TileEdit: first beta release is here

[Immortal Wombat]

I think I figured out my problem. The colour I used as my background for the 94*72 targas was the same as what the file exported it as -> silver I think, or #C3C6C0 I tried making this the transparent colour in the script file, but it didn't work.

Oh, hold on, just tried again, with black as the shadow colour, and got a crash, but this is the log:

"C:\Program Files\Activision\Call To Power 2\ctp2_data\default\graphics\tiles\test.src" successfully loaded

   Processing started
Decommenting succesfull
 Default values successfully read
 There are 218 TileRules to load
218 Rules successfully loaded
 There are 221 TileBorders to load
221 Borders successfully loaded
 There are 310 Tiles to load
310 Tiles successfully loaded
 There are 31 Rivers to load
31 Rivers successfully loaded
 There are 167 TileImprovements to load

I'm guessing this means the error is loading the tileimprovements?

Anyway, I tried substituing the images one by one into the *.til file, and it seems to work, so long as I make sure to set the transparent and shadow colours to the same ones in the script file.

Trying once more, and the import failed, but no crash, which is good.


HOORAY... in the continuing saga, I have just imported all 12 images and saved them, and am going to test now!!

[Immortal Wombat]

Hmmm, none of it shows up in the game...

[Martin Gühmann]

Another question concerning the borders: Would it be possible that Tile View only needs one of the four border tiles of my choice and not every of the four borders. It would make border creation so much easier and faster. Just make mirror images of one of these tiles. Of course if you want to draw everthing of the borders every one of the sides you should be able to do it. Activision did the same thing draw one of these border sides and mirrored them to the other three sides.

-Martin

[Immortal Wombat]

Well, problem solved, the program saves the file by default to Tileset555.til, it needs to be gtset555.til. Could this be changed?

I managed to (after many attempts) make the tiles blend moderately well, after several remakes, and all the borders done. I think I shall write an easy-guide to making the terrain images once I've had a few more shots at it, and include some helpful files...

Here is a capture of my terrain so far, the borders are not perfect, especially by the sea, and there are black lines alongside each tile, but its getting there, so I'm pleased.

Perhaps I shuold explain this is for my Mars scenario, so if it doesn't look too friendly, thats fine, as long as it looks reasonably like Martian fines.

[Martin the Dane]

Well, problem solved, the program saves the file by default to Tileset555.til, it needs to be gtset555.til. Could this be changed?

Well it was the easiest overwrite protection, but as everyone seems to want the 'gtset' names I'll change it. And implement some sort of warning. configurable of cause.

Another question concerning the borders: Would it be possible that Tile View only needs one of the four border tiles of my choice and not every of the four borders. It would make border creation so much easier and faster.

Well should be possible, I'll try. And I'll also look into the problem you mentioned when adding borders.

I'm guessing this means the error is loading the tileimprovements?

Oh well, thought I had weeded it out, but it seems like I'll have to dig in to it again.

By the way you should look on the text when a script is i(m)ported (small typo).

Well nobody's perfect but that's an easy one.

A small whish for Tile ID, Border ID, River ID and TI ID: It should be also possible that these values can be displayed in hexadecimal and decimal numbers (that makes live easier). I would suggest to split the last number of Tile ID into two in Decimal Mode.

Oops forgot them. consider it done.

And I saw another odd thing for the display in 3x3 square mode. If a neighbor tile is a beach tile something else instead of a beach tile is shown is shown. But the second odd thing is that this is only true for Activisions tile rhules not for the ones that I added with tile edit.

I've seen the same, but have no idea why. Are the numbers right?

I think I shall write an easy-guide to making the terrain images once I've had a few more shots at it, and include some helpful files...

That sounds great, I'd like to include something like that in the finished package.

That's it for now. Ill upload a new version and possibly a patch as soon as possible.

Martin the Dane

[Martin the Dane]

I'm guessing this means the error is loading the tileimprovements?

Well I located the error, it's a memory allocation error that apparently only happens when the height of the bitmap exceeds 72 pixel, and has absolutely nothing to do with colors or the script. Why it occurs I have not figure out, but I'm trying to find a work-around.

Martin

[Harlan]

I guess Gods don't answer their emails very much. Martin I sent you an email - I'm having some trouble using your program. Namely, I want to create a new terrain type - Forested Hills. How do I do this? Say I want to take all the regular hill graphics and add forest to them - I don't know which ones are all of them. And then, can I create a brand new terrain spot, or is it only possible to replace a current graphic?

[Martin Gühmann]

Originally posted by Harlan
And then, can I create a brand new terrain spot, or is it only possible to replace a current graphic?

Of coarse this is possible try Purple Hills that is my first trial of a new terrain. My new terrain uses TilesetIndex 27. And now I found something interesting. I replaced the TilesetIndex 9 of Hills by my own one and left the internal type of the hill terrain to Hills. I did the same experiment also with other terrains like mountains and swamps. The screenshots show the results. You can see a group of hill, mountain and swamp terrain in the purple hills. This group of tiles can't be explained with the tile rhules I made my terrain like the original ones with borders, tiles and tile rhules like the original green hills. So I deleted the last block and the groups of green hills and swamps and mountains disapeared, so my conclusion is that the last block descripes groups of graphics for an internal terrain type from the terrain.txt.

Unfortunaly I can't be more detailed, today I already wrote a description how modify the *.til file but my comp crashed and everything is gone.

-Martin

[Martin Gühmann]

Why can't I attech something to an existing post?
And why is Apolyton so damn slow today?

[Cube]

Why can't I attech something to an existing post? I don't know.
And why is Apolyton so damn slow today? I don't know either, but it has been slow for about a week or so.

That terrain is really cool. It could be used a a dead hill tile, or as a fantasy tile. Could you make some other terains like for example a grassland or plain with a flourescent green color, to simulate toxic waste. I think the dead tiles in the game are ok, but there's no way to tell what they used to be before they became dead, so making different dead tiles would help with this.

[Immortal Wombat]

Update. I have done all the Martian borders, I now need to do all the borders for other terrains meeting Mars. If there was some way of showing what each tile/border was, that would be cool, eg.

Tile 11. (would show desert)
Borders 27-38 (Tile 11 bordering Tiles 1-10) (would show desert bordering others)

Border 14 (Tile 8 bordering Tile 11) (would show desert hill bordering desert)

or whatever...

[Martin the Dane]

Hi,

Here's a much needed update to TileEdit. The following issued have been addressed:

• Fixed disappearing Script-File-Directory.
• Changed default TileSet-save-name to gtset555.til/gtset565.til
• added overwrite prompting (configurable).
• Log now shows Tile-Graphics-Filenames and not needed borders.
• Show hex now also affects Resource IDs.
• Fixed a bug where importing some TGA's might cause TileEdit to crash.
• Log shows number of resources read out of total.
• Added an Import Log window (Ctrl+W) with 'Stay On Top' capability.

About the Import TGA crash:
The error was a memory allocation error, but not where I had first thought that I had located it. I found out that after rewriting some hundred and fifty lines of code, plus a lot of small changes throughout the whole unit, with no result. All I actually had to do was to change a '+ 1' to '* 2'. (yes two characters can do a lot of damage). Oh well, the script import did get a bit faster.

If there was some way of showing what each tile/border was, that would be cool, eg.

Most of the information is there as the Border ID is: TerainIndex bordering TerainIndex. One thing I could do was displaying the Border ID as 'Tile X bordering Tile Y' as in the first part of your example, but I don't have any good ideas as to how I could implement the last part, but I'll look into it.

so my conclusion is that the last block descripes groups of graphics for an internal terrain type from the terrain.txt.

Hm, sounds plausible, but how does it work! have you tried editing it in stead to see what happens?

today I already wrote a description how modify the *.til file but my comp crashed and everything is gone.

I guess the German word 'shade!' cover that. We have a saying in Denmark: 'real men don't make backups, real men cries a lot' but then again sometimes you loose your work while making backup. When you get it written down again, please mail me a copy.

Harlan, sorry for forgetting to answer your e-mail.

As usual you can download the newest version of TileEdit and the patch from my CTP-site

Martin the Dane

[Immortal Wombat]

Originally posted by Martin the Dane
Most of the information is there as the Border ID is: TerainIndex bordering TerainIndex. One thing I could do was displaying the Border ID as 'Tile X bordering Tile Y' as in the first part of your example, but I don't have any good ideas as to how I could implement the last part, but I'll look into it.

Sorry, I'm just stupid, and didn't properly examine the BorderID Its fine as it is, as long as its clearly documented somewhere.

I think I found another "bug" perhaps. With the last version of TileEdit, all the images exported as 98*74 pixels, which was annoying to have to cut out again.

[Martin the Dane]

Well looks like I did it again: released an update without testing it properly.
I managed to introduce a few bugs but they should be dead now.

I also found the error which Martin mentioned some time ago regarding corrupted colors when adding borders, should be fixed as well.

I think I found another "bug" perhaps. With the last version of TileEdit, all the images exported as 98*74 pixels, which was annoying to have to cut out again.

What build was that? (the current build is 19) I just made an export and everything works fine. 94*72 pixels, for Tiles and Borders, and 94*y for TI's and rivers (Some TI's are wider than 94 pixels).

As usual you can download the newest version of TileEdit and the patch from my CTP-site

Martin the Dane

[MarkG]

that will teach me to post news about your files....