Plasma steel files?!?

Rubin · March 14, 2003, 18:12

My graphics for the plasma steel armor in SMAXv2 (including the res-version) is a bit weird - rovers, tanks, needlejets and choppers with plasma armor look ... well ... funny (the rest of the armor types are fine)! Has anyone got an idea 'bout wich of the SMAX files that contain that particular information?

Static Universe · March 14, 2003, 19:17

The armors are stored in the caviar files, which store 3d images of the units. The chasis, armor, weapons and special abilities are 3d components which are then joined together.

They are found in the Alpha Centauri directory and end in .cvr. They can be viewed with this tool:

http://galileo.spaceports.com/~dreifels/tools.html
(Scroll down to Caviar Viewer)

Most of the armors are recolored versions of the same caviar template, but I'm not sure which contains the one for armor.

The plasma steel should be dark red, I think.

Rubin · March 14, 2003, 20:14

Hmm, I can't get the viewer right ... it's just blank or terminates itself ... maybe I'm not doing it the right way.

The problem happened after installing the v2 patch. The red color of the armor is corrupt on parts of the vehicles. Now, I don't know if colors are also in the caviar files!?!

Anyway, looking at the palette.pcx I found that the colors 099 (dark red) and 100 (bright ... ehh ... something - I'm colorblind so I can't really tell, but it's definitely NOT dark red!) are mixed up on the plasma armor. I guess the problem is that the colors are not properly designated to the 3d image - - - the again: I don't really know.

Thanks for your help static23!

gwillybj · March 15, 2003, 03:15

Color 099 is a very deep blood-red. Red=136 Green=012 Blue=012.
Color 100 is a pale peach-flesh. Red=247 Green=210 Blue=168.

Plasma Steel is listed in the #ARMORCOLORING section of system.txt as number 95, which is a bright apple-red. Red=212 Green=024 Blue=024.

Quote:

BTW, at the top of system.txt is a warning:
We recommend that you do not alter this file

Static Universe · March 15, 2003, 05:18

Quote:

Originally posted by Rubin
Hmm, I can't get the viewer right ... it's just blank or terminates itself ... maybe I'm not doing it the right way.

Maybe it doesn't work on XP.

Quote:

Anyway, looking at the palette.pcx I found that the colors 099 (dark red) and 100 (bright ... ehh ... something - I'm colorblind so I can't really tell, but it's definitely NOT dark red!) are mixed up on the plasma armor. I guess the problem is that the colors are not properly designated to the 3d image - - - the again: I don't really know.

palette.pcx is a small file, so perhaps you can attach it here and someone can do a comparision for you.

Rubin · March 15, 2003, 09:41

Thanks!

Now strange things happened...

gwillybj, your note on the system.txt was very helpfull! Changing the value 95 to 94 made the color a bit brownish (I think), and the pale-peach dissapeared. This is tolereable during gameplay. (Imagine pale-peach spotted plasma rovers!!!).

Now, I tried to change the value back to 95... expecting to see the peach stuff again... but nothing really happened. I had a backup of the system.txt and reinstalling it still didn't produce peachy colors. Strange!

I guess there's still something wrong, since the wheels of my rovers are now slightly invisible - but not much.

I have no idea what's wrong with the program, my computer or ... me

I hope the peachy colors do not return.

I wish I knew how to take screenshots, so I could show it to you. Btw, I'm now back to win98, but still forced to use oldvoxel=1.

Thanks a lot guys!

Cedayon · March 15, 2003, 13:47

Quote:

Originally posted by Rubin
I wish I knew how to take screenshots, so I could show it to you. Btw, I'm now back to win98, but still forced to use oldvoxel=1.

Get the screen to where you want the shot, press the "print screen" button on your keyboard, then (without closing SMAC, if you want the colors to come up right) open photoshop (or just plain windows paint) and paste (ctrl-v), save the image, close the paint program, close SMAC, open the paint program and open the image... it should come out right color-wise, and in fact I might be doing more than I need to.

Rubin · March 15, 2003, 15:29

Wow, I can make screenshots

Thanks Cedayon! It took a couple of tries, though.

I have made 2 GIF-files showing my problem.

PeachWheels.GIF is with the plasma acolor set to 97 (I think). It resembles pretty much my initial look - though there were no 'holes' in the 3d image.

Tolerable.GIF is what I'm using now - even though some of the 3d image seems to be not wanting to be seen!?! Plasma color is set to 95 (as the default setting). So actually I've chnged nothing! Very strange to me...

These images only show rovers, but the problem is present with some of the other chassis-types as well. All the other armor types are perfect looking.

I'll try to attach the 2 GIFs in an approx. 100 KB ZIP-File...

gwillybj · March 17, 2003, 02:30

It looks like something might be off in your palette.pcx file, because you are getting transparency where there shouldn't be any.

A question: Which faction did the rovers belong to? I don't recognize the pale-green in the flag, unless it was originally Gaian-green and lost some definition, which happens sometimes when saving gifs.

Quote:

I'm colorblind so I can't really tell

In this matter, have you tried the Gamma Correction in the Preferences menu? If your palette is as it should be, you might be able to adjust the gamma in the game to make things look better.

A note about the system.txt, which you probably already know: You have to shut down and restart SMAC to have any changes take effect.

Major Guz · March 17, 2003, 10:06

The flags look like the color of the Cyborg Faction from SmacX, as it seems.
The color of the armor on the rovers is the correct color for Plasma Steel Armor (Defense = 3).
As for a solution on the transparency of the wheels of those rovers, I don't think I know anything that can help.
Did you try to download the alternative color patch from the firaxis site? This is a patch especially developed for people who can't see colors right, but I don't think that will solve your problem with the wheels (but I would give it a try anyway).

Good luck!

Rubin · March 17, 2003, 21:48

Hmm, thanks a lot for the feedback!

Sure, Major Guz, it's the Cybernetic faction. I cross checked the patches (alternative color etc.) and the original SMAC and SMACX. No difference there...

I'll try and paste a different palette.pcx from the original SMAC, but I fear the problem goes deeper than that. I have played several hours and found - not to my surprise - a few other mishaps with my version, including completely missing missile sound (the weapon - not the chassis).

I believe I have to do a complete reinstall ... again! It's works fine without the v2 patch, but the bugs in the v1 are just too annoying.

Thanks again for your help!

Major Guz · March 18, 2003, 04:52

The missing sound for missile weapon is common in SMAX, there were a few threads about that a year ago or something. So you could consider that "normal".
It's annoying at first, but I equip my units with the R-laser, which also has 6 attack and looks cooler on my rovers

.

Maybe if one of us post the "original" palette.pcx (or would that be illegal??).

gwillybj · March 18, 2003, 05:11

...since it's useless if you don't have the game, I'll risk it

I had to zip it because we can't attach pcx files, but that's ok; it took it down from 77K to 13K.