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#4268001 - 06/07/16 06:55 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Feb 2006
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Rotton50 Offline
3DZ / campaign designer
Rotton50  Offline
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Cape Charles, Virginia, USA
I am absolutely not trying to "put hatred" for your work in anyone's mind.

My comments do not relate in any way to the quality or functionality of your FXEXE's.


Heck, even paranoids have enemies.
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#4268121 - 06/08/16 01:06 AM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
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453Raafspitty Offline
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453Raafspitty  Offline
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Australia,Sandstone Point
With VB,s work on terrain plus the newer hirez BMP skins it will put EAW up there close to IL2.

#4268171 - 06/08/16 06:50 AM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
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MrJelly Offline
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Montagnac, L'Herault, France
The FXExe has a slightly modified version of one of Shaun's earlier terrains with the maximum of 64 tiles.
The terrain possibilities are immense in 1.29 and 1.40 with the possibility of having 10000s of tiles rather than 64. The tiles can be 512x512 24 bit BMP files too, which can be used by Glide or d3d.
Shaun made some extended tile sets, and I think that Moggy is using an extended set in his re-making of Dunkirk.

The possibilities are there, but it would need terrain makers to make more extended sets, and theatre makers to build tilemaps that use them.
It will never happen but in theory there could be a 640x320 tile map with a different tile in avery square on the grid.


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Mark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.

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#4268232 - 06/08/16 12:45 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
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VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
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Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
I told you long ago that noone in is right mind would build such a map with the incapable editors at our disposal. Instead I develloped a system for creating such maps, and maps for the FXEXE which still uses the stock .TM but takes advantage of this devellopment. That's why other tilesets won't work with mine, unless converted.

It was a method to create a pilotmap in a single pass, and since this version is using 24 bit information I'll donate it to you. Even with this map in hand noone will assign the thousands of tiles it can handle, one by one, or create each tile, one by one.

I tried to sell the idea to Shockwave, instead I was offered a job. I declined because my job is being a musician and I didn't have time for another, I could have used the money for a better computer. I created Italy, Japan and Suez with this method, each took a week to finish, much to the amusement of certain sceptics who didn't believe me.
The shown map was just a simple one as proof of concept, potentially it can handle just as many tiles as there are colors in 24 bit. It was used to build the pilotmaps in the FXEXE which were modified to be precise within a single tile. If the map shows you're over a railroad you will see that railroad, unlike the original pilotmap.

The FXEXE isn't just a modified .EXE but more a result of trying to come up with viable and usefull answers to the known problems we faced in 2005 and even today. Even if you can find an idiot who will start assigning tiles to these colors and create apropiate tiles, I estimate the work will take app. 5 years fulltime before it's finished, possibly even longer. Even with the Stock .TM using only 64 tiles in 4 rotational states it took a week minus 10 minutes to assign the tiles to the colors, that was after the tiles had already been created. Creating the map only takes 10 minutes. Perhaps the sceptics will believe me this time. Have fun with that map, Mr. Jelly I'm not going to use it as I already have the 8 bit version limited to 64 tiles, and it's working great.

This map has left and right riverbanks, inland and seaborders, I left out the cities as I knew the amount of colors would drastically increase if I used a Google map. Instead I used the simplest map I could find, after editing out the text on it and manually filling in the resulting missing details. A process which also took app. a week. Remnants of the text may stil be partially visible and will use their own tiles, after all it was just proof of concept.

I hope you don't mind me putting my decal on, smile

[img]http://rabartel.home.xs4all.nl/TMItalyHD.pcx[/img]

If you still don't believe it's a .TM point your magic wand in photoshop to ANY color and observe how all the same colors on that map show an exact identical position relating to it's surrounding colors. I didn't even randomise the different field tiles, they all have the same orientations.

Before all of this I had already develloped a method to easily convert true elevation maps into EAW.HM's like the one's I found at NASA, from several planets in our solar system (available from Sandbagger's), which gave me the idea to easily create a .TM.

The sad truth is you need very simple maps with this method or find a way to limmit the number of colors in use so you won't go over 64 but you'd have a map that will work straight off and which only would need marginal editing in one of our editors. For this reason I'd only convert rivers or borders seperately so I can fix the colors where necessary. I'd end up with 4 or 5 maps which then can be super imposed on top of eachother, each holding what I call an EAW 'nature'. A sea 'nature', a river 'nature', a city 'nature' etc.. The more colors/detail in the original map, the more complex the result in the .TM. Ofcourse resizing maps will result in more contamination which has to be cleaned up again, but I found ways how to easily do that too.

Perhaps you now understand why I found it a foolish and futile effort to incorporate such an equivalent. I already knew why it wasn't going to work because I already had this map. It was honoust criticism based on the knowledge I had acquired, NOT an attack on some verion of EAW. Perhaps you can do something with this knowledge now and devellop something that is usefull, if you haven't already.

VonBeerhofen

#4268238 - 06/08/16 01:08 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 12,497
MrJelly Offline
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MrJelly  Offline
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Interesting and excellent VBH smile


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Mark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.

I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
#4268663 - 06/09/16 04:47 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
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MrJelly Offline
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In 1.29 and 1.40 we have a flexible tilemap. The beta Western Front theatre is 256x160.

This advance createded a need for something other than "Europe1.pic", and I was able to generate a pilot/selection map off the eaw.tm file.
So the exes come in two versions. One which uses the "Europe1.pic" and can only be used with a 640x320 tilemap, and the other that uses the new map which can be used with any size "eaw.tm" file.
The ones generated are crude but extremely useable. Put into the hands of an arist they can be turned into something wonderful. Julio did these for Moggy's Iraq:

The new map


Europe1.pic:



wink


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Mark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.

I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
#4268673 - 06/09/16 06:02 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,554
VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
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Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
I've always liked Moggy's work and these maps look great too. I'd like to point out though that rotated maps aren't very accurate in displaying your actual position in the EAW world, which is why I stepped away from that.
Also frontlines as drawn on this map have a tendency to keep the enemy stuck in one of those corners since EAW is programmed to have the enemy patrol and stay behind the line in certain mission types.

It's not really a big problem but it can be if you have to fly another 500 miles to get to where they are, after you've destroyed a convoy or target without encountering the enemy. That's what I've learned from such frontlines in Pacific Tide III in online and offline tests. I think it's best to stick to simple frontlines for a higher success rate to encounters. Just think of it this way, the enemy tries to fly a staight line from their base to the encounter, if they get trapped by the frontline they're incapable of flying the opposite direction and get out of that trap, so they start patrolling.

Even the FXEXE sometimes have them stuck inspite of realistic frontlines along the Rhine and the other rivers, just because there's a bit of a curve in them. Fortunately they're often not far away from where I am but if you're not there in time they'll head back to base, which usually doesn't allow them to respond anymore if engaged. That scenario is far from realistic even though it can be great fun to slaughter them when they're trying to land.

Planes should defend themselves at all times and get into the fight at all times too, unless it's a decoy or a trap.
Don't take it as criticism, it's just my experience after 15 years of flying and perhaps you already fixed that but I know that writing routines which will allow AI to properly assess such a situation and make em get out of it are not easy and can have quite an impact on framerates, because the situation needs to be assessed by each plane in every loop.

VBH

#4268694 - 06/09/16 07:27 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
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MrJelly Offline
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I prefer not to use the rotated map. With the new map system the targets, airfields, icons and frontlines are drawn straight from the (x,y) coordinates in the files without the need for maptrans smile


Fly EAW online at GameRanger: GameRanger Site

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Mark Twain: I am quite sure now that often, very often, in matters concerning religion and politics a man's reasoning powers are not above the monkey's.

I am now of an age at which I no longer need to suffer fools gladly
#4268724 - 06/09/16 09:07 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
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VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
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The maptrans has one advantage and that is that it can mimic inaccuracy related to WWII technology, which is why I still use the maptrans file, so the option for this is still there if I so choose. However online it's proven to be cumbersome so I won't use it there. Rotating maps in photoshop is a piece of cake, no matter what size they are.

I can understand people who for the sake of reality prefer the rotated map, if so I can give it to em, it's just a bit of extra work. I just hope that people realise that this option was just a personal one related to online flying and if they like I can go back to how v1.2 is doing it by releasing a stock maptrans and pilotmap.

I guess no matter what system we use, it just will have the anomalies of trying to convert data from one system to another. Fact is that EAW doesn't use polar coordinates where most maps do. I just hate to do away with something the Microprose programmers had a hard time of incorporating, even though it's not my own personal preference, so it stays, if only to pay hommage to it's creators. It has no impact on framerates during the game so which ever is used is fine. Keeping it's functionality however guarantees backward compattabillaty with earlier addons and they're pretty important in my game.

VonBeerhofen

#4275581 - 07/03/16 03:34 AM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
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VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
VonBeerhofen  Offline
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Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
I haven't had time to really test this but I just did and the good news is that the FXEXE can run all 8 bit HiRes planes without limitations, as can be seen here with Rotton's HR_Meteor. The only future limitation would perhaps be new transparency files but I don't see any reason why there should be more then we already have, especially since 512 * 512 textures are allowed in all new versions of the EXE.





Some time ago a simmilar test was done with a hires 109G after a full 256 custom color modification to the FXEXE. This forces the FXEXE to read fully custom 8 bit palettes and effectively emulates a kind of Glide Mode with D3D videocards. The switch allows the use of both Glide and D3D skins, but even goes beyond that, as it allows individual palettes for each plane independent of the P****VIEW.CPT palettes, i.e. any colorscheme is allowed.

Previously it required the whole EAW world to have such a custom palette in all it's .TPC files and would mean an extra 768 bytes per file. Since the Final Cut addon uses roughly 150 TPC's for ground objects only, these palettes would munch app. 112.5Kb and about at least double that for aircraft so for most objects the palettes weren't attached. The addon simply doesn't have enough room for it, on my computer that is.

So this modification is on the backburner for now but if I can I'll allow users to switch it in through some EAW.INI entry. What is more important is that the 1.28/9? plane .3DZ file structure also works in the FXEXE, thus allowing a huge range of planes/skins to be used. Sorry, no 24 bit multiskins for obvious reasons. So there's your answer Col. G.

VonBeerhofen

#4282673 - 07/28/16 02:26 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
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VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
VonBeerhofen  Offline
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Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
FXEXE damage mod:

Since the Final Cut addon for the FXEXE already uses two ground objects per slot it seemed only fitting to have two destroyed object slots as well.

The way this is working is that the 2nd 3DZ model, being the last one rendered, will always appear on top of the first, i.e. the first one will always be behind/under the 2nd one, irrespective of viewing angle. This is also true for the shadow replacements I used. Modellers are obviously free to decide which one goes on top, but it's also possible to space these objects more, so that only a really low view angle could reveal the object hierarchy, whereas from the air both objects will not look out of place.

Certain objects, like debris, 2D bodyparts, ship wakes, hole in the ground, tools on the floor and anything which is essentially a flat surface on the ground will always look fine and sometimes covering a destroyed object with debris parts or soil, blood, oil, rubble etc. will be a nice enhancement adding to the overal destruction of the objects.

At present, even simple animations can be added, like fires or water flowing, for which an additional drawing is always a nice thing to have. Ofcourse it will need 73 more 3DZ's and drawings to take full advantage of this addition but with a few debris drawings, which can be used in various layouts for each 3D model, quick damage enhancements are possible and cheap in terms of labour and CPU/memory use.

Hangars can for instance show a full plane 3DZ (none multipart ofcourse) inside when it's destroyed, beds in the barracks or even walls, toolboxes or cupboards and other small objects you won't normally see, are now possible. I think this will add a lot to the immersion of ground attacks.

VonBeerhofen


Last edited by VonBeerhofen; 07/30/16 01:09 PM.
#4282698 - 07/28/16 03:07 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 13,341
Col. Gibbon Offline
A nobody
Col. Gibbon  Offline
A nobody
Veteran

Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 13,341
Hi VBH.

Are you using single 32x32 or 64x64 textures? If my memory serves me, you dropped one 256x256, or was it 128x128 single texture, with 8 drawings, for larger ones.

I was wondering if you had looked at these free sprites?

http://hasgraphics.com/tag/explosion/

The program is free too.

http://www.saschawillems.de/?page_id=253


Supports EAW 1.29.exe, Drop in and Play Technology. wink

1.29 download
#4282733 - 07/28/16 04:32 PM Re: Modding the FXEXE [Re: VonBeerhofen]  
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 7,554
VonBeerhofen Offline
3DZ Master/Campaign Designer
VonBeerhofen  Offline
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Zandvoort, N-H, Netherlands
Hi Col.,

all sprites are 16 frames * 64 pixels, except for the superblast which uses an entire 256 drawing and the watersplashes and interior smoketrail/stacks which are 4 times 128, These are however 3DZ's but can use the same layout when required. Animations don't have to be 16 frames long and can be in any size. I think people should realise that with a really smart layout a single drawing can be used in various ways by selecting small groups of objects and arranging them in the 3DZ model. After all most debris will contain simmilar things, a planck or board, some stones or cementblocks, steel pipes a T.bar and what else have you. Like the squares and streets in the FXEXEm you can come a long way with just a single drawing but if you can combine two in two seperated models it becomes far more interesting.

VBH

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