I place these exe's to run them? Or generally speaking how to use this? Doesn't run while in DW folder. Need to modify grp files.

Any help would be appreciated. Sorry for the influx of newb topics but searched the forums to no avail.

Thanks

Edit 1/23/12: Solution found!

[Molon Labe]

Just going by memory...

These files use calls and one or two arguments.

For Decompress, it's just Decompress [filename], where filename is the .grp file.

For CmpUtil, it's
CmpUtil [target] [filename]
Where target is the destination .grp file and filename is the file you are compressing into the target.

You can write .bat files to string several of these commands together so that you don't need to fuxor with the command prompt all day.

[Darkhunter]

Hmm, Molon Labe as great as it is to get a response I have to say I'm a complete amateur to all of this...and "programming/coding/whatever" too. I'm not even sure what you just said. If you asked me the difference between C+ and C++ I would say that C++ is plus one times better.
Edit: Actually, that's easy enough. Besides the .bat comment, I understand how to use Cmputil. Now, the purpose of cmputil bewilders me. Unfortunately I'm not sure of the purpose for decompress, either.

Through more forum searching I found the following (http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...light=compress)
"Drop it in your graphics folder.

then open the DOS command line and navigate to your dangerous waters\graphics folder

then type

cmputil 3d alfa.J3D

and cmputil 3d alfa.bmp"

So after looking up how to even use the command prompt (yeah, I'm that bad) I've successfully compressed a .bmp and .jpg image of an F-14 Tomcat. I tried editing the controllers.ini to have the bitmap image show the F-14 bmp but it doesn't show when I select the F-14 platform in-game. I'm literally doing trial and error here since when I hear "opening...compressing...sorting.....done!" I'm thinking "OH FUX YEAH, F-14 TIME." In reality, "compressing" means as much as jubobbles to me. What are jubobbles, you say? No one knows.

By your response I'm compressing the bmp/jpg files into the 3d .grp file. Ok, did that. Is it okay to assume that if I modify the controllers.ini correctly that my image should appear upon selecting the f-14 platform?

Anyways, thanks for the help, but still not sure what to do. If anyone can crash course me---if that's even realistic---then I'm all ears.

Btw, I kinda like the command prompt. Makes me feel like I'm hacking into some hardcore mainframe somewhere. Someone would be like "some fuxing with dat mainframe" and I'd be like "just give me one more minute, loading up the cmputil and wiring $5,000,000,000 to my offshore accounts."

Regards,

Still in the Dark

Edit: Actually, let's reverse engineer this crap. In the following line, where is "P3_US.jpg" located? Or, where can I compress another image to take it's place? Specifically, if I wanted to change the P3's bitmapname to something else, where does BitmapName locate it's source?
[Interface] "p3" 25
[BitmapName] "P3_US.jpg"

[Darkhunter]

Alright, so Decompress simply unpacks a .grp file into a folder so you can view all contents. Cmputil packs it into the .grp file. Makes sense.

I just decompressed every .grp file and still couldn't find the appropriate file path (P3_US.jpg). Hmmm.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by Darkhunter

I just decompressed every .grp file and still couldn't find the appropriate file path (P3_US.jpg). Hmmm.

did you check usnidata.grp? The file in there is P-3_Orion_USA.jpg.

[Darkhunter]

Originally Posted by TLAM Strike

did you check usnidata.grp? The file in there is P-3_Orion_USA.jpg.

Yup, but that's the USNI reference picture, I think I need something else. I tried compressing in usnidata and it didn't appear to work either.

I figured out the BitmapName is the picture image used when at the platform selection screen (I.E. during quick mission, campaign, mission select, etc). For some reason the "P3_US.jpg" is hard to find. It's not in the 3d folder or any other .grp folder. Maybe it's named something else. I'm pretty sure if I just change the bitmapname below to the f-14 tomcat.bmp that I have, it would work:

[Interface] "p3" 25
[BitmapName] "P3_US.jpg"
...
[END]

Can any .bmp be used to represent a platform in the platform selection screen? Or does it have to be a specific file type (j3d)? I'm stumped.

Edit: Getting late, calling it quits for tonight. Will resume tomorrow. Appreciate the help so far guys! Here's a screenshot; if I'm not making myself clear (which I'm probably not) then hopefully this will: