[REL|SA] Map Cleaner

[dertyjerzian]

@Steve-M

 

Although this will be very awesome, especially because I have a much smaller than SA scale mod in mind that I am researching right now, I'm wondering something a little off topic here.

 

My question is this: Do you see a promise in modding the existing game? As in, developing it further? To build where there is much countryside and so forth? What are your feelings on this? Being explicit would be very much appreciated, bro. Thanks.

[illspirit]

This seems to work:

 

[steve-m]

not for me though...

 

 

another vierd thing happened with my ide file - i did remove all paths but still seen one normal boat created ingame also are airport locations hard-coded?? because they are still in stripped version.

Yea, I noticed this too. There must be some boats that use the tracks*.dat files or whatever, no idea why.

Edit: illy just found out the paths are compiled somehow, maybe into nodes*.dat??

 

As for airports, no idea, probably hardcoded. At least I didn't find anything that might define them.

 

@dertyjerzian: Not without massively hacking it, I guess. Let me quote this R* guy again:

 

GS: With this new, streaming map, is there any limit to the size that the world map can be? What creates this limit if there is one?

 

John Whyte: There are always limits! There are limits to the number of objects that can be in any section of the map, and this determines more than anything the density of objects in the game. Some of the city sections have effectively maxed out the game in its current form. If we wanted to increase the density of objects, then we would have to go back to the code and rewrite it to handle much larger numbers. (Technically speaking, there are a lot of structures in code that rely on 8-bit indexing to save space.)

So if there are limits per sections, you might be able to add additional objects in the countryside, but not in the cities. But we still have to find out a lot more about that, like what those sections are, and how exactly the LOD groups are assigned. Furthermore, water and seabed outside the 6000² map area are hardcoded, what would have to be disabled as well.

[Fro]

edited

Edited June 26, 2005 by Fro

[ThePengwin]

Hey there everyone

 

Im kinda new and i dont know too much but id like to help. Ive tried everything that other people have said and my game still keeps crashing. could someone show some kind of stepthrough on everything they did? id really like to make my own GTA i reckon it would be neat.

 

edit: im soo stoopid!

I didnt realise you had to mod the SA scenario. i got it working fine. i think i have an idea about those boats. they could have actually made it so that boats are randomly generated, like the cars, except where there is water. boats wernt all that usefull in SA and they probably put them in for eye candy. i might have a look into removing them.

Edited June 26, 2005 by ThePengwin

[steve-m]

i think i have an idea about those boats. they could have actually made it so that boats are randomly generated, like the cars, except where there is water. boats wernt all that usefull in SA and they probably put them in for eye candy. i might have a look into removing them.

No there are also peds and cars on the empty map, although all the ipl files (with paths) were removed. Paths seem to be compiled into the nodes*.dat files, that are in the img. Removing the "dontbuildpaths" from stream.ini doesn't help, so we'd probably have to code our own path compiler.

[ThePengwin]

hmm thats a bummer

 

Neways now that the map is blank how do you remake a map? ivesearched the net and only found a map editor for GTA3 and VC. ive tried to trick it into taking San andreas maps but they arent showing up. is there a plain ordinary free IPL map file editor?

[RainingAcid]

So much for "modding support". What about the gta_quick.dat?

[steve-m]

What about the gta_quick.dat?

Not used, and wouldn't work either.

[chaos1]

why are u trying to remove the map?

[ThePengwin]

well trying to remove the map is the first step in making your own. start off with a clean slate. that kinda stuff. it also helps to show how San andreas works because did a dirty big number on its coding

[RainingAcid]

What about the gta_quick.dat?

Not used, and wouldn't work either.

So, what about adding stuff?

[ThePengwin]

Ive done some looking into this infinte map buisness and ive found something intresting. on the edge of the map you can see the border of the land underwater. this dosent look to promising in making the map bigger. it looks like the map is repeated.

[Knife]

It is full stop. You can tell because of generally the water around the edges of the map are hard coded (me thinks)

[Gforce]

This seems to work:

 

sure does, after many many manual attempts i got things working that way.

 

then i got some help off someone , and now i have myriad in too.

[Fro]

Dude, you've got Myriad in San Andreas?

 

PICS, my boy! Show us the pics!

 

 

EDIT:

In backing up my files, what are the essentials? I dont have enough space to do a full backup. Only data files?

Edited June 29, 2005 by Fro

[ThePengwin]

all i backed up is the data folder

 

i dont think the cleaner does anything to the other files but it would be wise to back up everything

[steve-m]

 

Dude, you've got Myriad in San Andreas?

 

PICS, my boy! Show us the pics!

Lots of screens have been posted in Myriad's PPT and even on gtasanan.com.

 

 

i dont think the cleaner does anything to the other files but it would be wise to back up everything

You should read the readme, 'cause that's what it's for...

You don't need to backup your whole data directory. All the tool modifies is gta.dat, gta3.img and gta_int.img, you only need to backup these 3.

[steve-m]

Just uploaded a slightly updated version of the Map Cleaner, see first post. Besides a small bug fix the settings in illspirit's screenshot are default now, so you just need to specify you SA directory and press start. Also, I reduced the memory of the stripped scm, so it's much smaller now.

 

Although it works for some people, I'm not able to run a stripped version of SanAn without the loading routine entering that infinite loop of doom. However, as soon as I add custom objects (like a part of Myriad) it does work. Strange.

[RainingAcid]

Ok, this is a neat tool. However, my question remains unanwersed.

All I want to to is add stuff to SA as Ocram did.

[suzumebachi]

we're still a ways off from that RainingAcid, as we have no mappers yet. so anything added would have to be either done by hand, or copied (like myriad).

 

(correct me if i'm wrong)

[Opius]

Steve, wouldn't the SPLASH entries in gta.dat be responsible for the weird splash screens? It seems to me that once it gets to that line (ie. it's loaded everything before it) it changes the splash screen.

[Andy80586]

How can you guys tell the map is split into 8x8 sections?

[AleXXX]

The excellent program! As against the version 0.3, this version works.

CJ to like this program, but where ground?!

[dertyjerzian]

So can there be now, like, a new post by someone in the know, of all that is known so far about *deleting SA and *putting new land in?

[Andy80586]

As for limits, I definitely found some yesterday when I was looking at some asm code... you can't have map file ids higher than 20,000 and there might be an IDE limit at 12,000. The TXD limit might be around 5000. I also found a -3000, 3000, and 750 in the data section right next to each other (the 6000x6000 map might be divided into 64 squares). But I don't know what the squares do or what their purpose is even though it should be fairly simple to make more of them.

[aad]

Just uploaded a slightly updated version of the Map Cleaner, see first post. Besides a small bug fix the settings in illspirit's screenshot are default now, so you just need to specify you SA directory and press start. Also, I reduced the memory of the stripped scm, so it's much smaller now.

 

Although it works for some people, I'm not able to run a stripped version of SanAn without the loading routine entering that infinite loop of doom. However, as soon as I add custom objects (like a part of Myriad) it does work. Strange.

Uhm Steve-m what if you add most parts of myriad islands and start removing the rest of the lines lefs in the gta.dat will it still work or will it just crash like you explained earlier?

[man2104]

can u increasing the ipl limit by modifying [email protected](runtime memory address)?

the original value is 13000, which looks like the ide limit

Edited July 2, 2005 by man2104

[X-Seti]

Deleting that whole big map kinda hurts, (All that work??)

 

Anyhow I'm going to test out Steve's clearer tool. but just to see how it deletes the files,

because if anything has been changed in the map folder, there is a number of other files

that I think need to be considered, like the mission script file thats called at the start of

the game.

 

If there are going to be a problem in map size and txd limits, it's best I found out now, so

I can regroup my game plan, Becuase i'm trying to build all 3 maps into 1.

 

This would happen after i've joined VC and LC, and I'm 50% there already.

 

Im going to play with the GTA.Quick.dat and GTA.dat file below, but only comment lines

#out. and see how far I get, before I start the crash the game.

 

 

# GTA.dat file (1)## Load IDEs first, then the models and after that the IPLs#IMG DATA\PATHS\CARREC.IMG#IMG DATA\SCRIPT\SCRIPT.IMG  #< Dont need this #IMG MODELS\CUTSCENE.IMGSPLASH loadsc2## Object types##IDE DATA\MAPS\generic\vegepart.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\generic\barriers.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\generic\dynamic.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\generic\dynamic2.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\generic\multiobj.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\generic\procobj.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAn.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAn2.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAs.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAs2.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAe.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAe2.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAw2.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAw.IDE#IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAwn.IDE    #< Im here IDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAhills.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAisland.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\LA\LAxref.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\SF\SFn.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\SF\SFs.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\SF\SFse.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\SF\SFe.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\SF\SFw.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\SF\SFxref.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasN.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasS.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasE.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasW.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegaxref.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\country\countryN.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\country\countN2.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\country\countryS.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\country\countryE.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\country\countryW.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\country\counxref.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\int_LA.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\int_SF.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\int_veg.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\int_cont.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\leveldes\levelmap.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\leveldes\levelxre.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int1.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int2.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_intb.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int3.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int4.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int5.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\savehous.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\stadint.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\leveldes\seabed.IDE# interiorsIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\props.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\props2.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\interior\propext.IDE# vehicle upgrade modelsIDE DATA\MAPS\veh_mods\veh_mods.IDEIDE DATA\MAPS\veh_mods2\veh_mods2.IDE  #< Something else i'm trying to work out# txd parentsIDE DATA\TXDCUT.IDE# have to load map.zon before any of the IPLsIPL DATA\MAP.ZON# IPL DATA\NAVIG.ZONIPL DATA\INFO.ZON## Scene information#SPLASH loadsc2#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAn.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAn2.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAs.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAs2.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAe.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAe2.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAw.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAwn.IPL#IPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAw2.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LAhills.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\LA\LATestisland.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\SF\SFn.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\SF\SFs.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\SF\SFse.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\SF\SFe.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\SF\SFw.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasN.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasS.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasE.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\vegas\vegasW.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\country\countryN.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\country\countN2.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\country\countrys.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\country\countryE.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\country\countryW.IPL# interiorsIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\int_LA.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\int_SF.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\int_veg.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\int_cont.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int1.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int2.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_intb.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int3.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int4.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\gen_int5.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\stadint.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\interior\savehous.IPL# level design                                     < this is new?IPL DATA\MAPS\leveldes\levelmap.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\leveldes\seabed.IPLIPL DATA\MAPS\paths.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\paths2.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\paths3.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\paths4.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\paths5.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\cull.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\tunnels.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\occluSF.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\occluveg.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\occluLA.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\occluint.iplIPL DATA\MAPS\audiozon.ipl##  Interiors#SPLASH loadsc4

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[steve-m]

Steve, wouldn't the SPLASH entries in gta.dat be responsible for the weird splash screens? It seems to me that once it gets to that line (ie. it's loaded everything before it) it changes the splash screen.

That's what they should do. But commenting them out (like my tool does) doesn't seem to help much, it's still flickering on loading. I'd guess that'll stabilize as soon as we have more objects to load and a bigger mission script. Maybe there's even some sort of switch in the scm for that which I deleted.

 

 

How can you guys tell the map is split into 8x8 sections?

Well, that was just a guess since there are 64 nodes*.dat files for the compiled paths (8x8 zones, not units per zone). It seems the map is split up into 64 zones, for use with the engine's quad tree. Would be interesting to find out if these zones are only for the path nodes, or for all objects.

 

 

Uhm Steve-m what if you add most parts of myriad islands and start removing the rest of the lines lefs in the gta.dat will it still work or will it just crash like you explained earlier?

You mean those generic objects? Some of them could be removed without problems, but since we want to re-use these objects on Myriad, we keep them in.

 

 

there is a number of other files that I think need to be considered, like the mission script file thats called at the start of the game.

That's why a stripped mission script is included.

Also, you should read the first post of this topic as well as the readme that comes with the cleaner, that'll save you testing work.