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Rec.Autos.Simulators Archive

Regarding GPL's DAT files protocol

4 posts by 3 people · 21 Jun 1999 - 22 Jun 1999

Tom Pabst 21 Jun 1999#475323
This question is directed to those of you who work with the "graphic" files (.mip files) in gpl: Last night, while running on SpyBoy....I was involved in a group discussion regarding the driver's suits and***pits, etc. in GPL. Several said they knew of guys who have different colored driver's suits for each car. How is this done? My understanding is that the driver suit files located in the "brabham folder" or in the "brabham.dat" file are used for every car type's driver. Meaning, you can only have one type of colored suit in the entire gpl "program" at any given time....not a different one for each car type. I "tested" this theory today.....using the "shift.mip" file (the one that is for the shift lever). I modified a shift lever (added color) and packed it into the "BRM" dat file (not just placing it in the brm folder). Yet, when driving the brm subsequently.....my "shifter" is not displayed....but the original one is. I then did the exact same thing....only I packed this new colored shift.mip into the "Brabham" dat file. Now when entering gpl.....driving the brm again....it has the new colored shifter....and so does every other car! It seems the "brabham" folder or dat is a "master" for some files? But, I unpacked and looked at each of the car's dat files.....they all have a "shifter.mip" in them! Why? If the shifter displayed in your incockpit view is only the one contained in the brabham folder (or dat)....then why waste space having one in all the other car dats? I don't get it....could someone explain? Obviously, this same thing will apply to all of the "driver suit" files...which there are 5 or 6 of them I believe! Or maybe not! Does gpl have a "protocol" use for each file type individually? Regards, Tom Pabst
> This question is directed to those of you who work with the "graphic" files > (.mip files) in gpl: > Last night, while running on SpyBoy....I was involved in a group discussion > regarding the driver's suits and***pits, etc. in GPL. Several said they knew > of guys who have different colored driver's suits for each car. > How is this done? Edit the 3DO file for the car in question and rename the relevant file to something else, this will force GPL to use the non-Brabham version, i.e shifter.mip to hshift.mip for the Honda, lshift.mip for the Lotus, and so on. This is how you get individual steering logos as well. Be warned though, you have to repeat your work everytime you download a modified car (like the oh-so-cool red mirrored/black exhaust Honda). As for the why it was done this way, I suspect Papyrus exceeded their texture budget at some point in the development process and had to start using the same textures for different objects. Fortunately in this day and age of 16+ Mb video cards we no longer have such limitations with respect to GPL. While we are on the subject does anyone know where I can get a light blue driver suit with a dark blue strip down the side similar to those worn by quite a lot of the drivers prior to the 67 season? - George
Arne Martin 22 Jun 1999#475547
Quoted text (7 lines)> This question is directed to those of you who work with the "graphic" files > (.mip files) in gpl: > How is this done? My understanding is that the driver suit files located in the > "brabham folder" or in the "brabham.dat" file are used for every car type's > driver. Meaning, you can only have one type of colored suit in the entire gpl > "program" at any given time....not a different one for each car type.
If you hex-edit the car's 3do file you can get each car to use different driver textures (or any other textures for that matter). The Brabham is not really the master dat. GPL just goes through each dat until it finds the file it needs, and since Brabham is first alphabetically the brabham files are always used for the shared files. So that when we hackers hex-edit the Brabham to use a different mip, the other cars will still work :-) (I don't work for Papy or anything so I don't really know this I'm just guessing ;-) -- Arne Martin
Tom Pabst 22 Jun 1999#475548
George... Thanks for your detailed answer.......I don't think I want to get into "hex-editing" 3do files just for "graphics" candy......but oh well. On the light blue driver's suit......I have one....but the dark blue stripe is going to be a problem. It needs to be atop the shoulders.....and down the outside of the arms...right? Well, it seems Papy uses the same texture file for the arms.....and does NOT mirror image the right and left arm. So, if you put a stripe on the outside....it will be on the outside of one arm and on the inside of the other.....looks pretty stupid because I've tried it. Had the same problem trying to put the "Simpson" emblem on the racing gloves.... My light blue suit has "seat belts".......five point harness.....so that's not very "67" is it? Don't think you'd want it....but if I'm wrong...send me an email and I'll zip up the blue suit and send it along.....it also has orange full-length (modern day version) Simpson racing gloves. Tom Pabst
Quoted text (30 lines)>> This question is directed to those of you who work with the "graphic" >files >> (.mip files) in gpl: >> Last night, while running on SpyBoy....I was involved in a group >discussion >> regarding the driver's suits and***pits, etc. in GPL. Several said they >knew >> of guys who have different colored driver's suits for each car. >> How is this done? >Edit the 3DO file for the car in question and rename the relevant file >to something else, this will force GPL to use the non-Brabham >version, i.e shifter.mip to hshift.mip for the Honda, lshift.mip for the >Lotus, and so on. This is how you get individual steering logos as well. >Be warned though, you have to repeat your work everytime you download >a modified car (like the oh-so-cool red mirrored/black exhaust Honda). >As for the why it was done this way, I suspect Papyrus exceeded their >texture budget at some point in the development process and had to >start using the same textures for different objects. Fortunately in >this day and age of 16+ Mb video cards we no longer have such >limitations with respect to GPL. >While we are on the subject does anyone know where I can get a >light blue driver suit with a dark blue strip down the side similar to >those worn by quite a lot of the drivers prior to the 67 season? > - George

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