Zoot questions (help!)

[Tasmanian_tiger]

I asked about these before, but didn't receive the necessary answers.   Since I didn't need it right away, I forgot about it.  Anyhow, I would like some answers now.

Zoot doesn't start up for me anymore.  I assume it has something to do with my sun java version.  (I uploaded a few updates.. then deleted them.. couldn't get it to work anymore.)  A DOS screen appears, but no zoot.

I wondered, for any that use Zoot, which version of the sun java program do you have?  Can you please check this out?  

Can I somehow reach the creator of the program (should I not get it to run)?

P.S. Zoot worked fine for me, months ago.. now it doesn't anymore.

Help is very much appreciated! Thanks!

[Ailurus]

this may be a stupid question but what is zoot?

OFF TOPIC: by the way, i downloaded all your animals and they are brilliant. Are you planning on making anything else, like say an aardvark?

[Jay]

what is zoot?

ZOOT is a Java program that allows Zoo Tycoon 1 creators to make rotation adjustments, as well as to extract and import ".png" files from/into Zoo Tycoon graphic format.

I wondered, for any that use Zoot, which version of the sun java program do you have?  Can you please check this out?

I use ZOOT with both Linux and Windows XP. In both cases, I am using Java 1.4.2. For Linux, I installed Java 1.4.2 myself without any problems. For Windows XP, Java came preinstalled on the laptop. I have not tried Java 1.5. Although there have been a number of good reports concerning it, including it being much faster than 1.4, I have also heard reports of problems.

Can I somehow reach the creator of the program (should I not get it to run)?

The readme inside the ZOOT ".zip" contains an email address. I don't know if it is current. It would be nice to have the source to ZOOT since I have ideas for enhancements to it. But I'm too shy to send an email.

[Tasmanian_tiger]

ZOOT is a Java program that allows Zoo Tycoon 1 creators to make rotation adjustments, as well as to extract and import ".png" files from/into Zoo Tycoon graphic format.


I use ZOOT with both Linux and Windows XP. In both cases, I am using Java 1.4.2. For Linux, I installed Java 1.4.2 myself without any problems. For Windows XP, Java came preinstalled on the laptop. I have not tried Java 1.5. Although there have been a number of good reports concerning it, including it being much faster than 1.4, I have also heard reports of problems.


The readme inside the ZOOT ".zip" contains an email address. I don't know if it is current. It would be nice to have the source to ZOOT since I have ideas for enhancements to it. But I'm too shy to send an email.

Thanks Jay.

*sigh* of course, I should have seen the included e-mail.

Hmm.. I think I tried that version of Java already.  I'm going to try it again.

Zoot is a program that helps you fixing rotations.

I don't think the creator would mind mails.  I think jbl mailed him once (not that long ago.. few months) and he answered.  I will try mailing if it doesn't work for me.  If you have ideas, I wouldn't worry mailing.

[Tasmanian_tiger]

It's not working.  I get a fatal exception error..  I tried looking up the error and found this page:

http://forum.java.sun.com/thread.jspa?threadID=724900

It's the same thing I had.

First Zoot worked, then a few months later, it didn't anymore and I got this error.  I thought it was due to updates I downloaded.  But comparing the program version with Jay's program version, it isn't the problem.

This is very annoying.. grr..

Any ideas?  I will keep on looking.. but I could use some advice, I don't know anything about these things.

[Jay]

I was incorrect in my last post. I decided to double check. Although, I am using Java 1.4.2 with Linux, it is actually 1.5.0 update 2 that is installed on my laptop. That is what I get for relying on my memory before. Specifically, the Add/Remove Programs list says it is J2SE Run Environment version 1.5 update 2. Also, it is a jre-1.5.0_2 folder beneath the Java subfolder in the Program Files folder.

Offhand, I cannot give specific advice. To me, it sounds like a file is corrupt or missing or maybe it is trying to use some files from one version and other files from another version. If it were me, I would try downloading and installing the latest JRE 1.5 version. If that did not work, I would try removing all Java versions, making sure there was no Java subfolder any more beneath Program Files, and then installing the latest JRE 1.5 version again. If that still did not work, if possible, I would try posting a message in the Java support forums similar to what you saw. I would include as much information about the environment as possible: Windows version, language, etc..

I wish I could offer more. Even being a computer professional, these things are often difficult for me as well. They do not think of all of the different possibilities of computer environments and varying degrees of experience.

Good luck. I hope you can get ZOOT working again.

[I_27_04]

By the way How do you do rotations in a .ani file with zoot becaus
so far I can onley get it in one derection. I am asking this in this topic becaus It is spaming to make another zoot topic when theire already is one. or atleast I think it is spamming.

[Jay]

I do not know what you mean by "rotations". If you look at a folder such as "idle" in ZOOT, there will be 4 graphics files for scenery (NE, NW, SE, SW) and 5 graphics files for animals (E, N, NE, S, SE). These are the different views. You just click on whichever view you want to see in ZOOT.

If you are saying you have a broken ".ani" file that contains only 1 view and should have more, ".ani" files can be edited with any text editor program such as NotePad. You can also click on them in ZOOT.

[I_27_04]

I say rotations becaus like you sead, guests can not function with anything but a single .ani file along with a .pal file, but I dont know how to rotate the animation with zoot.

[Jay]

Guest animations have the same format as animal animations. Each animation has one ".ani" file and 5 graphics files: E, N, NE, S, SE. If you look inside Zoo Tycoon's global.ztd file, you will see, for example, that a man's "stand" animation contains the files:
guests/man/stand/E
guests/man/stand/N
guests/man/stand/NE
guests/man/stand/S
guests/man/stand/SE
guests/man/stand/stand.ani
You can look inside that ".ani" file to see how one should look.

ZOOT does not "rotate" an animation. ZOOT allows you to look at a view of an animation and it allows you to adjust that view (which some people call a "rotation adjustment"). You would just click on whichever graphics file (E, N, NE, S, SE, NW, SW) you want to see for those that exist.

[Tasmanian_tiger]

I was incorrect in my last post. I decided to double check. Although, I am using Java 1.4.2 with Linux, it is actually 1.5.0 update 2 that is installed on my laptop. That is what I get for relying on my memory before. Specifically, the Add/Remove Programs list says it is J2SE Run Environment version 1.5 update 2. Also, it is a jre-1.5.0_2 folder beneath the Java subfolder in the Program Files folder.

Offhand, I cannot give specific advice. To me, it sounds like a file is corrupt or missing or maybe it is trying to use some files from one version and other files from another version. If it were me, I would try downloading and installing the latest JRE 1.5 version. If that did not work, I would try removing all Java versions, making sure there was no Java subfolder any more beneath Program Files, and then installing the latest JRE 1.5 version again. If that still did not work, if possible, I would try posting a message in the Java support forums similar to what you saw. I would include as much information about the environment as possible: Windows version, language, etc..

I wish I could offer more. Even being a computer professional, these things are often difficult for me as well. They do not think of all of the different possibilities of computer environments and varying degrees of experience.

Good luck. I hope you can get ZOOT working again.

Thanks, I'm going to try swiping everything clean.  Before, I did install nearly every version I found of java, but didn't delete subfolders..  I get the feeling though, it won't work.  That's it's like I installed something, that is bumping with the java program.  I'm not sure.  As a last resort, I will try posting on the java forums.  (The people there seem mostly at loss too.. sigh..)

[Peacenote]

I know absolutely nothing about Zoot :blushing: , but I do know some things about computer troubleshooting, as it's my job.  :laughing: Anyway, I just wanted to say if you DID install something that's conflicting, you could try turning off all start-up programs and non-Microsoft services in msconfig and then see if the program runs.

If you're not familiar with msconfig let me know and I can give you some more information on how to do it.  If you already tried it, and it didn't work, then sorry!  :innocent:

[Tasmanian_tiger]

Aah, I might contact you on that.  I haven't done anything since my last post though.  So I will let you know, thanks!