Graphic submod 4Seasons possibilities?

[CSHussard]

Hello,

I've been playing Advanced Tactics for quite a while now, and the latest update and the 4Seasons mod have given me a new enthusiasm for the game. However, I've always found the unit graphics very impersonal, even in the context of a random map where historicity doesn't really make sense.

While infantry troops have been given individual ‘people’ treatment, improved by GaryChildress's wonderful mod, I wanted to know about the possibilities of ‘submodding’ vehicles, and possibly aircraft, to give the main "cultures" a bit more personality without having to completely overhaul the mod and stats.

Ideally, I'd also like to have evolving graphics, to go from Panzer III to IV as technology evolves for example, but I understand this can be complicated.

thank you for your help.

[GaryChildress]

Hello,

I've been playing Advanced Tactics for quite a while now, and the latest update and the 4Seasons mod have given me a new enthusiasm for the game. However, I've always found the unit graphics very impersonal, even in the context of a random map where historicity doesn't really make sense.

While infantry troops have been given individual ‘people’ treatment, improved by GaryChildress's wonderful mod, I wanted to know about the possibilities of ‘submodding’ vehicles, and possibly aircraft, to give the main "cultures" a bit more personality without having to completely overhaul the mod and stats.

Ideally, I'd also like to have evolving graphics, to go from Panzer III to IV as technology evolves for example, but I understand this can be complicated.

thank you for your help.

Mostly what I do are infantry graphics. Vehicle graphics are much more difficult for me so I try to keep it as simple as I can and just do one vehicle per subformation type. Another way of modding graphics is to look them up on the Internet and resize pics to fit the subformation screens. A lot of mods use that method.

I wish you the best in your modding endeavors!

[CSHussard]

Hello,

I've been playing Advanced Tactics for quite a while now, and the latest update and the 4Seasons mod have given me a new enthusiasm for the game. However, I've always found the unit graphics very impersonal, even in the context of a random map where historicity doesn't really make sense.

While infantry troops have been given individual ‘people’ treatment, improved by GaryChildress's wonderful mod, I wanted to know about the possibilities of ‘submodding’ vehicles, and possibly aircraft, to give the main "cultures" a bit more personality without having to completely overhaul the mod and stats.

Ideally, I'd also like to have evolving graphics, to go from Panzer III to IV as technology evolves for example, but I understand this can be complicated.

thank you for your help.

Mostly what I do are infantry graphics. Vehicle graphics are much more difficult for me so I try to keep it as simple as I can and just do one vehicle per subformation type. Another way of modding graphics is to look them up on the Internet and resize pics to fit the subformation screens. A lot of mods use that method.

I wish you the best in your modding endeavors!

Thanks for your reply.

Your airborne troops are incredible!

That's more or less what I want to do by reusing existing graphics, certainly side views like you can see on Tank Encyclopedia, and getting closer to the DC atmosphere.

My question is more about feasibility, if I have to create units from scratch or if I can, for example, use the variants of the 4 Season mod for tanks, and give them individual graphics.

[GaryChildress]

Hello,

I've been playing Advanced Tactics for quite a while now, and the latest update and the 4Seasons mod have given me a new enthusiasm for the game. However, I've always found the unit graphics very impersonal, even in the context of a random map where historicity doesn't really make sense.

While infantry troops have been given individual ‘people’ treatment, improved by GaryChildress's wonderful mod, I wanted to know about the possibilities of ‘submodding’ vehicles, and possibly aircraft, to give the main "cultures" a bit more personality without having to completely overhaul the mod and stats.

Ideally, I'd also like to have evolving graphics, to go from Panzer III to IV as technology evolves for example, but I understand this can be complicated.

thank you for your help.

Mostly what I do are infantry graphics. Vehicle graphics are much more difficult for me so I try to keep it as simple as I can and just do one vehicle per subformation type. Another way of modding graphics is to look them up on the Internet and resize pics to fit the subformation screens. A lot of mods use that method.

I wish you the best in your modding endeavors!

Thanks for your reply.

Your airborne troops are incredible!

That's more or less what I want to do by reusing existing graphics, certainly side views like you can see on Tank Encyclopedia, and getting closer to the DC atmosphere.

My question is more about feasibility, if I have to create units from scratch or if I can, for example, use the variants of the 4 Season mod for tanks, and give them individual graphics.

If I understand your question correctly, you are asking how difficult it is to create people (regime) specific variants for units. There is a setting in the editor where you can set up regime specific graphics for a subformation. I believe Ormand is also creating a routine in the next Beta that will use string lists to more easily set up regime specific subformation grahpics. We'll have to wait to see what he comes up with for that.

In the meantime, I'll try to post a tutorial for swapping out graphics.

[Ormand]

If I understand your question, I think you are wondering if you have to do a lot of work on the masterfile, like making new subformation types to use regime specific graphics.

Using regime specific graphics is a two-step process. It starts with the People. In the people tab of the editor, look for the entry "Extra Graphic" In Four Seasons and Phoenix Game (A New Dawn also), these are already set. For example, French are set to #3. This means that in ther subformation graphics, it will use the third graphic. If this is set to -1, it will always use the orimary graphics, which is set for the Germans and is why the primary graphic is actually German. If there are no extra grpahics associaterd with the subformation, then all people will use the primary graphic.

As for loading and setting the graphics. Take a look at Rifle Infantry. Click on the graphics element in the Property Sheet. To the right is a box for the Extra Graphics. This is where you load them. There are two pictures you can load: one for a base and another for an overlay, which can be tinted using the "BaseColMod" button. Below this are graphics for the large counters, which Four Seasons doesn't use. Below this is the symbol for a subformation, which in Four Seasons is a NATO symbol, but could also be the silhouettes. Below this is the name for this subformation. So, note that these can all be different for different peoples. Then, lastly is the ExtraGraphics code, which is what corresponds to the entry above in the People entry.

This can be rather tedious to do though, especially loading the graphics. There will be some tools, which as I look at them are slightly bugged and I'll have to fix them. But, there will be execs to load the extragraphics in an event. You will need to specify the extra graphic # and then names for two graphics. There are execs to set the code, the name and the symbol as well. These execs will be in the next beta, which won't be for 2-3 weeks.

Now, regarding the graphics, you'll need to figure out how to make them. The models are also possible, Models get a graphic set via an event. These don't use the Extra graphics since the subformations are regime specific. In that no other regime can build them.

[CSHussard]

Thanks for the answers! I'm going to try my hand at vehicles, at least on the basic models, so I can theoretically customise them by regime without breaking everything, if I understand correctly. However, I'll have to use the event system for the models...

If I can get it right I'll post the results here. Thanks for your help.

[ernieschwitz]

Don't worry too much about breaking everything. We're here to help you to glue them back together again.

[GaryChildress]

Thanks for the answers! I'm going to try my hand at vehicles, at least on the basic models, so I can theoretically customise them by regime without breaking everything, if I understand correctly. However, I'll have to use the event system for the models...

If I can get it right I'll post the results here. Thanks for your help.

At this point, I'm not sure if Ormand has implemented the update to the event version of the graphics. You may have to do them manually using the regular part of the editor under the SFT button. Or you could wait until he finishes his project. Or if I'm wrong and he has finished the update of the event version of doing graphics, just disregard my post as a bunch of incoherent babble.