Easier porting of cars/track between the game proper and DevMode

Discussion in 'Wish Lists' started by ethone, May 2, 2012.

  1. ethone

    ethone Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 30, 2011
    Messages:
    1,153
    Likes Received:
    37
    I wish there was an easier porting mechanism to get cars/tracks from the proper game into DevMode. Unpacking and "rebuilding" the folder structure and references in .scn/.gen/.veh files seems terribly unnecessary to me, given that the content is already installed in working order.

    For me that procedure is only for "passive" content anyway. I can't properly test and develop a track with just the rTrainer, so I need other cars. I have the FR3.5 in semi-working condition (crashes occasionally and wet tires aren't working), same for the GT-R (no sounds, as that .mas is encrypted. Way to go!). I'm in no need to actually mod any of those cars so I'd be quite happy if DevMode were just able to read them in their rfcmp/installed state and let me drive them across my in-development track.
    Likewise, car modellers can't develop their physics in particular by just running Joesville. And likewise, they hardly need to change any aspect of the track, just a working track like found in the game proper.

    Releasing two versions of each car/track again seems terribly unnecessary to me.
    So: Either let us port tracks to DevMode more easily or let it directly read and use content installed in the game proper.
     
  2. Marek Lesniak

    Marek Lesniak Car Team Staff Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    Messages:
    1,585
    Likes Received:
    101
    I think the easiest way, would be to just enable mas file support in DevMode. I'm also tired with all the hassle we have with moving content to DevMode.
     
  3. Johannes Rojola

    Johannes Rojola Registered

    Joined:
    Sep 8, 2011
    Messages:
    1,038
    Likes Received:
    38
    Why DevMode just cannot read tracks and cars that have been installed to single play mode? Is this just too much to ask? Why we have to install (with a lot of trouble) same stuff twice at two different locations. Oh come on...

    In normal development environment, "devmode" is built inside the actual game which is normally activated through button or different runtime. This system is just - sorry - fk'd up.
     
  4. websta

    websta Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2012
    Messages:
    186
    Likes Received:
    1
    a bit ship in a bottle.
     
  5. tjc

    tjc Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2012
    Messages:
    5,884
    Likes Received:
    404
    +1 for an easier way to get cars and tracks into dev mode. I don`t do any modding or the like (yet) but would like to try different things in dev mode and do some "experimenting" but it is a bit of a nightmare trying to put other cars etc into dev mode as it is now...

    A change to this that makes it a good deal easier would be very much appreciated. :)
     
  6. Joe Campana

    Joe Campana Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 19, 2012
    Messages:
    129
    Likes Received:
    2
    Ok, first off, of course both modmode.exe and the viewer support loading from mas files. But we really don't want you to work content directly from the Installed area, because any changes you might make, even if unintentional, will break the component. So I have an "Unpackage" option in the packager, but I haven't implemented it yet. It's pretty easy to move an installed component into the mod area to work on it. Just copy all the mas files over. For example, just copy all the mas files from Installed\Locations\ISI_LimeRockPark_2012\1.0 to ModDev\Locations\LRP or whatever subdir you want. Extract the .scn file from whichever mas file it is in. Open the .scn file and uncomment any references to mas files, and any include paths - if you've made a track before, you would be familiar with the process of adding paths and mas references to the .scn file. Then you should be able to view in either modmode or the viewer. I've done this myself with Croft and a few other 3rd party tracks - just did it again to verify that this procedure works in both the viewer and modmode, took under 5 minutes to move an installed cmp to modmode.
     
  7. jtbo

    jtbo Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2012
    Messages:
    1,668
    Likes Received:
    48
    With cars, I think this is easiest procedure:
    http://isiforums.net/f/showwiki.php?title=rF2+how+to+get+ISI+car+to+dev+mode

    For night testing, with my car you will easily spot if some objects does not have correct flags set etc. Also very easy to get into modmode as you just need to extract into moddev folder and everything should be placed correctly so you can go and test tracks easily.
    http://jtbo.pp.fi/tiedostot/rfactor/Volvo300_0.21_rf2_dev.zip

    If car is slow, here are better motors for it.

    http://isiforums.net/f/showthread.php/6917-Volvo300-%28WIP%29?p=123152&viewfull=1#post123152


    With tracks, I just drag them from installed to moddev locations and that seems to be enough, need to extract cam file to get cameras to work I think, but haven't needed to do anything else, as long as I have my vehicle's location filters as a *
     
  8. Satangoss

    Satangoss Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    7
    It's a nightmare.

    I'd like to create different lines for each car in AIW file but the workload to bring any car except the Trainer into DevMode discourages me.
     
  9. Lgel

    Lgel Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 24, 2014
    Messages:
    1,267
    Likes Received:
    365
    Why don't you use the excellent tool from Noel Hibbard, Extract. I bring a track or car to DevMod in two clicks (sometimes I have to edit in spinner and gen path to mas files if they have a different path already).

    I pack a new version in less than 30s with the same tool by clicking on the mft.

    No I am not part of Noel's commercial venture, his tool is free and available in the modding tools in this forum.

    Thanks once more Noel.

    Cheers.
     
  10. Emery

    Emery Registered

    Joined:
    Oct 24, 2010
    Messages:
    3,035
    Likes Received:
    1,654
    How about using the AIW from replay feature? Bring a replay file from regular mode into DevMode to make the AIW?
     
  11. Jka

    Jka Member Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2011
    Messages:
    954
    Likes Received:
    213
    hmm...

    DevMode can read masses directly nowdays. If I recall it correctly, workflow went like this:

    - open explorer and go to x:\xxxx\Documents\rFactor2\Installed\Vehicles - folder
    - check out foldername of your car, which you want to DevMode
    - create identical folder in x:\xxxx\Documents\rFactor2\ModDev\Vehicles
    - surf back to rFactor2\Installed\Vehicles - folder and under there to version number folder
    - copy all masses to \ModDev\Vehicles\YourDevModeCar - folder
    - launch DevMode and you should see the car listed, which you just "installed"

    I think this should work recently updated cars. I'm not sure if very old car components work this way though...

    CORRECTION! You need to extract car's GEN file and look at the folder name there. Its not always same with \Installed\Vehicles\InstalledCar - folder.

    I just copied FISI2012 to DevMode (using workflow above, except folder name) and it works just fine.
     
  12. Lazza

    Lazza Registered

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2010
    Messages:
    12,345
    Likes Received:
    6,572
    If you're at all familiar with the file structure of cars/tracks it's probably a 20 min job the first time, 5 mins each time after that. Often faster. That's manually.

    Also, generally you only need to extract one or two MAS files, the rest can stay as they are if you aren't changing anything.
     
  13. Satangoss

    Satangoss Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    7
    Thanks for the suggestions above guys, I'll try to port some cars to DevMode right now.
     
  14. Satangoss

    Satangoss Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    7
    First try... FAIL! lol ;)

    [​IMG]
     
  15. Hazi

    Hazi Registered

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2012
    Messages:
    917
    Likes Received:
    146
    Same here - it`s the Corvette right?
     
  16. Euskotracks

    Euskotracks Registered

    Joined:
    Nov 29, 2013
    Messages:
    1,092
    Likes Received:
    191
    I used to port cars without problems in the past but with the corvette and other newer cars I get the same problem as the picture above.

    When you load the track you need to skip some error messages of unfound textures that are actually in the same folder. I guess that the team folder must be present.


    Enviado desde mi SM-G130HN mediante Tapatalk
     
  17. Satangoss

    Satangoss Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    7
    It should be a Megane. Apparently the game engine uses the same low-poly temp car when some files are "missing".
     
  18. Satangoss

    Satangoss Registered

    Joined:
    Jun 2, 2011
    Messages:
    1,123
    Likes Received:
    7
    Guys, please have a look into VEH files.

    The graphics address is pointed at the first few lines of this file.

    [​IMG]

    Regardless, you can unpack all MAS files in the root directory, which will certainly be pointed in all dependent files. And yes, drop the teams files in the root as well.

    Not the most optimized way to do the things but works.
     

Share This Page