Path Data File?

[ColdSteel]

Can someone tell me how the path.txt file is used? If you open it up it says:

"This file must be located with the executable to tell it which directories to look in. If you make your own data sets, you should install them in a new directory, and then modify this file to set the location".

Then it has this line:
Data Directory := Data

This sounds like you can put a mod like the EA race and modded AI files for it in a directory and set the path here in the path.txt to look for them rather than the default files. Yet everyone here keeps talking about overwriting the default files with mods. Which is correct and what does this file do? Does anyone have an example of what the Data Directory line should look like? This is kind of confusing.

Thanks.

[Kimball]

The path.txt file is used to identify where the game data is. If you do not make any modifications to the files in the 'data' directory, there is no need to change the path.txt file. If you find youself making mods to the data files, such at techarea.txt, create a new directory under the SE IV root. Call the directory 'modified data' or something like and copy all of the original data file from the 'data' directory there. After you make the mods to the files in the new directory, open the 'path.txt' file and change the

Data Directory := Data
to
Data Directory := modified data (or whatever)

Never make mods to the original data files. If you do, and screw something up, you have to reinstall SE IV before you can reinstall the patch.

[Daynarr]

Actually, it is very simple. The path.txt only points to the location where to look for files located in the 'Data' directory. All the changes to the files that are located somewhere else, are not associated in any way with path.txt (eg. race files are located in 'Pictures\Race\Racename' folder and not in 'Data' folder).
Best thing to do is to have 2 installations of SE4; one with the original files, and one with modified files and custom races.

[This message has been edited by Daynarr (edited 02 January 2001).]

[ColdSteel]

Okay guys, thanks. That makes sense sense. too bad you can't just have a complete set of modified files running from another directory the way the Quake games do. That was how I was hoping it would work but I guess not. That would avoid you having to have multiple installations and you could keep as many different mods as you wanted in separate directories. Quake 3 Arena has a menu that looks at the direcories under the main one and allows you to run the mods you want from the setup. Maybe this is a feature they can add to SE4 in the future. It sure would be quite handy and much more user friendly for those using mods.

[Noble713]

One of the problems with very extensive mods is that you have to create new AI files for all the new tech, and those files probably won't be compatable with the regular SE4 technologies. As it is now you have to copy over the default ones, but if you could put the new AI files in a subfolder of your mod and the game knew to look for it, problem solved. Same thing goes for all the pictures too.

[Darwin]

I was the one who suggested the Path thing I was trying to get arron to do a Quake style thing but I don't think he understood what I was talking about so this is all we got

[ColdSteel]

I think maybe we should contact him and try to explain it once again. I think a Quake style subdirectory structure would pay huge dividends for this game in the long run. it makes mods SO much easier to deal with.

[Psitticine]

I agree completely. Put me down as another who'd like to see this added!