Couldn't make out how HMS Colombo looks like. Way too dark for my machine. :damn: I need more :sunny:

But I am sure she's close to these plates: HMS Colombo in 1943 - the year she arrived at Mediterranean from the Far East.
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6896/Colombo.th.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6000/Colombo2.th.jpg
http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/3567/Colombo1.th.jpg

'Rearmed?' Do you mean you changed turrets? Wow!!! If we have HMS Colombo, i.e. NCL Class C (Capetown, Cairo, Coventry- 13 units) then we also have class D (Delhi, Danae, Dragon) 8 ships. A little bit of change in paintjob to make them look a little bit different and here we go!Very good!!!

Gents, if I am not mistaken the stock game does not have NCL class Southampton. Sometime ago sergbuto made a model for the ship.
You can get her here http://web.telia.com/~u18216264/

Well, the reason I use Winace is that it gives the best compression rate, and I have a very limited space in my website. Anyway, if you use Winrar you should be able to open .ace files without problems.

A bit off-topic, but is there anywhere a dumbs guide on how to hex-edit the .jrf's?. I don't know exactly what to change to have different copies of the same model with different paints (so I can keep the original Dido, for instance). I know the new .jrf name must be also changed somewhere inside, but I see the old name in many different parts, and I don't know which ones to change. Looked for old topics on this, but apart from lots of references to hex-editing used for lots of things (add things, remove things, change things) I couldn't find anything clear.

Have you tried sergbuto's retexturing guide?

http://web.telia.com/~u18216264/Retexturing_Guide.pdf

About .ace. I agree, it is a very good compressor. I am using also 7z.
@Mountbatten
Another option to process .ace files is IzArc archiver. You can get it here. Unfortunately, it does not support Linux which is my favorite OS.
But it is very good on WinDoz.

http://www.izarc.org/

It's very useful for using external textures (I've done mi first successful hexediting on a model so it uses an alternative texture for some parts), but I still don't know what to change to create a copy of an existing model under a different name. All my attempts have finished in game crashes :hmm: .

EDIT: I think I've finaly found my mistake, I hadn't changed the name in the textures as well. I renamed them and re-inserted them and it seems to work!.

Hi Jap Lance,

I use a nice little free prog called FRHED and the first thing to do is to change the name of the file keeping the same number of letters (kinda hard for the ones with short names!) then in FRHED run a FIND search for all the files with that name, NCLDIDO for example and then REPLACE with NCLDIDD or NCLDIDI (whatever you renamed the file). Run a REPLACE ALL if possible (and make sure you get the spelling right!) This is the FIRST step, before even opening up Covet's tools as this will give you a whole new name for the texture files when generated. To change the deck textures without overwriting the originals run a search for the GENxxx files. These cross reference the Gen type textures.

Also, as indicated in the retexturing guide you can have larger textures which are external to the model.

Looking forward to your new stuff!

Mountbatten

Afraid it's not a new turret deal... you still get the Exeter's massive 8" turrets, but they're firing smaller shells. I'm afraid I've not got the arcane knowledge of masters like Serge or the Italian geniuses. But from a distance it does the trick. Of course if someone could change those ruddy turrets I wouldn't complain :up:

Cheers,
Mountbatten

This was my testing ship for my first hex-editing: Italian cruiser R.Montecuccoli.

http://img119.imageshack.us/img119/4...cuccoli3mx.jpg

Montecuccoli repaint

Seems to work OK. Download includes an external texture, GENMonte.TGA, which contains the guns, decks, racks and some other stuff.

In case someone doesn't know what to do with it, just put it all in the models folder and reroute the .UDF to the new .JRF.

That looks SOOOOWWWWEEEEET! :up:

Will give the ace files another go tomorrow. Looks like we got a good thing going with the repaints. Hope that Horsa can put the stuff I sent him up, even in a provisional page...

Mountbatten

If you can't get the .ace files to work just give me an email address by PM and I'll send them in zip format.

Nice going JapLance. Very convincing looking NCL Raimondo Montecuccoli in her wartime camo. :up:
While you at it, why not putting paint brush here and there and we'll get her sistership Muzio Attendolo?

http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/6...itled13.th.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/7..._Page_3.th.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/8..._Page_2.th.jpg
http://img131.imageshack.us/img131/6..._Page_1.th.jpg

Quite alright. ACE files are okay (silly me for not checking). I hope that you were able to get the hex editor and that you were able to rename the files :)

Lookin' mighty fine!
Mountbatten

http://web.ukonline.co.uk/chalcraft/...onaventure.jpg

By the way, what color do you think these grey ladies will be? Any thoughts?

Mountbatten

OK, the M. Attendolo is in the docks, almost ready to make it to sea again ;).

Glad to hear that GlowwormGuy finally could cope with the Aces hehehehe.

And yes, the Montecuccolis have different model names and a new external file each (it was necessary, as some parts of the ship were in the Gen Italy and the camo is very different now). Nevertheless, the main TGA's are still inside the model; I don't like to fill my models folder with lots of TGA's, and also my system struggles to handle bigger textures.

Regarding that merchant ship, is seems like the darker side could be a blueish grey maybe. Sorry but my English is not good enough as to be clearer.

The M. Attendolo is ready:

http://img47.imageshack.us/img47/2156/mattendolo4hw.jpg

Repaint Attendolo

Very good repaint :up:

Very nice repaint indeed. :up:
I especially love that white and red stripes on the bow which were applied to warn Luftwaffe who tend to bomb both British and Italian ships without much discrimination (actually Italian pilots would do it as well). Man, we should have this feature on R.Montecuccolli as well. It is very realistic. :rock:

Thank you guys!. A big part of the merit is for people like Sergbuto, who did a nice guide that helped me a lot. And with lovely profiles like those that Bruno showed is difficult to do it ugly.

Bruno, the Montecuccoli has the same air recognition stripes in the bow, though not so nice, as I didn't have that lovely profile and I also didn't know how long they were. Anyway they're in the external TGA, so you can use the one on Attendolo with a very simple copy&paste.

Soon a repainted Queen Elizabeth BB and a also a Southampton CL :arrgh!: .

Some really good stuff here, guys. It's become one of my "must check daily" sites. :up:

I'm collecting the repaints as they come on line. :D

JapLance, here you go.

Admiral Cuningham's flagship HMS Warspite near Punto Stilo.
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/3627/Warspite.th.jpg

Her mothership - HMS Queen Elizabeth:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/7235/QE.th.jpg

Her plates:
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/9..._Page_3.th.jpg
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/2..._Page_2.th.jpg
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/2..._Page_1.th.jpg

HMS Warspite camo schema
http://img147.imageshack.us/img147/1...itecamo.th.jpg
:up:

Lovely work! Actually the stripes were applied to the S-Boot in the Black Sea as well also as a recognition device. Glad you're aboard JapLance.

Mountbatten