View Full Version : Font Problems


deanej
Apr 05, 2008, 04:28 PM
I removed corporations from my Star Trek mod, and now I'm having problems with my font files. Some of the text in-game is bold for no reason at all now (was caused before by the font files, but I don't know why). Also, some icons don't show up on the city bar, such as unhappiness/unhealthiness (this has been a problem ever since converting to Final Frontier).

Could someone PLEASE have a look and tell me whats wrong?

deanej
Apr 06, 2008, 03:20 PM
Could somebody help?

woodelf
Apr 07, 2008, 04:37 PM
Do you need to remove them? Why not leave one and make it unobtainable?

I've never messed with gamefonts so I have no clue.

deanej
Apr 07, 2008, 05:35 PM
Removing the files fixes both issues. Now, the bigger question: What did I do wrong?

micmc
Apr 07, 2008, 07:25 PM
the font stuff is so touchy, it's like a wet cat, if you try to dry it, it will want to stay wet, and if you don't it will want to get dry....

I'd guess the first tiime the alpha channels got hinked up in accordance to what the code was expecting (kinda like the resource problem I'm running into, there is no reason for the actual font.tga file to be wrong, but it still gets off its nut for some reason) I can't answer the tech. reasons why it happens, the main thing is to try to find a work around (for me at least) and barring that, just keep banging it til it works.

but if the code was expecting A B C in the alpha channel, but then wasn't being fed A B C through the xml, the hardcode still expects things to stay static so throws the alpha channel off kilter and you get the problems you got. sorry not to be more help with anything substative.

johny smith
Apr 09, 2008, 03:24 AM
I hope this fixes it. I ran it in Final Frontier and it worked.

deanej
Apr 09, 2008, 03:15 PM
Thanks, but it's too close to Final Frontier for what I need - I don't use the delta/omega icons, but I do need the original icons they replaced. I also use the original gold/culture icons (could that be the problem?).

johny smith
Apr 09, 2008, 03:19 PM
Don't know did not notice them. I will have to look at it again.

deanej
Apr 12, 2008, 03:57 PM
Could someone please finish fixing these? I'm getting the impression that I need some special application for it, as DXTBMP + Photoshop Elements causes problems in the game every time I try.

johny smith
Apr 12, 2008, 04:11 PM
I just looked over it again. I am confused what you needed changed when you say delta and omega. Do you mean the actual text? If so yes that can be the problems.

johny smith
Apr 12, 2008, 04:20 PM
Nevermind I see you what you mean now.

johny smith
Apr 12, 2008, 06:13 PM
Tell me if that works please.

deanej
Apr 12, 2008, 07:27 PM
It has the same problems as outlined in this thread.

EDIT: Might I need to make theme changes for icons from the epic game to be used in my mod? Final Frontier doesn't use Great People or Power, so it may not like those icons.

johny smith
Apr 12, 2008, 09:34 PM
I have no clue anymore. It worked in Final Frontier for me. So I wonder if something else is the problem.

deanej
Apr 12, 2008, 10:13 PM
Well, I guess I can't get a working font file now. It's really too bad, because if it can't be fixed I'll have to scrap my mod.

deanej
Apr 13, 2008, 03:17 PM
Does anyone know? I'm pulling my hair out! Should I just start from scratch? When I say I converted to Final Frontier, I mean I slapped Final Frontier on top of my mod, not the other way around. Could this have caused problems? Can they be fixed?

isau
Apr 14, 2008, 08:58 AM
Working with fonts has always been a nightmare for me.

I don't know what's broken about your font, but you should realize that when making one you have to keep all the seperator lines 100% magenta, with a cyan dot, and make sure that anywhere the alpha layer crosses over a magenta line, it has to be 100% black.

All of this said, while I find modding Civ IV an enjoyable experience, I absolutely HATE working with the font files.

I recommend starting over with a version of the file you know works. Zoom in very close in your broken file, and copy each character one by one into the working file, making sure your selection area never crosses over the magenta line.

deanej
Apr 14, 2008, 10:53 AM
johny smith, are you sure it worked in Final Frontier? It didn't in my copy. I have attached screenshots showing the problems.

First: see how the text looks wrong? No bullets show up and the font is off.

Second: No icons on the city bar.

Third: More font wierdness, this time with buildings.

johny smith
Apr 14, 2008, 11:23 AM
That is from DDS files not the gamefont for the symbols I mean. Try to putting the religions in the city and see what the city bar shows. It should be correct. At least for me it was. If not check you main BtS font folder.

Let me look again and try to send some screens.

deanej
Apr 14, 2008, 11:38 AM
The religion icons show on the city bar, but none of the other icons that go on the city bar show up (unhappy/unhealthy, power, revolt, etc.). Those are game font as well. I think I managed to make GameFont75.tga work properly (the magenta lines were way off color by the religions), but I have no idea what's wrong with GameFont.tga.

johny smith
Apr 14, 2008, 11:54 AM
Well I did not test it all way through for the others yet. But here is what I had just at the start. So really don't know beyond that.

deanej
Apr 14, 2008, 01:16 PM
The way I've been testing the other icons is to raise the population to level 10-15 in world builder, where extreme unhealthiness/unhappiness abound. The other font problems seem to only show up in World Builder, for some reason. I fixed the tech font one.

Could someone else have a look? If the community works together, I'm sure the solution will come.

isau
Apr 14, 2008, 10:12 PM
I have seen this problem lots of times. It is caused by alpha channels that overlap the magenta lines or magenta lines that are not 100% magenta, among other things. The game is very, very, very particular about these two issues. If you have a single pixel that is off, the fonts file will break. I highly getting a file you know works, zoom in very close, and transporting your new font over piece by piece. From the look of it, its the regular fonts file and not fonts-75 that's broken. To test fonts-75, roll over your leader flag and read the trait text.

deanej
Apr 14, 2008, 10:55 PM
Is there any way to tell at-a-glance what the exact problem is? I've tried repainting the magenta lines around changed areas and trimming the alpha channel way back to make sure it's not in a bad area, but the file is still broken. I never had a working GameFont.tga file with my religion icon changes, and converting from either a base epic game font or a Final Frontier file is not really an option as there are too many changes between Final Frontier and the epic game, some of which I need to restore (commerce icons, great people, power), some of which I need to keep (resources). Unfortunately, I'm not a graphics expert and I only really know how to make buttons. I don't know what program Firaxis uses to make these files, but whatever it is I'd love to have it, as it appears to make editing these files child's play.

deanej
Apr 15, 2008, 01:00 PM
Any idea on how to diagnose a file? It's not the magenta lines, it's not the alpha channel, what could it possibly be? I checked both - changing them does not help at all. I'll ask again - do I need special software? With DXTBMP and Photoshop Elements, the main file and the alpha channel are worked as two separate files, making it impossible to diagnose problems. What can I do? I don't have a working file!

micmc
Apr 15, 2008, 01:23 PM
if it comes to it, install the game into a non-default directory and just pluck what you need from the "spare" which will at least bring you back to square 1, and you can go step by step to see where the problem is. once you need to do that 2 or 3 times *whistles innocenty at himself* you learn to heed the warnings to make back ups. :)

deanej
Apr 15, 2008, 01:31 PM
Well, I have backups, it's just that I never had one of mine completely work. I've had font-related issues in the mod ever since I added the religions to it. I have the default game fonts as well as the ones for Final Frontier, but there are just so many changes and I don't know how I would make the alpha channel line up properly. In fact, I tried re-doing it. It didn't work. I'm really not a graphics guy.