Spring RTS Engine

Would someone walk me through the process of how to create a useable SD7 or SDZ file using 7Zip or WinRar? I've poked all over those programs and I can't figure out how to compress files to those formats. (I've read that 7z is just renamed SD7, but when I try that Spring tells me I have an access violation at a particular hex value when it tried to read the files or just ignores the them entirely.)

Spring won't read any of the zipped file formats I've tried feeding it, so I wanted to know if someone could explain how I could create files that the game actually CAN read.

(The uncompressed contents are perfectly fine and readable, but also rather large.)

I've tried:
-UFO (for maps which it refused to read)
-7z (Which it ignores)
-sd7 (renamed 7z, it gives me the same access violation, whether or not the "solid archive" check box is used. Or the game ignores it.)
-Hpi (Game just ignores it)
-Zip (Game ignores it)
-Rar (Game ignores it)
-SDZ (renamed 7z, game gives back same access violation. Or the game ignores it.)
-Uncompressed (Game loves it and lets me use the maps I'm trying to compress, but this file state is undesireable.)

I considered more Hpi based archives, but decided it was probably not worth the bother as the game was just ignoreing them unless they were for units, *shrug*.

I've been using the reload maps feature on the TASclient, and then the select map to determine if the maps are viable or not.

Little help here? I need some sort of walkthrough as to just exactly HOW WinRar or 7zip are supposed to make Spring compatable zip files? Cause all my attempts are coming up flat.

These settings work fine for mods, and should also work fine for maps:

It's the non-solid part that matters the most.

As for sdz... well, if you can't manage making a zip file and renaming it, maybe you should reconsider your modmaking career...

If it's for a mod, are you sure you made a modinfo file? Regardless of the mod it needs one... and if it's single player (loading spring directly), it's not going to work unless you replace the XTA file (I recommend using the LAN server instead).

Try using sdz again, BUT first put the stuff in a zip file with normal compression, then change the extension to .sdz.

http://taspring.clan-sy.com/wiki/Mod_De ... t:Archives

What exactly are you trying to PUT in this archive?

I have noticed problem too ...

i took maps which are usually rared ... and tried repack them into .sd7 ...

no matter what config i used ... minimap was in battlescreen totally blank
but map was working ...

strange is .sdz was ok

Gnome, you don't need to be rude. I've tried the whole renaming thing.. I even tried .... Hmmm... (And then a thought occured to me.. "Do map files HAVE to be in a subdirectory called 'maps'? inside the zips?" Having omitted this particular detail from all my attempts at zipping, and having noticed that all map zips have their files in this directory.. Perhaps this is the detail that EVERYONE has failed to include... <Goes to test it out.> WOOT! It doesn't give me that stupid error! But now there's no mini map! Gak!)

You people really should point that little detail out instead of <ahem> some of you saying I'm incompetant. Spring won't load the map files unless they're in a directory in the zip called 'maps'.

Having said this, I ask foolishly if somone can now explain why the mini map in the TASclient has a black screen now that I've managed to finally get the map file to work? (I think an entry should be put in the wiki to point out that maps won't load when compressed, unless they're compressed into the right directory.)

And yes, in retrospect it's very clear that all TA units and such are like this, but I'd never attempted to insert content otherwise. (I've done lots of units and such but I'd just copied and pasted as it was, as opposed to grabbing uncompressed files and zipping them myself. Also when I asked for help everyone kept assuming that I was incapable of renaming files. )

Oh and Dwarden that blank thing happens in SD7 also.

I'm going to go see if I can compress skyboxes now....
Ah good that works too...

Good, good... So abou the mini map, Why does it: A) Look all staticy or B) not show up at all?

well, not to be rude, but if it doesnt work, the _obviously_ first thing i would to would take a look at a packed map that works... and see the included directory structure :)

IMSabbel wrote:well, not to be rude, but if it doesnt work, the _obviously_ first thing i would to would take a look at a packed map that works... and see the included directory structure :)

IMSabbel i'm quite sure that directory structure was correct ... (exactly same in .sd7 (not working minimap) and in .sdz (working minimap))

so problem lays somewhere else than directory structure in "my" case ...

prolly some issue with 7-zip itself ? i tried all possible configs for compression you can get with LZMA 7z compression , using version 4.26

Somewhat related I've found another problem that seems to be mainly client related. When I try to have more than one map in a single .sd7 it starts to complain about sunparser errors, it doesn't seem to have any real effect beyond that for me but others have told me their client crash and/or they don't even see the maps.

I would like to have all the maps in a single .sd7 as they share a tile file and if I can't have them in the same .sd7 I have to have the tile file uncompressed in the maps directory which increases the size by quite a lot.

More than one map in an archive was broken, but I fixed it a while back. But I guess I forgot to update unitsync.dll which also uses that code..