How do you make your own leaderheads with FLCedit?

D551

Warlord
Joined
Feb 26, 2010
Messages
172
Location
Utah
So i downloaded the program Civ3flcedit and i cant seem to figure out how to work it. ? is there anyone who has experience with it? if so i could use the help.
 
First, you need 121 frames (220x240 for each). It can be an animation going from happy to angry, or the same image again and again. All frames need to be in the same PCX (or BMP) file, on the same line. Make a palette (256 colors with the last one as unused pink color). You load it in Civ3FLC (Import to storyboard). It should be recognized as a LH animation. Say yes, save it as FLC and here you go. Should work fine. If you're doing an animated LH, you need two animations, one going from Happy to Angry, and the other from Angry to Happy.

There should be more detailed tutorials in the tutorial subforum.
 
I tried to create one frame LH with Civ3FLC. Works fine with Civ3 Civilization selection screen but whenever I'm in contact with the 'new' civilization, the game crashes. Doesn't happen when I create a LH with 121 identical frames with Civ3Flc.
 
I tried to create one frame LH with Civ3FLC. Works fine with Civ3 Civilization selection screen but whenever I'm in contact with the 'new' civilization, the game crashes. Doesn't happen when I create a LH with 121 identical frames with Civ3Flc.
That is strange Supa... I have never had that experience. AoI uses many such single frame "Flag" Leaderheads and no Crashes from that.
 
Yes... it is the Type of Flc Leaderheads are and Animation Shop is easiest to use to make the correct Flc format... A "Flc" made in Flicster would not work of course because it is designed to work with Units not "Movies".
 
If you are doing a Leaderhead with no animation, you can simply use one Image... such as a Flag :) You still make the File a Flc but it would only have one Frame.

thats what im trying to do. it seems more simple. Could i get some step by step instructions?
 
thats what im trying to do. it seems more simple. Could i get some step by step instructions?
It's very simple.

Create an image 200x240 in your favourite image program (even Paint is enough, I'm using Paint Shop Pro X).. Make it 256 colours.

Copy it, paste it in Animation shop. Then just use "Save As" and select FLC as type.

Done.
 
I made a simple Tutorial with Many Images to show simply, Step by Step, How to make a Single Frame Leaderhead from any Image. Also explained how to make the Palette and Use Animation Shop.
I used Paint Shop Pro but one can Extrapolate from this Tutorial how to use a different Graphics Program.

You can download the Tutorial here
 
Instead of putting a green and magenta pixel, reducing to 256 colours, and then remove the two pixels, why not directly reduce to 254 colours?
Because Reducing to "x" Colors (254) will Not provide the Best Color Palette. Placing a pixel of Magenta and Green then reducing to 256 Colors will provide Better Representation of the Colors in the Image. We can also then use the same Leaderhead Palette for the Leaderhead.pcx in the game. As an experiment, use a Good 16 Million Color Image and Reduce it to 254 Colors, then Using the same starting Image, Place a Pixel of Magenta and Green on the image somewhere it will not affect the image and Reduce to 256 Colors. The Pixels of Magenta and Green are painted out after this. You will see that simply reducing to 254 Colors is Not as Good :)

When using Animation Shop, Only One Color is used for the Transparent Color. So when saving the .flc using Animation Shop, we simply select either the Magenta or Green Color as the Transparent Color.
 
I fail to understand why reducing to 254 colors or reducing to 256 with additional magenta and green would produce different results.. especially if one doesn't use "colors dithering" options.
 
Back
Top Bottom