Explinations

[Sundansyr]

Now... as I have been working on a new components.bmp file, I am going to need to start working on the components.txt file to make use of the new GraphX.

I need to have the functions of the components explained, since I did not find a line-by-line explination of the template files in the modding document.

------
* - Self Explanatory, no details needed.

Class Name := *
Name := *
Description := *Allowed Vehicle Types := *
Restriction Type := ?
Restriction Value := ?
Space Object XFile Name := *
Picture Bitmap Index := ?? << Biggie: How does the graphic engine parse image files? I know it can parse a file longer than 520 pixels, can it parse wider than 400 pixels? How does it parse the end of a 'line' of images and move down to the next? >>
Placement Locations := *
Default Repair Priority := *
Tonnage Space Taken := *
Tonnage Structure := *
Level Minimum := 1 <<Required level to find in stores or use?>>
Illegal Cargo := *
Uses Levels := *
Is Commodity := *
Event ID := 0 << The availability of items in the store or as discarded cargo can be set to a particular event? How??>>
Base Credit Value := *
Credit Value Inc Pct Per Level := *
Energy Consump Inc Per Level := *
Sound Filename := * <<A good place to find new sound FX would be nice...>>
Energy Consumption := 10 <<[Is this per second, per shot??>>
Weapon Type := *
Weapon Target := *
Weapon Damage Point Blank := *
Weapon Damage Dec Per 10 Rng := 1 <<[I have not seen how this works at all, unless it means afterthe tenth range box??>>
Weapon Damage Inc Per Level := *
Weapon Damage Maximum Range := * <<[What is the max effective range any weapon can reach in SF?>>
Weapon Damage Type := *
Weapon Reload Rate MS := *
Weapon Display Effect Name := APB beam <<[How does the game determine beams and parse the beam image files, since there are multiple files?>>
Weapon Beam Duration := 50 <<[Milliseconds?>>
Weapon Explosion Effect Name := *
Weapon Beam Burn Color := 255, 65, 255 <<[I have seen no change in the game after altering this.>>
Weapon Autofires := *
Weapon Tonnage Structure := *
Number of Effects := 1 <<[Where can I get a list of effects to know what can be used here?>>
Effect 1 Type := Energy Maximum
Effect 1 Base Amount := 50
Effect 1 Amount Per Level := 0
Number of Requirements := 0 <<[Same question.>>

Anti - Proton Beam Beam S, F Normal 3000 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 0 0 0 0 <<What does the S, F mean? Since there are only ten range boxes, how do these damage listings affect the 20 range boxes in the game?

Anti-Proton Beam Beam Beam 10 <<How does it know where beam 10 is? There are four beam files.>>

[Phoenix-D]

irst thing's first. That second to Last entry is NOT VALID. I strongly suspect the Last one isn't either. This is the actual Anti Proton Beam record:

Class Name := Anti - Proton Beam
Name := Anti - Proton Beam
Description := Focused energy beam used as a medium range weapon.
Allowed Vehicle Types := Ship, Base, Satellite, Fighter
Space Object XFile Name := Cargo Pod
Picture Bitmap Index := 18
Placement Locations := Weapon (Light)
Default Repair Priority := 6
Tonnage Space Taken := 30
Tonnage Structure := 30
Level Minimum := 1
Uses Levels := TRUE
Restriction Type := None
Restriction Value := 0
Illegal Cargo := FALSE
Is Commodity := FALSE
Event ID := 0
Base Credit Value := 3000
Credit Value Inc Pct Per Level := 20
Sound Filename := Anti - Proton Beam
Energy Consumption := 30
Energy Consump Inc Per Level := 0
Weapon Type := Beam
Weapon Target := Ship, Base, Fighter, Satellite
Weapon Damage Point Blank := 25
Weapon Damage Dec Per 10 Rng := 5
Weapon Damage Inc Per Level := 5
Weapon Damage Maximum Range := 60
Weapon Damage Type := Normal
Weapon Reload Rate MS := 3000
Weapon Display Effect Name := Beam 10
Weapon Explosion Effect Name := Explosion
Weapon Beam Burn Color := 72, 235, 0
Weapon Beam Duration := 50
Weapon Autofires := FALSE
Weapon Tonnage Structure := 0
Number of Effects := 0
Number of Requirements := 0

Picture bitmap index is pretty simply. Look at the components.bmp file. It starts at either 0 or 1 for the Bridge and the index number goes up by one with each new square. Once it hits ten it goes back to the begining of the file and starts over at 10 or 11. You can make the file longer, but not wider.

Not sure on the level minimum; never used it.

Event ID is a bit tricky. Certain events have fields for this so you can indeed remove or add components. E.g. you could set it so anytime a cargo of event ID 3532 was picked up it would show a text message.

Soundfilename- no help there.

Energy consumpion is per shot.

Weapon Damage Dec Per 10 Rng is how many damage points the weapon looses per 10 LS of distance to the target.

Weapon Damage Maximum range sets the max range it can fire to. It can be pretty much as large as you like, but depending on what the previous field says it might not actually get that far (i.e. its damage hits zero before max range)

Weapon Display Effect Name: refers to Main_BitmapEffects.txt. (which also sets shot speeds, FYI)

Beam duration is in milliseconds IIRC.

Burn color refers to the color created when the weapon hits the shield also IIRC.

The effects lists comes from effects.txt in the Data folder. Requirements can IIRC only be used to limit the number of components per ship.

EDIT: Two other notes. One, the game treats a blank line as the end of a component. Two, the game treats a double blank line as a end of file marker.

[Sundansyr]

Okay... help??

I've been trying to experiment with the main_components.txt file, insofar as changing the pointers to new graphic coordinates.

But it's totally ignoring any new 'picture bitmap index' pointer that I put into the file (line six in the component record) . All other changes are there, but not the new graphic. It still looks in the old slot, regardless.

HELP!

[Phoenix-D]

That's strange..what component are you trying to change?

EDIT: better question- you are starting a new game with the same campaign you made the change to, right? Modding an existing savegame can work, but often components already on ships or in spacedocks don't get modified- only the newly generated components do.

[Sundansyr]

Phoenix-D said:
That's strange..what component are you trying to change?

All of them. See my thread 'GraphX'. Essentially I'm taking much of the art from SE4, and several mods for it, and creating a new components.bmp file.

Unfortunately it is refusing to pay attention to the new bitmap indexing I add to the components.txt file... as if it's still reading that from some other file somewhere else, and it's got me stymed.

EDIT: better question- you are starting a new game with the same campaign you made the change to, right? Modding an existing savegame can work, but often components already on ships or in spacedocks don't get modified- only the newly generated components do.

I've tried both. I get the same results either way.

[Phoenix-D]

Where is the changed components.bmp? In order for it to work you either have to change the default file OR make sure its in (Campaign Name)/Images/Components/Components.bmp. If you do the latter the changes will only apply to that particular campaign.

[Sundansyr]

Phoenix-D said:
Where is the changed components.bmp? In order for it to work you either have to change the default file OR make sure its in (Campaign Name)/Images/Components/Components.bmp. If you do the latter the changes will only apply to that particular campaign.

There is no 'images' directory in the campaign directory tree. There's only the one components directory under the image directory, which is directly under the starfury root. P&N has an image directory, but it contains only some effects that I guess override or suppliment the existing image files.

I have changed the original file, replacing it with an entirely new components.bmp - and in the game, since for some reason it is not reading the image bitmap index line in the components.txt file, I am seeing completely different graphics in the game (whatever I've put into the slot it addressed previously).

Q:
Does the game engine look at another file altogether to parse its component images? That is the only explination I can seem to think of as to wny my altered components.txt file is not functioning correctly.

[Exan]

Sundansyr said:

There is no 'images' directory in the campaign directory tree. There's only the one components directory under the image directory, which is directly under the starfury root. P&N has an image directory, but it contains only some effects that I guess override or suppliment the existing image files.

I have changed the original file, replacing it with an entirely new components.bmp - and in the game, since for some reason it is not reading the image bitmap index line in the components.txt file, I am seeing completely different graphics in the game (whatever I've put into the slot it addressed previously).

Q:
Does the game engine look at another file altogether to parse its component images? That is the only explination I can seem to think of as to wny my altered components.txt file is not functioning correctly.

You can create Images folder in the campaing you want as well as XFiles and Sounds folders and their subfolders. Then when running the campaign the game will look for the images at the campaign folder first and if it doesn't find them it will search the original images folder. Same goes for x files and sounds.

For my knowledge the components.txt doesn't refer to anything else expect to the components.bmp and to that only with slot number. If I recall correctly each slot is 40x40 in the image. My alterations have all worked fine if not counting the few background problems. The pink color wasn't so pink so the objects showed a thin purple line around them.

[Phoenix-D]

You are seeing different icons, then? The only thing I can think of at this point is that you aren't actually setting the components.txt correctly. Can you post the components.txt and your new components.bmp please?

[Sundansyr]

Phoenix-D said:
You are seeing different icons, then? The only thing I can think of at this point is that you aren't actually setting the components.txt correctly. Can you post the components.txt and your new components.bmp please?

I suspect that I might be.. in which case I would have expected either a crash, or an absolute hash of the images. But neither happened. I got images, but the wrong ones (since slot 1 was replaced with a weapon, my 'bridge' in the game was that weapon... even though in the components.txt file the index number for 'bridge' was 191).

Here is my components.txt file. You can find my components image file (in JPG format for size) in my GraphX thread.

As for the purple/pink line around the items... I've solved that problem and it'll be clean in the finished components.bmp file.
Photoshop replace color is a handy tool...