Theater conversion from 4.33 to 4.34
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Gents this is a chapter I wanted to be in the tech manual but I wasn’t able to write it not being a theater developer myself. So this post if formatted correctly could certainly be used as the back bone for the well needed new chapter of the technical manual.
I’ll be listening, and don’t be afraid to be exhaustive so that even me can understand the step by steps required -
Art folder is important to convert
You can translate your theater current bin DB files in xml files=> open BMS Editor, go to “File” then “Save DB to XML”. After that a lot of work wait you to check/compare your dedicated theater xml file with the stock BMS’s one
You can also convert you cam/tac files by using the “Convert” function in MC tool (Mission Commander)
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Convert your new POH 4.34 theater, folder by folder. I mean first convert the Art folder, then the campaign folder, etc. Leave last, the hard work, that is the koreaobj folder. When you finish the DB conversion, then you will have to come back to Art and Campaign folders to fine tune them. I am assuming you are familiar with the various files in Art and Campaign folders.
Now, when it comes to the DB, extract the 4.33 POH DB using the 3ddbbuilder tool. As you said, you’ll get 3 folders. We are only interested in the parents folder that was created. In the meantime, since we are still in 4.33, you can still play around with Lodeditor and modify your models as you wish. The new .lods can be placed directly within the Parents folder in the appropriate subfolder.
Then, create a new 4.34 POH Koreaobj folder and copy & paste there the default KTO koreaobj files. Extract them with the famous new tool (3ddbuilder). What you’ll get are, again, three folders (LODs, Parents and Textures).
Now, the first thing you should do is to import the POH Features (customise taxiways, runways, radars etc.). We need them first in order to import later on the objectives. Leave vehicles and units at the very last.
Here, you have to take a breath and study the xml structure of the falcon4ct.xml. Use BMS editor if you want or notepad++. You have to check where KTO CTs finish in order to continue adding new stuff. I mean you cannot just begin and import new POH stuff on top of KTO db.
This is a step that is kind of difficult to explain in plain english. Just take your time to understand what you have to do. I am assuming again that you are an experienced theater creator, otherwise it gets trickier.
This is exactly the type of information that I needed at this stage, Mystic! Guidelines to start.
Thank you so much, that will keep me in motion for the next months, hopefully.
And thanks to all of you guys for your help and support!
Cheers, Mate!
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@Bad:
You can translate your theater current bin DB files in xml files=> open BMS Editor, go to “File” then “Save DB to XML”.
The problem is that (at least at this stage) I cannot access my old DB files with the new BMS Editor. Everytime I open it, it shows “Iberia” as the selected theater but all the visualized DB structure is the stock KTO one.
Maybe I have to update first all the other folders, and then get back to it.
Thank you
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Hey all.
So, DB is one big thing here, and much probably what will give us the most workload regarding theater converting to 4.34.
But, just to be clear, and eventually take out of the big adventure; the tiles/textures, elevations, object positioning (TE work) and the “Stations+ILS” field-work…Any of these will need re-work to get compatible with BMS4.34?
Have seen already the new Stations+ILS that have all the new freq fields, and also know there are freq ranges reserved for the intraflight comms…
Can we just grab the old file and include all the new freqs?Thankyou.
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Hey all.
So, DB is one big thing here, and much probably what will give us the most workload regarding theater converting to 4.34.
But, just to be clear, and eventually take out of the big adventure; the tiles/textures, elevations, object positioning (TE work) and the “Stations+ILS” field-work…Any of these will need re-work to get compatible with BMS4.34?
Thankyou.
Station+Ils needs major overhaul with all new frequencies
Be careful it’s best to not have frequency sharing between agencies
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Big thank you for all 3rd party developers as well! I can imagine the new bms release will yield a lot of work and finding out new stuff. I would say: take your time. And note that your contributions are very much appreciated too. It will be an awesome gift to the community when due time comes.
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Just a heads up here.
Those XML’s Looks great in Excel and might be very helpful for future updates and keeping track what was done what’s new etc.
BUT
one thing I found for us europeans. The code always uses the dot . as comma for numbers.
So before open it or editing with excel you must change your locale to switch decimal with thousands symbol.
Else when you save it 0.0000 will become just 0example original value:
<fineupdaterange>304000.000</fineupdaterange>
resulting same line with european locale:
<fineupdaterange>304000</fineupdaterange>
I don’t know if it will affect the code, since it’s just zeroes???
On the other hand if it’s not affected you will loose the reference it’s a decimal number (integer) and you can use those decimal values for your theater.Now this happens only when decimals are just zeroes.
If the value is
0.7in excel u see it as
0,7when you export it to XML it is
0.7so everything is fine.
Now why freeking excel?
Well I’m good at it :lol:
you can add columns for your discretion to filter data and put your flags to help you for the future update and do the conversion in a snap.
One nice flag would be like your theater name, declaring that this entry is for your theater.
Another nice flag, altered/new. Altered will mean you changed a falcon entry. New will mean a totally new entry to the database.
Third a unique index for your theater things…Having those (just looked at those for 5 minutes guys) when a new database comes it’s just a function away to spot changes and where your data should go. With a little bit of magic (maybe VB macro) even merge things automatically.
Now for now this can be done in an extend like parents and lods but for the rest its an ouch!
For the future it will be easy to spot values changes and if some missing to point it out. Just conditional formatting in excel…Hmmm Klobe since you are in to it and you know the inner of this… I mean the profile and keyboard commands must be harder than this.
like import old , import new and display conflicts and suggest - select changes to apply. like old or new will go to the new XML?
Add a record and shift all record numbers +1… etc…oh I got tired…
Helllooooo Community… are you listening?
Anyone good with Excel and up for the task?
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hmmm thinking out loud here…
from 4.33.5 we can have the directory listing for the db with the new 3ddbtool.
If we - I can get this structure in excel like with dos command Dir print to file and then import it in excel also the same with the new structure we can have a quick comparison of models data. well not the actual models and knowledge which still is vanila and which is altered. but we can easily spot the new ones… and maybe from file size (?) spot alterations in same CT#.oh dear…
Now for the previous post…
we must have
B. before (like POH theater)
V. vanila (like new Korea DB)
A. after. (like new POH theater)
Flag them (we must keep the flags when time comes for the before and have.
1 spot new entries (easy) and flag them to be passed to the export sheet.
spot alterations for the same entries and ask which to keep B or V.
Inherit the alterations and new entries for the rest of the affected xml files… I believe there are common keys or indexes that point from one to the other… Flag them (text and color) and ask for selection which to transfer to the export sheet.
Now for new columns… just color them and ask for value input line by line or ask and use common value just to get going and leave this for later on. like yea I want to see my theater working to be sure I’ll deal with the details later on…
It would be nice on the (mother file) to designate also which other files must or should be looked after before final exports.
in Export select which to export or all.
hmmm maybe some testing area like please hold like a history of 1 2 3 sets I made to test and I’ll decide later on which will make it for the final export.hmmm nice challenge… big excel… reminds me my youth where I made the first ever, yes globally first build to order pc catalog with just excel… with updates on products and agility on selections, with compatibility checks, and ofcourse retail offer print out, I even had and accessories in the last versions… :lol:
well I still don’t see hands raising in the air to take the challenge???
All those coders out there… ain’t you ashamed to let to do this in excel???
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Why do you want to use excel with the XML database ? Simply use Notepad++
What do you want to do exactly ?
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For all the stations+ils.dat work as well as the flight comm file, best to use MC to modify these files.
Helps a lot for checking correct freqs as well as double use etc.Gr Falcas
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About XML use or editing. Never do this directly in the files itself. Always use the BMSeditor!!!
You have been warnedGr Falcas
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@Bad:
Why do you want to use excel with the XML database ? Simply use Notepad++
What do you want to do exactly ?
Notepad++ u can’t multi compare (more than 2 and maybe winmerge is better for this) and u get lost to the thousands of lines.
With Excel u have them there in the corner and you can add flags to help you out.
well Falcas better to have and manipulate them all in one tool instead of 2 3 4 tools.
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You dont need excel for the xml files. If you want to compare use the examdiff tool. I’ve used it extensivelly, along with notepad++.
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@Nuno:
The problem is that (at least at this stage) I cannot access my old DB files with the new BMS Editor. Everytime I open it, it shows “Iberia” as the selected theater but all the visualized DB structure is the stock KTO one.
Maybe I have to update first all the other folders, and then get back to it.
Thank you
I do not know if it could help, but if I remember corectly, when changing theatre in EDITOR, it is good (or even necessary?) to close it then reopen it.
BB could confirm as he is more accustomed to change the target DB for TvT.
I don’t know if it has been said or written somewhere, but you don’t need ALL the DB files, now you can just apply “deltas” on parts of DB … take a look to TvT database.
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About XML use or editing. Never do this directly in the files itself. Always use the BMSeditor!!!
You have been warnedGr Falcas
I fully concur.
However, on some VERY specific cases, using Notepad++ may be usefull to make research or batch replace.
To be used EXTREMELY CAREFULLY , errors are very easy to be introduced and likely to happens … Anytime it is possible, pefer a dedicated tool as Cars said.I do REALLY not recommend Excel for DB files for the resons Arty mentioned. Excel may be good for UI files.
Another very nice and usefull feature is the export/import to work on Objectives.
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Another very nice and usefull feature is the export/import to work on Objectives.
Dee-Jay
When you mention export/import to work on objectives, do you mean using that function in Notepad ++?
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@Nuno:
Dee-Jay
When you mention export/import to work on objectives, do you mean using that function in Notepad ++?
Nope. In BMS Editor.
Go in “Objective”, either “Export” the entire Objective , or you can select the features you want in the feature list and “Export Selected”. The. You can import them elswhere. Useful in many cases when working on Objectives (at least for me it is usefull).
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I like excel and manage well working with excel.
Used it to check stations+ils for poh, exporting original (official version) to make my changes, including detection of duplicates of tcn channels, comms freqs, association of IDs, etc… even created my new file from excel… using vba scripting.
Anyways, bms DB is still a big mistery me…Cheers and keep it up.
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Anyways, bms DB is still a big mistery me…
Sometimes to us also Even with coder’s help it can be tricky. Something I’ve learned working on it with my team mates: Do not trust your “feelings/believes” nor what you are witnessing in game. Sometimes “pragmatism” is a good bet … Sometimes not.