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Test Subject
Original Poster
#1 Old 9th Jun 2009 at 7:20 PM
Default Decompressing DBPF Files (aka .package files)
I hope I placed this in the right forum. This one seems to be the most relevant seeing as there was no developer forum.

Does everyone know what SimPE is? If not, it's the package editor for the Sims 2. I intend to attempt to create a The Sims 3 Package Editor seeing as one has not come out yet.

After looking at SimPE and reading on DBPF compression, I could not find out how to decompress the file. I have looked possibly everywhere, and forgive me if it's right in front of my face. Can someone point me to a site or page where it goes over how to decompress DBPF (.package) files? This is crucial for my program.

Thanks in advance,
sjom13
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Lab Assistant
#2 Old 9th Jun 2009 at 9:58 PM
Default interesting
Not sure either, but after trying to Launch SimPE with Sims3 onboard...a hint popped up..."SimPE does not work with Spore files".

That's what it read.

And strangely enough, the Spore progs on the net earlier this year, are difficult to find now - half°ss working ones at least.

My advice is to wait for the actual Pros on this stuff with Progging and a new SimPE...it always takes awhile to code these things...who has time for that, if you're not a Pro?

if you are, best of luck... name it something else though.

Kudos
world renowned whogivesafuckologist
retired moderator
#3 Old 10th Jun 2009 at 12:14 AM
There's some information on the file formats on sims2wiki.info - probably of use to programmer types. Look in the Sims 3 namespace.

my simblr (sometimes nsfw)

“Dude, suckin’ at something is the first step to being sorta good at something.”
Panquecas, panquecas e mais panquecas.
Alchemist
#4 Old 10th Jun 2009 at 1:29 AM
I think the posts with some sample decompression code probably got archived out of existance years ago. There is some C code at moreawesomethanyou.com in the "Bowels of Trogdor" forum that extracts and decompresses files.

In the sample program, which was written for the old package format, it assumes 9-byte headers on each compressed package. In DBPF V2 (Spore and TS3) the headers are 5 bytes. The actual compression method, though, is the same.

<* Wes *>
Warrior Gryphon
site owner
#5 Old 10th Jun 2009 at 1:43 AM
Actually there is sample decompression code on the wiki for TS2. And the Spore and Sims 3 DBPF should be up there too.

Or you could use the pife libraries.

Story books are full of fairy tales, of Kings and Queens, and the bluest skies.
Retired Duck
retired moderator
#6 Old 10th Jun 2009 at 8:45 AM
Quote: Originally posted by sjom13
I intend to attempt to create a The Sims 3 Package Editor seeing as one has not come out yet.
Just so you know, there are about five or six TS3 package editors that I can think of, just off the top of my head. There are two hosted at http://www.simlogical.com/Sims3ToolsForum which are both open source. Of course, there's no reason why you can't make another one if you want to! The more, the merrier!
Alchemist
#7 Old 10th Jun 2009 at 7:45 PM
Well, we are definitely short in the explorer department. Something like object workshop would be a pretty useful program, even if it only output .package files that could be manipulated in one of the existing package editing programs.

Karybdis has listed the general scope of what needs to be in a .package to add a new object, but right now finding the parts is pretty tedious manually.

<* Wes *>
One horse disagreer of the Apocalypse
#8 Old 11th Jun 2009 at 8:56 AM
Isn't Object Workshop sort of like what TSR are making? That's why I stopped Peter making that tool, which had been on his next to-do item.

"You can do refraction by raymarching through the depth buffer" (c. Reddeyfish 2017)
Lab Assistant
#9 Old 11th Jun 2009 at 9:35 AM
This is what I need is a decompresser program to explore some of the hidden files that EA hides in the *.package files, I'll bet that some of the files that I'm looking for and or file structures are hidden in a few of these package files.

@Echo or anyone else, you mentioned that there are several tools available on the net, which one/s would you guys recommend for Vista x32? Heh I only ask cuase many DOS command programs don't work in Vista for me.
Retired Duck
retired moderator
#10 Old 11th Jun 2009 at 9:40 AM
As far as I know, both S3PI and Postal should be compatible with Vista x32.
Warrior Gryphon
site owner
#11 Old 11th Jun 2009 at 11:39 AM
Yeah I agree with wes - tracking down the individual parts is very tedious, but until we have full file formats for every type of chunk, it'll have to stay as a manual process for now.

Story books are full of fairy tales, of Kings and Queens, and the bluest skies.
Lab Assistant
#12 Old 11th Jun 2009 at 6:07 PM Last edited by CrazyAce : 11th Jun 2009 at 7:36 PM.
Quote: Originally posted by Peter L Jones
5 June - 0906-05-2046

Attempt to fix Vista issue with "Cannot access a closed Stream" error.


Thats the error I get when I attempt to unpack a package file with Peters Unpacker tool. Which is why I was asking if there are other tools available, oh well I'll keep searching and hopefully Pete can get that unknown stream error fixed.

:edit2:

Although postal works, kinda hard to understand at first, but I'm getting the hang of it. Thanx Echo.
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