Dennis tracks

[Wolf_pd]

I tried to make objects this week, but I had no success. Now I'm at a point, where I need help.
My first object is difficult, so I decided to rebuild the example grandstand from Pavel's document. It looked good in 3doed, but after I placed it with ope, I couldn't convert the track to ICR2, I've got an error message about wrong format. I tried an object from the original Elkhart Lake track, but it was the same.
In my converted .3DO file I can't place objects. There would be 3 possible ways, but I don't know how to
1. make .3D file from a .3DO file
2. open track in ope without a .3D file
3. place new objects in 3doed
Has anyone an idea, what's going wrong or what's the solution?

When you place a 3do object, that object also needs to be converted. Did you remove the NORMAL sections from the object.3do as well?

You can create a 3d file from a trk file. With the 3d file you can open it in OPE and add objects that way.

[Dennis]

I started from the beginning to look, where is the problem and if I made a mistake, but no.

After I remove the MRON sections from the .3do files, I can convert the track without objects, it works.

I can open the unconverted track in ope and I can place an object.
I make a new track.3do file.
After I remove the MRON sections from the .3do files, I can't convert the track with the object.

I can't open the converted track with the original .3d file in ope.

[Wolf_pd]

That last thing is correct, it isn't possible to open a converted track in OPE.

Can you upload your files? Maybe Pavel and I can see the problem.

During conversion the file might get corrupted due to an error in the 3do, check whether the file size before and after conversion is (pretty much) the same. A very much smaller file size can point to partial conversion.

[Dennis]

That last thing is correct, it isn't possible to open a converted track in OPE.

Can you upload your files? Maybe Pavel and I can see the problem.

During conversion the file might get corrupted due to an error in the 3do, check whether the file size before and after conversion is (pretty much) the same. A very much smaller file size can point to partial conversion.

I don't know which file you mean, so
track.3do 1130kB before and 1485kB after conversion
track.dat 4604kB before and 4436kB after conversion.
These values are for the working files without objects.

At the conversion with an object, I've got the following messages:
Not a valid N2 code at 270
Unknown code 196
Not a valid N2 code at 119aa8
Unknown code 196
And then the program crashes. After that there are in the track folder the unpacked files excepting the track.3do and the .mip files.

I don't want to post the unfinished track here, but if you tell me, what you need, I will send it as PM.

[Wolf_pd]

Hmm, that's not necessarily a 3do problem.
Could you PM me the content of the .pck file?

[Pavel 69]

Dennis, sorry for late reply (in case you need help please sent me pm "help needed" )

Did you remove MRON from object 3do (not track) before conversion?

To add object:
1) Make object 3D, convert it to 3DO.
2) For OPE program you should have both track 3D and 3DO files and object 3DO file, 3D is not needed.
3) Rum OPE program and add object. Save track. OPE program saves only 3D file. So you need to convert 3D into 3DO to see object when you again will strart OPE.
4) To transfer files to ICR2 you need to remove MRON from both track and object 3DO files.

What was the questiona about palette? In ICR2 you can work with colors from #176 to #243. For DOS version additional colors from #246 to #254 can be used. So there are not too much custom colors in palette. Colors from #25 to #175 are game standart colors and cannot be changed, but can be used for track textures. Slso be sure your track textures don't use colors #0 - #24. Colors #244 and #245 are used for dust (when car drive through the grass). You can changed them. For example if it is street track and there are no grass you can use this colors for other things. Color #255 is always white 255, 255, 255.

[Dennis]

After a long break, longer than expected, I try to continue again. I had some work and health problems in the last time, but I've got a new job last year and my health situation also stabilized in the last months. Now I feel, I have the energy to do more then the everyday tasks, exactly like 3 years ago as I started here. Probably Wolf_pd's announcement of the Ramstein circuit gave me the last kick of motivation.
At first I started with something easy, track surface textures. After it I want to make new PASS.LPs, because they could be more realistic. But I need some driving practice before, because I didn't play in the last 2 years.

[thestig88]

Welcome back to track making Dennis! Looking forward to your work!

[Dennis]

Merry Christmas.
I'm still struggling with 3do conversion, but it's getting worse. Now I can't make a working track.3do.

I made some changes in my track.3d, made a new track.3do, and the game can't load the track, I get an "insufficient memory" error message.
So I made a new track.3d and track.3do from the original track.trk file, which worked till now, but with the new track.3do I get the same error message. The file looks normal, I removed the MRON section, and I can open it in 3doEd.
I checked the working 3 years old track.3do file, and that looks different. It's 350kB larger. I attached screenshots. But I can't remember, what I made different with it. As I started with track building, I made everything, like described in the tutorial, and I had no problems in the first weeks, they started later.
Does someone have an idea, where the problem can be?
       
I have a new computer with Win7 instead of Vista, but I run the same version of DosBox. I tried to make DosBox slower, but it didn't help. Pavel suggested me earlier to convert my .3do files to .def files and back, but then I get an error message of missing PRIM section.

[thestig88]

Are your .cam .scr.3do and .trk files all named the same? Is their more than 30 tracks in your tracks folder?