Modding the stars background

[Rabbit_Alex]

Hello,

I'm working on the Star Wars mod (which is in early beta stage) as a graphics designer (leaderheads, buttons, etc). Today I was making my replacement for the default "stars" background when I realized that it's animated. Is there any way to make it not animated?

Thanks

 

[IVZanIV]

I believe that if it's animated it is in .nif format, and when it's still it's .dds... Could you convert it?

 

[Rabbit_Alex]

Thanks for the reply. I didn't convert anything. The background is a .dds and I just edited it. Could it be hard-coded into the game through some kind of animation algorithm?

 

[IVZanIV]

I would think that the background would be moddable, not sure why they would hard code it...

 

[Rabbit_Alex]

I mean that I can change what the image is easily, but I can't figure out how to make it stand still. It's probably a python script that does the animating.

 

[A Silly Goose]

If the background image is a .dds file, then it's more likely than not a texture on a 3D backdrop. In such a case, the backdrop's .nif file is probably accompanied by a .kf file, which may or may not contain the animation data. I do know that the guys who made the 3D-Max .nif patch or whatever didn't find any of the animation data in the Civ IV .nif files.

In fact, given the following snipits I grabbed out of viewing warrior_md_dieb.kf (which is only one of many .kf files for the Warrior unit) in Notepad, I think there's a reasonable chance that those files hold animation data. Oh yeah, the following has line breaks added in too, so that it's at least nominally readable:

NiTransformController BIP Pelvis BIP Spine BIP Spine1 BIP Neck BIP 
Head BIP L Clavicle BIP L UpperArm BIP L Forearm BIP L Hand BIP R Clavicle 
BIP R UpperArm BIP R Forearm BIP R Hand Warrior_Club Editable Mesh 
NiMaterialProperty NiAlphaController BIP L Thigh BIP L Calf BIP L Foot BIP R 
Thigh BIP R Calf BIP R Foot Warrior_Body MD MD NonAccum Z

SOUND:AS3D_UN_WARR_DEATH_VOX,AS3D_UN_DEATH_HIT@ff?:   
SOUND:AS3D_UN_BODY_FALL,AS3D_UN_HIT_UNIT,AS3D_UN_FOOT_UNIT C„?
   SOUND:AS3D_UN_FOOT_UNIT@D„?   end

That second segment looks especially promising, but I don't really know anything about this "Gamebryo File Format, Version 20.0.0.4", so I wouldn't put any money on it.

 

[Rabbit_Alex]

I never thought about it being a texture, but you're probably right Goose. I'll try something like that tomorrow.

Thank you both.

 

[matthewv]

I never thought about it being a texture, but you're probably right Goose. I'll try something like that tomorrow.

Thank you both.

The backgound is made of a .nif with a bunch of textures back on to it. It is easy enough to change the textures but I have spent numerous hours on the song of the moon mood to change the .nif file without success.(you just get a blue background) I also could not find any .kf files for the animation of the background.(none are referenced to in the XML either)

If you have success in changeing anything other then the textures it would be much appreciated if you let me know.

 

[Rabbit_Alex]

Oh man that sounds depressing. I'll try to make it work tomorrow, but if you can't make it work, and there are no references to the animation in the XML, then maybe it is hard-coded like I first suspected, and we would need the SDK to change it I think.

Best of luck if you keep trying to make it work. I'd appreciate any breakthroughs you make too.