Topic: Wireframe displays

[SpaceMaster]

I want to use some of the ships in the OP+ 4.0 pack but I can't get a wireframe to display in the vessel library. I also want to use existing models for different races (for example, my Hydrans use modified Klingon and Lyran vessels in addition to the HD7 and my Korgath, TigerHeart and Camboro pirates use many early Klingon, Lyran and Mirak ships respectively). How do I get these to display and work properly?

[marstone]

Short answer is you can't. They never put the info in the game to have other races ships in the library.

Longer answer is, it can be done by adding the missing information into the sprites.q3 file. It would take a bit of work to do all ships, but could be done.

[SpaceMaster]

Which program can I use to edit that file? The only problem I can see after figuring out how to edit it is trying to make Romulan wireframes show up for other races, since theirs are oriented differently in the library. I used to have the Prime cartel employing old Romulan ships, but I decided not to pursue that idea.

I assume that getting wireframes to work for user-made ships will be much harder...

[GotAFarmYet?]

As far as I know a sprites.q3 file editor for SFC was never released. The tools Interplay used to modify them might have been give to the owners of this forum but I doubt it.

So a sprites.q3 file editor can be used from a different game and you can talk to the makers to see if they can help you out. The only other route is a hex file editor which is basically a file editor with out the interface, which means you will need allot of time and some programming skills to get it done.

Unless Marstone has another answer

[marstone]

Yes, sadly no editor has been released for sprites.q3. I use a sector editor and hand edit it in binary.

My working machine is down right now so work on an editor has slowed to almost a standstill right now on my end.

But adding new ship wireframes is possible (the q3 uses it's own image format tho). I have spent almost a year breaking out how the q3 works (don't know it all yet) but editing it is possible and fairly close.

Most likely the full editing tools will not be releasedf by me tho. I am looking at releasing an editor that will let people make/edit ship ui's (wireframes) which will then be able to submit for adding in. This will be done that way so we can keep the quality of look up.

More updates later after my machine is back up (hate typing this stuff up on my phone)

[GotAFarmYet?]

Yes, sadly no editor has been released for sprites.q3. I use a sector editor and hand edit it in binary.

More updates later after my machine is back up (hate typing this stuff up on my phone)

Yeah, used a hex editor to do some work on it at one point or two and a reinstall or two because of mistakes I made.
As for typing on my phone I agree I have nic-named mine a "creative spelling device" as it has a multi-tap keyboard

[intermech]

As for typing on my phone I agree I have nic-named mine a "creative spelling device" as it has a multi-tap keyboard

Guys, I can tell we're getting old, young guys don't even try to use proper grammar and spelling when using a phone. But if you think how old the game is, you could be born after the first version came out and be playing it in high school right now.

Marstone, I have been following your progress on the Q3 and appreciate your hard work. But I am beginning to understand if you decide to cut the project down. What was top of my wish list 10 years ago, I now will realistically never have time to use (like Armada's MVAM). My kids won't appreciate the game's pixel-ee graphics of the dated 3D engine and I am way behind on this decade's moddable games. I think I am becoming a modding nihilist.

[marstone]

Yeah, we are old.  I do try and type out correctly when using my phone, IM's or forums stuff.  I have a BlackBerry, so it has a full keyboard, but if I don't hit it right, my finger can cover four keys.

As for the game and the project.  I will probably finiish it up.  I have faith that we will have the new game out in a year or two.  Updated to work with Win7, then hopefully an updated render engine.  The game really doesn't need much updating as it plays well.  Just a face job, an update to a piece or two and it will be good for another 10 years.  (main things is coreections to work with new OS's, better network setup for more players, then a facelift on the renderer [and update on the Q3 renderer also as it is behind the game engine by a few years]).

As I have said, I have faith that we can get it up and running better then before.

[SpaceMaster]

So, does anyone know of a good .q3 editor from another game? I could just hand over a mod request list but I'm sure it will grow very big very fast once I get going and I should probably handle this myself if I can.

[marstone]

Sorry to say I have not heard of one. They were suppose to have used something like macromedia to make the screens. Then used a program to covert to the Q3 format. 

[atheorhaven]

Sorry to say I have not heard of one. They were suppose to have used something like macromedia to make the screens. Then used a program to covert to the Q3 format.

And didn't they have a modified .Q3 for SFC in the first place?  I seem to remember that in all the discussions..

[SpaceMaster]

Right now all I need is for kfa, kcl, kdn and kbb to show up for Korgath; and for kff, kdd, kcl, kdn, lff, ldd, lcl, lca and ldn to show up for Hydrans. The point of my current mod is that Korgath has all Klingon ships from the early and middle eras, and the Hydrans have many captured and converted Klingon and Lyran ships from the time when they were occupied, not just the D7H. I am retexturing most of the stock Klingon models for use by Korgath; I will release these to the community soon. I will need some help with Hydran-looking retextures of the aforementioned Klingon and Lyran ships.

My next project will focus on Lyran and Mirak ships, and their limited use by the TigerHeart and Camboro cartels, respectively.

[marstone]

Let me see about adding those ships UI's to the shipyard of the races.

If you have a specific list put together send me a mail on the board here or to the email on my profile and I will see what can be done.