Topic: sprites.q3 Editor!

[Nemesis]

Excellent work.   

Now if only I had a computer to play it on.

"Resistance is futile"

But a whole lot of fun.  Especially when you win against the so called impossible odds. 

[xeryx]

I updated the Q3_Editor to version 1.7.0.2.

All the new ships, added to the game, will come with all the 25 weapon hardpoints available for customization! (10 heavy and 15 light).
If you later add any weapon to one of these slots, don't forget to give it a proper position in the ship's UIs!

The link is on the first post of this topic.

I must be missing something about this editor.  I have watched your video's and read the other forum.
I understand how to edit an existing Ship UI.

Q1; Why is there no Clipboard in the Ship UI? or ability to Insert or Delete graphics from the Ship UI editing window?  Is this not an easy solution to install?   It would make things 10x easier.

Q2; How do I delete the extra hard points from the UI once I have made a new Ship UI?

Q3: How do I replace and old SHIP UI (FCA) with a new one I have just made  (FCA2)?  Why can't I just copy and then save the new one over the old one?

I will watch the video again on youtube before asking any more questions.

The Video I watched got me confused.

[d4v1ks]

Q1; Why is there no Clipboard in the Ship UI? or ability to Insert or Delete graphics from the Ship UI editing window?  Is this not an easy solution to install?   It would make things 10x easier.

Q2; How do I delete the extra hard points from the UI once I have made a new Ship UI?

Q3: How do I replace and old SHIP UI (FCA) with a new one I have just made  (FCA2)?  Why can't I just copy and then save the new one over the old one?

Hey there!
Thanks for your interest in the sprites editor.
This program was made last december\january when i was unemployed .
Before this, the sprites.q3 was a complete mistery. Not even the persons with access to the game source code, here in dynaverse, had any ideia how to access it, or handle it. It was literally made while i was discovering how the file worked and was structured. So yes, it has some limitations.
Adding a clipboard, or undo\redo system would be cool, but it is just too much work.
I started this program with no idea of what it would became. So i didnt even considered any features like this.
The file itself offers some limitations, as it has hundreds of compressed images, and thousands assets of diferent types (some still unmapped), interconnected between them. Also many things are directly linked in the exe. So, some things are just impossible to remove, add or replace.
But hey!! It is the only program program in the world, that allows you to do anything, right?
You just have to love or hate it.

Cheers.

(the extra hardpoints are ignored by the game if you dont use it)

[xeryx]

I am glad you found Employment!  I hope I didn't come across bad I was kind of frustrated at the time I wrote the post. 

I am really grateful for your program, just being able to fix the existing UI's is a godsend...they drove me crazy!

I will keep working with it.

What is the proper war to implement a new UI once made, Just change the shipslist?  What is the  proper set up for a spreadsheet, I seem to be having problems with that corrupting my file.

Hopefully, you can add these features later as time permits.  Thank you for your hard work

[xeryx]

Hello Again,

I have a question about replacing the stock UI's.

I wanted to know if there is a way I can replace the stock UI graphic.  Is there a way to fool the game into using a set of UI's without actually replacing the main graphics set. Or does it only work with new copies created? For instance, I want to have a new stock graphic for the FCA.  The reason I would want to do this is so that when I use ships edit it shows the weapons correctly.

Man how great it would be if we could export those UI's into Shipedit, then it would make life so easy, or a new ship editor being built into Q3.  Oh one can dream.

[d4v1ks]

Hello Again,

I have a question about replacing the stock UI's.

I wanted to know if there is a way I can replace the stock UI graphic.  Is there a way to fool the game into using a set of UI's without actually replacing the main graphics set. Or does it only work with new copies created? For instance, I want to have a new stock graphic for the FCA.  The reason I would want to do this is so that when I use ships edit it shows the weapons correctly.

Man how great it would be if we could export those UI's into Shipedit, then it would make life so easy, or a new ship editor being built into Q3.  Oh one can dream.

If i remember correctly, shipedit doesnt use anything from the sprites.q3 file. It has its own set of images.
Now, about the stock UIs, you can replace everything you see there, when you navigate throw the treelist, or using the Left/Right keys, on the Q3_Editor. That include all the stock UIs.
The new UIs you add, are for new ships you add, that you wish to personalize with its own ship images, and hardpoints.

[d4v1ks]

Yesterday i finally added the code to remind us to save the changes, before we leave. 
Adding a zoom to the editor requires a lot of changes into the code, with having to resize everything, convert coordinates, improve the font system used, etc.

Nevermind, this afternoon while i was thinking on this "zoom" feature, i got another idea of how to implement it.
It should take a hour or so.
I will post tomorow the new version.

[xeryx]

OK that answered my questions! I was wondering if it had it's own sets of sprites. 

That helps a lot.

Thank you for the added features!!

[d4v1ks]

I updated the sprites.q3 editor.
Now it includes a zoom feature, using key Z and CTRL+Z.
Hope it helps your eyes.

 I finally fixed the loading screen positioning. It was on the sprites file and not in the exe. Will fix it for 2564 patch.

Cheers

[TarMinyatur]

Zoom works. Nice.

Only very minor glitch is the checkmark in the lower-right corner of the hardpoint editor. It shows four duplicate images, although three of them are slivers.

[d4v1ks]

Humm.. That never happened with me.
Thanks for reporting it.
I imagine it happens when you resize the window?
Or when you zoom?
Also the miniature doesnt look right...
Have to test it in Win7.

Edit: It looks like a minor latency in the control refresh event.
Nothing wrong with it.
It is scheduled for a review in the future ahead... 

[Captain Adam]

Thanks Carlos...
You guys are da best!

[d4v1ks]

SFC2OP 2.564 patch update:

Today, we took a step further, and fully implemented the remaining assets for the planets.
The systems, weapons, and shields hardpoints are not aligned correctly yet, but we can already see the difference!
For the first time in history, we can now launch a probe at a planet and see what they have !!

[Tumulorum Fossor]

This is so so so so coooooool!!!
Thanks, guys.  I'm technically limited so I can't wait for the idiotproof patch.
My only remaining request (and it might already have been implemented) would be an easy way to adjust HUD font size.  It goes hand in hand with the awesome resolution control.

This is great. Still one of the best damned games out. Amazing that this many years later and still no one has a Star Trek game as good as OP.

[d4v1ks]

Thanks Tumulorum !

This weekend i spent 2 days just to try to make it feel right...  :shock:

It is a lot of assets, and i had to do a great clean up on the sprites.q3 file, to organize it.
This the last screenshot i took today. It surely looks a bit better now, with everything aligned.
But, doesn't that tactical screen feels small when dealing with 25 weapon hardpoints? Humm...

Anyways, everyone will be able to customize the planets tactical screens, and their hardpoints, for each race, with the Q3_Editor, when we release it!