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+--- Thread: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... (/showthread.php?tid=409)
Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Amistat - 04.09.2006
I've been making a "casual" mod, which so far basically consists of little tweaks and alterations instead of whole new units and uber changes (my last mod did but I'm trying to keep it minimal this time) so I've just focused on fixing bugs, typos etc and trying to balance a few units that I've heard repeated complaints about.
Up until now I've only spent my time with the rulesmd.ini and artmd.ini but I really want to add gates back into the game (specifically Allied and Soviet as I don't want Yuri to have them since his defences are rock hard already) which means I need to put in the graphics and camoes.
Now, this is where my problem comes in. I have XCC Mixer (and if I can remember where I put it, XCC Mix Editor also) , I have the TS Gate Camoes (but I want to alter them to fit in more with their respective new owners) and I even have the Gate graphics from TS already altered to fit in Yuri's Revenge (to my understanding anyway, they were in a download zip on the XCC home page which stated they were ready for use in Yuri's Revenge already) so it seems like everything is pretty much done for me!
But...uh...I'm still not getting to grips with XCC Mixer. I've read various guides but I never quite get it right. Would it be possible for someone to put a really simple step by step idiots guide for how to do this? I'd majorly appreciate it.
(Also I am lacking any good photo editing software so I'm limited to paint, 56k doesn't let me get free trials of stuff either as downloads are too big...damn 56k sucks. So I'm stuck with Paint, meaning .jpegs are my best option for exporting the images I believe if that helps in any way).
Damn I feel stupid
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Blade - 04.09.2006
What has this got to do with the exe patch? It needs moving to the modding area (and this post deleting).
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Guest - 04.09.2006
Oh crap, wrong board!
I can't believe I didn't check where I was...
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Renegade - 04.09.2006
[MOVED]
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Entith2290 - 04.09.2006
well, i haven't modded in over a year, so i don't know which files are in which .mix file
in the first collumn, you can navigate to your RA2 dir, then open up the mix files you want. If mixer knows where the directory is or sumthing, you can press "ctrl+f" and type the name of the file you're looking for. You can use the astric (*) as a wild card (ex: "*.ini" will get you every .ini file, and "b*.shp" will get you every .shp file that begins with "b")
then, in the middle collumn (you might have to expand it) navigate to the folder where you want to copy the files to or from. Then select the file you wanna copy (on either collumn) right click, then click "copy", or "copy as sumthing" to copy it over
navigation notes: folder labled ".." brings you to the folder the one ur curently in is in. In a .mix file (or .big file for generals), you don't have that, so you can either go to file-> close, or press backspace
i haven't used it in a while, so i don't remember that much about anything else. I could figure out the string editor and pallets, but i can't explain em now. If nobody else posts about the string editor, i'll try to do that tomorrow, but i dunno if i can, last day of summer vacation before school starts.
hope this helps a little, i could't figure out the xcc mixer in the beggining, friend helped over the phone
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Bobingabout - 04.09.2006
resized TS gates? nonononono, thats crap
try bob's gates.
i forgot to upload them to the DB, so, here's a direct link
http://cnc2.cncguild.net/Files/Resorces/gates.zip
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Guest - 04.09.2006
Wow, those gates rock! Cheers dude.
The cameos for the NA gates are kindda messed up (well one's the wrong pallet and ones missing). Is this an easy to fix problem? (The pallet error I believe I just have to export the image with a different pallet but I'm more puzzled by the missing one. I copied and pasted the stuff from the ReadMe so I don't think it's a typo or anything).
I'm getting there with XCC Mixer and Mix Editor and now understand some bits at last so thanks for the assistance there Entith.
The main problem I'm currently having is getting hold of RA2StEdit. Is there a reason this program has been removed from every website in existance? That "MISSING NAME=GATES" thing is a bit messy, even though it doesn't really effect the game I'd like to clear it up. Any help?
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Guest - 04.09.2006
Hmm, running into other problems with the Soviet gates actually...
The one with the cameo (E>W I think) only opens half way as if some of the animation is missing? Also the gates seem to stick out quite alot into the "void" meaning that units will often move through the graphic. This happens on the allied one but it's not as noticable. Any way to prevent this?
I feel like an ass nitpicking like this as they're really cool gates and I've been trying to get some good ones for ages, but the problems do stick out at me so I was wondering if there's a fix you could suggest.
Gah, I also hate double posting. I should really sign up
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Bobingabout - 04.09.2006
erm, yer, that pack doesn't include the gate cameos, i'll have to get you those later.
MISSING NAME=GATES needs the string adding, i use XCC mixer to do this.
the graphic in the void is the biggest problem, units seem to like driving under the graphics, thats why they open sideways, and if the graphic disapeared completly, that'd look even worse.(i know, i tried a few variations.)
i spent a total of about 18 months on these gates(started them, about 6 months break, started the second version, about a year break, the completed them), but if you add up the number of hours i spent on each 1, i'd place it at about 48 hours each(8 solid days). it took 1 whole week(working for about 5 to 6 hours a day) just to get it from a bitmap of parts, to a completed animated gate.
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Amistat - 04.09.2006
Ah I see.
Well I've now made cameos for them (altered the allied and soviet wall icons to make them sort of gatey and changed the name at the bottom).
Sorted out the name thing using the string editor in XCC Mixer (I never realised it had one
)However I'm having problems with my cameos still
[GAGATE_C]; Allied Gate
Image=GAGATE_C
Remapable=yes
Cameo=ALLYGATEA;GATEICON
Foundation=3x1
Buildup=GAGATE_C
GateStages=17
NewTheater=yes
CanHideThings=false
CanBeHidden=false
[GAGATE_D]; Allied Gate
Image=GAGATE_D
Remapable=yes
Cameo=ALLYGATEB;GAt2ICON
Foundation=1x3
Buildup=GAGATE_D
GateStages=17
NewTheater=yes
CanHideThings=false
CanBeHidden=true
[NAGATE_A]; Soviet gate
Remapable=yes
Cameo=SOVGATEA;NGATEAICON
Foundation=3x1
Buildup=NAGATE_A
GateStages=14
NewTheater=yes
CanHideThings=false
CanBeHidden=true
[NAGATE_B]; Soviet Gate
Remapable=yes
Cameo=SOVGATEB;GAt2ICON;NGATEBICON
Foundation=1x3
Buildup=NAGATE_B
GateStages=14
NewTheater=yes
CanHideThings=false
CanBeHidden=true
Those are the codes from the Art.ini and the cameos I made are stored in a mix file called expandmd05.mix in the RA2 folder and are named the same as the Cameo= tags above but they only show up as transparent cameos (i.e. invisible, you just get the "Allied Gate" lable come up if you hover over.
Any ideas what I've done there? I don't get cameo missing so it seems to know they're there, but they don't show up...
Once again, cheers for the walls, they are pretty damn sweet. Although thinking about it, would it not be possible to make a wall that sinks into the ground and allow it to be hidden? That would just mean units would drive over what graphic was left wouldn't they?
Opening outwards looks cooler, but it does have that moving through problem which sounds tough to get rid of or compromise on too.
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Bobingabout - 05.09.2006
Amistat Wrote:would it not be possible to make a wall that sinks into the ground and allow it to be hidden? That would just mean units would drive over what graphic was left wouldn't they?this is the first thing i tried, the unit drives under whatever graphic is left, its really odd, i tried a few things and couldn't get around the problem.
the cameos sound like the file could be corrupt.
oh, and Expandmd05.mix is reserved, please use a number above 10 (it was agreed on by (most of) the community that numbers below 10 will be used by community assets such as rock patch and the TX.)
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - VK - 05.09.2006
Quote:oh, and Expandmd05.mix is reserved, please use a number above 10 (it was agreed on by (most of) the community that numbers below 10 will be used by community assets such as rock patch and the TX.)PD.MIX in future
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Bobingabout - 05.09.2006
CnCVK Wrote:i thought he said he wasn't going to bother with that, because expandmd02.mix does everything he needs it to do. and re-writing the mix reading system to read PD.mix after all the original stuff, including expandmd01.mix but before all the user stuff, including expandmd02.mix wasn't worth the effort.Quote:oh, and Expandmd05.mix is reserved, please use a number above 10 (it was agreed on by (most of) the community that numbers below 10 will be used by community assets such as rock patch and the TX.)PD.MIX in future
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Amistat - 06.09.2006
Hmm, looking at some guides they say that cameos must be stored in an ecache type mix and/or have 0000 after their name.
I've tried both of these (and using a PD.mix) but the cameos still appear totally transparent on the toolbar. Any ideas?
I also downloaded a shp editor so I don't have to turn things to jpegs in the future. Do you think it'd be worth extracting the wall cameos (which are the ones I altered to make my gate ones) and just try redoing them using that as it'd up the picture quality too I guess (since jpegs are butt ugly).
I just get the feeling that there's something really simple and obvious that I'm doing wrong here...
Driving under the gate grahic? That's odd. I would have thought just giving it Canbehidden=true to the gate in the art would fix that. How bizzare...!
I didn't realise any expand## files were reserved, although thinking about it, it makes sence if each modder claims their own so to speak to avoid alot of file shifting when sharing stuff.
RE: Dammit, I think I need an idiots guide... - Renegade - 06.09.2006
how many frames do your cameos have and what palette did you save them in?
Also, http://www.modenc.renegadeprojects.com/Reserved_Mix_Files