Problem with ShpEd for terrain tiles

Gurachn · #1 October 6th, 2011, 01:31 AM

I am trying to add a bit more detail to trenches, but am having a few problems.
I can get the bmps out of the .shp fine (I have started with the Z5 version of the summer trench tiles)
I have edited each icon in photoshop, and have no trouble using ShpEd to convert the .bmps to .shp.

After replacing the image in the new .shp and renaming (from BigNew.shp to TER52Z5.SHP) the trouble begins...

Often after I have viewed the icon I want to replace, and open the SP Fix, I find that for some reason the new image seems to be half clipped.

Moving the crosshairs doesn't seem to fix this, in fact the cross hairs often seem to move in the opposite direction to what they seem to be intended to.

This doesn't seem to happen in every case, and I have managed on several trys to replace up to the first 4 icons with no problem, only to find that the 5th is half missing.

Any ideas what I am doing wrong and how to avoid this problem?

DRG · #2 October 9th, 2011, 04:10 PM

Do not use "Use old header"

Don

Gurachn · #3 October 10th, 2011, 07:53 AM

Hi Don,
Thanks for the tip, but I tried SP fix the shps with the "Use old header" unchecked, but I'm afraid I had the same problems.
Part of the problem, I suspect, is the fact the SP Fix window is actually smaller than the '...z5.shp' 300x300 icon images, and it seems it's not possible to resize it.

I can load the first couple of icons without a problem, but I always seem to reach a point where the centering arrows seem to switch direction (e.g. the right pointing arrow starts to move the vertical cross hair left instead of right) and then the final image ends up badly centered and/or half cropped off.
Any suggestions?

DRG · #4 October 11th, 2011, 05:43 PM

If you make any change to the outer dimensions of a terrain shape file you will have problems.

Terrain can be re-worked and created. I've done it many times but ONLY for the Z4 zoom levels. THE GAME creates new versions of the other zoom levels automatically from the reworked z4 set but O*N*L*Y a pure DOS version of the game with the new zoom levels will build those new levels and it will only build those new levels IF it finds them missing when it tries to load them and it will ONLY do all of that IFyou are running a pre XP version of Windows.

Working with terrain in this game is akin to witchcraft and the game will NOT tolerate errors.

That said, have you tried the revised version of SHPedit I posted on these forums ? I haven't tried doing what you are doing for about 12 years but that new version will show larger images and *might* do what you want it to do.

Don

Gurachn · #5 October 11th, 2011, 08:55 PM

Ah, I started with the z5s as they were the largest images. I was thinking if I got those done it would be easier to batch action the other z levels to the right size.

I think I still have my original version of SP, and have an old 486 laptop which I can probably get it to run on. So if I edit the z4s, and fire up DOS SP1 it will create all the other zoom levels?
Don, I just noticed in another post that you mentioned having a 'special DOS copy of the game that was built to produce all six zoom levels', so does this mean the stock DOS game is not sufficient?

Sorry, I can't seem to find the revised version of SHPedit you mentioned. Could you post a link?
Thanks again.

void1984 · #6 October 12th, 2011, 03:33 AM

For DOS games use dosbox. Much easier then a second PC.

DRG · #7 October 13th, 2011, 12:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gurachn

Ah, I started with the z5s as they were the largest images. I was thinking if I got those done it would be easier to batch action the other z levels to the right size.

I think I still have my original version of SP, and have an old 486 laptop which I can probably get it to run on. So if I edit the z4s, and fire up DOS SP1 it will create all the other zoom levels?
Don, I just noticed in another post that you mentioned having a 'special DOS copy of the game that was built to produce all six zoom levels', so does this mean the stock DOS game is not sufficient?

Sorry, I can't seem to find the revised version of SHPedit you mentioned. Could you post a link?
Thanks again.

The old DOS game will not create the new zoom in level we use.

I have found the game VERY particular about remaking terrain files and have not had any success with DOSBOX

I have no idea where the revised SHPedit went to. I had thought I had stickied it

Attached is the revised shped in a zip ( I'm having problems with zips atm, let me know if this one gives you trouble )

Save the original shped in a temp folder

Don

Gurachn · #8 October 13th, 2011, 10:52 AM

Thanks Don,
No problem with the zip, and that version fits much better for the z5s.
Had a quick try and it still seems to be a bit finicky with the centering but perhaps I just need to play with it a bit more to get a feeling for it.

Frankly though its starting to look like more trouble than I had anticipated.

The aim was to shrink the trench lines and give them more of the characteristic zig zag, with a bit more detail in the form of gun pits and listening posts.
After experimenting a bit on trying to map out a scale version of the terrain at Dien Bien Phu, I realized that wirh the stock tiles I just couldn't capture the feel of the very extensive and convoluted fortifications there. Especially since many of them were actually quite small.
The heavily contested firebase (containing up to 3 inf. companies and a few tanks) on hill Eliane 2 was only about 100x 150m. A simple loop of trenchline around 2x3 hexes just can't capture the image.

mkr8683 · #9 September 5th, 2012, 06:01 AM

Grant, an easy trick is to simply place a brown dot in the upper left hand corner. I find it easier to paste the new BMPs, which are roughly the same angle and dimension, over the old ones. DO NOT use the crosshairs - they seem to cause nothing but headaches. Manually set the Left and Top fields to 0 each, then the Right and Bottom fields to the dimension of the new icon. The game will center on the corner dot, and as it is brown, it is invisible on any terrain hex. If you need to make adjustments, do so by adding and subtracting from the left, top, right, and bottom fields - ie., to move an icon five pixels to the right that is 50x20, add 5 to the Right field and subtract five from the Left field.

It's late here, and I may have typed some of that backwards..