|
| Thread: Questions about modifying - please help | |
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
posted April 06, 2007 01:43 PM |
|
|
Questions about modifying - please help
Hello. I just started modding heroes 3 (well...trying to at least) and my primary goal is to make new creatures & objects in general (made from scratch), because that's what I always wanted to modify in H3. But, as anyone who just starts doing something, I screwed up.
I looked into the def files of objects and creatures and I noticed (don't know if I noticed right though) that cyan is used for transparency and magenta for the shadow. So I did the same with this merry cube (made just for testing):
Then I used DefMaker to convert it to def. In the DefViewer it shows fine:
But in the editor and in-game it's a whole different story:
So...it seems I'm doing something wrong, but I don't know what. It seems to interpret colors in a different way than I thought. Oh, and the original file is an 8-bit 256 colors bmp.
Also, when I animated that thing and rendered each frame as a bmp and then added all the frames, in their specific order, in the defMaker, the exported def had all those frames when I opened it in defViewer but in the editor and in-game it was not animated (and the same problem with transparency & stuff)...so again, I don't know how to make these, I just assumed and I assumed wrong. So please if anyone could share the knowledge, I would be the happiest person ever.
Now to even more questions (like you aren't bored enough by now...). Concerning the following, I searched for quite some time for information, but couldn't find anything:
how do you make .msk files and what must they contain? And also what are .msg files and what do they do/how to make them/what do they contain?
That cube I made I just replaced the Titan's def with it, because I don't know about those msk and msg files.
If I make a def, msk and msg for an object and place them into the coresponding lod file, will that object appear as a stand-alone oject ready to use in the editor? I suppose I'd also have to edit some text files for this, and if yes what files? Or if my view on this is catastrophically wrong, then how do you add new objects/creatures in the game? And I saw somewhere that there's a 256 creatures limit, can that be hacked somehow?
Heh, I know there's a very, very little chance for someone to answer me but at least I tried. Any help would be extremely appreciated. Have a nice day.
____________
Lair of metalpiss
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 06, 2007 02:34 PM |
|
|
Quote:
Heh, I know there's a very, very little chance for someone to answer me but at least I tried.
Well, it is sad (and it is my fault in particular) that nobody wrote a tutorial, that could explain all graphical things in heroes... So now new people ask the same questions.
Quote:
So...it seems I'm doing something wrong, but I don't know what. It seems to interpret colors in a different way than I thought.
First, you must now, that your palette must contain 10 first fixed colors, so try to render, for example, tp png format and then translate to bmp, apply palette, where first colors are fixed.
Judjing by you picture, it is clear for me, that your background is not monotone (i.e. must be only 0,255,255 color). I think that you used an anti-aliasing in rendering and it "blurred" the borders between background and object itself. That is why you have cyan contour around object.
But it is non clear for me why your def is semi-transparent on the map... Could you upload your example somewhere and give a link?
Quote:
how do you make .msk files and what must they contain?
It contains passability of the object and it is size by squares. You could just copy it from the other object with the same size (for example 2x2 squares) and passability.
Quote:
I suppose I'd also have to edit some text files for this, and if yes what files?
Yes, it is ZEOBJTS.txt file (if i remember right).
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 10, 2007 10:07 PM |
|
|
Thank you very much for your fast response, it really helped me. I managed to modify the palette and make it work fine:
But I still have a problem when this is supposed to be animated. I changed the palette of all the frames to be the same, I added all the frames in the defmaker (by the way, from defmaker I selected "Map object" from the first rollout and "$43 (Map object) from the second rollout), in defviewer it shows fine, with all the frames in the correct order, but in the editor and in game besides the fact that it's not animated, it also has transparency in wrong places:
I uploaded the current def here (replaces the titan's def on the map):
http://www.wc3campaigns.net/tdr/Temp/AVWTITX0.def
Also, any thoughts about those msg files?
____________
Lair of metalpiss
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 10, 2007 10:43 PM |
|
|
Well, there some things...
1. You have wrong palette. There must 10 fixed colors and you have only two.
2. All files inside your def have the same name. This is not right. You must give them unique names (index, for example, 1,2,3...). Dont forget they must be in 8+3 format.
3. Heh... Check your background color.. It is 1,246,245 instead 0,255,255.
Quote:
Also, any thoughts about those msg files?
I dont rememder now what do they for.
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 12:26 AM |
|
|
ok. I set the first ten colors of the palette as bigjoker staded here: http://www.celestialheavens.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=94861&highlight=#94861 and all the colors are correct, so now all the transparency/shadow issues have been solved. Each frame has an individual filename. But still I get no animation in the editor and in-game, but in the defviewer and resedit's quick preview the animation shows fine.
And although each frame has a unique filename, in defviewer all frames have the same name...Also, don't know how much of an issue this is though, when I click or check/uncheck any of the bmp's I import in the defmaker in the list, it gives some sort of error dialog box which says "Stream read error", but nothing bad seems to happen and makes the def fine.
I uploaded the new def version, same download link.
I'm terribly sorry for being such a pain in the butt, I know all too well how annoying dealing with noobs is  .
____________
Lair of metalpiss
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 09:30 AM |
|
|
|
Upload, please, your files as well. I want to pack them by myself.
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 09:35 AM |
|
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 10:34 AM |
|
|
Quote:
ok, here they are: http://www.wc3campaigns.net/tdr/Temp/cubeTest.zip
1. You dont listen me. Your filename must be no longer that 8 symbols (8+3 means 8 name + 3 extension). And your cubuletz_16 has 11 symbols.
2. Your bmp files are in incorrect format. You should know that there is a so called Microsoft bmp standard for bmp files and Photoshop (if you work in it) doesnt save bmp in it.
"Right" size for bmp in your case is 5174 and you have 5144. Through XNviewer i converted your bmp in png and back again.
Now i packed the def and all works fine (mmm... there are some shadow issuesm but this is DEF maker's bug - dont mind).
BTW, i see you are hosting files on wc3campaings... Are you developer of some Warcraft mod, map, campaign or just a modeller?
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 11:00 AM |
|
|
I finally got it working  . I didn't knew that photoshop doesn't save bmp's in the standard format, I now used xnview as well. Sorry, I must have missed the part when you told me about the 8+3 name format.
Thank you so much for your patience and help, you have my full gratitude.
I used to and contribute to various wc3 mods with models and textures, now I'm moderator at that site for the modeling and animation forum.
Thanks again!
____________
Lair of metalpiss
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 11:06 AM |
|
|
Quote:
I used to contribute to various wc3 mods with models and textures, now I'm moderator at that site for the modeling and animation forum.
I am glad you done it. 
I am warcraft fan too and now making Warcraft and World of Warcraft monsters for heroes and my mod in particular (see the thread "D&D mod - your opinions?" on the second page).
OFFTOPIC:
BTW, does your community knows that one russian programmer made a program that allows work with World of Warcraft models and import them into Warcraft? I am asking this, because this program only on russian - so that means no possible english release. This is stange, because i would like to see WoW creatures in the Dota, for example.
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 11:38 AM |
|
|
Quote:
OFFTOPIC:
BTW, does your community knows that one russian programmer made a program that allows work with World of Warcraft models and import them into Warcraft? I am asking this, because this program only on russian - so that means no possible english release. This is stange, because i would like to see WoW creatures in the Dota, for example.
I know there are ways of importing WoW models into warcraft 3, but we do not support that. We encourage people to learn how to make their own stuff mainly (or use stuff made by others, but not WoW exports).
I don't play wc3 anymore for a loong time, I just like making models and textures for it because it's so easy to implement them. It must be the most mod-friendly game ever. I imagined Heroes 5 the same way, but looks like it's not...Blizzard even released a plugin for 3ds max, the Art Tools, which allows you to export your models to wc3 format and also has a viewer in which you can see how the model will look in game. I wish ubisoft would do the same thing.
After I'll get a little more experience with heroes 3 creature and object making, I think I'll try to write a tutorial, so there won't be people like me - searching and finding very little.
____________
Lair of metalpiss
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 11, 2007 12:03 PM |
|
|
Quote:
I know there are ways of importing WoW models into warcraft 3, but we do not support that. We encourage people to learn how to make their own stuff mainly (or use stuff made by others, but not WoW exports).
I see. Well, it is position too.
Quote:
I don't play wc3 anymore for a loong time, I just like making models and textures for it because it's so easy to implement them.
You know the same is for me.  I dont play heroes too. It seems for me that there is some law of life among modders - "If you are modding the game - you dont play in it".
Quote:
It must be the most mod-friendly game ever.
And i must admit, that heroes III is most UNfriendly game i saw. Though i hope 3.59 will change it.
Quote:
Blizzard even released a plugin for 3ds max, the Art Tools, which allows you to export your models to wc3 format and also has a viewer in which you can see how the model will look in game. I wish ubisoft would do the same thing.
I know (i am using it  ). And not only Blizzard. EA released similar thing for LotR: Battle for Middle-Earth and i think there are some other companies did such thing. UbiSoft really should take their example.
I know that one man from this forum made a program, that allows import Homm 5 meshes in 3DS max through wrl format, but it imports only raw geometry even w/o UVW. He promised to continue hiw work, but i heard no news from him so far.
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 12, 2007 11:02 PM |
|
|
Quote:
And i must admit, that heroes III is most UNfriendly game i saw.
aye. speaking of that, any chance anyone could tell me where are the creatures portraits? Both the big ones and the small ones that appear in the status screen. I searched the lod's until my patience ran out and couldn't find anything. Also, how do you set what portrait goes to what creature? Now I have an alien with an angel portrait and sound, which is kind of nasty.
Speaking of sounds, how do you set what sounds go to specific creatures?
And finally, what do all those numbers in the ZEOBJTS.txt represent?
Please help me with these ones, these are the last few things I need to know (I think?).
____________
Lair of metalpiss
|
|
Darkloke
Promising
Famous Hero
WoG Team artist
|
|
posted April 12, 2007 11:38 PM |
|
|
Quote:
aye. speaking of that, any chance anyone could tell me where are the creatures portraits?
cprsmall.def and twcrport.def in h3sprite.lod.
Quote:
Also, how do you set what portrait goes to what creature?
Just see the mentioned files and you will understand.
Quote:
Speaking of sounds, how do you set what sounds go to specific creatures?
Each creature has it is own name mask in heroes3.snd. Pikeman, fe, has pike* and angel - angl*. Using this logic you will be able to find the one you needed.
Quote:
And finally, what do all those numbers in the ZEOBJTS.txt represent?
Speaking the truth, i dont remember exactly, since i didnt work with the map objects for very long time... Some of them mean the territory, where you can place the object, other - where this object in the editor is located. Try to test them and i will try to know more about them.
Quote:
Please help me with these ones, these are the last few things I need to know (I think?).
I think you will need also:
- cranim.txt (to adjust combat speed and shoot offsets for your creature)
- un32.def and un44.def (for monster speciality icons)
- AVWATTAK.def (for creature attack mode on the adventure map)
I think i should really create a DEF FAQ by your questions.
|
|
metalpiss
Adventuring Hero
fail
|
|
posted April 13, 2007 10:01 AM |
|
|
|
doom3d
Known Hero
Avatar of general Z
|
|
posted May 01, 2007 10:09 AM |
|
Edited by doom3d at 10:11, 01 May 2007.
|
I would write a script to have "H2 like" Towns in H3.
Am not familiar with graphics and hard coded programming, so I would need a sprite artist to
create and add war trolls (lvl5 Stronghold/Barbarian) and royal mummies (lvl3 Necro) to WoG.
|
|
T2_2112
Supreme Hero
|
|
posted May 02, 2007 02:22 AM |
|
|
Then u can try recolor Pikeman, swrodman and calivary --> Red color like H2 1st ( i tried but failed  ) , but i think u nedd posst at a new thread , ppl will att
|
| |
|
|
