4 SEASONS ALTERNATE GRAPHICS

[Ormand]

Well, it will take some work on your part!

You need to put them in a directory and then set the graphics for the subformation types in the editor. This can be a laborious, if not mind-numbly boring, process. Because you have to do it for the four levels of the subformations and several peoples (extra graphics). You can't just plop them into the directory and then change their names to the same used in the vanilla game. One reason you can't is that the vanilla game uses layers and an overlay color, so it wouldn't look right. And, in the event that there is an update for ATG, they will just get overwritten.

So, two options. Both need the editor and involve loading them and saving the file as your own.

1. Go into the editor and manually change the graphics for each subformation type.

2. Create an event that will set the images for each of the subformations. By far the easiest way but you need to create an event that you just execute in the editor. To do this, you will want to put the names of the images into a stringlist that the editor will read. I did this by making a row for each of the subformations I wanted to load graphics for and a column for the people. So, a 2D matrix of files names (you can do this in a text file and load the text into the stringlist). Then make a loop over the rows in the stringlist (and put the subformation number in the first column) and "read" the files names in using something like TempString100 = checkstringlist(SringListID, Row#, Column#). Then use the NEW exec functions ExecSFTypeExtraGraphics and ExecSFTypeExtraGraphicsName. The first will load an image for the people type, while the second will set its name. This will take a little work, but you can do it with less than 40 lines of code. And it will save you a lot of time relative to doing it manually. To run the event click on the yellow "=" box. Not to worry if you mess it up, just DO NOT save it as your original file. When you do things like this never, ever overwrite your file until you are 200% sure you did what you wanted to, and even then, make a backup. But do save your file before you run the event as this will have your code in it and you won't to start that all over again. If you don't feel comfortable doing it with code, go back to option 1, which was the way you had to do it before.

After you do this and are happy, save it to your own file name and then you will need to edit the mod file, or create your own and put it into the mod folder so you can select it. Just put your at2 file where the Phoenix file name is. This is needed to tell the random game generator to use this file. With your own mode file, you can select it or not as you start ATG.

[basilstaghare]

Well, it will take some work on your part!

After you do this and are happy, save it to your own file name and then you will need to edit the mod file, or create your own and put it into the mod folder so you can select it. Just put your at2 file where the Phoenix file name is. This is needed to tell the random game generator to use this file. With your own mode file, you can select it or not as you start ATG.

Thanks so much for the detailed instructions. I will give it a looksee!

[Ormand]

I will try really hard to get the next update to Four Seasons in the next week, but it will be a bit of a challenge since I am traveling and I need Vic to put it on the web site. But, inside is an event that does exactly as I described. Heck, I am no fool, and I can add execs to do it. Seriously, I have found that events can be really helpful. I have to alter movement, then AA for artillery, and a bunch of other stuff. For these, it is MUCH faster to use code. Although, I admit that it takes a little while to "write" the code and then to make sure it isn't bugged.

[lion_of_judah]

curious if Gary is still working on the SFT images, hope so.

[GaryChildress]

curious if Gary is still working on the SFT images, hope so.

Hi Lion_of_Judah, thank you for checking. I'm working on art for other stuff right now. Maybe someday I'll come back to ATG. So many games, so little time.

[ernieschwitz]

I would appreciate if you would make:

Armored cars
Very Heavy tanks

Those are the ones missing the most from the current list.

... But I understand completely that you may have other priorities. Good luck in those endevours

[lion_of_judah]

weather question. I have desert terrain and fields set to 7, in a region where there should never be snow, but maybe rain. . The turn starts out in July, and the fields and some cites in desert climates show snow.. Other scenario's I have made this is not a problem, but this time it is. Thanks

[Ormand]

It is the coming Ice Age.

Well, needless to say the weather system in 4Seasons is a bit complicated. It is controlled by several events that read several stringlists to determine what landscape should be displayed in each weather zone. It is similar to what is done in ANewDawn, but is extended some and also included the possibility of storms.

I am not sure how you implemented it, but here is an explanation of sorts and some key guidelines that you MUST follow.

First, you need to edit your map to set the climate zone. And climate zones include the whole world from the north pole to the south pole. Zone 1 is arctic, 2 is northern temperate, 3 is northern sub-tropical, 4 is tropical, 5 is southern sub-tropical, 6 is southern temperate, and 7 is Antarctic. 99 is desert.

Stringlist ID44 sets the season for each zone dependent on the month. 1 is spring, 2 is summer, 3 is fall, and 4 is winter.

Stringlist ID45 determines how a landscape "morphs" in the season. The first column is the landscape, and the next 4 are what the landscape will be changed to in spring, summer, fall, winter.

If you are playing with storms, stringlist ID141 determines the probability there will be storms in a given season for each month. Stringlist ID14 is similar to ID145 as it sets what landscape a given landscape will morph into when there is a storm in a given season. Stringlist ID142 is for sandstorms.

It is IMPORTANT that you have these stringlists in your game and that they have these IDs (that is how the even finds them), or you set the ID in the event. If the IDs have changed and you have other events it will likely cause a CTD. Tecnically, it will read those stringlists but odds are the stringlist doesn't have the proper elements and it will try to set something that doesn't exist and a CTD will happen.

You should check that you have set the climate zone correctly. It looks like you set it to 7, which is Antarctic. So, yep, snow in July. You should probably set it to 99, and then use the terrains provided for desert, which include cities and fields (arid fields).

It is also important that you have ALL the landscapes that came with 4Seasons that you do not move them or change their number. The events read these stringlists to determine the proper landscape. If you have reordered them, they will get mixed up.

The weather events are in the section labeled "Weather". You need all of them. The main routine is "Weather Check", which will call weather with or without storms depending on whether GameSlot_Weather_With_Storms is set. Note, that this a Game variable, you get to set the name, but it is really GameSlot(10). This needs to be the same in your scenario as in 4S.

[lion_of_judah]

thank, appreciate the information. I did make changes as suggested, and this appears to have fixed it.

[Ormand]

Good to hear. Glad you are using it. Good luck with it.

[lion_of_judah]

thanks