Freeware — DatChecker
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deutsche Version
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Why Donate?

 

 DatChecker is a utility designed to catalog and validate all of the object (*.DAT) files used by the game Rollercoaster Tycoon 2™ (RCT2). In addition, beginning with v1.5 of DatChecker, the graphic images associated with each object can be viewed by double-clicking on the object.

Latest Version

v1.11 / 29 Oct  '04  / md5sum:  122a6d6b701a9203fb3ca3e42e2f6eb9

v1.8 / 12 Feb '04 / md5sum:  4fad8bc7ca7b414bc0e3f7f2347b411f

Installation & Usage

Copy the DatChecker.exe file to your Rollercoaster Tycoon 2 directory (typically C:\Program Files\Infogrames\Rollercoaster Tycoon 2). Double click on the icon to start the application, and enter the directory of the RCT2 ObjData folder in the edit box at the top, or click on the '...' button and select any folder that contains *.DAT files. Once the folder is selected, click on the "Check" button to examine all the *.DAT files therein, or manually drag one or more *.DAT files and drop them on the main DatChecker window.

The following information is displayed for each .DAT file:

  Status   Green flag (OK), Yellow flag (WARNING), or Red flag (ERROR)
  Source  
RCT2 Original game
WW Wacky Worlds add-on
TT Time Twister add-on
custom User-created object
?? Unrecognized object type
  File   .DAT file name
  Name   Internal object name
  Type   Type of object.
  Size   Size of the (uncompressed) object data in bytes.
  MD5 Hash   A unique 128-bit signature of the uncompressed object data.
  Details   Information as to why a flag is yellow (warning) or red (fatal error).

In addition, you can right-click on any object line and select one or more of the following options from the context menu:

  View…   Displays the object's graphic image; the image will be scaled to fit the window.
  Properties   Displays the following information about the selected object:
  • Size of the file in bytes
  • Date the file was first created/installed
  • Date the file was last changed
  • Internal CRC of the compressed object data and name
  • Number of internal images
  • String Table entries
  Remove   Removes the selected object from the list.  This doesn't affect the .DAT file in any way, it just removes the item from the list.
  Archive   Adds the selected object file to the DatChecker Archive.zip file, then deletes the original *.DAT file.  Note: if the file could not be added to the .zip archive, it is not deleted.
  Clone   Create a duplicate of the selected object with a different object name.
  Delete   Permanently deletes the *.DAT file for the selected object and removes it from the list.  Warning: this action cannot be undone!

Mini-FAQ

Q: Why do I need this utility?
A: When RCT2 loads a corrupt or invalid object file, it exits with an error...but doesn't tell you which *.DAT file caused it.  This utility will make sure all your .DAT files are OK by identifying any objects with bad CRCs or corrupt data.  In addition, it will also identify all custom objects so that they can be removed from your ObjData folder.
   
Q: Which versions of Windows will DatChecker run on?
A: DatChecker uses features of the Windows user interface that were first introduced in Windows 2000 and/or Windows ME, some of which have been retrofitted to earlier versions through Service Packs or Internet Explorer updates.  DatChecker will display a warning on older versions of Windows, but will still try to run as best it can.  There were some initial reports about the window re-sizing not working under Windows 98, but I've never been able to duplicate the problem.
   
Q: Can I use it to find duplicate objects?
A: Yes: sort the display by MD5 Hash, and any files with the same 'fingerprint' are duplicates. Unlike the internal CRC—which includes the object name—the MD5 Hash is based only on the uncompressed object data, so two or more objects with identical data (but different names) will have the same MD5 values.
   
Q: How does 'archiving' work?
A: Right-click on a selected object to display the context menu, and select Archive.  This will add the object file to DatChecker Archive.zip and then delete the original *.DAT file if successful.  To 'undo' this action, extract the file from DatChecker Archive.zip—which is created in the same directory as the DatChecker.exe program file—using WinZip™ or any work-alike utility.
   
Q: DatChecker says that ALL of my object files are  invalid! What's going on?
A: DatChecker compares the object CRC and size against those distributed with the US version of RCT2 and the expansion packs (Wacky Worlds and Time Twister), so this may happen if you are using a version released in a different country or language.  To stop DatChecker from verifying objects, create a shortcut to the DatChecker.exe program and add the parameter --noverify to the command line.
   
Q: I don't recognize the ride is that displayed in the screen shot.  What is it?
A: The ride depicted in the screen shot is the Tilted Whirler by The Amazing Earl, and was used with his consent.
   
Q: What's with the weird colors in the object images?  They don't look anything like what's displayed in the game...
A: Many objects are 're-colorable', i.e., the user can change the color of parts of the object when it is placed on the map. These are more correctly known as 'map-able' colors, and are displayed in the object image window as shades of bright green and purple.
   
Q: Can I turn off the gridlines in the object image view?
A: Yes: create a shortcut to the DatChecker.exe program and add the parameter --nogrid to the command line.
   
Q: I found a bug...can you fix it?
A: Yes, but only if you can describe the problem well enough for me to re-create it.  At the very least, I'll need the .DAT file that caused the error; you don't need to go into great detail about your computer, but knowing which version of Windows you're using would help.  This utility was tested on XP and 2000, but your mileage may vary.
   
Q: Is DatChecker really free?
A: Yup.  Besides, any money I could make from selling it wouldn't even begin to cover the legal expenses of being sued by Infogrames for the rather blatant copyright infringement(s).  If you like it, send me a note telling me what you like about it...that's enough payment in itself.

Change Log

v1.11 / 29 Oct '04:

  • Added --transparent command line flag to change the "transparent color" in object view;
  • Recompiled with v7.5.4291 of the Windows Template Library.

v1.10 / 20 May '04:

  • Added --custom command line flag to display only custom objects;
  • Made object data parsing and drawing a little bit faster;
  • Fixed bug when multiple files are dropped on the main window;
  • Recompiled with v7.5.4196 of the Windows Template Library.

v1.9 / 27 Feb '04:

  • Added Remove command to the context menu, which removes the selected *.DAT file from list;
  • Added "File size too large" warning;
  • Double-clicking in title bar of object image dialog maximizes/restores the window;
  • Files can be dragged and dropped on the main DatChecker window;
  • Windows now remember their previous size/position between sessions.

v1.8 / 21 Jan '04:

  • Created German language version with help from Roman Kahl of Planet-RCT;
  • Renamed Object column to Name;
  • Corrected invalid verification data for several TT objects;
  • Added Archive command to context menu, which moves the selected *.DAT file to DatChecker Archive.zip.

v1.7 / 19 Jan '04:

  • Changed warning flag color from red to yellow for non-fatal errors;
  • Added warning message for versions of Windows prior to Windows 2000/ME;
  • Added Image Count field to Properties dialog;
  • Moved  the 'Name' column to the String Table field on the Properties dialog;
  • Added --language=0x?? command line flag to change language displayed in the String Table field.

v1.6 / 15 Jan '04:

  • Object graphic images can be copied to the clipboard using the Copy to Clipboard button on the object view dialog;
  • Object images displayed as a grid above 4x magnification; use --nogrid command line flag to turn grid lines off.
  • Scaling of object graphics smoother, but now limited to integral scale increments;
  • Object verification now defaults to ON; replaced --verify command line flag with --noverify to turn verification off.

System Requirements

Windows ME / NT4+SP3  / 2000 / XP

"ROLLERCOASTER TYCOON 2" is a commercial game, which is copyrighted by Chris Sawyer and distributed by Microprose / Hasbro / Infogrames. This program is in no way affiliated with or recognized by Chris Sawyer, Microprose, etc.
     

2006.06.26-09:04