XCOM Image & Game Editor

[prectec]

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DOWNLOAD ATTACHED IN THREAD - PLEASE NOTE THAT IT IS ONLY FOR TESTING AND NOT THE FINAL

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IMPORTANT

 

I have attached a BETA testing program within this thread and I need your help.

This program will work from anywhere but is best if you place into the root of your UFO directory as it will auto identify the .pck images your have

 

ASSISTANCE NEEDED

 

• Test for crash
  
• If it crashes, what OS you are using
  
• If it crashes how can I replicate the crash
  

NOT WORKING YET

 

 

• Saving features
  
• Floodfill tool
  
• Image swap
  

Please let me know

 

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Hi,

 

My brain is going to explode so I need to take a minute and go over my progress with anyone who may want to know.

 

This post is all about my editor. My editor does the stuff all the other editors do so nothing special there but I think I may have something new for you, the Image Editor.

 

This editor will be available in v1.2 of this app. If you want to test it please contact me: prec_tec@yahoo.com

 

I know there are image editors out there but they all appear to export the images for you to edit in external apps and then import back in. This is fine but why not directly allow the user to make changes and save them their? See screenshots below:

 

https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/etheral.png

 

 

Features:

 

 

 

• Paint Brush Tool
  
• Colour Selection
  
• Left click to paint / Right click to take the colour you are over
  
• Open / Save image
  
• Auto Detect .pck files from first level directories
  
• Undo and Redo
  
• Reads and Edits 32x40 .pck images perfectly
  
• Read others but I wouldn't trust a save as I've not worked out the palette size, so if you know this give me a shout (BIGOB.PCK)
  
• 1 Colour palette
  

Things to do

 

• Replace images with other .pcks or external bmps
  
• 3 Colour palettes (can't wait to do these)
  
• Flood Fill Tool
  
• Auto Backup of original images (.pck files)
  
• Read .pck larger than 32x40
  
• Export images to bmp
   
  I am totally aware of the palettes.dat and used this at first. The RGB list here is different than windows and makes the images appear dark. I did play with the luminosity but I want it to be perfect so I written the RGB palette myself (it was a pain and I have not yet written the others)
   
  I have used this to make a few edits. I'm no artist but I made the aliens eyes mad green and change the X on the Skyranger to my initials.
   
  Below is the main menu for the editor:
   
  https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/menu.png
  

The aim of my editor is to make it look like it is part of the game and not just another external app.

 

Heres a video on how the below images work:

 

https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/soldiers.png

 

Soldier Editor Features:

 

• Change Name of Soldier
  
• Create new soldiers in blank list
  
• Transfer the Soldiers to other bases
  
• Change Ranks \ Stats
  
• Change Sex
  

Things to do:

 

• Fix base transfer bug
  
• Select soldier armor
   
  https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/base.png
  

Base Editor Features:

 

 

 

• Drag and Drop base editor that allows you to drop a whole hanger
  
• Drag and Drop replacement for craft
  
• Minuture base selection just like in the game (small brown boxes with green squares)
  

Things to do:

 

• Auto research on facilities you have dropped but may not have researched
  
• Drag and Drop new craft into empty hanger
  

https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/stores.png

 

Stores Editor Features:

 

 

 

• Change the volumes of your stores for each active base
  

Please note: I do believe the 65535 is correct! If you view your stores within the transfer menu, items with a

balance greater than 32,000 (approx) will apear as -1. This does not mean you do not have them, this menu will

simply not allow transfer. Its recmommended you view yours stores via the base information menu.

 

https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/weaponsettings.png

 

Weapon Settings Editor Features:

 

• Change TU's used
  
• Change Weapon Power
  
• Change Clip sizes
  

Please note: Adjusting Alien technology affects the Aliens! So think on or you might get your arse kicked.

Please note: The power of a clip weapon is in the clip settings and not the gun

 

Things to do:

 

• Add Melee attack adjustments
  
• Remove entry boxes for some guns / clips / equipment
  

Thats it for now, please let me know what you think and anything you may think would be suitable for this editor

 

Thanks

 

prec_tec

UFO_Image_Editor_BETA.zip

[Sunflash]

....I'm no expert when it comes to this stuff.

 

But as a layman, that looks SEXY AWESOME. O.O

[hatfarm]

Very nice!

[Civilian]

Woah wow!

 

Will there be a way to import TFTD alien graphics into EU? *hopes*

[NFSlugger13]

Wow. It looks like there was a lot of effort put into this mod. Great to see!

 

An old weapons editor I used allowed for changing the weapon to which each clip was assigned. This was very useful for those of us who like to mod our weapons heavily.

 

Also, will there be any way to change the item sizes (2x2, 1x3, etc)? This would be a very useful feature for modders. In any case, your program looks like an aesthetic wonder. Keep up the good work!

[prectec]

Hi Again,

 

Sorry I haven't sent the image editor to anyone yet , this is because I have started again. Rather than have text list, I have changed this to a image list (see image below). Due to this change, it effects all the coding I have done previously so I've got the reading stuff correct, I now just need to the image writing stuff.

 

If you have any requests can you let me know asap as it may be difficult to integrate any further changes.

 

https://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae130/prectec/etheral.png

[Slaughter]

Looking good! Keep up the good work.

[Civilian]

Feature request: replace EU with TFTD aliens(or weapons,... or equipment... or armour!!!!) easily by selecting the old an new graphics in a menu. This would be like Xmas, Eastern, New Year and any other happy event on one day....

 

The thought alone makes me happy

[prectec]

Feature request: replace EU with TFTD aliens(or weapons,... or equipment... or armour!!!!) easily by selecting the old an new graphics in a menu. This would be like Xmas, Eastern, New Year and any other happy event on one day....

 

The thought alone makes me happy

 

Hi Civilian,

 

I believe the colour pallettes are different for TFTD as to EU. What this means is you wont get the correct colours.

Each pallette contains 256 colours. lets say the the UFO colour 1 is blue and the TFTD colour 1 is green.

The EU pallette might contain the same /similar green but it may be colour 104

 

you could replace an alien from the game and get the correct shape but the shading will be different and most likely awful.

 

I would need to write a comparison for every colour to say you import colour 1 but really you mean colour 104 and write the byte as 104 instead.

 

Of course, this would be a pain to do or I could perform a loop through the 2 two pallettes to find the closest colour but it would never be as good as the graphic you see in TFTD. I will certainly consider it as I have an idea of how it could be done.

 

Regards

 

prectec

[Bomb Bloke]

There's also the matter of the sprite ordering. It varies between units.

 

There's a tool in my pack that can already convert TFTD alien & terrain graphics. Not 100% perfect but I'm not sure it can be done any better.

[Civilian]

It would be enough if it would be possible to replace one graphic with another, no matter what the palette looks like. One could then change the colours manually. It's the shape that counts in the first place, as most people aren't artists but can edit things easily

[prectec]

There's also the matter of the sprite ordering. It varies between units.

 

There's a tool in my pack that can already convert TFTD alien & terrain graphics. Not 100% perfect but I'm not sure it can be done any better.

 

Hi Bomb Bloke

 

I read that you know more about xcom images than anyone else so I have a question

To be honest I don't really think size is an issue, my program draws the image until it reaches the eoi marker, therefore if it is larger than 40 it will still be drawn. The downside i have is if the pallet image is stored in a bigob is small ie pistol then you do not get a large pallet to draw a large replacement wepon

What pixel dimension is a bigob? I think it's 32x60 or 32x80

and are only

 

bigob files this size?

 

How did you go about converting the eu colours to tftd.

 

I understand the issue with the image order, if I where to swap eu for tftd I would allow you to load a seperate image list and the drag the image you want from one list to repalace the other

 

p.s never try to write a post with a branded touch screen wireless device

[Bomb Bloke]

What pixel dimension is a bigob? I think it's 32x60 or 32x80

32x48, as opposed to the 32x40 used by all other PCKs.

 

and are only

 

bigob files this size?

Yup.

 

How did you go about converting the eu colours to tftd.

Pretty much exactly the way you suggested above. Go through the two palettes, determine the "best matches" between them, then replace all the colour indexes within the actual images accordingly.

 

This is actually dead easy for the PCKs, 'cause you don't even need to uncompress them.

 

I understand the issue with the image order, if I where to swap eu for tftd I would allow you to load a seperate image list and the drag the image you want from one list to repalace the other

There's a little more to it then even that. Certain units need to have their actual sprites edited in order to work between games (eg Tasoth, Xarquid), usually because of the lower size limit on PCK files within EU (the Triscene flat out can't be done in any way that's worthwhile, and tank turrets can't really be converted either).

 

Then there's the inventory screens, in the case of X-COM's units.

 

I honestly don't think it's worth writing two tools to do this particular task, as there's a lot of effort involved. My version already handles everything from the colour issues to the sprite ordering and redrawing - I was quite serious in saying I doubt it can be done better (at least, not without manually redrawing each and every sprite).

 

I guess if I was gonna improve on it any further, I'd make it so TFTD's underwater terrains were coloured in EU as if they were actually underwater. Easy enough to do with just a few additional lines. The reason I didn't do it was because there isn't a way to fight UFOs in the water while playing EU. Something I intend to remedy some day.

 

Here's a sample screenshot of EU's sprites being used within TFTD, back from when I first posted the thing. The tool is now included in my primary pack.

[prectec]

Please read from top of the post,

 

I have now attached a BETA!

[Gizamaluke]

First of all i would like to say GOOD WORK!

 

A cut and paste function from other graphics files would be very useful.

 

Also i was thinking of a brush tool that once you have pasted an image over the top of the old one it allows you to revert the old image back one pixel at a time.

 

I.E you have a soldier face from a unarmoured soldier and you want to put it over a power suit template giving the image of a soldier with a power suit but with no helmet. When you paste this over you notice that you want to keep the helmet from the powersuit but leave just a hole for the face; you then just revert the image one pixel at a time until you have the desired result.

 

Not sure if this is the kind of feeback you want, but if i were to edit the graphics file that is what i would like to see.

 

Gizamaluke.

[BladeFireLight]

Trying to start the beta I get

Component 'comdlg32.ocx' or one of its dependencies not correctly
registered: a file is missin or invalid

 

-Blade FireLight

[prectec]

Trying to start the beta I get

Component 'comdlg32.ocx' or one of its dependencies not correctly
registered: a file is missin or invalid

 

-Blade FireLight

 

This will be a problem for all Vista and W7 users, XP should be fine. The comdlg32.ocx is an activex component that comes with Xp, they have excluded the distribution of this file with there new OS's to stop developers using old platforms like VB6 and move to VB 2008 (.net) languages.

 

The good news is you can fix this, see this link

 

https://windowsxp.mvps.org/comdlg32.htm