LVL import/export code

[Witchie NL]

Does anyone have a piece of C++ code that exports en imports an lvl format.

Im trying to learn how to import/export binary files.

(since i have no coded outside mervbot yet i thought this would be ok to start with)

 

Ive looked at DCME's source (VB) but since i dont know the language and its someone else his code (samapico) its a !@#$%^&* to understand it.

 

Thank you,

Witchie

 

EDIT: Ive looked at DCME's source (VB) but since i dont know the language and its someone else his code (samapico and drake) its a !@#$%^&* to understand it.

[»Maverick]

I have that code in my old and halted Tutorial project, I will paste it here when I get home (and remember to do this )

[grazzhoppa]

whoops, thought this was about LVZ files.

--------------------------------------------------------

I posted code that reads an .lvz file. It's attached to the forum post:

http://forums.minegoboom.com/viewtopic.php?t=7087

 

It's actually a program that runs from the command line.

It's command line paramter is the path to the .lvz file.
then extracts all the files into the program's folder, and outputs the names of the files.

It's an "importer".

 

It's in C/C++ and uses bit-shifting to read the LVZ format within the file's data.

There is an easier way, I've been told, by using "bitfields" rather than bitshifting, to read binary data.

 

The code is heavily commented/messy.

Edited May 10, 2007 by grazzhoppa

[»D1st0rt]

I believe MERV does what you are referring to

[»jabjabjab]

They need an update of LVZ (Manual) because i want to be able to make chatbg.bm2 actualy work. i know its possible.. just was never written to recognize the file (Dmn lazy MGB)

[Samapico]

chatbg.bm2? what would that be? in a lvz, 'ressource files' (like ship1.bm2 or things like that) are not seen differently than plain bitmaps used for mapobjects or screenobjects... So the 'chatbg.bm2 not being recognized' is just impossible... in no way is it an issue that MGB can do anything about (in his LVZtoolkit, atleast).

If you want a background for your chat, just put a screenobject aftergauges at 0,0, relative to chat

 

 

and Witchie, just hook me up on MSN I'll "translate" that vb code in c++ for you... By the way that part of code was done by Drake, not me

[»Maverick]

guys, Witchie asked about the lvl format (map data), not the lvz format

 

Oh and I didn't have time yesterday so maybe this evening

[Drake7707]

... By the way that part of code was done by Drake, not me

 

 

OBJECTION! (!@#$%^&* i play way too much phoenix wright lately) You wrote the import & export functions, i made the interface & interactions with the imported data

[Witchie NL]

better? lol

And sama. ill contact you when your on.

[Samapico]

... By the way that part of code was done by Drake, not me

 

 

OBJECTION! (!@#$%^&* i play way too much phoenix wright lately) You wrote the import & export functions, i made the interface & interactions with the imported data

that was for LVZ

 

LVL open/save were already written before I even started working on DCME

Apart from the few add-ons (verifying # of flags, fixing tileset importing, ssme-compatible...)

[»jabjabjab]

Sigh.. id ont see it as impossible.. its just lvz dosent recognize it and format it to work like what the other bm2 work like. THE CHATBG.BM2 IS IN continuum0.39.dll file along with the other recognized in LVZ BM2's. It''s the version of LVZTOOLKIT, Not impossible.

[Samapico]

It's the client that decides to 'use' or not use a .bm2 (or .wa2, or whatever) file that it finds in a lvz, it has nothing to do with the lvz file itself

If you read the LVZ format, you'll notice that the LVZ file only stores information about the name of the file, and the data in the file... and then mapobjects/screenobjects but that has nothing to do with it. It does not have any way to know if the file is a 'ressource file', or just a plain bitmap or other file

[»D1st0rt]

Yes, MERV definitely has what you are looking for: map.cpp, map.h

[Witchie NL]

K ill take a look at that.

Mav can you plz send me your code aswell?

 

Thanks alot

 

 

 

@ jabjabjab:

LVZ's can only be used to:

- place images on the map

- Place images on the screen

- And replace images from .../Continuum/Graphics

Not replacing images build in the plugin/application.

[»Maverick]

Hm it was in my Labyrinth plugin instead which never got released

 

Write a .lvl file

char buf[4];//the char array
Uint32 *data=(Uint32*)buf;//pointer to the array

int tile=0;//info we want in file
int x=0;
int y=0;

ofstream file("get/labyrinth.lvl", ios::binary | ios::app);//open a file in binary mode
file.seekp(0, ios::end); //Make sure we append at the end of the file
*data = ((tile & 0xFF) << 24) | ((i & 0x3FF) << 12) | (x & 0x3FF);
//^^^^--pushes data into the array, If you know the data is good then you dont need the bitwise &
file.write(buf, 4);//write
file.close();

 

If you want a tileset, you need to prepend a bitmap image or level file (which is almost the same):

 

				ifstream org("labyrinth.lvl", ios::binary);
			ofstream nnew("get/labyrinth.lvl", ios::binary | ios::trunc);
				nnew << org.rdbuf();
			org.close();
			nnew.close();

Note; you need to do this before writing any other tiles (before the first piece of code) since the bitmap has to be at the begin of the file.

 

Reading a map.lvl file:

I seem to have lost that piece of code. It's pretty easy, you only need to read that buf[4] array out each time until you reach the end of the file. However, make sure you skip the first 3435921408 bytes if the file begins with "BM-" (it's the size of the BMP image).

[»Maverick]

More code about reading a map file from disk - as D1st0rt said - see the convertFileToMatrix() method of map.cpp .

That method checks if a tileset is present (by checking the BMP header) and skips it. It then reads out 4 bytes each time and puts it into a tileData object (which contains the x, y and tile number) using the makeTileData() method.

[Samapico]

However, make sure you skip the first 3435921408 bytes if the file begins with "BM-" (it's the size of the BMP image).

 

uh... a 3GB bitmap? lol

 

I think you mean 49720... don't ask me where you got 3435921408 from :S

But that would be for a 256colors tileset, if the tileset is 24bit, it will be something like the first 145920 bytes... (the value can be read somewhere in the header)

[»Maverick]

Don't know either, I got it from the code comments

[Smong]

What jabjabjab is referring to is the custom background image zones can display in the alt-tab chat. It is indeed called chatbg.bm2. Since alt-tab chat is part of the frontend and not part of the game, it is necessary to include it outside of any lvz files, for example you would set your LevelFiles setting to chatbg.bm2 not somelvzcontainingchatbg.lvz. Also it must be a bmp file with the .bm2 extension.

[»jabjabjab]

so i do OUTFILE=CHatbg.bm2?

[Smong]

No don't put the chatbg.bm2 inside a lvz file. Just place the bm2 in the server folder and add chatbg.bm2 to the [Misc] LevelFiles setting in server.cfg.

[Samapico]

bahaha, and jabjabjab was talking to me like he had solved the mistery himself and it was super secret