Author Topic: .DAT files  (Read 3996 times)

Cilantro

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.DAT files
« on: 2002-10-29 22:41:33 »
I found refferences to these in the EXE, but I can't seem to find them in any of the LGP archives. Where are they? And what tool is needed to modify them? :(

ShinRa Inc

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.DAT files
« Reply #1 on: 2002-10-30 20:49:40 »
.dat files are standalone files.  As in, not compiled withing LGP archives.  Check the individual file folders via Windows Explorer or whatever particular OS browser you're using.

The Skillster

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.DAT files
« Reply #2 on: 2002-10-31 21:42:04 »
these are references to files used in the uncompiled source of ff7.exe
there are many references to external header files, source files etc.
some are still in there after it was compiled

Cilantro

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.DAT files
« Reply #3 on: 2002-11-01 00:26:46 »
Hmm...well, what I'm refferring to more specifically are CLOUD.DAT, SEFIROS.DAT, and HICLOUD.DAT.  Swapping SEFIROS for the other two in the EXE's source, and CLOUD for SEFIROS, resulted in a very nice change of Seph and Cloud swapping animations for the battles.

The bad thing was Seph's DAT file (?) is/was missing some animations, like the limit breaks, damage, death, etc.  I'd like to change it so he has these anims, but how?

Aaron

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.DAT files
« Reply #4 on: 2002-11-01 02:04:10 »
You know, I remember a previous discussion about this.  You can swap, say, Cloud.dat and Sefiros.dat in the EXE with a hex editor or something, but because there were no limit breaks programmed for Seph, those animations will be missing, of course...

mirex

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.DAT files
« Reply #5 on: 2002-11-04 11:31:46 »
Interesting, i thought that anims are saved in ??da files, maybe those dat files have some references to those da files...

The Skillster

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.DAT files
« Reply #6 on: 2002-11-04 15:58:59 »
maybe mirex just maybe
the files are collected into a reference/pointer/function called xxx.dat
for that specific character?

halkun

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.DAT files
« Reply #7 on: 2002-11-07 17:32:08 »
This might be worth investigating...

I bet that these are probably named structs in memory. During the load phase the the engine probably grabbs all this data (polys, animation) and assebles it into a kind of "virtual file" This would make debugging tons easier as then you are working on a particular module, like battle, you can have static pre-compiled models. just load them into memory as opposed to going all over creation having to build them every time you want tweak something. (Esp if the dynamic-load thing is more useful in another module)

For giggles do a memory dump and see if CLOUD.DAT shows up. It's no doubt a header, or a key item in the header. Look around for a mirror of the animation data, (should be below that) dollars to doughnuts the polygons and bone hirearcy can be found too. It may be a key to solve some of the stuff going on insde.

_Ombra_

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.DAT files
« Reply #8 on: 2002-12-03 14:40:46 »
Remeber that the PC version is a port of the PSX version so the references can be pointles... for example, if you notice, in the exe there are references to TIM files that in the PC version are TEX files.

As a matter of fact... .DAT files are the ones that store the text of the game in the PSX version... so .DAT files in the exe maybe are the field files in the PC version (the ones without extension in flevel.lgp)