Michael Harris
12-07-2001, 08:02 AM
Serious supports "automatic file replacement", a feature that tracks and remembers files that one chooses to substitute for missing files (sound, etc.) during opening a world into the editor. For details, in the editor Help, see Serious Engine SDK | Serious Engine | Basic Information | Working With File Dependencies.
This capability apparently has both an upside and a downside, which has led to the following......
Prior to v1.05, this was defaulted on. In v1.05, this is defaulted off.
Here's Alen Ladavac's summary:
"The answer lies in wed_bUseBaseForReplacement. It is a new var and it is set
to 0 by default, to prevent accidental errors that sometimes occured if you
left over an old baseforreplacing.txt file."
The variable that Alen refers to can be found (and edited, if so desired) in c:\program files\croteam\serious sam\persistentsymbols.ini
Let me be clear that I'm not complaining or suggesting that this should be changed. Just sharing a bit of information about something that I encountered and that Alen was kind enough to elaborate on.
========================
An example.
The fifth tutorial world in the editor's virtual tree's Tutorials category/folder, MEH_Tutorial_03_Sectoring_And_Multi_Gravity_Decora ted, references a sound file Sounds\Ambience\Chimes Wind-7E.wav that no longer exists. Prior to v1.05, or in v1.05 if one opts to change the variable discussed above from 0 to 1, if one double clicked on that world to open it, the editor would report that file to not exist and would offer a file selection dialog with which to select a substitute, which it would duly note/record for future reference and proceed to substitute and use. In v1.05, by default, the editor now just reports the file to be missing and does not open the world.
One could change the variable discussed above (while the editor is not running), so that the sound file substitution could be specified and take effect. Or one could note the location/name of the missing file, go to Windows Explorer or My Computer and find and copy a similar file, such as Sounds\Misc\chimes.wav, to the missing file's location/name, then open the world again (though one should then presumably correct/update the file reference in the world, so as to not continue a dependency on a non-existent/non-standard file, and save the world (heh) so that the problem doesn't crop again the next time the world is loaded).
(Or for those devastated :rolleyes: by not being able to examine/play this tutorial world, one could just open the plain undecorated (i.e. no sound, etc.) version, which is the fourth tutorial world in the editor's virtual tree's Tutorials category/folder, MEH_Tutorial_03_Sectoring_And_Multi_Gravity.)
Regardless, appears that file dependencies and missing files are something to keep an eye out for when working on maps or mods to be distributed to others.
This capability apparently has both an upside and a downside, which has led to the following......
Prior to v1.05, this was defaulted on. In v1.05, this is defaulted off.
Here's Alen Ladavac's summary:
"The answer lies in wed_bUseBaseForReplacement. It is a new var and it is set
to 0 by default, to prevent accidental errors that sometimes occured if you
left over an old baseforreplacing.txt file."
The variable that Alen refers to can be found (and edited, if so desired) in c:\program files\croteam\serious sam\persistentsymbols.ini
Let me be clear that I'm not complaining or suggesting that this should be changed. Just sharing a bit of information about something that I encountered and that Alen was kind enough to elaborate on.
========================
An example.
The fifth tutorial world in the editor's virtual tree's Tutorials category/folder, MEH_Tutorial_03_Sectoring_And_Multi_Gravity_Decora ted, references a sound file Sounds\Ambience\Chimes Wind-7E.wav that no longer exists. Prior to v1.05, or in v1.05 if one opts to change the variable discussed above from 0 to 1, if one double clicked on that world to open it, the editor would report that file to not exist and would offer a file selection dialog with which to select a substitute, which it would duly note/record for future reference and proceed to substitute and use. In v1.05, by default, the editor now just reports the file to be missing and does not open the world.
One could change the variable discussed above (while the editor is not running), so that the sound file substitution could be specified and take effect. Or one could note the location/name of the missing file, go to Windows Explorer or My Computer and find and copy a similar file, such as Sounds\Misc\chimes.wav, to the missing file's location/name, then open the world again (though one should then presumably correct/update the file reference in the world, so as to not continue a dependency on a non-existent/non-standard file, and save the world (heh) so that the problem doesn't crop again the next time the world is loaded).
(Or for those devastated :rolleyes: by not being able to examine/play this tutorial world, one could just open the plain undecorated (i.e. no sound, etc.) version, which is the fourth tutorial world in the editor's virtual tree's Tutorials category/folder, MEH_Tutorial_03_Sectoring_And_Multi_Gravity.)
Regardless, appears that file dependencies and missing files are something to keep an eye out for when working on maps or mods to be distributed to others.