Sprite Editor

[Ekmek]

It looks like there is a move to put CTP units into Civ3:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showth...=&pagenumber=1

[JamesJKirk]

I've actually started to convert some as well, the CTP1 musketeer, the ctp2 Infantryman and various ships and artillery units

[The Big Mc]

As I advertised early

If some one will get me the civ3 custom flc vb code I could make a civ 3 to ctp convert as well as a ctp to civ3 convert does allowing us to use both ctp and civ3 unit creations in both games

[Martin the Dane]

And this is presicely why SpriteEdit can export the frames as .bmp

Steph (The guy wo started the tread E mentioned) contacted me very early in the development process, and we agreed to cooperate to make the CTP units available in Civ3 and Civ3 units available in CTP.

So If anyone want's to help him out I'm sure he'll apreciate it.

Finally a status on SpriteEdit: I haven't had very much time available lately to code the import system, but I'm still on it.

Martin the Dane

[Ekmek]

Martin does that mean Steph is going to help with the civ3 custom flc vb code. If the editor is easy enough to work I'll help with converting Civ3 graphics (especially the fan based ones)

[Martin the Dane]

Yes that's the idea, he'll let us export the frames from the flc's in a format that I can import into SpriteEdit. We'll probably have to add a few things like hotpoints and shieldpoints manually, but most of it should be automated.

[The Big Mc]

yesss!!!!!!!!!

that means i could add the dino units

[Ekmek]

Martin
I dont know anything about programming but did look at the code and saw separate files for sprites, I hoping in there it'll help you be able to simplify some of the sprite process to allow more unit makers.

But also, and I'm probably geting way ahead, do you think it will be possible to extend the unit space, allowing for tile over lap for very large units? This will make Civ3 conversion easier since it does that.

Also Do you think there will be a way to get rid of the shield and maybe have custom civ flags instead (We can find nation flags graphics with Civ2, someone made a set)

Finally, I like the Civ3 hidden nationality. I know slic you guys were able to make it attack without waging war, but the shield was a problem. Would there be a possibility to hide the shield?

I figure you have a lot of other ideas how to make units in Ctp2 better than the original and civ3

[The Big Mc]

Also Do you think there will be a way to get rid of the shield

yes it was even in the activision ctp make spr

[Martin the Dane]

Originally posted by E
But also, and I'm probably geting way ahead, do you think it will be possible to extend the unit space, allowing for tile over lap for very large units? This will make Civ3 conversion easier since it does that.

Try looking at some of the effect-sprites, they are way larger than 96x72 in fact gx05.spr is 250x197 but I don't know how/if it will work for unit sprites.

I'll certainly add the option for creating sprites that are not 96x72, makespr.exe can do it, so SpriteEdit will be able to as well.

[The Big Mc]

if I remember right ones I made a mega city sprite

and the it worked

also my alternative genetic age citys were a few pixels to big to and the same with the alasour I converted form civ3 but the look bad at the side of ctp units

[orty]

im a newbie with mods but im trying to convert the Cruise Missile from CtP2 to Civ:CtP. i have SpriteEdit v0.2.07. i load GU044.spr (the cruise missile sprite) and save it as GU82.spr. but when i try to load Civ:CtP, my monitor goes pink and/or when i try to load this newly saved sprite in SpriteEdit, the program no longer responds and i have to exit by alt+ctl+del. my export option is "Single File". ive got all default options chosen. i really dont know what im doing wrong, am i missing something??

[The Big Mc]

when I tried the unit worked fine then i tried to move it then ctp crashed my computer do it is not you

[Martin the Dane]

I have looked into it, and it seems there is an error somwhere in the save-sprite code, the result is a mismatch between the size of empty frames and the size-value stored in the sprite-file. I have not however been able to locate it more precisely.

I'll try to find and correct the bug.

Martin the Dane

[The Big Mc]

I have however located a temp work around but I would not recommend it for a newbie as what you will learn will be obsolete by the next version of martins sprite edit

[Martin the Dane]

Ok,

I just released a minor update so the current build is now 0.2.0.8

This is a bug-fix release fixing the following:

• Fixed emty frame save error (Saving sprites with frames with only background would generate invalid sprites)
• Fixed error on no background image
• Fixed reset ini-file so that it does reset the whole ini-file not just parts of it. (was added in build 7)

I' haven't given up on making importing frame-graphics work, I just havn't had the time lately to do much coding on SpriteEdit.

Martin the Dane

[The Big Mc]

i no we all have real world problems with work

[orty]

thx martin!! the program works like a charm!!! ive got the cruise missile in Civ:CtP now!! yay!!

[Caranorn]

Hi, I've been following this thread the past few weeks and thought I'd jump in now.

Martin, from what I've read you've made great work, I haven't serieously tried sprite edit yet (only opened some sprites, did not create new ones and try them out in CTP2), but I expect this will be a very useful tool.

Accordingly, I might try and work on some sprites again, probably start over with the Civ3 to CTP2 sprite conversion I had started last year (my computer crashed since and my backup disks got mislaid, so all those sprites are lost, in any case there was a bug in Activision's sprite tool and all the sprites I had created so far had a problem with hotpoints). But I won't know what I can do till I have decided which of my computers I will use for the work (I now have a PC in addition to my Mac, unfortunatelly I don't have Photoshop on the PC, but for the conversions it looks like I won't need that anyhow).

Marc aka Caran...

[The Big Mc]

you can download paint shop for free but it is a months trial dependent on your system cloc

[Caranorn]

Yep, I already have paintshop downloaded, just not installed. I've tried it out in the past (under PC emulation of my Mac), but always preferred Photoshop (in last year's sprite conversion project it's macro features proved very useful, I also prefer to work in layers as well as some other Photoshop features).

But for the sprite conversions at least, with your application, use of a graphics program won't even be needed (except to scale the pictures up possibly).

Marc aka Caran...

[The Big Mc]

Photoshop has macros where can i get a copy

[Caranorn]

Well, usually you'd have to pay for one:-( Which is the reason why I don't have a copy on my PC yet and only an old one on my Mac. Photoshop has many nice features and I hear the new versions must be heaven, but these programs are just so expensive a non professional graphic artist (or photographer) can't really afford it.

Marc aka Caran...

[Ekmek]

Has Steph been working on a way to get into those Civ3 flcs?

[Maquiladora]

Just a few comments on the editor, ive read most posts in the thread, skimmed a few longer ones...

On exporting images (two files) when choosing the diverse image directories (because i want to export shadows to a different folder) this doesnt seem to work. When i choose diverse directories the shadows dont export at all.

When i choose a single folder to export to, the shadow images export with the same background colour as the image picture, no matter what colours i select for the shadow image.

[Martin the Dane]

Hmm. that's odd, I thought I had fixed those

I'll try to fix it soon.

There is a workaround for the directory problem though:
Go to the 'File Name Mask' tab and put an %e\ in front of the mask string, then edit the element types for the desired elements.

I know it's not perfect, but I don't think I can have a patch out untill sometimes during the week-end.

[Martin the Dane]

Oh, the shadow-color problem is that I have forgotten to disable the menu-items for divers colors, when they are not available.

To use different colors for the two images, put a check-mark in the 'cbDiversColors' check-box, then it should work.

I have located the both errors and have a partial fix, so if I get the time I'll have the patch out in a day or two. Else I'll get it out in the week-end.

[Maquiladora]

Of course the cbdiversecolours, i wondered what that was for

The directory issue is not such a big thing but thanks for working on a fix so quickly

[Martin the Dane]

I just uploaded a minor update to SpriteEdit.

Changes from Build 8 to 9

• Fixed export images directories, so the images are now exported to the correct directories.
• Only relevant color options are now available on the export dialog.
• Changed a checkbox captoin from cbDiversColors to "Use Divers Colors"

[The Big Mc]

Found a bug

I never noticed before but when I exported the ctp war walker I get an extra image instead of the ten I should get I get 11 the first image doesn’t appear to be the first image of the animation.:d