[TUT] skin and add new Bonus Resources and add Improvements

[Master Lexx]

@KGrevstad: those pink grids belong to the picture, they are normal coloured. Some graphics programms think those colours are used for transparency, not show in a gme, so they don´t display them, but there should be an option to make them visible. I prefer Paint Shop pro, so i can´t help with this. Don´t forget, the icons shown in the tgas are used in the same order how the resources are set up in the artdefinesxml.

 

[KGrevstad]

@Master Lexx

Thanks. I still haven't found a way to make them visible in the native image, but I am able to see them in the red and green layers if I decompose the image into rgb layers. I think the problem is that gimp is viewing this as three channels with an alpha channel, whereas paintshop seems to be viewing it only as rgb. Where will these mini-icons be shown in the game? That is to say, if I mess around with the tga file, how would I view the result in the game?

--Kristine

 

[Master Lexx]

The basic minicon is shown, if you roll over a resource with your curser in the map view. The gamefon75 miniicon is shown in the city screen on the right.

 

[RogerBacon]

Thank you for this tutorial. I only read the first part but that was enough to help me make an alpha layer, which is what I needed.

Roger Bacon

 

[Kyburg]

Many thanks for your great work, Master Lexx.

Im interested for new bonuses cocoa, coconut, palm oil and olive oil.

Since I don't understand much about graphics, maybe there is something else interested to place it.

 

[Kyburg]

I found olive and cocoa with black background.

 

[Master Lexx]

I will take a look, maybe those are the next resources. I will try to find a resource that fits for reskinning.

 

[Civmansam]

cool mod but i was wondering...
How do give units skins?
Is it the same thing?

 

[Master Lexx]

You read about unit reskinning in many other threads. Just extract the pak files, convert the right dds of the unit, repaint it and place this skin in the same folder struture, it was in the pak files just remake the directory structure in the mods folder.

 

[mismatch]

I've got a small question. Ive made a trench improvements (for infantry and such), but since here are no models suidatble for a trench, I want the trench to be just a flat texture slapped upon a tile.
How would you do this?
I tried to just put the dds path within the .nif tag (as you do with leaderheads), but this just gave a a purple orb.

 

[Master Lexx]

Sorry, I never made a trench and I also never made a leaderhead. Maybe you can use the wheat ressource and make a flat ground painting with it and include it as improvment.

 

[mismatch]

yah, got it to work I believe, havent tried it ingame yet, but the pedia pic
looks promising enuff.
cheers mate.

 

[Caradoc]

Would you kindly help me with this:

"TerrainBooleans tell on which terrain the resource can be placed. FeatureBooleans tell on which features in connection to the terrain of FeatureterrainBoolean[/b] the resource can be placed. FeatureTerrainBooleans tell on which terrain that also has one of the specified features the resource can be placed. The above example tells, that the resource can be placed on snow or grass or grass with jungle. If you want to make only terrains valid, use TerrainBooleans, if you want it to be placed on a terrain that also has a certain feature you need to use FeatureBooleans and FeatureTerrainBooleans, if you also want it to appear on a terrain but also on the same terrain with a certain feature you have to specify it in all three Booleans."

I have a hard time understanding the example. Since there is already a Terrain Boolean for GRASS, why is there also a FeatureTerrainBoolean for GRASS and JUNGLE? And doesn't JUNGLE always appear on GRASS anyway?

Maybe another example would help.

NEVER MIND: I did a couple of experiments and figured it out. -C

 

[sepamu92]

can someone help me, every time i try to start up dds converter 2.1 it says "We have encountered an error and have to close." What happened?

Thanks in advance,
Sepamu

edit: nevermind, i got it to work

 

[earthgate]

I was just wonderign the terrain improvement tiles.. in civ 4 I could not find the farm or jungle tiles in the art folder.. maybe i didnt look good enough.. I was hoping to to take a closer look on those.. I got this idea about making a swamps/wetlands... well you can take a look at this post

http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=161115

btw the greenmod is awesome and so are the lemon plantation ...

execellent tutorial ...

 

[Master Lexx]

First try to add a new terrain, maybe one with just another name. If you can solve this problem you are on the right way,
when I tried to add a new terrain, it appeared as mountain under water, even if I just copied one.

It was fun to add new ressources to Civ4, I was the first who has done this (with a real new 3d look).
I hope this guide stays usefull for people, besides this the first ressource I added was "tea"

 

[Crighton]

sweet lemons man, very nice

 

[Padmewan]

A very well-written TUT, thanks Master Lexx. I'm sorry to hear that you no longer have time to continue pursuing GreenMod, but I do hope this thread lasts as a testament to your creativity and helpfulness!

Now for some questions for you (if you're still out there) and everyone else reading this:

1. In response to KGrevstad, for anyone else who needs help with this, I have found that if you manipulate the fonts file VERY CAREFULLY, you can work so that you don't touch the pink/turquoise pixels even if you can't see them (as in Gimp). This thread (on modding religions) includes a screenshot of the larger font file that I copied and then pasted on a lower layer to use as a template that basically tells me "do not erase/touch these lines".

I don't think I understand alpha channels at all, maybe because I only use Gimp and Fireworks, so maybe if I tried PSP (I understand Photoshop also handles alpha channels correctly) I could "get it."


2. Has anyone figured out how the engine handles the era transitions? I have successfully "stolen" the .nif for modern plantations for use as a greenhouse, but I have not been able to do the same for modern windmills. I appreciate the tutorial above about the various multi-files for worked, improved, etc., but I need to understand the era transitions, too.


3. Does all it take to put a building on a plot of land is to copy out the .nif and .k?? from the building art XML file and paste it into a new resource or improvement file? I think I tried that once and it failed, but I'll try again with Pyramids first (since it obviously works here). I have also successfully turned wheat, pigs, and cows into improvements from resources, but I'm not sure where a direct translation is possible and where all these complicated route-clearing, worked/unworked, era changes are all hidden.


Thanks again to Lexx and in advance for anyone who can answer these questions!

 

[FK2006]

sorrry just got it

 

[trancers21]

how would i make it to where just one resource appeared on the map? Basically--i want to take the ancient temple and create a few different real temples that exude different bonuses..but i only want one type on the map.