FiXED: Duplicated Node IDs

[Prozedurmeister]

does not matter where SH3 is installed... I only chose two ships...

That is wrong.
Folders "Programs" and "Programs X86" are under special UAC-protection, remember?
Grey has asked you: Is your UAC active?

And how do you select two ships only?
We have tested by selecting folder "crew" and it worked.

I have fixed that problem with spaces in the name.
Blitz has fixed the bug that wrote only Byte 7.

Have you reindexed the files before using? That means after you ran our tool?

[REV_TheShark]

If we modify all duplicate IDs using Blitz external software,
the index will not be updated. Is this a problem?

I dont know. Because it is not S3D it has to be tested what will be with the index.
Otherwise I can imagine that the index could be renewed with s3d.

Is this not already the solution?

Now we have a result of this test that you wanted, Han Solo!

Then what is the logic consequence of this? The index must be updated!

This image by PRM shows it:
 

[HanSolo78]

Ahoy mates!

That is no problem of the index my friends.
In the picture I uploaded all the duplicated IDs have been changed by your tool.. but the got no new ID.
So.. every node that was changed has no ID after running the duplicate ID Killer.
Every controller that is listed with that exclamation mark needs an ID.

@PT

I know that this is almost not doable --- BUT I did almost for the sea folder right now. And as we know new ships cause instabilities it has the first priority.

Alpha 8 is online and should be used for testing and error fixes. Alph9 should have ID fixes included!

@PM

UAC is active... I could deactivate, but first I need a tool that is working without bugs.
I can copy 2 ships in a seperate folder on my desktop and let the DF do his work. Then there is the correct path for your tool in the clipboard. 
Reindexing is not possible with all these nodes without ID.

[HanSolo78]

That is no problem of the index my friends.

No? What else do you believe is the problem then?
I had just quoted what you wrote last Werk...

I just wrote that all node that have been changed by the Duplicate ID Killer got no new ID and that no ID is not possible in SH3 files.
At least the files from PT have these errors!

EDIT: Ok... after deactivating UAC your tool is the way working you described but the Problem I described with the files from PT remains!
I just let your tool do his job for only 2 ships and the result was that every "old problem ID" only just got deleted. Your tool does not renew the IDs!

[HanSolo78]

Han solo, not everybody is a modder and familiar with S3D. You cannot expect that of everybody - and still we all have our place in the team and contribute our part.

Look at what and how much Blitzkrieg and Prozedurmaster do to help you!

And if you insist on doing so much manually, why not invite modders like makman into the team?

Just my 2 cents - from somebody who has never tried to mod and still tries to be a good dog ;)

That is true. I can not expect that everyone is familiar with S3d as I wrote above.
But as a teacher  I can say that the nescessary knowledge for the fix of IDs can be done by a 9 year old child.
I appreciate your efforts in coding the programme but it can not be expected to do all the ID fixes manually by only 2 Team members if your programme does not work.
That would break the way teamwork is meant to be.

Makman does not want to enter TBT, he has his reasons which I do understand.

@Prozedumeister

Main chunk ID is the node that I surrounded with a red circle in the upper legt corner.


You See, is has no ID 'N/A' (not available) because of the Duplicate ID Killer.

[REV_TheShark]

I see what you mean...
It looks like if we change the ID within S3D, it automatically updates the index,
but when we do it through Blitz software, the index is not updated and then S3D gets confused.

It's looking the index for ID X and it's finding ID Y instead. Soooo... the index must be updated as well somehow. I don't even know if this is doable.

This is exactly what I wrote in http://www.donitzeliteflotilla.com/forum/index.php?msg=822

So the questions are:

• Where is the index stored? Do the Parent IDs need be changed? If yes, how?
• How can the index be accessed? In what format and where is that index?
• what needs to be done that s3d actually sees the new IDs and displays them?

[Philipp Thomsen]

That is precisely why He demanded such an example in this post:
http://www.donitzeliteflotilla.com/forum/index.php?msg=684

And if I do not read the logfile wrong, this is software in ALPHA state - I.e. for being tested,
so isnt that self-evident?  And he did say BACKUPS FIRST, too !!

So I have no idea what needs to be fixed because of the tool. Don't you make backups?

Again: can my questions please be considered, too?

I was basically stating the following: If I ask Honda to design a new engine for my racing car,
and when they deliver the engine it doesn't start at all, then there was no point, was there?
They can say "but hey, you asked for the engine and we delivered, here it is, it's beautiful and chrome and has lots of valves."

The bottomline is, the engine doesn't start. It's paperweight.

Now, regarding the software and why it's not working.
I'll try to explain this as best as I can, with my understanding of the problem.

The file contains an ID. This ID is linked to many other things and sometimes even have children IDs.
When you change this ID in S3D, it randomly generates another ID to replaced it, and automatically updates
all the indexes and children IDs so they all work properly with the new ID.

It's like if we replaced Blitz with another guy from China, but never told anybody else in the team. You don't know what's going on.
All of the sudden Blitz is talking Chinese to you and you don't know why.

By changing the IDs using Blitz software, everything else in the dat/dsd/sim/zon files are not being informed of this change, index is not being updated.
By changing the IDs using S3D software, everything else in the dat/dsd/sim/zon files are being informed of this change, index is updated. Therefore it works.

Now, I'm in no way trying to say Blitz and Proz codded a bad piece of software.
For all intents and purposes it does what Blitz and Proz wanted the software to do.
It just doesn't solve our problem. Maybe I should have explained this better before.
But then again, we only discovered the index problem AFTER trying to use Blitz/Proz tool.

I'm thinking that maybe this is a bit too complex to code in such a short time.
But maybe I'm wrong, I'm no codder.

[REV_TheShark]

I also respect what this neat team achieves.
Blitz has really brought people together to get something done.
At least I would not be here without the Blitzkrieg coming over me 😂
And good explanation, but we have been there already, so lets think forward:

So the questions are:

• Where is the index stored? Do the Parent IDs need be changed? If yes, how?
• How can the index be accessed? In what format and where is that index?
• what needs to be done that s3d actually sees the new IDs and displays them?

[Philipp Thomsen]

• Where is the index stored? Do the Parent IDs need be changed? If yes, how?
• How can the index be accessed? In what format and where is that index?
• what needs to be done that s3d actually sees the new IDs and displays them?

[/quote]

As I never bothered to load one of these files into an HEX Editor, all my answers are strictly speculative:

1) Must be inside the same file. Each file has it's own index.
2) No idea.
3) No idea.

Hence why I said maybe you guys cannot figure this out in time.
At first we thought it could be something simply achievable.
As of recently we've learned things are far more complex.

To be honest, in order to craft such a software that we need for this task,
I'd think that a good sit-down-chat with Skwas, the programmer behind S3D, would be required.
http://s3d.skwas.com/about.aspx

If there is a way to contact this guy and if he's willing to shine a light on this issue
and give us a hand, then probably coding this piece of software could become childplay.

His email is skwas@skwas.net. Maybe someone with a bigger "name" such as Hansolo could give it a go? =)

[REV_BL!TZKR!EG]

i like to see this heavy here activity while Prozedurmeister and I are trying to find new ways.

His email is skwas@skwas.net. Maybe someone with a bigger "name" such as Hansolo could give it a go? =)

Same problem as with all modders on Subsim: I talked to Skwasjer in summer (or last year) and have not read or heard any lifesine ever since. Same with Dion/NYGM, Canovaro (x-TBT), Neal Stevens........ really most of all over there.

So yes, I did give that a try, but no, no response - since months.

All we can do is take Shark's input into consideration. Gunnar? What do you think about Shark's questions? Do you know more?

[Philipp Thomsen]

Discussing only does not bring us closer to a reasonable solution!
Obviously it is not sufficient to only overwrite the existing Duplicate-Node-IDs,
because S3D apparently changes other things too: Shark is good when writing about the index!!!

Because BK and I are not so good at practicing with S3D, we therefore need more detailed information:

• Where and how precisely do you guys change the IDs -> all steps needed
• We need ALL the resulting files of at least two units for a comparison to see what S3D changes in ALL files per unit

I therefore kindly ask you to submit us example files for at least two units (all files per unit)
so that we can try to find what the nodes and changes mean and how S3D does all this.

Only then we can extend our working program that now writes the IDs errorfree (bugs fixed)
but also rewrites the connected nodes and the index

Let me help you, Proz.

1) Download S3D if you don't have it.
2) Open S3D, open ANY .dat/dsd/sim/zon file in S3D
3) Expand ANY node, find the ID line (on the top right)
4) Click "NEW" besides the ID, S3D will generate another ID for it.
5) Save-as a new file, so you have both the old and the new to compare.

Now you can explore both files and check all the differences using whatever tools you prefer, like hex editor.

Here's the location of the ID and "new":

[Prozedurmeister]

Blitz and I are sitting at this problem and we found out that the Dup-Finder only lists the MAIN CHUNK IDs, nothing else. He simply skips all other occurances of duplicates and does not mention them!

=> This is the reason why our Dup-Killer could not work with the results of the Dup-Finder!

We have today finished new code that finds also all the other IDs that are connected to the Main Chunk ID that Dup-Finder lists in its results.

This is the output of our new code

found: 0CD4420B8480A380 at offset #00000032/$00000020
found: 0CD4420B8480A380 at offset #00827263/$000C9F7F <- this is the only one found by the Dup-Finder!!!
found: 0CD4420B8480A380 at offset #00827292/$000C9F9C
found: 0CD4420B8480A380 at offset #00827404/$000CA00C
found: 0CD4420B8480A380 at offset #00827497/$000CA069
found: 0CD4420B8480A380 at offset #01664188/$001964BC

We are now discussing how to write all additional findings

Greetings from Blitz and me!

[Prozedurmeister]

Yes. Correct.

Now we need to get feedback from you Gunnar and you, Philipp.

Please take a look at the log file and tell us if these functions are enough for you.

[HanSolo78]

... can you upload the programme?

Not before you have commented the logfile

A logfile is theory... from my point of view it should work. But I am no coder and do not have knowledge of SH3 file code.
So.. if we could test ist, we would know more!

EDIT: Accomplished my mission of fixing duplicated IDs for the sea folder !!  ??? ;D DUplicated IDs->Sea folder -> zero/0/nothing !!!!

[REV_TheShark]

A logfile is theory???

Have you taken a look at the logfile yes or no?
To me it looks as if the new version shows pretty well what it does and does what you wanted - as far as that can be guessed. So please say clearly what you want or need.

@han
Note that you make colaboration really difficult when you never answer clearly when you are asked something. Same with my comments - you did not react on ANY of my 4 posts!
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@Blitz and all others:
I thought my posts were no useless trash and could help the matter , but
If I am totally ignored by HAN here, I will not bother about helping with WAC anymore.

What I am reluctant to do is waste my time on niggerwork that a Blitz-tool is going to do anyway - one week earlier or later does not matter...