GRF Inspector [Planning and Waiting]

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Would you use a program like this?

Poll ended at 19 Aug 2003 11:14

Yes, It would be a great tool!
8
67%
Maybe here and there...
3
25%
Hell please god no... Totally useless
1
8%
 
Total votes: 12

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GRF Inspector [Planning and Waiting]

Post by GoneWacko »

If you have visited #tycoon lately, you may know that I had the idea of a GRF Inspector...

It started with the idea of a program that would have a database of all the vehicles that are in the game. Kind of like a TTDAlter without the ability to alter stuff :lol:

Then it hit me: What if someone uses one of the new vehicle sets? He'd have no use of the program.
Well i'm not much of a programmer so the idea drifted away to some remote forgotten part of my brain (for about 3 minutes).

Now i'm planning to first make this program that can open GRF files and give statistics of all the vehicles... And ofcourse it will have the database of original vehicles.

After that, I plan to expand the program.. Don't know what yet

I hereby declare this topic to be the main thread about the project :)

Any suggestions, questions or C&C ? (Comments and Critique :P)

Current status:
Planning and building the interface.
I've got a whiteboard next to me which i'm using to write ideas on and to draw some kind of an interface :)
Gotta love whiteboards
Last edited by GoneWacko on 16 Aug 2003 06:54, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: GRF Inspector [Planning and Designing]

Post by George »

GoneWacko wrote:If you have visited #tycoon lately, you may know that I had the idea of a GRF Inspector...

It started with the idea of a program that would have a database of all the vehicles that are in the game. Kind of like a TTDAlter without the ability to alter stuff :lol:

Then it hit me: What if someone uses one of the new vehicle sets? He'd have no use of the program.
Well i'm not much of a programmer so the idea drifted away to some remote forgotten part of my brain (for about 3 minutes).

Now i'm planning to first make this program that can open GRF files and give statistics of all the vehicles... And ofcourse it will have the database of original vehicles.

After that, I plan to expand the program.. Don't know what yet

I hereby declare this topic to be the main thread about the project :)

Any suggestions, questions or C&C ? (Comments and Critique :P)

Current status:
Planning and building the interface.
I've got a whiteboard next to me which i'm using to write ideas on and to draw some kind of an interface :)
Gotta love whiteboards
I made the base in the MS Excel of all the vehicles. MB sets are also present. See the http://ttd.cernun.net/transport/. A tool, that should get information from the grf file and put it to the base would be very useful for me.
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Post by GoneWacko »

ok update :)

So far i've done a little bit of experimenting with something I'd like to call GRFIML (GRF Inspector Markup Language)

I'm planning on using XML to save the original game settings, but i'm not that good at Delphi (my programming language). So I'm having trouble with Delphi and XML... (If someone can help me, please do :mrgreen: )

I have got some idea of an interface too...

AND I've been talking to Owen about his TDF (TTDAlter Data File) files.
I had the idea of implementing support for those, but they don't really have much to do with GRF Files... So it's unsure... IF it will be implemented, it will be done in a later stage of developement :)

Once I get the database functions to work, i'll release a simple demo of these functions, and some documentation about the XML files :)
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Post by krtaylor »

I don't know how often I would use this, since I am not much of an artist and I tend not to fiddle around with the sprites too much, but it sounds like an excellent reference tool. Maybe eventually it could evolve into a sort of "package manager" - you'd select vehicles and other sprites from the Great Big List of Everything There Is, and declare that selection to be an environment settings profile.
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Post by GoneWacko »

wow that sounds hard :roll:

I'll release the source though.. Maybe JFS/Csaba/other delphi peeps can take a look at it and change the stuff...

First i'll have to work on it...
Still haven't figured out XML + Delphi, so i'm probably just gonna use INI files to save information...

And I still haven't received any unit file from jfs :(
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Post by troopper5 »

I didn't vote yet, because i didn't understand that...

So, if i'm right, you mean that that tool would open grf files in /newgrf folder and they could be edited more easily?
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Post by jfs »

@troopper5: no, not an editor. A program to VIEW the vehicles in a grf and VIEW the characteristics of that vehicle, along with viewing the vehicles from the original game.
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Post by krtaylor »

Hmm. Actually, it would be nice if it WERE an editor, or if you had two versions, one that did editing (for new-graphics developers) and one without (for mere mortals).
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Post by troopper5 »

Sounds good. I don't have PSP myself, so editing grfs is impossible for me.
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Post by GoneWacko »

Hmm I don't really know... But I think either Shadow or Eis_os were planning on working on a GRF Editor...

I could maybe expand the program later on, but it's not really gonna be PSP style (or quality :roll: ).

And G4S can I please please please please please have that unit ?? :mrgreen:
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Post by krtaylor »

Just download PSP. You get a month's free trial that works fine. It's not all that expensive to buy anyway.
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Post by troopper5 »

I've already used the trial version's time completely. :(
And i cannot buy it.

Back On Topic:
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Post by spaceman-spiff »

troopper5 wrote:I've already used the trial version's time completely. :(
And i cannot buy it.

Back On Topic:
Back on topic:
Then nothing :?
Well, back to work, lot's of it in the near future
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Post by GoneWacko »

he meant that he wanted to topic to go back on topic
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Post by troopper5 »

GoneWacko wrote:he meant that he wanted to topic to go back on topic
That's the point :wink:

I thought interface could look like this:


Unused area could be for editing grfs, if it is possible.
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Post by GoneWacko »

Seeing as the editing of GRF's won't be implemented for a pretty long time from now, I'll probably go for the interface that I have planned right now (i'd show you, but it's not done... :P It can only be completed once I have the unit *hint hint*)
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Post by troopper5 »

What unit? :?: :?
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Post by GoneWacko »

The Unit i've been talking about all the time...

A unit is a file with source code.
jfs (G4S) would give it to me, but I haven't received a thing (yet?)...
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Post by GoneWacko »

Well I have received the unit AND i've FINALLY got a PC that seems to be doing stuff I want it to :P

So now i'm gonna be trying to work on the program :)
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