Type VIIb or Type VIIc ??

[Jochem]

Hi everybody,

And happy new year 2006 ! :D


My question is how to show different VIIb and VIIc skins in the game. I notice that only one skin show two of them. I heard something about it but could not find it anywhere...
I have tried to download a corrected file but it is not disposable again.


Btw, is it possible to show a different skins to all Type VII versions ? By example:

1x TypeVIIc 1940
1x TypeVIIc/41
1x Type VIIc/41 1942


and same thing for the different Type IX...


Thank you very much for your help. ;)



...

[Letum]

I dont thinkits possible atm

[CCIP]

Yes, unfortunately there is no way to do this at the moment - however, it is theoretically possible to use skin files in conjunction with SHIII commander to switch the skin files based on sub-type whenever you select that type of sub for your career :hmm:

[Jochem]

I have tried to change it with an hex edit but could not find the search string thing. I understand nothing about that, sorry ..I know that there was a file prposed but could not find it again....

[Jochem]

http://www.subsim.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=41070&highlight=seperate+skin


In this topic , Syxx killer had proposed a file to corret the problem, do you know where i could find this file ??

I don't now exactly how to proceed whith the hex edit ...


It could really help cause I'm working on some skins, Thk U very much ôo)

[Marhkimov]

Hex edit is not necessary.

You already can have seperate skins for the VIIB and VIIC. Just pack their skins into their respective DAT files and there ya go... A seperate skin for each u-boat.

You might notice that the name of the skins for both the VIIB and VIIC are the same, NSS_Type7c_hull and NSS_Type7c_deck, but it doesn't matter. If you pack a seperate set of skins into each boat, then the game will load the skins depending on whichever boat you decide to sail.


Hope that helps! :up:

[Jochem]

Thank U Marhki and Gibs for your welcome advices ! It is exactly what I'm searching for. I think it could be interesting to separate the boote skins with a respective id to really identify each of them .

Cdre Gibs, do you know how to use the Hex Edit to do it possible ?

Btw, with JSGME the problem is a little resolved :up:

[Marhkimov]

Actually, packing your newest skins into the DAT files is better than simply dropping them into the Textures\TNormal\tex\ folder. If you settle for the easy way, then the U-boat reflections will use whatever skin is embedded in the DAT file, but not from the Texture folder.

For instance, you pack "skin1" into the VIIC DAT file. Then you download "Skin2" from the internet. Maybe you are too lazy to pack "Skin2" into the DAT file again, so you decide to place it into the Textures\TNormal\tex\ folder instead. What will happen is that your VIIC will have "Skin2" textures, but the reflection will use "Skin1".


I hope that was clear. Basically, I just wrote, "pack your skins, or you will have incorrect reflections in the water."




***And before anyone asks, here is the packer/unpacker tool:
ftp://ftp.ubi.com/us/games/chessmaster10/misc/DatTexExtract.zip

[JScones]

Yes, unfortunately there is no way to do this at the moment - however, it is theoretically possible to use skin files in conjunction with SHIII commander to switch the skin files based on sub-type whenever you select that type of sub for your career :hmm:
SH3Cmdr is indeed the lazy way to achieve the desired outcome. Just plonk the different skins into the different SH3 Commander\U-boat folders (using SH3 folder structure of course) and SH3Cmdr does the rest. You can have different skins for *each and every* modelled type *and* variation. Actually, I've been hoping for months that someone would pick this up and create type specific u-boat skins...hint hint to anyone...

It's definitely the easiest way for the "non-modders" to get alternate skins. No hex or packing required! (Although you can combine methodologies - SH3Cmdr won't care whether it finds a tga file or a packed dat file. What it *will* do though is ensure that the right skin is applied to the right boat without the need for manual file swapping, hex editing or settling for one skin for say, all VIIC types.)

For example:
\SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\NSS_Uboat7c.d at <--w/ packed VIIC skin
\SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC41\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\NSS_Uboat7c .dat <--w/ packed VIIC/41 skin
\SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC42\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\NSS_Uboat7c .dat <--w/ packed VIIC/42 skin

Or you can do the same thing by simply dropping the skins straight into the Texture folder (ie \SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC\data\Textures\TLowRes\tex\NSS_Type7c_hul l.tga etc etc...) , but remember Marhkimov's advice above.

[Jochem]

Thank U very much for your help. I have easily pack my own skins with pack3D and add it with JSGME ! And now, both VIIC and VIIb show their respective skins. Fan-tas-tic ! It's no more complicated isn't it ? :up:

[Marhkimov]

SH3Cmdr is indeed the lazy way to achieve the desired outcome. Just plonk the different skins into the different SH3 Commander\U-boat folders (using SH3 folder structure of course) and SH3Cmdr does the rest. You can have different skins for *each and every* modelled type *and* variation. Actually, I've been hoping for months that someone would pick this up and create type specific u-boat skins...hint hint to anyone...

It's definitely the easiest way for the "non-modders" to get alternate skins. No hex or packing required! (Although you can combine methodologies - SH3Cmdr won't care whether it finds a tga file or a packed dat file. What it *will* do though is ensure that the right skin is applied to the right boat without the need for manual file swapping, hex editing or settling for one skin for say, all VIIC types.)

For example:
\SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\NSS_Uboat7c.d at <--w/ packed VIIC skin
\SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC41\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\NSS_Uboat7c .dat <--w/ packed VIIC/41 skin
\SH3 Commander\U-boat\VIIC42\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\NSS_Uboat7c .dat <--w/ packed VIIC/42 skin
I've already done this sort of thing for the 29th Flotilla U-boats. I set up a pre-packed dat file for each of Fubar's camouflaged TypeVIIB and TypeVIIC u-boats. It looks like this:

\SH3 Commander\Flotilla\907\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7b\ NSS_Uboat7b.dat
\SH3 Commander\Flotilla\907\data\Submarine\NSS_Uboat7c\ NSS_Uboat7c.dat

The same can be done for any other u-boat, and you can even use the many methods that SH3 Commander allows. You have the previously mentioned U-boat and Flotilla folders, but you also have the Date and Random folders.

With SH3 Commander, you are really only limited by your creativity and imagination.

[booger2005]

Actually, packing your newest skins into the DAT files is better than simply dropping them into the Textures\TNormal\tex\ folder. If you settle for the easy way, then the U-boat reflections will use whatever skin is embedded in the DAT file, but not from the Texture folder.

For instance, you pack "skin1" into the VIIC DAT file. Then you download "Skin2" from the internet. Maybe you are too lazy to pack "Skin2" into the DAT file again, so you decide to place it into the Textures\TNormal\tex\ folder instead. What will happen is that your VIIC will have "Skin2" textures, but the reflection will use "Skin1".


I hope that was clear. Basically, I just wrote, "pack your skins, or you will have incorrect reflections in the water."

***And before anyone asks, here is the packer/unpacker tool:
ftp://ftp.ubi.com/us/games/chessmaster10/misc/DatTexExtract.zip

I've found this method to not work at all with hi res skins, as there seems to be a limit on the size of tga to go into the dat file. My mission failed to load when I used this method, and timetraveler's tool raised a warning. How does one go about the hex editing?

[Marhkimov]

I've found this method to not work at all with hi res skins, as there seems to be a limit on the size of tga to go into the dat file. My mission failed to load when I used this method, and timetraveler's tool raised a warning. How does one go about the hex editing?
TT's tool is good for previewing the skins while they are still inside the DAT files.

But you should use this tool if you are planning on resizing any of the textures:
ftp://ftp.ubi.com/us/games/chessmaster10/misc/DatTexExtract.zip

[booger2005]

Thanks, will try. I really love Fubar's decks but B's and C's aren't quite matched. I'd love to have the right decks appear without having to restart the game everytime I switch subs (I play a lot of single missions). :cool:

[Marhkimov]

I'd love to have the right decks appear without having to restart the game everytime I switch subs (I play a lot of single missions). :cool:
Just pack the skins. You never have to restart SH3 to switch between subs.

[booger2005]

Ok, I tried that Chess editor. Now I'm getting an error when I pack the new skin I want because it doesn't like the 32 bit colors. Any ideas?

[Marhkimov]

Pack it as 24 bit, not 32.

Basically, the bit value has to be the same if you want to pack anything.

[Pablo]

Ok, I tried that Chess editor. Now I'm getting an error when I pack the new skin I want because it doesn't like the 32 bit colors. Any ideas?
Hi!

You could try loading the skin into Photoshop and resaving it in 24-bit color instead of 32-bit color, then try using the Chess editor again.

Pablo

[booger2005]

You could try loading the skin into Photoshop and resaving it in 24-bit color instead of 32-bit color, then try using the Chess editor again.

Pablo

Thank you for the reply. Photoshot, isn't that a $500 dollar program? :lol: Too rich for my blood :roll: Thanks for the suggestion though. Is there another program to do this? :hmm:

[booger2005]

How about this. I already have a photoviewer that can convert between bitmap and tga. So I save it as bitmap, open in ms paint, save as 24 bit bitmap, then open it again in my photoviewer and convert back to tga. Will that work? :hmm: