Request for Custom Terrain SHP

mkr8683 · #1 February 5th, 2012, 01:34 AM

Would it be feasible to add a SHP file of blank terrain overlay graphics which could be accessed with a hotkey combination? This would be pure eye candy, with no MP or LOS penalties. It would be an empty file to which modders could add tents, wrecked vehicles, parked aircraft, etc. for use on maps. Simply a bit of flavor for the already exquisite terrain graphics. This has already been done for another SP mod, would like to see it in the WinSP series.

Thanks,
Matt

DRG · #2 February 5th, 2012, 10:31 AM

wrecked vehicles and parked aircraft can already be added with the existing game and utilities.

Now, go count the number of terrain tile files in the other "SP mod" then count ours.

Don

mkr8683 · #3 February 5th, 2012, 07:37 PM

I meant custom user-end graphics, such as tents, blown-down trees, checkpoints, cows, V-bomb launching sites, etc. I created some tent icons using buildings, but this results in all the protection benefits of being in a building, as well as MP and LOS penalties. Not very appropriate for a row of canvas tents.

I don't need to count the other guys' terrain tiles; as I said, a bit of flavor to the already exquisite terrain icons in WinSPxxx. The SHP I refer to had at least 500 of these custom tiles; it was simply there for people to add to for their own needs. That's all I'm asking for.

DRG · #4 February 6th, 2012, 10:35 PM

Yes, I understood what you meant. Once every half decade someone asks for this

The simple answer is because we have added as many terrain types as we have there is , as I recall, one (1) slot left free to use in the 32 bit integer we had to work with and I'm saving it .

Also, unless each individual terrain SHP zoom level is created by hand ( not a fun job unless you are only doing one and even then it's not something everybody can do correctly) There is only one program on this planet that will create all the zoom levels we use in our game automatically and correctly scaled ( because we use one more zoom level than the "other game" ) and it's right beside my right elbow and has to be run from pure DOS not an emulator so creating this file for end users to use would be a waste of that last slot mainly and given what else we have on our plates ATM it's really not something that is on the radar for us.

Don

Rosollia · #5 February 7th, 2012, 12:26 PM

Quote:

has to be run from pure DOS not an emulator

Have you tried DosBox?
http://www.dosbox.com/
I have been able to run all my old dos games with it and many programs too.
It takes a little editing and reading to get dosbox setup perfectly, but It has completely replaced the need to have an old DOS PC for me.

DRG · #6 February 7th, 2012, 03:16 PM

Yes, I have tried DOS box. It does not work for what I need it to do. That's why I said it " has to be run from pure DOS not an emulator" There are only a few DOS emulators and DOSBOX is probably the first one everyone tries.

Don

mkr8683 · #7 February 7th, 2012, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRG

Yes, I understood what you meant. Once every half decade someone asks for this

Makes sense, given the fact that very few people jack with terrain icons.

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRG

The simple answer is because we have added as many terrain types as we have there is , as I recall, one (1) slot left free to use in the 32 bit integer we had to work with and I'm saving it .

Ok. What do you have in mind for that last slot, if you don't mind me asking?

Quote:

Originally Posted by DRG

Also, unless each individual terrain SHP zoom level is created by hand ( not a fun job unless you are only doing one and even then it's not something everybody can do correctly)

No it isn't. I know firsthand. Probably the most tedious job in modding this game. Are you still considering that terrain zoom generator, per the discussion on the SHPED poll?

DRG · #8 February 8th, 2012, 12:59 AM

I have no specific plans at this time for that last slot which is why it's valuable.

I have a terrain zoom generator, the only issue is it won't run in XP or higher which is why I keep the DOS machine around. Given there is one terrain slot left and given I have something that works ( even though it's a PITA to use as I can only use 3.5 floppys to move files) it's not a high priority.

SP was designed right from the beginning to be it's own terrain generator for the various smaller zoom levels ( and in our case the smaller than standard and the one zoom level larger ) and when I ran DOS in winME all was well but the windows version in XP or higher produces garbage when its ran now. We introduced the level 5 zoom level with the windows version but it was created with the last ( unreleased ) DOS version of the game.

However, as I say, because the work on terrain is mostly behind us it's not a priority to sort it out

Don

Rosollia · #9 February 10th, 2012, 08:03 AM

Just FYI.

Tried out the DOS versions of Fred Chlanda's Unshp/Mkshp/Hdshp programs in DosBox today and got this error message.

"Load error: no DPMI"

Then noticed on his homepage this program called CWSDPMI:
http://hosted.wargamer.com/ChlandaWorkshop/misc/cws.zip
Downloaded and run it in dosbox before starting unshp.exe and it worked!

DRG · #10 February 10th, 2012, 09:45 AM

Yes, some things work just fine on DOSbox but not everything does. The spww2v5.6 exe runs perfectly. The spww2v7 or v7.1 will not run.

Don