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Renamming is not that terrible, you don't have to touch the tgas, just the spr files. I recommend using Total Commander - http://www.ghisler.com/ it has a great mass rename tool, allowing you to rename even hundreds of files at once using some pattern (e.g. change L-1 to L-8 with planes).
I don't know what's your PC but sprites should slow the loading of the game and not its speed, provided you have enough memory of course. Patching (https://www.dropbox.com/s/ez1q5xvmcxv8l1c/4gb_patch.exe) the game exe to allow it to use more than 2 GB of RAM is necessary of course. Having done that there should be no influence on the game's speed.
I'll check it out, I currently use RenameIt. But you'll still have to go into each spr. file using word/notepad and make appropriate changes. Unless ghisler can make those changes too?
I do have a question with leveling though. And maybe the developers can help. I don't want to make a unique sprite for every level but about 4 or 5 levels. For example, Interceptor Sprites might be created for Level 1, 5, 7, 10, 12 (That's just for the sake of an example). My question is, and given those examples, once a sprite reaches level 6, does it retain the level 5 sprite or will it revert back to level 1?
I know I should just test it, but I can be lazy :wacko:
I'm mainly looking for soldiers of any type (infantry, marines, paratroopers, etc), but in particular I'd like to find good French and Japanese infantry sprites, as these are the ones that I'm most dissatisfied with at the moment.
I thought I read somewhere that too many sprites will slow the gameplay down as well, but that person may have been wrong, of course. If it's only about loading times then that's certainly good news, and I may put some of the sprites that I've taken out back in.
I'm pretty sure I saw some here the other day.. look under Civ3 and modern ...http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php
ALSO: check out the link in this thread, much earlier, that links to the Puma sprites, may have been there?
Happy Hunting!
Well, if you are low on RAM it will slow things down A LOT
But if you have a lot, and patch the game so it can use you should be fine. Although with 2gb of sprites the game loads for a really long time...
I've been looking at the sprites on the civfanatics site, and it's been quite a revelation.
I've seen a lot of sprites that have ended up as HOI2-family infantry sprites. In fact, it appears that all the infantry sprites at least are CivIII conversions and not made from scratch.
One thing that immediately strikes you on the civfanatics site is the lack of WWII infantry sprites. There are lots of good First World War, Cold War and Modern sprites - want a modern Indian army Sikh marine? - no problem! But I was unable to find a single standard WWII french infantry sprite, for example.
This helps to explain why I'm always bumping into these fellows:
- which were actually designed as First World War units. Some people may like them, and I don't like to criticise people who've put in a lot of work, but I'm afraid I just can't stand to look at them walk. They lean far forward, moving their legs as if they are suspended on strings and can't quite get their feet to reach the ground properly. In fact, if you open the .bmp WALK files, you can see that at one point they are leaning right forward while literally kneeling in the air, as if diving into a swimming pool. Anyway, I call them the puppets.
Then there's the hoppers:
- who also have a very strange gait, hopping along as if creeping as fast as they can. Again, I avoid them because I want something more realistic, like these:
Now we're talking! These fellows look good and run in a realistic way. They were all made by someone called Gary Childress, and I found several of them included in an AoD mod posted on a Russian site.
Unfortunately, they didn't include these Japanese infantry sprites:
- either of which would be just great. Unfortunately, I'm a complete technofobe without any artistic skills, otherwise I'd convert them like a shot.
If anyone else does want to covert them and then upload them I certainly wouldn't object, you can find them both here
By the way, just how difficult is it for someone to convert these sprites? Can anyone do it?
Yes, anyone CAN do it!
We all started modding with no skills whatsoever. The only way to LEARN is to DO. Sounds a bit zen!
You have to "jump in and try it out".
Here is the standard link for what you need: http://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum...-to-convert-CivIII-animations-to-HoI2-sprites
I was only doing earlier this week. At the end, I found I needed to use one of PUMA's palettes to get it all to work. But it did work in the end.
Try it!
Thank you Novapaddy for posting that link. I thought I had come across that thread years ago, but had long forgotten where I had seen it.
Remember, if you want to reuse an existing sprite for another country all you need is to copy the spr files and rename them with the country tag, so it will still go back to the original bmp animation. Doing that you could have australia using english infantry and M-4 Sherman tanks.
I've never been real satisfied with the infantry sprites from civfanatics, so I end up using Dr. Rare's sprites from HOI1. He did have a pack for HOI2 with his sprites on here somewhere.
I've never been real satisfied with the infantry sprites from civfanatics, so I end up using Dr. Rare's sprites from HOI1. He did have a pack for HOI2 with his sprites on here somewhere.
All right, you've talked me into it, I'm giving it a go.
It's all new to me, though, including using GIMP, which I downloaded specially for this.
By the way, somebody needs to rewrite the instructions on the link that you provided. It's too vague, and it's no wonder that people may get discouraged. It's taken me a whole day to get as far as part 5 of the second set of instructions. I could have got there much quicker if it didn't just say ''do this, do that'' and actually explained what you are doing and why. For example - ''We are going to make a new pallette'' I didn't realise this until several steps down the line. At first I thought that I was supposed to be altering the size of the .bmp. Meanwhile, simply stating ''change the image to RGB'' without including ''press image, then mode, then indexed'' is bordering on the criminal!
I've edited this part, where I asked a question that I've now found the answer to.
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OK, you are working in 256 colours, so basically in the dark ages. ...
If you were working in 24-bit (64,000 colours) there wouldn't be a problem, you'd just select alpha layer, and you'd have transparency. Here, the palette is the most important thing.
So, you go: Image, Mode, RGB.
Image, Mode, Indexed... 256 colours, OK
You probably don't have your palette visible, so:
Windows, Dockable Dialogs, Palettes.. shows the palette gui.
Now, look at the palette gui. It says Palette on top, and again underneath.
See the underneath one, look across, see the arrow head pointing towards palette..?
Click on that.
Select Palettes Menu, Import Palette.
Your palette will be imported into the Palette gui. It is at the very top.
Click on the newly imported palette, choose Edit on the bottom tab.
............................................
See all the little boxes of colour. The ones you are interested in are the TOP-LEFT TWO.
Double-Click on the top left box, another menu opens, lots of colours.
... Choose Magenta 255,0,255
Repeat for the next box, on the line, this time choose Cyan 0, 255, 255
Save THE PALETTE, not the image. Name the palette something appropriate to the sprite.
AND save it sowewhere where you can find it easily.
Now you work on the SPR files, and name the 8 sprite files to suit what you want.
...................
You may get to see the sprite in the game, straight away?
But more likely you won't and you'll have to play with the palette, or try another palette to get the whole thing to work.
......................
EDIT:
Just in case someone is actually going to use this short "tutorial".
You need to stop blindly following a process you don't understand. Go google "how to make sprites" or "16-bit colours" or whatever and learn about WHY you are doing these things.
Then go look at Puma's work, see how he did his work, why do you think he did it that way?
For instance today, I've just noticed something I hadn't before, and am eagerly processing my sprites to see if I've discovered a much easier way of doing all of this.
I'll keep you posted.
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OK, more progress has been made. I've got to the part where Halibut (who is definitely not top of my Christmas card list) refers you to the Stony road page done by Sekinoss and then washes his hands of the entire affair. ''That's about it,'' says Halibut, perhaps referring only to his own contribution.
If I manage to do this and produce sprites. I'm definitely writing my own set of instructions.
The problem is that Sekinoss is creating HOI1 sprites, and you're not sure what is relevant to your case and what isn't.
Anyway, following Sekinoss's instructions, I've recoloured the top two boxes on the left-hand side of the pallette editor. That seemed to go OK.
But then he says: ''Then choose Colors again then Save Palette.'' When I press the colors tab on the GIMP bar there's no such command. How do I save the pallette?
If I manage to do this and produce sprites. I'm definitely writing my own set of instructions.
The problem is that Sekinoss is creating HOI1 sprites, and you're not sure what is relevant to your case and what isn't.
Anyway, following Sekinoss's instructions, I've recoloured the top two boxes on the left-hand side of the pallette editor. That seemed to go OK.
But then he says: ''Then choose Colors again then Save Palette.'' When I press the colors tab on the GIMP bar there's no such command. How do I save the pallette?
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you have to run it and patch the game's exe (not the launcher but the bigger one) The only thing it does is remove the 2gb memory limit 32 bit programs have. After it the limit will be 4gb, which should be sufficent. The patch I linked will make a backup so don't worry.
In GIMP, on the Palette gui, at the bottom, beside where you clicked "edit", there is another icon, looks like a floppy disk, click that to save.