SPL file format "Extended Header offset" and "Casting Feature Block offset"

[marchitek]

I have question regarding "Extended Header offset" (0x0064) and "Casting Feature Block offset" (0x006e) fields in SPL (IESDP).

"Feature Block Table offset" seems to always have the same value (0x72), what make sense, since it depends only from header size, which is const.

"Casting Feature Block offset" seems to always have same value (0), what make sense, assuming that casting effects always goes before ability effects.

Question is: can I assume that those values would be always like this and no need for reading them, or am I missing something? For "Feature Block Table offset" it seems to be pretty clear. "Casting Feature Block offset" has this additional assumption, that I'm not sure if it is always true. IESDP doesn't say that casting effect goes before ability effects.

[lynx]

Why risk it when it's so little work to do it properly?

[marchitek]

23 minutes ago, lynx said:

Why risk it when it's so little work to do it properly?

My question was more about if there is any risk at all. But I got the message, thanks.

[subtledoctor]

There definitely is risk, and the values are right there in the file, so better to read them. 

Edited March 21, 2023 by subtledoctor

[Graion Dilach]

I'm suddenly not sure if it were SPLs or ITMs suddenly, but I've seen files where the External Hearders and the Feature Blocks's order were reversed (klatu's Drop Equipment on X components error out on such files). The game has no issue with that.

Edited March 21, 2023 by Graion Dilach

[marchitek]

On 3/21/2023 at 10:56 PM, Graion Dilach said:

I'm suddenly not sure if it were SPLs or ITMs suddenly, but I've seen files where the External Hearders and the Feature Blocks's order were reversed (klatu's Drop Equipment on X components error out on such files). The game has no issue with that.

That's interesting. IESDP kind of suggesting that it need to be on order, but maybe I'm over interpreting. Anyway, if game is ok with that then indeed no longer discussion is needed. I adjusted my code to handle both cases, so hopefully my mod won't break anyone's work.  Thank you all for insights!

[subtledoctor]

Yeah I was less worried about how the game handles it, and more worried about whether your Weidu code - or someone else’s* - can successfully parse it. 

* (Every time I do a big install, some mod will choke on some files added by another mod, and I’ll have to find six files out of 100,000 in my override folder, move them somewhere else, then run the installer again, then move those six files back into /override. It’s maddening, every time. Don’t be that guy!)