Data Format

[Gandalf Parker]

Maltrease said:
What format is the data in the game available in?

Its not immeadiately accessable.

Can you access all of the current unit and spell informtion in an easy way (like XML)?

Much of it you can. Well, I can. There is a linux command called "strings" which will extract the text of the game. Many huge lists can be generated and made available for download.

Can you get all the unit sprites directly? I know in Dom2, I had to make them by taking screen shots.

There are new commands which will copy things into a mod. In Dom2 someone worked out a macro to screenshot and save the sprites (initial image, not movement image) and we made them all available for download. Usually the move image is a simple cut-n-paste of part of the initial image so it saved alot of time for people.
http://www.dom2minions.com/~minion/icons/
I wouldnt mind seeing that done again.

Lastly... is it possible to get access to any of this data before the game is released?

I believe that any of it can be given to you by anyone that has the game. A beta-tester or a previewer. Im not sure if any of them want to but if you have very specific desires then they might.

I'd like to make an online unit viewer (which could eventually grow into other things). I had planned this for Dom2 but process of extracting the data was tedious and my time was lacking. My knowledge of data driven applications had grown a lot in two years and if the data is easily available I don't think it would be a huge drain to create it now. Plus the timing would seem to be much better (getting it done close to the game release) vs months later.

I agree with everything that you said. But there is a problem with it. For the same reason that the icon directory I just showed you was not linked off any web page. Making it too easy for people to get copies of the game icons is pretty much gauranteeing that they will show up in other games, as avatars, as desktop icons, etc. Having those things happen within the Dominions community is one thing but having it show up all over the net is kindof irritating.

I suspect that someone will need to create an all_units game like was done for Dom2.

Gandalf Parker

[Maltrease]

Hi Gandalf,

Good to hear from you again. I was the one that created the macro to capture the sprites.

I've preordered the game, once I receive It can create the sprites again (assuming my old method still works).

On the other hand it seems silly to have to go to these lengths to extract the images when the orginals are available somewhere. I mean if we are going to make them anyway... why make it hard?

If somone can provide me the data in a XML format I can create the unit viewer. I know absolutely nothing about digging around in an executable file. Ideally someone would write something that can take the exe and automatically build the XML. My application would read this XML externally. Then when an update occurs the XML is re-exported and my app simply links to the updated version. This way updates are easy.

I imagine a lot of other people could do all sorts of great things with the XML.

I can wait until after the game is released to release the viewer (assuming its done before then) if anyone is concerned about spoiling something...

[Gandalf Parker]

Well its up to Illwinter and Shrapnel whether or not we can make the images available online. I dont want to create a monstrous clampdown across the board.

[Endoperez]

Maltrease said:
Hi Gandalf,

Good to hear from you again. I was the one that created the macro to capture the sprites.

I've preordered the game, once I receive It can create the sprites again (assuming my old method still works).

That depends... How big were the sprites your script extracted? The size hasn't changed since DomII, but I recall finding out the some of the extracted pictures were only half the size of the DomII originals, and thus while the units were identifiable, they still couldn't be used in mods.
I don't know how your script works. You might have to test out to see how big the commander icons should be, and if you used (virtual?) keyboard commands to scroll the command list you'll have to change it to +/- keys.

[Maltrease]

Its been a while, but I believe I captured the images at a very large size (like the size they appear when you look at the unit detail). I then cropped and resized everything to 64x64 pixels.

Most units used a very small amount of the 64x64 space as they were all relative to the larger units.

For example - The Great Mother
http://www.dom2minions.com/~minion/i...her%20copy.gif

vs
Old Centurion
http://www.dom2minions.com/~minion/i...ion%20copy.gif

Is that not how the units work now? Or do all of them fill the 64x64 block and size is determined by another variable?

If Illwinter/Shrapnel would prefer I don't make the images thats fine as well.

My idea was to create a flash version of a unit viewer. I know many of the people that would like Dominions are into all the nooks and details of things. I frequently read spell list, technologies or weapon details of games I'm interested in buying.

I just wanted to float the idea out there. I'd love to contribute to the community.

[Arralen]

Do not crop or resize anything - you're throwing away 'precious' details.

There is no other variable. Unit size is directly 'controlled' by fraction of height it has in the bitmap. AFAIK the new icons use 128x128, while the old ones from DomPPP use only 64x64 and therefore apear more 'blurry'.

monster modding:
#spr1 “<imgfile>”
The file name of the normal image for the monster. The
size of the image should be 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 pixels
wide/high. A human being should be about 32 pixels
high and there should be 2 pixels of free space between
his feet and the bottom of the image.

[Maltrease]

Actually if the orginal image was 64x64 and it gets blown up in Dom2, captured, then resized back to 64x64 you didn't lose much detail (yes some during the scaling process).

If I remember, it was really difficult trying to get a clean shot (like I had to move the screen off the map and use a custom GUI mod) and sometime the creature would exceed the border.

I take you point though and if I make the images again I'll explore the best way to keep as much of the detail as possible.

[Arralen]

Maltrease said:
Actually if the orginal image was 64x64 and it gets blown up in Dom2, captured, then resized back to 64x64 you didn't lose much detail (yes some during the scaling process).

DomPPP, not Dom2 used 64x64.
Graphics which where new in Dom2 used 128x128 AFAIK.

And filtering can cost you quite a bit of detail, depending on what algorithm you use...

Btw. the "Great Mother" seems to be 64x64 pixels to me, even in Dom3 - not all graphics got replaced. Check the "Lady of Love" from Dom3 in comparison:

[DominionsFan]

We gonna have some wonderful unit gfx soon. 128x128, 16bit color..I think Im gonna start to work on my units on this weekend