Ask the Experts / 'file contains invalid data'

can't load saved games from beyond my latest backup.
i.e. can't view PT3 prelim entries, etc.
on attempting to open them the loading window pops up, followed by the background of the menu screen changing from the various SFMM recreation screens to a blank landscape with the error window "cannot open file; file contains invalid data"



help?

are all objects in your obj data folder?

if so try the sv6fixer

Bringing back this topic since I'm experiencing a similar problem.

In preparation for completely restoring my laptop (Vista is corrupted and needs a clean install), I am backing up everything. Today I decided to check my RCT2 parks on the family computer that also has RCT2. When I loaded several parks, including my current project Six Flags Wyoming, they exported custom objects to the ObjData folder, but after exporting everything, I was returned to the startup screen with the "file contains ivalid data" message. Now I know some objects have problems exporting (like the Giga Looper coaster and AmazingEarl's custom rides), so I copied my entire ObjData folder to the computer I'm using and I still got the same error message when I tried to load them.

This appears to be only parks I have made recently. One of them is a park I made using Geewhzz's SS2 bench and modified slightly when I decided there were a few more things I wanted for the park. The original version using Geewhzz's SS2 bench works just fine, but the one with a few changes made to it later does not work. Six Flags Wyoming was mostly an entirely custom bench I made and modified several times in the scenario editor after working on it as an actual park. I often go back to the scenario editor after working on parks for a while because I decide there's something new I want for the park, so I tried loading several other parks which I did this for and they work just fine.

To sum things up, my current project won't load on this other computer despite me having copied my entire RCT2 object folder over from the computer I did all the work on SFW on. I have Wacky Worlds and I try hard not to let any other objects of those slip into my parks, but this other computer has Wacky Worlds installed on it, so I doubt this is the problem. Also, one of my projects from long before my computer went to crap won't load either, and that was last modified back in January.

Is there a way I can find a list of all the object files used in a certain park and find out what is wrong? If not, then what might I be able to do to be able to run these parks when I restore my computer?

(Just ask if you're not sure what's going on, or to clarify anything.)


EDIT: I just converted the SV6 files to scenarios and when I tried to load them, the game said I need Time Twisters for them. I never even installed Time Twister on my computer since I don't have that expansion pack. :' />

Edited by RamSam12, 08 June 2009 - 06:34 PM.

mmm....check your savegames with parkdat. it could be a object with the TT flag enabled is selected. sometimes it does export but not run and sometimes it does run.
if the problems remains. deleter the plugin.dat file from your data folder and start rct2 again.

I went back into the scenario editor on the computer that the parks work with and removed those TT and WW objects. After I saved that modified scenario as a park, I loaded it and it worked fine. The only other thing I had to do was put the jagiglt.dat file into the Objdata folder before it loaded successfully.

I deleted the plugin.dat file from the data folder and when I went to startup the game, it gave me an error message and wouldn't load. Of course, I'm running a no-CD patch on that computer, so that may have been why the game wouldn't startup without that file. After I put the file back, the game worked again.

Another question for anyone who knows: How can I remove all Wacky Worlds or Time Twister objects from an SV6 file without going back to the scenario editor? I know this was done with at least one park here on NE (zburns999's Paramounts Xtreme was de-Wacky Worlds-ized by someone here, I remember). I have several completed parks that can't load because they contain some TT objects. I tried using ParkDat16, but after removing some objects, I got an error trapper when I loaded the saved game.

Anybody still have sv6fixer? I just got RCT2 again with no saved games or objdata. Whenever I try to open a park the main menu picture is changed into a picture of a corner of the game file, but the file refuses to open and says "This file contains invalid data". So I tried downloading the bench I used to make the park (Belgianguy bench), but the problem persists and neither the park of the bench file can be opened.

Apparently, I can't save anything either. If I save, it exits me out to the main menu and the message "file contains invalid data" shows up again.

sv6fixer only works on a certain file. your problem sounds to be more severe. I sugest reinstalling the game first.
make sure after deinstalling you remove any files still in the data folder.