I have tried and failed to modify a .dat :(

Ok! I really wanted to modify some images (to make a modesty mod for Arcanum =), and I thought I had the right idea, but after I replaced the default arcanum1.dat with my version, it plays the two opening movies and then shows the loading screen for a brief second before closing to desktop. Can anyone set me straight? Here is what I did:

1. Got dbmaker.
2. Copied arcanum1.dat to dbmaker's folder
3. From command line in dbmaker's directory, typed "dbmaker -u arcanum1.dat"
4. It extracted everything to "art"
5. Copied one of the .ART files to a new directory and renamed it (the hmfuwxaa.art, the human female in just underwear...which if I can get this working, will eventually be replaced with another version of the human female)
6. Used Drog's updated ARTView to look at the .ART file I copied.
6a. Exported one of the frames as a BMP.
6b. Modified the BMP (just drew stuff on it, didn't change the size)
6c. Imported the new frame over the old frame.
6d. Saved the .ART file as hmfuwxaa.art
7. Copied my new .ART file back into the "art" directory within dbmaker's directory
8. Went back to command line, typed "dbmaker -r -c9 art \ *"
9. It created a new version of arcanum1.dat (which was a few mb bigger than the old one for some reason)
10. Replaced the arcanum1.dat in Games\Arcanum with my version
11. Ran Arcanum, and got the error mentioned above

Did I miss a crucial step somewhere along the way? =)
Thanks for any assistance you might offer!

 

Okay. So. I've no ability to help you, BUT curiosity prevails: Modesty Mod?

 

Perhaps he wants to see the Arcanum toons naked ala The Sims hacks.

 

That would be an *im*modesty mod. I am attempting the opposite

I decided to do this when I equipped some barbarian armor on one of my followers and discovered that barbarian armor is approx. 20% of a full suit of clothes. I would like it to be more in the 90-100% range.

But don't let the fact that I want less scanty dressing in my copy of Arcanum distract you from offering modding advice, if anyone knows why I am getting such errors as above!

 

A better method would be to utilize a folder structure in your Arcanum install directory to contain your updates so you don't have to alter Arcanum1.dat.

In your base Arcanum directory containing the .dat files and the .exe, create a folder called 'data' and in that folder create another folder called 'art' and put your new art file in there. That should do it, though I'll admit I haven't tried changing the art before. Altering Arcanum1.dat directly is unwise, as you might encounter crashes (as you've already seen).

If that doesn't do the trick, hopefully someone more knowledgeable about changing art will arrive to assist you further.

 

Woo! EBM, you are currently my personal hero. That worked spiffingly! (It locked up when I quit, but I think that was a fluke because it happens occasionally anyway).

Here is a screenshot demonstrating what happens if Jayna Stiles' armor breaks:

http://gyazo.com/3483fa83354df11a0f2395c43cbd624c.png

While entertaining (I should just replace ALL the character graphics like this) I think I will opt for recycling in-game graphics instead of making my own. As you can see, my constructions are a little bit more polished than the world-weary Arcanum style, and so don't fit in too well.

Yes.
*happy*