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[Mod Utility] Sins Data Converter v2.1 Beta w/Rebellion support (comprehensive feature set)

By BCXtreme on March 9, 2010 6:13:37 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

BCXtreme

Join Date 04/2007
+15

I've been doing a lot of novice modding on this game for a while now, and I finally got fed up with using the ConvertData command line tool. After checking around on these forums, I found the GUI created by Harpo99999. Despite the fact that it's very good at what it does, I was unable to make good use of it because it only works for in-place conversions, and also because you can only do batch-style conversions of whole folders. So I decided to make my own alternative that is more suited to my mod development habits, and I figured it would be nice to share it with the community.

And so I would like to present the SINS DATA CONVERTER. The SDC can convert Entity, Mesh, Particle, and/or Brushes files back and forth between TXT and binary. Rather than supporting specific versions of SoaSE, it will work with whatever version is installed on your computer. If you have Entrenchment and/or Diplomacy, it will support whatever versions of those you have installed as well. If you don't have SoaSE installed at all, you can pick a custom ConvertData.exe (say, copied from your SoaSE installation at home) and have the program use that instead. The program can convert a single file, or it can convert an entire folder, or it can convert an entire folder plus its subfolders. It can either overwrite the original files with the converted ones (in-place conversion), or the converted files can be placed in another folder, leaving the original files unaltered. And it does it, in my opinion, with a cool interface...

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

  • Intel CPU (v1.3 only)
  • Windows XP/Vista/7/8 (32-bit/64-bit)
  • .NET Framework 3.0 (included on Vista/7, available for XP and 8)

 

KNOWN BUGS/LIMITATIONS

  • If doing an in-place conversion, files will be damaged if the user selects the wrong game (vanilla vs. Entrench vs. Diplo)

 

NEW IN v2.1 UPDATE

  • [Feature] Support for Rebellion
  • [Feature] Support for Windows 8
  • [Bugfix] Fixed ReferenceData Creator

 

NEW IN v2.0.1 UPDATE

  • [Feature] Diagnostic logging

 

NEW IN v2.0 UPDATE

  • [Feature] "Advanced Mode" GUI with Conversion Queue
  • [Feature] ReferenceData Creator
  • [Feature] Mod Folder Relocator
  • [Feature] Entity Manifest Creator
  • [Feature] New game verification system with custom game path support
  • [Bugfix] Program no longer stops responding during conversions
  • [Bugfix] Support added for AMD64 CPUs


NEW IN v1.3 UPDATE

  • [Feature] Support for Rebellion
  • [Feature] Support for Windows 8

 

NEW IN v1.2 UPDATE

  • [Feature] In-place conversion can now be automated by clicking a button to automatically set the output folder
  • [Feature] Files and folders can now be dragged-and-dropped onto the buttons in the program for faster source and output selection
  • [Feature] Program will now remember source, output, and custom EXE settings until it is closed
  • [Feature] You can now select subfolders to ignore when including subfolders in a conversion
  • [Feature] You can now paste folder paths into the program
  • [Bugfix] Failsafe added to ensure the user remembers to select their version of Sins before attempting to convert
  • [Bugfix] "Custom Version Selected" label re-aligned for better symmetry
  • [Bugfix] Subfolder structure of the source directory will now be properly carried over to the output directory



NEW IN v1.1 UPDATE

  • [Bugfix] Program now works on 32-bit Windows systems, including XP
  • [Bugfix] Program now works with SoaSE: Trinity
  • [Feature] SoaSE no longer has to be installed, because the user now has the option to pick a custom ConvertData.exe




This program is NOT being released and then dropped. As long as there are people downloading who want me to fix bugs and add features, I will continue to maintain the program to the best of my ability. So here are the links you'll need:

Sins Data Converter Homepage
Sins Data Converter Support Page (please make your bug reports at this link)
Download Sins Data Converter v2.1 Beta
Download Sins Data Converter v1.3 (stable version, Intel processors only)
Download Mirror for v1.2 at Weebly.com (Provided by myfist0)

I hope the community can put this utility to good use. Comments and suggestions are welcome in this topic. Also please report any additional bugs you find at the support page mentioned above.  And finally, please leave feedback here if you find this program useful, so I know there is support for continued development.

103 Replies
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Reply #51
myfist0
Join Date 01/2010
+238
August 24, 2010 10:28:37 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

SDC Setup v1.2 weebly mirror 

Direct link. No limits and fast DL speeds.

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Reply #52
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
+15
August 24, 2010 12:37:27 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Carbon016,
reply 50
I can provide a mirror on the DoV site, if you're interested, we have plenty of bandwidth to go around. Either way, thanks for keeping this updated, having a no-BS converter app that does exactly what it says with no fuss has made my life a lot easier.

edit: Heh, just got an "Invalid allocation size: 4294967295 bytes" error, maybe I should do a folder at a time

Glad to hear you're enjoying the program!

Hmm, I've never seen that error before.  Tell me, what is it you were trying to convert?

Quoting myfist0,
reply 51
SDC Setup v1.2 weebly mirror 

Direct link. No limits and fast DL speeds.

Thanks!  Updated main post with the additional link!

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Reply #53
hydrocarbn
Join Date 09/2007
+45
August 24, 2010 9:15:42 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I was converting an entire mod folder with subfolders from TXT to BIN. Apparently I'm using the older version though so I'll update and see if that fixes it.

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Reply #54
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
+15
August 27, 2010 12:17:01 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Carbon016,
reply 53
I was converting an entire mod folder with subfolders from TXT to BIN. Apparently I'm using the older version though so I'll update and see if that fixes it.

Let me know what your results are with v1.2.

 

EDIT:  Whoops, almost forgot that you can copy/paste folder paths into v1.2!  OP updated.

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Reply #55
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
+15
September 4, 2010 6:47:16 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Just so I don't have to keep checking this page every day, everyone please direct any support requests you have to the support ticket system on my website at http://support.xtremestudios.net.  This will really be the easiest way for me to handle any bug reports.

Also, for those who are interested, improvements to this program are still in the works, and you can follow this page on my website for detailed news.  That's where I'll be posting sneak previews and such as development goes forward; only the really important stuff will be posted in this topic as well.

If you have feature suggestions or feedback, this topic is still the best place for that.  Hope everyone's enjoying the program so far!

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Reply #56
walkercubed
Join Date 07/2008
+1
September 5, 2010 5:35:38 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Can I ust this to change ship allocation in any current Mod?  If so, how?  (i.e increase command and supply)

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Reply #57
myfist0
Join Date 01/2010
+238
September 5, 2010 1:11:42 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

This tool only converts files so you can mod them. If you want to start learning how to mod go to http://soase.weebly.com/modding.html or start with http://soase.weebly.com/sins-mod-set.html

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Reply #58
walkercubed
Join Date 07/2008
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September 5, 2010 9:30:06 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

OK, I understand, that this tool does not MOD.  I still have the same question.

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Reply #59
harpo99999
Join Date 02/2008
+374
September 5, 2010 9:55:54 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

walkercubed, you would first have to convert the files to text(editable) then load them in your favourite plain text editor( eg notepad OR notepad++, do not use word or other word processors as they will stuff the file format up), then alter the particular files to to the values you want & then test the mod in the dev.exe.

harpo

 

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Reply #60
walkercubed
Join Date 07/2008
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September 5, 2010 10:51:12 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

OK, so use this tool to convert them to a text file.  Then change the values.  Is it then necessary to convert back to a bin file?  Then test by useing the dev.exe command instead of the normal startup .exe.

So where do I find the particular values that I'm looking for?  (i.e. supply and command)

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Reply #61
myfist0
Join Date 01/2010
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September 5, 2010 11:40:02 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Not that these questions have anything to do with this topic but OK.

Is it then necessary to convert back to a bin file? 

No  http://soase.weebly.com/sins-mod-set.html

So where do I find the particular values that I'm looking for?  (i.e. supply and command)

GameInfo\RESEARCHSUBJECT_MAXCAPITALSHIPS<RACE><LEVEL>.entity

GameInfo\RESEARCHSUBJECT_MAXSHIPSLOTS<RACE><LEVEL>.entity

Any more questions you should start a thread.

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Reply #62
walkercubed
Join Date 07/2008
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September 6, 2010 1:38:59 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Thanks, and quite right.

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Reply #63
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
+15
January 1, 2011 2:56:23 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had a great holiday season, especially with Ironclad's announcement of continued development on Sins.  The Sins modding community seems to be thriving, and thus I'm announcing the continuation of work on Sins Data Converter.  You can read about the what's in store for the next major update at the Sins Data Converter homepage.

Remember, ongoing development means the floor is open for suggestions and ideas of how to further improve this utility.  I look forward to hearing any thoughts you may have about the current state of the tool, or about the coming update!

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Reply #64
Ryu-no-o
Join Date 11/2008
+1
January 7, 2011 7:16:17 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

You should probably make it so the directories for the three conversion.exe that came with the game can be changed.

I've installed my SINS game to somewhere other than the default location and I have to run the convert.exe as a custom one to get to work.

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Reply #65
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
+15
January 16, 2011 3:47:02 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Quoting Ryu-no-o,
reply 64
You should probably make it so the directories for the three conversion.exe that came with the game can be changed.

I've installed my SINS game to somewhere other than the default location and I have to run the convert.exe as a custom one to get to work.

The program looks for the game directory as it's stored in your system registry.  The only way the situation you're describing should be happening is if you did not install SoaSE through Impulse, but rather copy/pasted it from the original install directory.

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Reply #66
Admiral_Kiernyc
Join Date 09/2007
+10
February 13, 2011 9:44:59 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Hey when I try to convert a file the program stops responding and then when I tell it to end it says "Conversion Complete" but there's nothing in the output folder I had it sent to. I'm using Windows 7 64-Bit. Can anyone help me

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Reply #67
Ryat
Join Date 06/2006
+333
February 13, 2011 9:46:59 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

It may have issues with the new update.

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Reply #68
Admiral_Kiernyc
Join Date 09/2007
+10
February 13, 2011 9:59:51 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

You mean the current version 1.011 diplo and 1.051 entrench, etc?

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Reply #69
Ryat
Join Date 06/2006
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February 13, 2011 10:10:05 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

No the latest Beta 1.19 Diplomacy

As for the stop responding sometimes programs will "stop responding" (aka they stop talking to windows lol ) but will resume later. Try waiting a bit.

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Reply #70
Admiral_Kiernyc
Join Date 09/2007
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February 15, 2011 8:04:27 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Well I got it working!

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Reply #71
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
+15
February 18, 2011 10:08:25 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

The current release of the program (v1.2) does stop responding while it is performing the conversion.  The next update will fix this problem.

By default, this program utilizes the ConvertData executables that come with the game.  So, if you have the new beta (1.19), you therefore have the new beta ConvertData exes, and I have no idea if those are backwards-compatible with files from the current stable version (1.011).

Hopefully this weekend I will be able to get a post up on the program website that talks more about some of the new features coming in the v2.0 update.  Progress has been good, and I don't have too much more work to do on it.

EDIT:  Overview of what's coming in v2.0 is now up at the official website (link in the OP)!

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Reply #72
Sinperium
Join Date 02/2010
+207
March 3, 2011 1:56:09 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Version 2.0 looks awesome!  Great work man! (nice clean website too).

Looking forward to release--make it skinnable!

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Reply #73
BCXtreme
Join Date 04/2007
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March 19, 2011 2:41:41 PM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Version 2.0 is available for download now!  This version has a greatly expanded feature set, and I was unable to test it extensively.  As such, this is a BETA release and it may contain major bugs.  If you do find a bug, send it to me on the support page linked to in the main post.  Full changelog is available in the main post.

Thanks for downloading, and I hope you enjoy the new release!

NOTE:  Sins Data Converter fully supports Diplomacy/Trinity v1.2, as far as I know.  If you have Diplo/Trinity v1.2 installed, you will need to use a custom ConvertData.exe (available elsewhere on these forums) in order to convert files from previous versions of Diplomacy.  Entrenchment and Original Sins should be unaffected.

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Reply #74
myfist0
Join Date 01/2010
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March 20, 2011 4:52:05 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

I will try to get the new 1 up on the weebly today and will post back. The link in the op will stay the same but you should test to be sure. I let you know.

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Reply #75
Sinperium
Join Date 02/2010
+207
March 20, 2011 7:31:01 AM from Sins of a Solar Empire Forums Sins of a Solar Empire Forums

Yay for the converter and yay for the weebly.  Me an mah kinfolks warn't havin' no way teh mahd unh-till ya'll came along.  I am going to grab it now.

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