Questions for any TAW DAT file hackers

I’d like to make two modifications to TAW that would mean the world to me …

1. I’d like to either remove the HUD Only View toggle from the F1 key or, if toggling itself cannot be removed, I’d like the toggle to revert back to Front View (continually pressing it would appear as if nothing is happening, staying in the virtual cockpit).
2. (MUCH MORE IMPORTANT) I’d like for the four padlock toggles to toggle back to F1 (Front View), not to an external view.

Here’s what I know (or think I know) so far …

F22.DAT
F22UR.DAT

These DAT files contain these entries …

F1_COCKPIT
F1_FULL ← Want to remove or replace with F1_COCKPIT

PADLOCK_TO_TARGET
PLANE_TO_TARGET ← Want to replace with F1_COCKPIT

PADLOCK_TO_THREAT
PLANE_TO_THREAT ← Want to replace with F1_COCKPIT

VIEW_PADLOCK
PLANE_TO_VP ← Want to replace with F1_COCKPIT

PADLOCK_TO_WINGMAN
PLANE_TO_WINGMAN ← Want to replace with F1_COCKPIT

When I open these DAT files in Notepad under Windows XP, each item is preceded by a single square. However, when I open them in Notepad under Windows ME, each item is separated by many squares which cannot be copy / pasted.

What are these squares and why do they appear differently under each OS? Can any of this stuff be modified?

BTW, I attempted to simply remove F1_FULL and the following squares from the F22.DAT file to see what would happen and upon starting TAW, I got an error message about not having enough memory. I replaced the F22.DAT file and all was fine.

Any insight on modifying these DAT files would be very much appreciated. 🙂

Notepad is getting me nowhere, is frhed a good hex editor for modifying the TAW DAT files (I know someone who uses this editor on the PSF DAT file)?

MG,
forget notepad, you need to use HexEditor like you quote. I can easily make those changes, but answer my PM and give me your address. What those changes suppose to do to the program?

Polak

MG,
forget notepad, you need to use HexEditor like you quote. I can easily make those changes, but answer my PM and give me your address. What those changes suppose to do to the program?

Man, I am so sorry. If you read this thread today …
http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=12;t=003333

To quote myself …

I also just noticed I have SimHQ mail, dating back to September – sorry Polak, redboy, Speedo and texascbx. I’ll answer it this evening.

… I found my SimHQ mail (including your e-mails) just a few hours ago. 🙁

Answering now … 🙂

Wait, would you email me at …
███████████@███████.net

No, I did not mean to be bxxxtchy about PM. Who cares? What those changes would do to TAW?
BTW I can see with HexEditor other interesting strings – approx over 7000 in each f22.dat file.
But the textures are so minute that even if extracted not much can be done to them.

I think really that TAW was one of the greatest simulations and noticed how you are pressing upon some implementation of that greatness on SF:P1. I agree that SF:P1 is perfect platform for it and just the AWAC module there wold be real treat.

Polak

What those changes would do to TAW?

Knowing me, probably just crash it. 😁

I know what I want but I have no clue how to do it. I’m exploring all of the possibilities of my programmable joystick before messing with the DAT file again (which so far is just keeping the game from running).

BTW, I’m a programmer …
http://lt-solutions.com/mb_features.htm

Using VB6.0 (Classic) only, not anything useful for TAW.

After hack the program just does not want to take off 😕
I guess it was expected 🙄

Can I go now? 👋

I have just flown short TAW mission – intense and full of action, but graphics really antique.

I made a decision just yesterday that I was going to put my few other flight sims aside and concentrate solely on TAW for at least the next few months. This is a sim I want to master, or die trying. 🙂

For me, TAW has a future. And that’s as-is, without any source code improvements.

Here’s why I feel this way …

1. TAW graphics are pretty. Dated yes, but still pleasing to the eye, IMO. For a 1998 game (compare with F4) I think it looks bloody fantastic!

2. TAW runs just fine under Windows XP. At the very least, if my next PC comes with the new Windows version and TAW doesn’t play nicely with it, I can always dual-boot to XP.

   BTW, Windows Vista may even be better for older games like TAW than XP, as it has been with Jane’s USAF from what I’ve read. USAF’s pull-down menus were broken in XP, and now apparently work again under the new Windows. If true, that’s going to be HUGE for the USAF community!

3. Even the two minor graphics glitches I have under D3D …

   • AA and AF causes tearing
   • Full-screen MFDs don’t show surrounding pit features / corrupt map in Situation MFD

   … are fixed under Glide with the Glide Wrapper. Plus the Wrapper allows up to 1600×1200 resolution! If there are any graphics advantages with D3D over Glide (using OpenGL Catalyst settings), I sure haven’t noticed them and I’ve looked! The only thing keeping me from using the Glide Wrapper now is my older PC, I need more horsepower (getting only 8-10 FPS).

   BTW, the couple of full-screen MFD issues don’t bother me as I stay in the virtual pit as much as possible. Now if the map was corrupt in the virtual pit instead of the full-screen MFD then I’d be mighty upset!

4. No showstoppers, at least not for me. The spawning a/c has put many people off (maybe me too one day), but it’s not as bad to me as say … the FMs or scaling issues of Jane’s USAF.

5. Cool flyable with very cool avionics. I like that TAW has some substance yet doesn’t take itself TOO seriously (a problem with some flight sims today, along with their fans). IMO, this sim screams for a fly any plane option! How about a JSF?

6. Excellent SA, despite my recent negative posts about TAW’s padlocking. The wide-angle pit (with working MFDs) is GREAT and I’m getting use to the padlocking toggling quirk (rather I’m working around it).

7. Small install size (84MB). I love these kinds of games, very manageable. As soon as I finished installing TAW (which took just a few seconds), I made a self-extractable ZIP of my TAW folder. File size is less than 70MB! I can take this file, extract it on any computer and it works! No Starforce crap and no need to actually install the game, just copy the …DID\TAW folder into …\Program Files and make a shortcut.

I could probably think of more stuff but I’ll stop now. Besides, I’m moving over onto this dead board (from F/A-18 Operation Iraqi Freedom, another dead board) and I’ll be making lots and lots of posts to ask questions and of course, to express my opinions. 😁 I’ll also soon be hosting some helpful aids I’m creating.

TAW is like the chick you marry and grow old with. The greener grass truly is HERE! 😁

That is commandable and worthy to shift through and try to tweak this very elegant and memorable title. F22.dat and F22ur.dat hold many secrets and perhaps they could be unlocked with some surprising results.

Polak

That is commandable and worthy to shift through and try to tweak this very elegant and memorable title. F22.dat and F22ur.dat hold many secrets and perhaps they could be unlocked with some surprising results.

Somebody named WarDogz once hacked the DAT. Manteau, creator of the hi-res patch, obviously knows what he’s doing. Gavin Bennett was interested in hacking the DAT at one time.

On Usenet, someone named Ron Hoffman posted …

Also, if anyone is interested in the info I found by digging through that big DID.DAT file, you are welcome to it. Break it up into little files which can then each be leisurely edited then recombined. Only the length must remain the same as it was before you started. Simple. As to certain places to look for what, ask and if I know, I’ll post it.

But this is old, the above quote from Jun 26, 1998! 🙁

I bet if anything meaningful could be accomplished (i.e. stop the a/c respawning) it would have been done already. I think I’d better really learn the game first (i.e. try using padlock as designed) while customizing my game as much as possible via JS programming and the Game.cfg.

That’s an interesting file, Game.cfg. I’ve saved allot of posts from this board with information regarding this file along with several people’s settings.

The Game.cfg settings is one of the first things I want to document (after finishing my comprehensive command key-in reference). I’d like to know what all of the undocumented settings are for (if anything, apparently some settings were never implemented). And then I want to tweak my Game.cfg file to get the best graphics I can possibly get. There’s lots of interesting stuff in there, going beyond the Options screen.

So I’m going to leave the DAT alone for now (especially since I don’t know what the heck I’m doing) and start with the easier stuff. 🙂

Edit: I just sent you an email. 🙂

Hey,
thank you for mail. Just received. Copy and post that cfg file here so we can look together on lunch break.

It is very true what was written above that the length of the file should be kept intact. But I am afraid that the offsets of those components (start and end) should be too.

In those days they were doing games modders_proof. It is a pitty and ironic because modding trend sustains their titles and memories and fame.

Polak you say it is modder Proof does that mean you would have to have the source code to change Aircraft respawn or to have a Online Campaign??

1 Thing that I would like to fix is the Divide overflow error I get after running for hour and a half. I guess it was too much info for wargen to Handle I totally had air superiority and was decimating the enemy and Bam that error ARGHHH a whole 1.5 hours WASTED!!

Here is the cfg file just for the sake of having it handy:

AIRFIELD_DETAIL=1
TEXTURE_SMOOTH=1
INSTALL=1
HUDCOL=116
UPDATE_MFDS=1
TCLOUDS=1
DUSTTRAILS=1
COCKREFLECT=1
CONTRAILS=1
WEAPONS=1
SMOKE=1
SHIPWAKES=1
MISSTRAILS=1
BUILDING_SHADOWS=1
EXPL_DETAIL=1
BUILD_TEXTURE=1
WIPE_FADE=0
LENS_FLARE=0
ENHANCED_NV=0
FLASH_CLOUDS=1
WATER_EFFECTS=0
ANTIALIASING=0
LSS=1
F22_SHADOWS=1
AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=1
G_EFFECTS=1
URBAN_DETAIL=0
SMOOTHING=0
HWACL=1
DETAIL=3
REZ=2
QUICKMFD=1
SPEECH=1,127,1
BETTY=1,127
CONTROL=1
SOUNDFX=1,64,8,64
CD_AUDIO=0
MUSIC=0,-33
REALISM=1,0,0,0,1,0,1
CAMOUFLAGE=1
HUDCOL=116
HUDCOLIX=0
JOY_X_VALUE=32767
JOY_Y_VALUE=32767
RUDDER_MID=0
WIDE_ANGLE_VIEWS=-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
RECORDER=0
HELPPATH=D:\PROGRA~1\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\TAWhf22data\multipla.txt
DIFFICULTY=3

How about puting all 0 to 1 and see where would that get us? Just make a backup to be safe.

Nephilim, I think that you are right, talking from some experience, without SC not much can be done to those older games as they were NOT meant to be tweaked by design. As a proof TAW had only ONE (1)! major tweak of screen resolution and ZIP since.

Polak

Hey,
thank you for mail. Just received. Copy and post that cfg file here so we can look together on lunch break.

LOL! I was sleeping when you were at lunch (I’m a night person). I’ll work on a complete Game.Cfg file tonight and post it.

Check out the comments in the last post of this thread about the DID.DAT file …
http://www.gamerankings.com/itemrankings/launchreview.asp?reviewid=451463

Edit: Oops. Click Article Discussion Forum.

Cool, you posted the file as I was posting. Let me go through my notes (gathered from many posts on this board) and make comments on what each one of these setting do.

MGonzales

I made a decision just yesterday that I was going to put my few other flight sims aside and concentrate solely on TAW for at least the next few months. This is a sim I want to master, or die trying. 🙂

For me, TAW has a future. And that’s as-is, without any source code improvements.

Here’s why I feel this way …

1. TAW graphics are pretty. Dated yes, but still pleasing to the eye, IMO. For a 1998 game (compare with F4) I think it looks bloody fantastic!

2. TAW runs just fine under Windows XP. At the very least, if my next PC comes with the new Windows version and TAW doesn’t play nicely with it, I can always dual-boot to XP.

   BTW, Windows Vista may even be better for older games like TAW than XP, as it has been with Jane’s USAF from what I’ve read. USAF’s pull-down menus were broken in XP, and now apparently work again under the new Windows. If true, that’s going to be HUGE for the USAF community!

3. Even the two minor graphics glitches I have under D3D …

   • AA and AF causes tearing
   • Full-screen MFDs don’t show surrounding pit features / corrupt map in Situation MFD

   … are fixed under Glide with the Glide Wrapper. Plus the Wrapper allows up to 1600×1200 resolution! If there are any graphics advantages with D3D over Glide (using OpenGL Catalyst settings), I sure haven’t noticed them and I’ve looked! The only thing keeping me from using the Glide Wrapper now is my older PC, I need more horsepower (getting only 8-10 FPS).

   BTW, the couple of full-screen MFD issues don’t bother me as I stay in the virtual pit as much as possible. Now if the map was corrupt in the virtual pit instead of the full-screen MFD then I’d be mighty upset!

4. No showstoppers, at least not for me. The spawning a/c has put many people off (maybe me too one day), but it’s not as bad to me as say … the FMs or scaling issues of Jane’s USAF.

5. Cool flyable with very cool avionics. I like that TAW has some substance yet doesn’t take itself TOO seriously (a problem with some flight sims today, along with their fans). IMO, this sim screams for a fly any plane option! How about a JSF?

6. Excellent SA, despite my recent negative posts about TAW’s padlocking. The wide-angle pit (with working MFDs) is GREAT and I’m getting use to the padlocking toggling quirk (rather I’m working around it).

7. Small install size (84MB). I love these kinds of games, very manageable. As soon as I finished installing TAW (which took just a few seconds), I made a self-extractable ZIP of my TAW folder. File size is less than 70MB! I can take this file, extract it on any computer and it works! No Starforce crap and no need to actually install the game, just copy the …DID\TAW folder into …\Program Files and make a shortcut.

I could probably think of more stuff but I’ll stop now. Besides, I’m moving over onto this dead board (from F/A-18 Operation Iraqi Freedom, another dead board) and I’ll be making lots and lots of posts to ask questions and of course, to express my opinions. 😁 I’ll also soon be hosting some helpful aids I’m creating.

TAW is like the chick you marry and grow old with. The greener grass truly is HERE! 😁

Finally, a fix for the holy grail of USAF?

As for the corrupt map on the situation display … i had the same issue on ADF when i updated to the newest Nvidia drivers … it seemed like rolling them back to the previous set, i think it was something from the 71.xx series, seemed to fix the problem.

usa320

Finally, a fix for the holy grail of USAF?

Sure looks that way …
http://forums.frugalsworld.com/vbb/showthread.php?t=96234

usa320

As for the corrupt map on the situation display … i had the same issue on ADF when i updated to the newest Nvidia drivers … it seemed like rolling them back to the previous set, i think it was something from the 71.xx series, seemed to fix the problem.

Taking Reticuli’s advice, I tried every old Catalyst driver I could find and for every OS starting with Win95 SE (the oldest OS my system can run) but had no luck fixing this with my older ATi Rage 128 Ultra and current Radeon 9600 SE. Even tried the same on my parent’s PC with integrated video, still no joy.

But it matters not. I’ve been free-flying TAW under WinXP with zeckensack’s Glide wrapper (1600×1200) and it’s freggin’ gorgeous! It fixes EVERYTHING and just looks so darn good to me! 🙂

So far, I haven’t found a singe thing I’m missing graphics-wise under Glide and I’m closely looking for differences (especially with effects). So if someone knows of any differences, please tell me (be specific) and I’ll check it out.

The only bugger with the Glide Wrapper is poor frame rates, I can’t do much more than explore. But that’s ok because my PC is old and my next one will surely take care of that. In fact, I’m hoping the Glide Wrapper will slow down my next PC just enough so that I don’t have to use WinThrottle (now using at 75%) to slow the game down.

That’s what I love most about TAW, that it’s a 1998 game that should run perfectly once I get a newer faster computer! How weird is that?! 😁

Now if the D3D graphics glitches were to be fixed and improved upon, that would be even better (no more need to run another software). But at least it’s not necessary (nor likely to happen it seems), IMO.

Polak

Here is the cfg file just for the sake of having it handy:

AIRFIELD_DETAIL=1
TEXTURE_SMOOTH=1
INSTALL=1
HUDCOL=116
UPDATE_MFDS=1
TCLOUDS=1
DUSTTRAILS=1
COCKREFLECT=1
CONTRAILS=1
WEAPONS=1
SMOKE=1
SHIPWAKES=1
MISSTRAILS=1
BUILDING_SHADOWS=1
EXPL_DETAIL=1
BUILD_TEXTURE=1
WIPE_FADE=0
LENS_FLARE=0
ENHANCED_NV=0
FLASH_CLOUDS=1
WATER_EFFECTS=0
ANTIALIASING=0
LSS=1
F22_SHADOWS=1
AIRCRAFT_SHADOWS=1
G_EFFECTS=1
URBAN_DETAIL=0
SMOOTHING=0
HWACL=1
DETAIL=3
REZ=2
QUICKMFD=1
SPEECH=1,127,1
BETTY=1,127
CONTROL=1
SOUNDFX=1,64,8,64
CD_AUDIO=0
MUSIC=0,-33
REALISM=1,0,0,0,1,0,1
CAMOUFLAGE=1
HUDCOL=116
HUDCOLIX=0
JOY_X_VALUE=32767
JOY_Y_VALUE=32767
RUDDER_MID=0
WIDE_ANGLE_VIEWS=-1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1 -1
RECORDER=0
HELPPATH=D:\PROGRA~1\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\TAWhf22data\multipla.txt
DIFFICULTY=3

Polak, you’re missing the patch settings …

LAND_AT_ANY_BASE=1
MORE_CANNON_ON_HARD=1
NO_COLLISION_ON_GROUND=1
OTHER_FLIGHTS_IN_AIR=1
REARM_WINGMEN=1
START_ON_RUNWAY=1

And 3 settings not in the original file …

GROUND_DETAIL=1
DISTANCE_FADE=1
LIGHT_SOURCED_SHADING=3

I’m going to start a new thread with all of the GAME.CFG file settings alphabetized to include function, range, accessibility (Options Screen or not) and any comments. I believe all of my info will be coming from posts on these boards.

usa320

Finally, a fix for the holy grail of USAF?

I really hope so usa320 because I still feel really badly about not being able to come through with a VB replacement for the QME. I shouldn’t have posted those teaser pics of the interface without knowing if I was actually going to be able to make the code work or not. 🙁 I thought it would be a relatively easy program to write, but I could never figure out the USAF mission file and still can’t believe how much info it contains and how much it dynamically changes for each mission.

After playing with the UME, I lost interest in the QME anyway. I hope they get it back with Vista (it’ll make me feel better).

And I wish Slikk the best of luck with his upcoming new SuperPro. 🙂 SP9.2 was just too much for my PC.

Unfortunately I do not have too much time to commit to TAW, but the content of dat files really puzzles me. If anyone else has any reference to past workings in this area please pass on here.

Talking here f22.dat and f22ur.dat only as did.dat contains >64 MB wavs, but that should be already known.

Regarding missing cfg entries in original cfg, I wonder how it was possible that I do not have them in mine. How many patches was made for TAW all together?

Polak

Regarding missing cfg entries in original cfg, I wonder how it was possible that I do not have them in mine. How many patches was made for TAW all together?

You have to manually add them per the patch Readme file. I have them described (look near bottom of post under Patch Settings) …

http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=64;t=001049

If you look at the first few settings at top of post, some are pretty weird. For example, setting Airfield Detail on the Options Screen does not set AIRFIELD_DETAIL, it sets BUILDING_SHADOWS 😕.

I’m figuring this stuff out by comparing before and after config files for each Options Screen setting to see what the setting changes. I’m also doing a search for each setting to see what others say about it. This might take me a while but will be well worth it, I think. 🙂

I found this thread to be most interesting …

http://www.simhq.com/simhq3/sims/boards/bbs/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=64;t=000574#000006

What hapened to all people so commited to TAW? From reading that old material one can draw interesting findings. Obviously cracking this nut is quite hard, if not entirely impossible. However, I was under impression that did.dat was mainly the sounds. As it transpires from reading old posts there are more things there. That is important. But then, if the dev team was using their own compression tools to pack the files into dat, then …

After many hours of reading this board, the CombatSim archives, and old Usenet posts about ADF/TAW, I have no doubt whatsoever that if anything more was possible (within reason) with modifying TAW, we’d already have it.

I’m betting this is as good as TAW is ever going to get, and I keep reminding myself that it could be SO much worse with a 1998 sim! Even as-is, I’m going to be playing this sim for a long long time.

I can’t even imagine what people thought of TAW when it was first released. 🙂

Unless someone managed to get the source code I guess your right.

I am Currently trying to Beat ALL campaigns the first 2 where a blast just love the F22 (altho I still like the YF-23 Better) but the F22 will do hehe!!

Seriously I just wonder Why DID Omitted the ONLINE campaign they had a GOOD thing goin with EF2000, that is what I beleive killed this Sim well that and F4 🙁

But is still alot of fun and a well done sim Besideds NOT havin a online Campaign gets kinda borin flyin with Stupid AI all the time!! altho there NOT bad in A-A engagments.

What does Atari Gain by NOT releasing the Source code??

Very interesting and revealing is ACMI module of this game. For whoever knows little about 3D much how the world has been constructed in TAW is clearly shown there.

Firstly – most of the elements of the game are polygon modeled and filled with colored polygons. Most not textured. If you perform ACMI landing you’ll clearly see that even elements like runway number is polygon modeled. Roads even minor elevations of the buildings or airbase facilities. Most are wireframe models filled with colors. Even in some of them the textures were used too, they will be so small in pixels and hard to recognized in dat file.

Terrain also (I think) is 3D pre-modeled and loaded in segments. There is no such a think like heightmaps draped with terrain textures. However there are terrain textures tiles and that is most of what could be altered, if located in the dat file. Again being constrained with start and end offsets of dat not much could be expected of such alteration to terrain textures, as the resolution (amount of pixels textures carry) cannot be bumped.

So there you have it …

It is evident that the authors of the game did not try to go overboard with graphics concentrating on the gameplay, avionics and campaign issues. From the perspective of time I think it was good choice as far as longetivity of the game is concerned, but I think it spelled bad news for modders.

9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10881171 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10882195 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10883219 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10884243 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10885267 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10886291 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10887315 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10888339 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10889363 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS Offset: 10890387 Length: 1024
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_1.ext SUCCESS Attributes: A
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 OPEN D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_1.ext SUCCESS Options: Open Access: All
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_1.ext SUCCESS Length: 49132
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_1.ext SUCCESS Length: 49132
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 CLOSE D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_1.ext SUCCESS
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_2.ext SUCCESS Attributes: A
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 OPEN D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_2.ext SUCCESS Options: Open Access: All
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_2.ext SUCCESS Length: 38616
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_2.ext SUCCESS Length: 38616
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 CLOSE D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\winfonts\f22_2.ext SUCCESS
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 CLOSE D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\did.dat SUCCESS
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\F22.DAT SUCCESS Offset: 1860608 Length: 8192
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 READ D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\F22.DAT SUCCESS Offset: 1872896 Length: 24576
9:29:03 AM explorer.exe:1404 QUERY INFORMATION D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM\_f22.exe SUCCESS Attributes: A
9:29:03 AM f22.dat:1968 CLOSE D:\Program Files\DID\TAW\PROGRAM SUCCESS

Here is the best way to discover what is hidden in TAW.dat file. What you see above is the end of File Monitor log file recording every bit of data the program reads from dat file before it starts. It has about 15000 entries in varius chunks, but mostly small amounting 1024 bytes. The above is the targets, the terrain, sound, speech, and other graphics was much earlier.

Anyway I can assist with informations required by hex editor searchers by combining the offset data into larger chunks so the extraction could be faster. But beware – the process may be quite tedious and attempt to replace what is found with new moded data little fruitless as data can be only swapped byte by byte or pixel by pixel.

This what you can get by just browsing huge 64MB dat file with hex editor in graphic form patiently adjusting hex per row value until something shows. I do not know what that is – probable music, but I can see some other recognizable formations of bytes, or as shown in this example bytes represented by pixels.

Anybody cares to join this search?

I have made Excel spreadsheet from the file monitor log to see what can be extracted.
I have noticed somewhere in the middle that the program closed and opened did.dat file. I have marked this place in red and green (like a street lights🙂)

Let us see what can we extract here. Notice that the file is read as follows: chunk of 24576 (5× 4096)bytes contineously and then intermitently 8 × 4096 bytes from 2 different places.

This is the reason some of the stuff cannot be readily recognised on the graphis interpretation of file in Hex Editor. The files are possibly stitched from different places – stripe after stripe.

PS. I write this as I do this search so the result still may be a sore disappointment. 😩 😉 😁

Small thinking allaud observation:

as it transpires from the loading sequence shown on the spreadsheet above after loading 5 chunks 4096 each in the row (yellow), program makes the break of 3500 bytes and lays first 4096 bytes of (orange).

But strangely, then moves back to offset 7139924 and lays another 4096 chunk of data. So as you can see 4096-3500=596 bytes of yellow gets ovelapped and overlayed with orange.

But on the end actually all orange data gets overwritten by yellow. Or mixed?

Just thinking alloud … 😉 😁

The psychodelic file above is definetely a wav file.
I have succeded to open and extract 21.3 MB (sound and music) out of 64.4MB total, leaving 67% for other interesting things here.
HELP! please.

Just as a note for me or all others who may come to try this did.dat file:
sounds and music are in block of data between offsets: 36702072 and 63683994. For other staff look elswhere.

Polak

HELP! please.

Dude If I Knew I would Help is there anything I can read up on to get more involved in what you are trying to do?? I am more than willing to learn!! 👍

Well,
thanks for willingness to assist. Hex editing is fun thing to do and very healthy entertaiment for ones brain. I do not want to pretend that I am an expert, but some primer I have done and learned so if you or anyone wants to know anything about files I ll be more than glad to show or explain.

But as it stands to expedite this hacking I am calling for backup of old experts with any hint or help.

Not much progress, however browsing main TAW files I find many references to *.SHP files. I think I know what they are as they were used for Longbow2. It was the same time both games were created so it could be natural that the same technology advances might have been used among all devs. SHP files carry both compressed textures and perhaps models too.

The problem for now that SHP are also bunched together, or perhaps they too are compressed. Does this ring any bell?