difficulty building graphics for a mod

[hoonak]

greetings. i am putting the finishing touches on a mod and need some help with the graphics, specifically i am unable to finish editing techtree_atlas.dds and i need to build three unit icons.

i have figured out how it interacts with the .xml files. i have added my icons to the atlas. the problem is i do not know how to embed the coordinates into the .dds file. i am experiencing the same problem with units as well, but i figure if i can solve the tech tree problem, the solution to the units problem will be the same.


as far as building units goes, i don't want to make fancy units. all i want is something where people can look at it and go "ok. i know what that is."

the mod works just fine, but i don't like using the same graphic for two units with different capabilities.

i also realize that these questions are probably already answered in other threads, but i am having difficulty sorting through all the information on those threads. some of the information is obsolete, some was never correct and some is impossible to find because the thread has veered away from the title.

thanks,
hoonak

[Dale]

Hi hoonak.

There's an easier way than using the Firaxis atlas.dds files. You can actually make your icon as a seperate file so the icon is all by itself, then refer the xml to that file.

Here's an example. Say you have a unit Arquebusier with its own icon arque.dds. You place the icon in the directory ..\Assets\Art\interface\buttons\units\arque.dds

Once there you open Civ4ArtDefines_Units.xml in the ..\Assets\Xml\Art\ folder and modify the art definition for your new unit to point to that icon file:

[xml]

ART_DEF_UNIT_ARQUEBUSIER
Art/Interface/Buttons/Units/arque.dds
0.48
[/xml]

NOTE: The leading comma (,) is not used, and there is no need to reference a location in the file (default = 0,0).

[hoonak]

Dale,
thanks. that's spiffy. you get a "Siskel and Ebert!"

will that make my sporty new .dds image appear everywhere I need it? or do i need to update bunches of files?

also what does fScale do?

[Dale]

That should be all you need to change.

fScale refers to the scale of the unit. Best not to mess with that.

[hoonak]

also quite spiffy. i love it when people with big brains respond to my questions. i work for the phone company so dealing with smart people is a real treat.
i have a couple more questions if you have time.

do the animations have to move? or can i just make a 2d image that stands still?

i am re-doing the terraforming mod and have a question about the workrate parameter. it is currently set at 100. if i change that to 125, does that mean the worker will complete the task faster?

[Dale]

Originally posted by hoonak
also quite spiffy. i love it when people with big brains respond to my questions. i work for the phone company so dealing with smart people is a real treat.
i have a couple more questions if you have time.

I can imagine

do the animations have to move? or can i just make a 2d image that stands still?

Not sure, probably best to wait for a graphics person to answer. I'm a coder.

i am re-doing the terraforming mod and have a question about the workrate parameter. it is currently set at 100. if i change that to 125, does that mean the worker will complete the task faster?

Yes, a workrate of 125 means it is 25% faster than normal.