Add on Groundobjects vanishing all of a sudden

[+Piecemeal]

I've spent the last week or so spicing up Polak's Desert campaign with add-on ground objects from other terrains. The various objects have been taken from the original GROUNDOBJECT and TERRAIN folders and added to the SF2 GroundObject and terrain folders. The relevant data for these objects have been added to the TERRAIN_TYPES .INI (the object numbers have been triple checked and in the correct follow on order) and the TERRAIN_TARGETS.INI file has been triple checked with the placement co-ordinates carefully selected and double checked.

Everything was working perfectly until today when I started things up and noticed that most of the add-on objects aren't showing up. I've checked and re-checked the terrain 'TARGETS' and 'TYPES' folder and no changes have been made.

Somebody help me PLEASE!!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

[Fubar512]

Do you have a merged install?

[+Piecemeal]

Do you have a merged install?

 

 

Yup. I've got SF2, SF2V and SF2E together but I have this edited terrain in my SF2/TERRAINS folder.

[Fubar512]

Check your other mod folders.

[+Piecemeal]

I think I've been able to narrow down the problem a bit........

ALL the add-on groundobjects are there, that includes their LOD,BMP,TGA,INI files, etc. This applies to objects that are in either the GROUNDOBJECT or TERRAIN folder. BTW, I've made that distinction in the terrain's TYPES.INI folder.

 

I've renamed the terrain 'DESERT3', and this is from the main DESERT3.INI file:

 

[Terrain]

TerrainFullName=Desert 3

DataFile=DESERT3_DATA.ini

TargetFile=DESERT3_TARGETS.ini

TargetTypeFile=DESERT3_TYPES.ini

MovementFile=DESERT3_MOVEMENT.ini

NationsFile=DESERT3_NATIONS.ini

BriefingText=DESERT3_BRIEFING.ini

DogfightFile=DESERT3_DOGFIGHT.ini

DogfightOnly=FALSE

CatFile=..\DESERT3\Desert.cat

 

The 'DESERT3_TYPES' ini file, which has all my added groundobject entries is clearly pointed out for the game engine to go to; yet it seems to be ignoring ot for some reason and reverting to the default 'TYPES' ini file.

 

There's no problem with the game engine looking at the 'DESERT3_TARGETS.INI' file, as all my additions like extra bases, airfields and suchlike are there.

 

Oh, and yes; the DESERT3_TYPES.INI file is in the terrain folder

 

It must be ignoring the 'DESERT3_TYPES.INI for some reason. I've already converted it to Unicode as well

 

I've also checked the 'DesertPlus' terrain that I installed some time back - no problems. Just to be sure I also just checked thee Madagascar terrain I have on SF2. All ok

Edited September 25, 2009 by Ultramax

[Wrench]

The items that are disappearing ARE in the GroundObjects folder, right??? They're entry in the types ini state

 

UseGroundObject=TRUE

 

right???

 

Obviously, you said they're already listed in the targets ini, so I don't think that's an issue (but check anyway that the Name= in the types ini matches the Target]xxx[= in the targets ini)

 

Safe to assume the types in IS named "Desert3_Types.ini"??? (i've made THAT error a few times!!!)

ActiveYear= matches that in the GO's data ini??

 

Also, I'd double check that cat pointer line ... it's not correct. If you're using the stock desert terrain for the terrain objects and tiles, it should only read:

 

CatFile=..\Desert\Desert.cat

 

Unless you've copy/pasted the desert.cat INTO the Desert3 terrain folder and renamed it "Desert3". In that case, you don't need the cat pointer line.

 

Lastly, are you more than 50km away from the objects in question? That seems to be the spawn/despawn distance for GroundObjects existence.

 

that's all I can think of, at the moment

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Piecemeal]

Hi Wrench,

 

A couple of answers to your queries:

 

1. The items that are disappearing ARE in the GroundObjects folder, right??? They're entry in the types ini state

 

UseGroundObject=TRUE

 

right??? .............. Affirmative

 

2. Obviously, you said they're already listed in the targets ini, so I don't think that's an issue (but check anyway that the Name= in the types ini matches the Target]xxx[= in the targets ini) ............... Affirmative

 

3. Safe to assume the types in IS named "Desert3_Types.ini"??? (i've made THAT error a few times!!!)

ActiveYear= matches that in the GO's data ini?? .................. Affirmative

 

4. Unless you've copy/pasted the desert.cat INTO the Desert3 terrain folder and renamed it "Desert3". In that case, you don't need the cat pointer line. ................. will try that out now with renaming the CAT file

 

5. Lastly, are you more than 50km away from the objects in question? That seems to be the spawn/despawn distance for GroundObjects existence ...................... I'm always right on top of the area in question and there's still no sign of the objects in question

 

BTW, I don't know if I mentioned this earlier, but some objects are placed in my OBJECTS/GROUNDOBJECTS folder and some in my TERRAINS/DESERT3 folder. Either way, it's been specified in the DESERT3_TYPES.ini file. Also, there's no problem with the default groundobjects - it's just the add-on ones

 

Thanks for the interest and suggestions, guys. Hopefully I'll get to the bottom of this

[Fubar512]

You are seeing 'Desert3', and selecting it from the drop down menu, right?

[+Piecemeal]

You are seeing 'Desert3', and selecting it from the drop down menu, right?

 

I've been using this terrain for the past week or so. So 'Desert 3' has always been automatically there in the Single Mission drop down menu. At the moment I've copied a DESERT_TYPES.INI file from the default Desert terrain, I've begun adding objects to it slowly and will test it as I go along. Let's see how that goes ................

Edited September 26, 2009 by Ultramax

[+Piecemeal]

I THINK I seem to have cracked the case. I started by comparing all the objects listed in the DESERT3_TYPES.INI with the contents of the Terrain and GROUNDOBJECT folder and discovered that there were a lot of items listed in DESERT3_TYPES that weren't present in either the DESERT3 or GROUNDOBJECTS folders.

I started fresh by extracting a default DESERT_TYPES.ini folder, renaming it DESERT3_TYPES, then adding the groundobject listings individually as required.

 

So far so good....

 

 

BTW, no prizes for guessing where I got a lot of the groundobjects from, but I've borrowed from a LOT of add-on terrains and if this is going to be released there's going to have to be a lot of requesting for usage first

[Wrench]

 

Knew you'd figure it out. Knew it had to be a _types ini problem.

 

BTW, that flag looks familiar....

 

and yes, I can pretty much name where the cargo ships came from <vbg>

 

wrench

kevin stein

[+Piecemeal]

Thanks again for your advice and suggestions, lads.

It's almost like the old days when times were tough and you popped next door for a cup of sugar and a chat

[Fubar512]

You need modern container cranes for that terrain....

[+Piecemeal]

I don't suppose that 'cup of sugar' is attainable, no?