'Freezing' civ colors

[bhiita]

I'm sure there are a few ways to do this, but this is the way I'd do it.
First export to storyboard with flicster or Civ3FlcEdit, then open the pcx in your image editing program. (I use PhotoimpactXL and it's palette cell orientation is the same as Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop cells are reversed. So my top is your bottom if you're useing Photoshop.)
That said, you want to have two seperate files, so duplicate the pcx however you will. Minimize the original, and then convert the duplicate to 160 colors. Now go back to the original, edit the palette by filling the top four rows with green or red or magenta or whatever color not present in the actual unit, if you're palette savy then it doesn't matter what color you use
now copy the duplicate image and paste it into the original image., then save the edited pal file in your Civ3FlcEdit folder or corresponding flicster folder.

ALL DONE no more civ color

 

[Bungus]

Ok, first question: Do you know how to convert to 160 colors in photoshop?

And I thought only the top 2 rows (32 colors) were civ specific?

 

[Bungus]

Hey, no ****, it worked! I can't even remember what exactly I did to reduce the colors(in photoshop) but if you do know offhand, let me know so I down hate to retrace my minds garbled steps tomorrow.

 

[bhiita]

I've only used photoshop a little. I haven't a clue

 

[Bungus]

Finals this week. Haven't tried again till now...

I got the palette changed, with no civ color and 4 rows of blue(not in the pallette). I looks good in fliscter, but in game or with civ3flcedit its all sorts of screwed up. Could you take a look and maybe tell me what the problem is?

 

[bhiita]

I have no idea what you did

 

[Bungus]

In photoshop: I converted the pallete (it condensed the colors so there were no duplicates. Is that a good thing?) then added blue in the first 4 rows (actually 4 and a half: removing duplicate colors cleared up 40 odd spots for new colors, give or take). Now it looks fine in flicster, but when civ color is applied the whole frame is screwed up.

 

[bhiita]

Here, maybe this will be of some help
I'm useing the Aegis Cruiser Default flic for this example, remember in photoshop the cel sequence is reversed.

you're not useing the new palette for anything, the only rason for condensing the colors is to squeeze the colors into the 160 non changing cels in the unit palette., The green (inmy example) is only to make sure that no colors present in the unit fall into the cels that are used for changing civ coloring. In the case of changinf colors and trancparencies, the color isn't as important as the cel position in the palette. So the only thing you're wanting to do is only use the cell posionts in the middle of the palette, the firtst four (or last four rows) being avoided.

 

[bhiita]

and here's the flic example, converted to one frame for better handleing.

 

[Bungus]

Okay, hmmm. For the sake of clear communication lets pretend for a thread that photoshop's cells aren't reversed, and that when I say top, I actually mean bottom (in photoshop). As in, "I made a pcx from the default flc you posted, and then opened them in photshop, and I see the the top 4 rows are bright green. Then I put on my top hat and went out to a toppless bar."
So...
1. I guess I don't understand how this works. In the posted pics, the Original pallette has many colors (shades of blue and anything else in the top 4 rows that aren't in the New pallette. Why does it still appear normal in game?
2. I saved another copy of the unt's pcx, then using that one; condensed the pallete, added 4+ rows of blue(not in the unit) then copy pasted the duplicated pcx's image into the original pcx. What did I do wrong?

 

[Aluminium]

Some of the unit colors were in the smoke row ( PS index 17 - 32). Also the background color was on the wrong place.

 

[Bungus]

Thanks Al, and for the other thing too. Both work fine