Reading Server's .dat Files

[KtX2SkD]

Trying to read the .dat files that come with an Unturned server, however I tried several tools and nothing is working out.

Mostly interested in the files under Level folder, listed below, but probably the same read method would apply for files under folders Players and Server, excluding Commands.dat of course.

Files under Level folder:

• Barricades.dat
  
• Groups.dat
  
• Lighting.dat
  
• Objects.dat
  
• Structures.dat
  
• Vehicles.dat

- KitCat.

[RenegadeNine]

      

[ChrisK]

you dont need those things for servers there are other dat files

[KtX2SkD]

Originally posted by mradir05:

you dont need those things for servers there are other dat files

Without knowing what I'm looking for, planning to do, or clarifying what "other files" you're talking about, I think you meant to post in another thread.

[Squittle]

I admit I'm not super knowledgeable here, but I don't think those files can be read.

Why would you need to access those files anyway?

[KtX2SkD]

Originally posted by Squittle:

I admit I'm not super knowledgeable here, but I don't think those files can be read.

Why would you need to access those files anyway?

I understand many moderation tasks are fully rocket-dependent, (e.g. locating, manipulating, removing structures or vehicles), which I find hard to believe, because it would render Vanilla as crippled (since it's unable to achieve said tasks & more), instead of the expected tough-to-manage.

So reason one is lack of rocket-free ways to manage such things. Reason two is that any facility, rocket or not, usually makes things easier to do at the expense of limiting what is doable or how its done. Raw data access is not as easy, and has its own problems, but done right it allows deeper control.

[GERBS.exe]

From what i understand of what your saying, there is no real vanilla control other than the server config files for the things that rocket can do. When rocket mod came out nelson supported it massively in the game as it gave and easy (ish) way for deeper control of servers without him needing to do anything to do that in vanilla xd. Unfortunately u might have to use rocket mod for that level of control, and unfortunately i dont know any programs that work to edit .dat files. (I might be wrong, but i think that is because those files are sealed/ finsihed, not to be edited by users. But from time to time nelson has probably had to edit those which he would have done using unity, so there might be a way of reversing that sealing process to edit them but then u would have to re seal them and after some updates they might reset so u would have to keep backups and edit those to the newest version of the game and put them back in, which would be a real hassle and take up lots and lots of time. Also there is the chance that battle eye might detect those files being edited has hacking and game ban u so be careful if u do find a way to edit the files.) Hope this helps!

[KtX2SkD]

Most .dat files I came across are pure text, such as Unturned's item and vehicle files. There's reason to believe they're sometimes used for video files as well, although neither case apply for the files we have in question.

I'd except deep control is already possible, albiet hard, but can't find actual evidence of it, which is weird, and improbable to not exist (yet possible).

Yes, maybe the files are locked intentionally against tampering, such as Nelson hiding a decrypt/encrypt key within the game's code (it's not user-based otherwise we wouldn't be able to copy-paste servers to each other). It could also be unintentional or just a side effect of some other process, such as "serializing objects to bits" I think someone phrased it.

Hacking and banwise, I think that is limited to validating clients who connect and play. I don't know of any validation process for servers, so I'm guessing worst case scenario is server bugs, server corruption, or failure of some services like save or anti-hack-security. After all, if you'll flag a server somehow, how will you identify it? They don't have accounts, IDs, or similar. I sure don't expect a server to go ******* mode and ban everyone who joins it due to file tampering on server side, and I sure hope it never happens.

I do appreciate your input GERBS, I wonder why this topic wasn't ever posted before.