Designers: Please could we have some consistency in eradicating sprites

[AGRICOLA]

I just ran afoul of again getting sprites rather than units when loading a scen. This problem has cropped up a number of times in this forum, and will continue to do so as [hopefully] more players acquire TOT. It seems silly to have to keep telling people to move all the files with a 'SPR' extension from the ToT 'original' folder and store them somewhere else.

For all scens, would it be a major problem to put a '1' [override .SPR file] in the first field of column 'G' for all units in @UNITS ADVANCED in RULES?

As a self-confessed ignoramus on the topic of sprites, I ask if there anything wrong with this approach? Would it not make things easier for players?

[curtsibling]

You got me there, Agricola!

One of the little details I overlooked in Dicatator 6!

*noted for next update*

[Boco]

That's sound advice for unit sprites.

For terrain sprites, particularly oil, this works:

Those Da*ned Sprites! by Catfish.

Under Graphic Options (Ctrl+P) in the Game menu, you will find two options: Animated Units: Checking this box will turn on animated units. The setting is universal, ie, it will be applied across all game types. If you're playing a custom scenario, leave this box unchecked - I've yet to see an unofficial scenario that uses animated units. Simply put, animated units cannot appear in the game unless this option is selected. Animated Terrain: Checking this box will turn on animated terrain. Again, this setting is universal. One might expect that if this option is left unchecked, animated terrain will be switched off completely. Well it is - almost. Strangely, one frame from the Original game's oil resource (desert) is still rendered by the game. Clearly it's a bug. It's no big deal; there's a simple solution. Any sprite file in your scenario directory will override the one in the Original directory. Therefore, if you include a dummy resource.spr file with your scenario, the bug disappears. You can download such a file here. It's only 369 bytes unzipped. Because the dummy file overrides the Original game's file, the animated terrain sprites from the Original game will not be loaded. This eliminates any possibility of animated terrain appearing in the scenario, even when the animated terrain option is enabled.

[AGRICOLA]

@Boco
Thanks for the additional information. I was wondering about the reason for including a resource.spr file in the game folder.

Would you by any chance also know the purpose of the unit99.spr file in the main TOT folder and several sub-folders?

@Curt
I wasn't really out to 'get' you. Not this time.

[Boco]

99 is an undocumented feature for which I found info here and here, but this should be considered, too.

[AGRICOLA]

[Boco]

I posted your question on a forum frequented by Mercator and Catfish: "99?". Maybe they can help us get smart.

Oops! I found this:

Mercator (Feb 25, 2004) at CivFan I need help with scenario design! (Mercator's post page 3, search for Unit99.spr)
The Unit99.spr file is the train animation for when you move your units on railroads.

I knew he posted this somewhere!

[Von Bert]

me too !
The last TOT scenario i downloaded ( Great game) .. i had to take back from memories of 3-4 years ago how to have the scenario units.bmp working properly !

yes.. all that "1" to be typed in that coloumn..
I agree with AGRICOLA..