Problems With .dat files

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

Hi, I have done this bus with new sprites and have got the dat and stuff, however when i put it in my objdata and try to open Loco it says it encountered a problem and needs to close whilst in the Checking dat files process. I know its that .dat because when I remove it from the objdata folder Loco works fine, I have also encountered this with a Class 143 Arriva Trains Wales that I have attempted

What am I doing wrong?

Illegal_Alien · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 5:42 pm

So what did you tried? What did you do?

digidampfman · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 6:52 pm

Both files are corrupt.

After unpacking them, they have a size of more than 12 MB each. Thats suspiciously too much for a .dat.
Also most of their contents is just byte-junk (to be seen with a Hex-editor).

If possible, try to rebuild them.

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

Ok, What I did was get the Class 144 Arriva from the BR Set as the stats are almost identical, Then I found this version of a class 143 on msts, I used veh creator to change the sprites, the name and the dat name. I changed nothing else. When trying to save as a dat it said "Vehicle Creator has encountered a problem and needs to close, sorry for any inconvenience." This was after I had saved a definition and an XML. So I opened Locotool Wrapper and placed the xml in "Create normal Dat". Then it created my dat file and it won't work!

Am so confused!

Here is the XML files

Illegal_Alien · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2012 7:43 am

Pallet of your sprites? (Just search for it as there are thousands ot ways to do it.)

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

hhhmmmm, have just replaced the 144 sprites with 143 sprites and each of the new sprites is 3kb more than originals, maybe thats it? If so how do I make them smaller?

MjD · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2012 2:19 pm

jo3do88y wrote:

...I used veh creator to change the sprites, the name and the dat name. I changed nothing else...

I dont have Loco tools on this thing so can't check it, but would like to know what you've done step-by-step.

So you got the MSTS (Probably needed re-sized tbh), then used MSTS2Loco to create the 136 bmps?
Then have you changed the bmps to png then changed it to the correct palette?
Then used Vehicle creator to create the xml then the .dat?

If you've missed any bit out (apart from msts model re-sizing) then thats your problem, if you have done all that properly it may be an incorrect palette but VC should still make the .dat file it would just show up rather funky in loco if memory serves right.

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

did everything you said except the pallet thing, how do you do that? All thats happened is all the sprites are 3mb bigger than IA's so dat is 12.5mb

MjD · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2012 3:44 pm

Personally I used Adobe Photoshop to both converted the .bmps to .pngs and batch convert the palette at the same time. Each program has a slightly different step by step process to do this.

Spacek531 · **Posted:** Wed Jun 06, 2012 1:33 am

personally, I use Wally to convert the images, walter1490 has a nice site where you can acquire it (although I am unsure of the legality or status of his website).

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

I am struggling with Wally, so is there a way that I can change the BMP to PNG through Imagicon (What i'm currently using) and then changing the pallets separately?

Spacek531 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2012 6:28 am

Have you tried the batch conversion function yet? If you haven't, there are a few set-up steps involved but after that it's smooth sailing all the way.

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

yes, thats what isn't working, It keeps saying "nothing to convert" even though i've done everything it says on Walter1940's site

Spacek531 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2012 7:01 am

Most likely you've forgotten to set the image type to convert. The drop-down menu should be set to .PNG, but the images to convert (I forget what it's actually called) should be set to *.BMP , the asterix is important. Also, you need to select the source and destination directories, as well as setting the palette to lomo/veh and the image type to 8-bit. I will create a tutorial for properly converting images tomorrow.

For now though, it's time for sleep.

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

when trying to edit Walter1940's sprites he has 207 sprites in a folder but veh creator only gives me 135? And when I put the buses into game they are offset... What do I do?

Illegal_Alien · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2012 9:48 am

In the vehicle creator render as "narrow gauge" this will give you the additional sprites and angles. (This will add the steep slope sprites, just like the narrow gauge trains.)

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

ah, thanks very much

Walter1940 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2012 11:23 am

Hi all,
I was in hospital for several weeks. Unfortunately I have to go there again in the fall.

Spacek531 wrote:

personally, I use Wally to convert the images, walter1490 has a nice site where you can acquire it (although I am unsure of the legality or status of his website).

@Spacek531
why should my website be illegal?

@jo3do88y
Forgive me that before that says nothing. But it all happened so fast.
It is good if you learn to build the buses themselves. Then you are no longer dependent on me.
I'm going to get even one page in English online, which already exist in German. There, I explained how to build road vehicles.
Otherwise, the tips of IA and others are certainly helpful.

EDIT

Well, I'm ready. I hope my english is understandable.
http://www.walter1940.de/tutorial/xml-modding/english/

jo3do88y · **Joined:** Wed Nov 03, 2010 6:55 pm **Posts:** 496

OMG YOU'RE NOT DEAD!!!

Ok, I have problem with bus sprites, I export them at distance of 50 as when It was 36 they were WAY too big, however in game bus sprites are offset. Even though in VC it says they're not offset?

Spacek531 · **Posted:** Thu Jun 07, 2012 2:58 pm

Walter1940 wrote:

why should my website be illegal?

You're hosting several files on your website (Wally, the palettes, the converter) except they're not made by you, as well as the whole thing with getting the original author's permission for conversion. I don't want to start an argument, though.

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