Antietam Terrain Mod

This is where our experts try to teach you the very flexible modding system for our previous release - SOW Gettysburg and its add-ons. It's powerful, but dangerous. Post your tips and your questions.
Saddletank
Reactions:
Posts: 2171
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Saddletank »

So, is there a chance of making a working ANT_1.CSV file for this?
Not directly. As DaV has pointed out, the same greyscale numbers are used by the two maps for two different terrain types, so you'd need to make sure your bmp greyscale number fits the terrain type YOU want, then go thru the CVEAST.csv and ANT1.csv comparing them and making every entry correct as you want them.

Not a big task as there are not that many entries - maybe 50?
The Terrain_Effects.dds is from the Chickamauga mod
This is your problem, the smoke graphic on the Chickamauga dds is probably at a different X-Y address on the texture sheet to the same graphic on the ANT1 dds. Check the Chickamauga.csv (presumably pulling the smoke graphic from Chickamauga.dds) and find the entry that plants the smoke graphic on that map, then transfer that file location to your ANT1.csv.
HITS & Couriers - a different and realistic way to play SoW MP.
Davinci
Reactions:
Posts: 3034
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:53 pm

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Davinci »

"Jolly" - I would concentrate on the "mapname.csv" that matches the "mapname.bmp" file. That way you know that the GreyScale colors are matching.

To get the exact coordinates for the fire :

Start Game - March a unit to the exact spot of the fire :

Press the "L" button :

Exit - Game :

Go to the Work Folder and look for a file called "StartLocs"

Now, find the unit that you marched to that exact spot - Their coordinates will be shown in the StartLocs file.

davinci
The only true logic is that, there is no true logic!
Jolly
Reactions:
Posts: 535
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:26 am

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Jolly »

Thanks again for your invaluable advice Saddletank and DaV.

I decided originally on using the CV etc files/templates, thinking that it would be relativly easy to adjust the csv's after doing the new graphics.

Not so easy after all!! ;)

I'll keep you informed!

Cheers

David
Davinci
Reactions:
Posts: 3034
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:53 pm

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Davinci »

I decided originally on using the CV etc files/templates, thinking that it would be relativly easy to adjust the csv's after doing the new graphics.

Not so easy after all!! ;)
Hmm, unless I'm missing something!

"Jolly" - Why can't you open both ( csv ) files at the same time and just Copy what you have done with the (CV) csv to that of the (Ant1) csv.

This way, you will start at the top of the file and "Match" each "GreyScale" as you go down the page.

You know this but I'll just type it anyway, the game doesn't care if you use the (CV) Graphics, or the (Ant) Graphics - as long as you define them correctly, and place them in the correct folder.

Also - You haven't changed the "mapname.bmp" file, correct?

So, you shouldn't have any un-defined-greyscale-colors.

davinci
The only true logic is that, there is no true logic!
Jolly
Reactions:
Posts: 535
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:26 am

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Jolly »

Where does the GFXPACK.CSV fit into things? That seems to me to contain the info for the terrain dds files, which includes the smoke graphics.

I'm using three terrain dds files - terrain_effects.dds (from Chickamauga), cv1.dds and cv2.dds, along with a renamed Ant_1.csv file.

It does look good, apart from the anomalies with the trees/fire.
Also the trees are either full on or full off when hitting the 'T' in game.

I've not changed the map bmp.

There is not THAT much wrong, but enough to be a show stopper at the moment.

David
Last edited by Jolly on Tue Jan 23, 2018 9:39 am, edited 1 time in total.
Davinci
Reactions:
Posts: 3034
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:53 pm

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Davinci »

Where does the GFXPACK.CSV fit into things? That seems to me to contain the info for the terrain dds files, which includes the smoke graphics.
.......................................................................................................
Graphics Folder - can contain the following:

Packed - folder - any terrain file that is in the new packed format, this is the DDS file and the PList file...an example would be the "Terrain_Effects.dds" and the "Terrain_Effects.plist"

Terrain - folder - any Graphic file such as a tree or bush or wheat that is "Not" in the new packed format. you can use both packed and non-packed graphics on the map together.
........................................................................................................

Logistics - folder - gfxpack.csv - goes here.
Now - if some of the graphics are not packed - ( gfx.csv ) will also go inside of this folder.
I'm using three terrain dds files - terrain_effects.dds (from Chickamauga), cv1.dds and cv2.dds, along with a renamed Ant_1.csv file.
That is do-able!

Get the names of the various trees...etc - from the "gfxpack.csv" file and "Place" that name in the "mapname.csv" file.

To put that another way - the "gfxpack" should contain all of the files from those three files - to be used in the "Ant_1.csv" file.
It does look good, apart from the anomalies with the trees/fire.
Standby - on this one!
Also - did you try to get the coordinates from the previous file as "Saddletank" mentioned?
Also the trees are either full on or full off when hitting the 'T' in game.
Check the [J \ K \ L] Columns in the "mapname.csv" file - I think that one of those controls the toggle of the trees.
I've not changed the map bmp.
OK, so the only greyscale colors' used are already defined correctly.

davinci
The only true logic is that, there is no true logic!
Saddletank
Reactions:
Posts: 2171
Joined: Sat Dec 24, 2011 4:49 am

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Saddletank »

In "mapname.csv" column J is headed "no thin". I have never personally changed the value in here but you could try inserting a "1" for your woods greyscale value where you are having trees bleed over onto the roads. Without a thinning switch on at the edge this may made the woods boundary more solid and fix your trees-in-the-roads problem. However, as I said, I have never tried it though.

Column K is the "fade" column and leaving this blank allows the sprites to fade out near the player in HITS view. Highly recommended to leave this blank for trees and tall vegetation. If you put a "1" here they do not fade as the player camera gets close which makes fighting in woods and tall corn really damn difficult in HITS mode!

Column L is the toggle control for when the player cycles through the "T" key. Insert 1, 2, or 3 values in here to control the steps at which the vegetation can be toggled off. The way these files work can be really subtle - so if you have two greyscales to represent "light woods" for example, you can give the two lines identical values (though maybe calling on two different sets of tree sprites to add variation) but different toggle values so hitting the "T" key once would thin out the woods by the proportion of that greyscale vs the other as used in the greyscale.bmp map and hitting it a second time (or even a third time if you mix together three different greyscales) would remove them all. The way the bmp and csv files mesh and work together has impressed me no end since I began to dabble in map work.

I use the "L" column trick in my map because I play HITS but for a hi-level camera this subtlety is perhaps not needed.
HITS & Couriers - a different and realistic way to play SoW MP.
Jolly
Reactions:
Posts: 535
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:26 am

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Jolly »

Got the flames working - yey !!

The attachment Flames.jpg is no longer available
I copied the 'Terrain Table Sounds' entries from the orig Ant_1.csv file, and hey presto - flames in the correct position!
So simple, but I'd just presumed they were for the sound effects.

On to the maybe not so simple trees now!

Thanks so much for all the help guys. :)

David
Attachments
Flames.jpg
Flames.jpg (444.36 KiB) Viewed 595 times
Davinci
Reactions:
Posts: 3034
Joined: Wed Jul 02, 2008 12:53 pm

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Davinci »

I copied the 'Terrain Table Sounds' entries from the orig Ant_1.csv file, and hey presto - flames in the correct position!
So simple, but I'd just presumed they were for the sound effects.
"Jolly" Check what it says at the top of Column [ E].

Also - verify that None of those trees listed below that are the ones that are causing you a problem.

I wouldn't think so since they are assigned to a certain coordinate from the original map.
..........................................................................................
..........................................................................................

EDIT Post - Jolly - did you notice this error at the bottom of your last post? Never seen that before!

Warning: Creating default object from empty value in /home/robtim3/norbsoftdev.net/components/com_kunena/lib/kunena.parser.bbcode.php on line 209

davinci
Last edited by Davinci on Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:14 am, edited 1 time in total.
The only true logic is that, there is no true logic!
Jolly
Reactions:
Posts: 535
Joined: Thu Mar 26, 2009 11:26 am

Re: Antietam Terrain Mod

Post by Jolly »

I see it, yes.

What the hell is that?
Post Reply