Auto Load Title Screen Changer for Conquests + New Screens!

[Bjornlo]

Here is a much better script

---------------
Script deleted.

Use the bug fixed on in post 42
----------------
Change count=6 to match the number of screens you want to use. Change the paths (set art =...) if you want to use different path names.
So to add 10,000 art files you would only have to edit 1 line in the script.
Very flexible and quite easy to change.

for 6 files
set /a count=6

for 10,000
set /a count=10000

No other typing is needed.

Simple, eh?

 

[Bjornlo]

right click with your mouse on the icon you use to launch civ.

Select Properties.

Change the "TARGET" to
"C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests\CQ.CMD"
Note: make the last bit match what you called your batch file. In my case I use CQ.cmd. I am lazy and only like to do as much work as is needed to get things right. CQ.cmd was shorter then Civilization_launch_batchfile.cmd

Then click on "change icon"

in "look for icons..."
cut and past this in:
%ProgramFiles%\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests\Civ3Conquests.exe

This will give your batch file the same icon.

Now you need to change your batch file.


at the end of your batch file add:
Civ3Conquests.exe

If you are a modder like me, also add:
attrib "C:\Program Files\Infogrames Interactive\Civilization III\Conquests\conquests.biq" -r

This last line will keep the BIQ file to be writeable, so you can make edits to it without first having to set its access to read/write.


Hope you found this interesting.

if you want to see variations with error checking or using xcopy, robocopy, etc let me know.

Thanks again to Dogmouse for generous sharing the image in this thread, his orginal thread and kindest of all his template so we can make our own.

 

[tjedge1]

Wow. I'm going to have to take a shot at this for my swimsuit calender title screen package.

 

[MaisseArsouye]

This is soooooo cool. I have to make my own screens now

 

[Bjornlo]

Glad you liked it guys.
I made a type-o in it though.
copy %artdir%\x_title..pcx %titlesdir%\temp.pcx
should be ^^
copy %artdir%\x_title.pcx %titlesdir%\temp.pcx

Sorry.

 

[hIdDeN_eViL]

bjornlo....

i know when im outdone.... ( i dont often use variables... i dont understand it most of the time)

just a note.... u may consider using "@echo off" rather than "echo off". much cleaner.

and maybe the line;

---------------------------
echo.
echo.
echo Opening Civilization 3 Conquests . . .
echo.
echo Do not close this window!!
---------------------------

just to remind people who are not used to cmd windows, that it needs to be kept open.


i prefer using move because, unlike copy, it doesn't display line after line of what its copying and ot where its copying, but ur right, it is safer to copy, rather than move.

 

[Bjornlo]

Hey Hidden Evil,
It's not a contest. I post graphics on here that I'm sure has a number of the real artists snickering.
I've been programming for alot of years. I'm not a script/shell expert, but all programming has certain things in common.
You script does work, and as I said is the kind typical of computer experts. Your script was at least as good as my first few.

 

[hIdDeN_eViL]

i neva said it was a contest.... it was a joke lol


oh... u may want to post a final copy in the tutorial forums or something

 

[Seth the Dark]

I seem to have a problem with the program because it only shows the screen with the boat on it. Any help?

 

[Bjornlo]

check your paths

make a test script that cycles and renames the image files without launching civ

 

[Nwoll]

After it cycles through the five images, it stays on the last image now every time I play. I think I followed your directions right. I love this utility so if there is a fix for this problem could you let me know. Thanks.

 

[didaskalia7]

Hey this looks great ! I will give it a try, about time
somebody came up with this

 

[MaisseArsouye]

I had a problem with Bjornlo's script. So I tried to modified it :

==============================
echo off

set /a count=4
set targetFile=
set artdir=.\Art
set titlesdir=.\Art\Titlescreens
set ecran_titre=x_title.pcx
set ecran_temp=temp.pcx

:main

copy %titlesdir%\1.pcx %artdir%\%ecran_titre%

for /l %%a in (2,1,%count%) do @call :calc %%a

copy %titlesdir%\%ecran_temp% %titlesdir%\%count%.pcx

copy %artdir%\%ecran_titre% %titlesdir%\%ecran_temp%

civ3conquests.exe


Goto :end

:Calc
set /a targetFile=%1-1
copy %titlesdir%\%1.pcx %titlesdir%\%targetFile%.pcx
Goto :end

:end
==============================

Here are the instructions for 5 files :
- call your pictures"1", "2", "3", "4" and "temp" .pcx
- place them in "art\titlescreens"
- make a backup of "x_title.pcx" and then delete the original file
- copy "temp.pcx" in "art" and rename it "x_title.pcx"

It's important, "x_title" and "temp" have to be the same picture !!!!

I tested it : it works !

 

[Ace Dragoon]

Need some help here.. unlike most people who stick everything on their C: drive, my Civ is actually on D: drive D:\Civ3\Conquests\ to be exact..

what do I need to do or change to get this to work ?

 

[Bjornlo]

Since the paths are relative, it should all just work.

ie: my script says go down to art from current dir not from c:\....
I did this on purpose since I know others that also install games drives other then C:\

If you want you could do full paths.
so
set artdir =.\art
set titlesdir=.\art\titlescreens
could be
set artdir =D:\Civ3\Conquests\art
set titlesdir=D:\Civ3\Conquests\art\titlescreens

But either should just work.

 

[Dogmouse]

Yep, What he said. He beat me to it.

 

[Bjornlo]

There were two bugs in the script. Both had to do with the fact that I just typed the script in rather then write it and cut and paste.
The first was the .. type-o
The second was the logic bug MaisseArsouye found.
I had one of the copy lines in the wrong position.
I also like Hidden Evil's idea of having a reminder to not close the window.

-----------------------------------------------
script deleted
use the bug fixed one in post 42
-----------------------------------------------
Copy all the files into \art\titlescreens
except for one of the files, backup your art\x_title.pcx file
So for 4 files it would look like:
art\titlescreens\1.pcx
art\titlescreens\2.pcx
art\titlescreens\3.pcx
art\x_title.pcx (your 4th image in this example)
art\original_x_title.pcx
It does not matter what is in your temp.pcx file since that is created everytime the script it run. You could add:
del %titlesdir%\temp.pcx
any time following the 2nd copy command if you care.

MaisseArsouye did one thing I think is not the best of ideas, and that is to create alias for file names that will never change. Why create a variable to store a constant? This makes the script a little longer and harder to read without making it better. I created alias for the path names to simplify editing the paths. That way the script is faster and safer to customize.

Take care, hope you enjoy this.

 

[Seth the Dark]

The code keeps on starting up Conquests even when you exit out. It acts like a loop.

 

[Bjornlo]

The code keeps on starting up Conquests even when you exit out. It acts like a loop.

Which script are you running? I don't have that problem. I can compare what I do in my script vs. the one you are running.

 

[hIdDeN_eViL]

strange.... none of the scripts should loop.... conquest is the last command.


@bjornlo
just once more so i can get it right...

so u get all ur pics, put them into art\titlescreens\
number them,
use one of them as art\x_title.pcx

and thats it?


oh and why is it that in the above script that count=6, when you only mentioned 4 titlescreens?