Guild of Writers

I'm currently working on a super-cool super-secret project for Uru, but right now I'm having some difficulties.

Uru won't update my age. By this, I mean that when I export a new build of said age from Blender, and put the files into /dat/ in the uru folder, replacing the old files, loading the age in Uru still shows the old version of the age (with none of my recent changes). This is extremely annoying, obviously. I've tried everything I can think of: re-exporting the age, exporting to a different folder with a different name, clearing the texture cache, even re-installing the plugin, nothing works.

My workflow worked perfectly until very recently, and my partners in the project can still access the age fine, the same as always. I cannot, for the life of me, figure this problem out, and it's starting to get in the way. How can I test my age if Uru won't show any changes to my age?

And on a related topic, we're looking for help If you can apply textures in blender, and enjoy doing that sort of thing, pm me!

This started happening to me too, just last week. Restarting Blender seems to help here - no less annoying though. :7

Earlier I have noticed that if one tinker with a mesh and export before leaving EDIT mode, one's latest changes will not stick. I am guessing this may be something to do with UNDO stack updates (we are probably messing around with a workcopy of the mesh and it is not "submitted" to the object until we exit edit mode).

You may want to get rid of the save file of the age as you update, to get rid of some sticky stuff.

This is probably a stupid question, but are you sure you are copying the files to the Uru directory that you are playing? (I assume you've got at least a pristine POTS installation as a backup and maybe a few more backups...)

Another stupid one: are you consistently spelling the filename the same way? (If nothing else, the Offline KI's /link command is case sensitive).

Well, I've tried restarting everything at least once, so I doubt that's the problem...

I checked out the rest of your suggestions, unfortunately to no avail

It's extremely perplexing though. I don't even understand how it's possible for this to happen. Even if I completely remove all of the age's files from /dat and replace them with the newly exported files, the old age still appears in-game. I've added multiple textures and a couple of objects since the last working export, and they just aren't there, and things that I've replaced or removed in Blender are still present in the game.

The pyprp plugin or the game itself seems to be somehow caching files. Is this at all possible?

Hey, Zib:

Did the age ever have another name? Are some of the old age's files still in there? That had messed me up one time, until I realized what was going on. Although the age may have a new name, the District_<pagename> portion of the file was the same, which was screwing up the loading.

The timestamp of the files is showing the correct modification date?
You have only one Uru installation?

If you use Windows Vista, it could also be some wired security mechanism protecting you from yourself - you could try moving the uru folder to your desktop or the "Saved Games" directory where you have full write access as normal user.

Also, make sure the Age's .sav file gets deleted when you want to look at a new version. the .sav saves all kinds of stuff that can make your new build look like old.

Thanks for all the help guys, I've looked into all of these suggestions and none of them have worked so far

I'll keep trying, I hope I don't have to re-install Uru...

zib_redlektab wrote:when I export a new build of said age from Blender, and put the files into /dat/ in the uru folder, replacing the old files ...

this is not an "efficient" way to export your Age.

You will find it MUCH quicker to export the PyPrp files DIRECTLY to the .dat folder (not to somewhere else and then copy/replace).

... this non-updating "problem" sounds like one of those REALLY stupid/silly mistakes that we ALL make from time to time ... you are bound to have a "DOH!" moment when you realise what you are doing wrong... in the meantime:

If you are exporting correctly, the only things that might not "update" would be:


1) if you made any changes to an object in 'EDIT mode' and exported your Age BEFORE returning the (updated) object to 'Object Mode' (this is the most common mistake)
2) if you made any changes to animated textures (and/or object animations) and you do not delete the .sav file before loading the game to see the changes
3) if you made any changes to texures (i.e. they are replaced/updated BUT RETAIN THE SAME FILENAMES ... and you do not remove them from the tex_cache folder

(my guess is that you are confusing your installations and where you are putting your newly created Age files ... but only you will be able to find out what your "DOH" error is ... when you do though, please post it ... it may well help someone else in the future!)

Well, I know it isn't a problem with the wrong installation, I only have two of them and I've double-checked...

I don't have animated textures, so that can't be it...

I tried the edit/object mode thing, to no avail...

I did change a few textures, but I also deleted the entire tex_cache folder before exporting, so I don't think that's it...

I'm sure it is some silly thing, like you said. I'm going to try restoring my uru installation from a backup, see if that helps.

Also, the only reason I export to a separate folder and copy the files is because I collaborate with about 5 other people, so the folder I export to is a special one that syncs itself with the other computers in the project via dropbox.