The Easiest Method of M-Unit Creation

Okay, I am going to post a tutorial on making M-Units (Multi-figure units) out of different units, rather than just one unit copied into an 'army'. THIS TUTORIAL IS NOT FOR PSP USERS.

THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS NEEDED TO COMPLETE THIS TUTORIAL AS EASILY AS PROMISED.
Notice I do NOT use Flicster.
Cvi3FlcEdit, (here).
GIMP. (www.GIMP.org) I do not use PSP. PSP users click here. <- Not my tutorial
Stephs Storyboard Builder(here)
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1.) Okay. Choose the units you want to combine. Let's say swordsman and archer. Let's make a fidget animation for them. Open the fidget anim. for both of them in C3FEdit. Select the Archer. Now, look at the number of frames per direction (under frame settings). 15. Okay close that dialog box. Now open the Swordsman. Look at the frames number. Good, they're both 15. If they were different, then we would have to use the smaller number. F you have two different numbers, then change the FRD to the lower value for each of them. Okay, now at the top of that dialog, is a setting saying "frame size" change this to 240X240. Now on the output settings tab, change the directory to a folder that you will export them both to. Press export. Choose not to open the newly created storyboard. Now, re-open the Archer, and give it the same settings as the swordsman. Press export. Now, close Civ3FlcEdit.

2.) When you pressed export, C3FEdit created 3 files;
a .C3F file (read by C3FE) a .act pallette (read by all three programs, and a .pcx storyboard. (read by all three). Now, open SSB. Click on 'Generate multifigure Units Storyboard. (For help on SSB, please refer to the above link) Configure things the way you want them. Make sure NB frames is the number of frames you exported them both to.In this case, 15. Now, select the output location. then press "Generate Mulifigures Storyboard". It is a good Idea for the export location to be the same place as you exported the unit storyboards. Close SSB.

3.) Almost there. Okay. Open the Swordsman .pcx storyboard with GIMP. Now open the .bmp Munit storyboard we just created. Copy the .BMP file and paste it over the .pcx file. IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE THE EDGES LINE UP CORRECTLY!!! Now save the it as a pcx. If GIMP ask you to export the image, choose export. Now, close GIMP.
Okay, now open the swordsmanFidget.C3F in Civ3FlcEdit. Instead of the swordsman by itself, you should see a swordsman and an archer. Now go to "file", "Export to FLC". Choose the location of where you want the FLC. Press save, and then choose to open it. You now have a M-Unit flc. Remember, you must make multiple flcs before you have a complete M-Unit.

I hope this tutorial helps. If you use PSP, check out this tutorial http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=44695

If the nb of frames of the unit is not the same, you should take the smallest, but the highest, and then delay one of the animation.

hi
thanks for the tutorial, in fact i dont know the programs and can eazly make munits.

However, i have some problems.

a)In the munit u propose, the final result is a unit ok, but the other moves around like mad. I noticied that my swordsman cant reach the 240x240, but only 215x240, could be that the problem?. Two archers works good.

b)In the GIMP section can i open only the bmp file and save it as pcx, without any copy and past?

c)Have made a earlylegion munit (6 column), but in the final result it appears a semi transparent shadow( same grey backgroug as show the predefined munits ) around the munit. what can be that?

Hope u can heip me
Thanks

a)In the munit u propose, the final result is a unit ok, but the other moves around like mad. I noticied that my swordsman cant reach the 240x240, but only 215x240, could be that the problem?. Two archers works good.

Hmm. Not sure of what you mean by "my swordsman can't reach 240x240". When you try to do what?

b)In the GIMP section can i open only the bmp file and save it as pcx, without any copy and past?

I don't know GIMP, but wiht Paint Shop Pro you can, but don't forget to change the palette to a 256 colours palette compatible with Civ3

c)Have made a earlylegion munit (6 column), but in the final result it appears a semi transparent shadow around the munit. what can be that?

Try to post send the storyboard to me at stephane.f.david@free.fr so I can have a look (zip it!)

Hope u can heip me

Portus said:

I noticied that my swordsman cant reach the 240x240, but only 215x240, could be that the problem?.
Thanks

Click to expand...

of course i did not unlock, and that was the problem. Now thats ok

Now are u saying "basic my friend"

Portus said:

b)In the GIMP section can i open only the bmp file and save it as pcx, without any copy and past?

Click to expand...

Well, yes and no, depending on what version of Gimp you use, how well you know GIMP, and if you understand unit pallettes. The easiest way is to paste over the original, and re-save.

Portus said:

c)Have made a earlylegion munit (6 column), but in the final result it appears a semi transparent shadow( same grey backgroug as show the predefined munits ) around the munit. what can be that?
Hope u can heip me
Thanks

Click to expand...

Done. Tanks Steph

Now a title of suggestion, if SBB have a save settings like FLCedit, was great.

hmm, I have a problem.

I just created my first munit which actually came out good cept for one thing. Its shadow is red in the game. how can I fix that?

EDIT: I used Photopaint instead of gimp, does that make a difference?

That's a pallette issue. You need to set the shadow colour to red to make the red become a shadow

Ok, thanks.
but how do I do that?

make sure that the red color is in the last palette row, but not one of the last two colors (those are 100% transparent).

If you did everything right, when you open the flic and check its alpha coloring, the red should just be a semi-transparent dark patch over the underlying color or terrain (if you're using Civ3 Flic Edit, which I don't... Every unit I've made with it somehow gets the frame timing screwed up).

That's because you have manually change the frame timing when you make a unit with it.

Varlin Saliptor said:

That's because you have manually change the frame timing when you make a unit with it.

Click to expand...

Tried it, and it still has that hang-delay on the first frame, same as Plot, which is why I use Flicster... At least I can work around all of Flicster's little quirks, but that timing issue is just plain ugly.

Hikaro Takayama said:

make sure that the red color is in the last palette row, but not one of the last two colors (those are 100% transparent).

If you did everything right, when you open the flic and check its alpha coloring, the red should just be a semi-transparent dark patch over the underlying color or terrain (if you're using Civ3 Flic Edit, which I don't... Every unit I've made with it somehow gets the frame timing screwed up).

Click to expand...

no, its not the row thing, the m-settler has the same exact pallette as the civ3 settler (lone settler).

Maybe a little "Print-Screen" could help me on this one

I didn't want to perform the dark art of necromancy on this thread, but since it's alive again:

I tried making an munit of NavyDawg's RPG trooper (three troopers firing RPG's, and thank you for creating it NavyDawg), but they are all doing the same motion at the same time. I was wondering how one would go about making it so they all don't move in unison or even if it's possible to do so.

So you don't have 3 RPG guys all moving in unison. Thanks for any help you revered unit guru's can give!

I just noticed that I used the other tutorial to make munits, but I will give this one a try also.

Tank_Guy#3 said:

I didn't want to perform the dark art of necromancy on this thread, but since it's alive again:

I tried making an munit of NavyDawg's RPG trooper (three troopers firing RPG's, and thank you for creating it NavyDawg), but they are all doing the same motion at the same time. I was wondering how one would go about making it so they all don't move in unison or even if it's possible to do so.

So you don't have 3 RPG guys all moving in unison. Thanks for any help you revered unit guru's can give!

I just noticed that I used the other tutorial to make munits, but I will give this one a try also.

Click to expand...

Simple: Take two of the original storyboards, and then with one, cut off the first 1/3 of the frames (using the cut, not delete command), move the remaining frames to the left (so that what was, say frame 6 of 15 is now the first frame) and paste the cut frames behind this. now this unit will be 1/3 ahead in the firing animation. For the second of the two modified attacks, cut the last 1/3 of the frames and move the remaining frames back (so that what was frame 10 of 15 is now frame 15 of 15), and paste the cut frames in front of the moved ones... Now this unit is 2/3 ahead of the unmodified storyboard....

Yeah, kind of a pain in the ass but that's the best way to stagger attack animations in Munits where all the units are derived from the same source.

My question wasn't answered.

Hikaro Takayama said:

Simple: Take two of the original storyboards, and then with one, cut off the first 1/3 of the frames (using the cut, not delete command), move the remaining frames to the left (so that what was, say frame 6 of 15 is now the first frame) and paste the cut frames behind this. now this unit will be 1/3 ahead in the firing animation. For the second of the two modified attacks, cut the last 1/3 of the frames and move the remaining frames back (so that what was frame 10 of 15 is now frame 15 of 15), and paste the cut frames in front of the moved ones... Now this unit is 2/3 ahead of the unmodified storyboard....

Yeah, kind of a pain in the ass but that's the best way to stagger attack animations in Munits where all the units are derived from the same source.

Click to expand...

Okay, thanks for your help. I'll give this a shot.

SBB includes a features to create munits automatically, including a delay on some of the animation too desynchronize them. I believe I even included qa user's manual.

As they say... RTFM

Hikaro Takayama said:

Yeah, kind of a pain in the ass but that's the best way to stagger attack animations in Munits where all the units are derived from the same source.

Click to expand...

I think it is the worst way