[C4:AC][Programming] Tech Tree

[ForesterSOF]

It looks great.

Want to advertise with that screenshot.

Also as a side I made a direct copy of my C4 stuff and linked it to my game Jackel and now can use the SMAC MOD without having to use the disk.

[GeoModder]

Originally posted by Rubin
The image looks awful, but this is just showing a non-SMACX-interlaced background. So, any suggestions for some kind of background image to the F6 screen?

They're plenty of still images in SMAC(X). What comes to mind to me is the choose screen of SMACX. Lemme see if I can locate it in a hurry...

[GeoModder]

Got it!
If not for the "F" key background, this screen is always usable for the loadscreen or the image sequence when a game starts. I've made such a set already for another C4 mod so now where to change them.

[PJayTycy]

that's where things get dubious legally speaking.

[GeoModder]

That's for sure. In any case, I'm a legal holder of the SMAC expansion so can make pics like this as long as I don't distribute them.

Quick converting to .dds gives the result as seen in attachment. The only reason the colors are so dark is the sort of info screen. It's the only info screen on which the background pic isn't blocked by other info windows.

[Rubin]

Originally posted by GeoModder
I've made such a set already for another C4 mod so now where to change them.

Please, could you post here on how to do it (if it is a simple replacement of image files, then which files to replace).

Also, dds images (and this is something I didn't know) come in different formats. The current background is "DXT1 Opaque" and transparency does not work on this (only on/off settings). I found a 512x512 "DXT3" dds file and can now have the background transparent. So, an option would be for a semi-transparent background to the F6 screen--at least we can preserve the original graphics of SMAC/X this way. I don't know; the feedback is very good and very interesting. Thanks.

[GeoModder]

You were already on the right track with your science background screen, Rubin.

Assets-->art-->interface-->screens-->loading

Simply renaming your own pics with the 2 .dds files inthere does the trick. I also used the DXT1 Opaque format, because it uses the least bits.

Edit: o yes, for the slideshow at the start of a game, the content of folder below it (progressscreen) must be switched. The pics inthere come in a 1024x512 pixelsize. To have proper-looking pics inthere I started with base pics from 756x512 pixels and converted them, which automatically resizes to 1024x512 pixels.

[Rubin]

I've tested with a semi-transparent interlaced background. I think it could look good when we get the rest of the graphics completed (well, it's a very simple background, so the risks of conflict with other graphical elements are lower).

I have a few ideas on how to add some details to the screen, but I'd like to know if this "transparency-workaround" is a possibility that we should explore further?

---

Just unzip and replace this new file with the old file in the MOD folder.

Edit: Removed attachment.

[GeoModder]

Also, starting from a .bmp format (in SMAC terms first changing from .pcx to .bmp) gave me the best end results, since .dds seems to fuzz converted pictures somewhat. I offen used 1 time the 'sharpen' option in my IrfanView editor before loading it in the .dds converter.

[GeoModder]

It looks good IMO. With enough of the map explored you'll see your faction in action while you're contemplating on ivory tower decisions.

[PJayTycy]

Can't you set the compression ratio on dds files somewhere? As far as I know they use a technique very similar to jpeg and you can choose uncompressed too if you want.

I could be wrong though.

[Rubin]

I know very little about the dds format, but here's a slightly modified background for the tech screen. I added a SMAC/X border (which actually is rather difficult to spot in the game) and tried a new transparency setting.

I am working on the technology icons, but haven't decided on the final style (it's 87 icons, so I'd like to avoid having to redo them this time--but they'll probably need to be redone anyway once we have the general graphics scheme in place, so...).

Additionally, I'd like to see:

1) All of the icons, except the technology icon itself, removed from the tech box.
2) The tech icons scaled to twice their current size (easily done is the .py file).
3) A mouse-over pop-up box displaying detailed information on the technology; in particular the prerequisite technologies and the technologies, buildings, terraforming options, Secret Projects, etc. that the technology unlocks.
4) Perhaps allow for the technology names to use two lines if the name is very long (i.e. Advanced Ecological Engineering). (And perhaps change the font color.)

Is this possible? Anyone willing to do this?

(Edit: File removed.)

[ForesterSOF]

I better stick to xml for now till I can get into the dds files.

[Rubin]

After several icon tests I concluded that:

1) The icons should avoid having transparent backgrounds; it makes them blend into other backgrounds and produces vague impressions of the icons (especially on the colored tech boxes).
2) The background itself should avoid transparency as well; it gives the icons an "out-of-focus" look.
3) The default Civ4 interface "light source" (for the F6 screen) comes from the northwest and I decided to keep this as default for the new icons.

I did around 20-25 icons on a 128x128 template; with 4 new recolored textures for each category. It looked very good in the game, but I noticed scaling problems in the civilopedia screen. I tried to quick-fix this in the "civilopedia_tech" python file but abandoned that idea and scrapped the icons. ...might as well keep it simple.

So, I am at seven 64x64 icons currently and working on the remaining 80 icons (and expecting to do the base facility and Secret Project icons after that using the same template).

(I've been wondering why the Biogenetics icon was made so differently from the other icons... So, I made an extra icon for that technology (similar to the general icon style) just to see what it would look like. I am inclined to think that the new icon fits the style much better.)

[ForesterSOF]

I tried a part of the new CIV4GameTextInfos.xml and when in final buils of a new SP game I reverts to a default file (or makes one) somewhere.

I am thinking the tag QUOTES is not good.

I tried to look for other quotes in the startup in the xml but could not.

Do you want me to keep on adding the quotes to the file with the tag TXT_KEY_TECH_tech name_QUOTES