[TEC]Needle/pointer texture

[AVGWarhawk]

Does anyone know what file the needle texture for the rudder gauge is located?

[jimimadrid]

Look in Data\Menu\Gui\Layout\indicators.dds

Another needles are in Data\Menu\Gui\Layout\Dials_us_imperial.dds and Data\Menu\Gui\Layout\Dials_us_metric.dds

Hope it helps.

[AVGWarhawk]

Dials-metric has some needles but not the one I need. I will look at the other spot Thanks!

[ReallyDedPoet]

You've crossed over to the dark side


RDP

[AVGWarhawk]

The indicator.dds are all white and I suspect for the gauges in the interior of the boat. Still no luck finding this bugger.

[jimimadrid]

The Needles in the Indicator DDS are for the command gauges. There are four needles, and from the lower ones, the left one is the Needle of the rudder.

In the Menu1027 it gets will get black painted instead of the white color.

Here could be the solution. Try to pla with the color values

[G3F I45]
Name=Crt val
Type=1031;Stat bmp array
ItemID=0x3F1C0002
ParentID=0x3F1C0000
Pos=37,-10,16,70
Zone= 796 110 16 70 0 1 0x3F1C0000 0.5 -0.5 0x3F1C0002 -0.5 0.5 0 0
Color=0xFE
Materials=1
Display=5;Linear&rotation
Mat 0=data/menu/gui/layout/indicators.tga
Crop 0=0,0.996094,0.8125,-0.34375
MatFlags=0x29
TexFmt=0x0
Drag=false
BmpState=1
NeedFocus=true
SelOne=false
IdGroup=0
StatesColors=0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF

[G3F I46]
Name=New val
Type=1031;Stat bmp array
ItemID=0x3F1C0003
ParentID=0x3F1C0000
Pos=37,-10,16,70
Zone= 796 110 16 70 0 1 0x3F1C0000 0.5 -0.5 0x3F1C0003 -0.5 0.5 0 0
Color=0x969696C8
Materials=1
Display=5;Linear&rotation
Mat 0=data/menu/gui/layout/indicators.tga
Crop 0=0,0.996094,0.8125,-0.34375
MatFlags=0x29
TexFmt=0x0
Drag=false
BmpState=1
NeedFocus=true
SelOne=false
IdGroup=0
StatesColors=0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF, 0xFFFFFFFF

[jimimadrid]

That should be.



Line to change in the menu1024 is:
[G3F I45]
Color=0x969696C8

Or let JTxE do the work: http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...highlight=jtxe

Needed ini File:
Targetfile=Data\Menu\menu_1024_768.ini
[G3F I45]
Color=0x969696C8

[AVGWarhawk]

Great! I will give this a go! You said to play with color values. Do you know the letters/number to change so it will show white in color?

[DrBeast]

Hex code would be #FFFFFF, but that damn thing is not in hexadecimal code! I can't for the life of me figure out that format. I did manage to remove the black color from my home-brewed dials, but unfortunately I don't have the menu_1024.ini file here at work.

[jimimadrid]

You have to paint a new Indicator.dds with white needle. I suppose that the number only put a black layer over the image. Lowering the number of the color the alphachannel of the layer will be reduced and the original image appears.

This is how it works with the "new value" and "value" needles. "Value" needles are the original image, an "new value" are darker copies of the originals.
Therefore you should darken the new value needle:

[G3F I46]
Color=0x?????????

You should play a little around with this value.

[AVGWarhawk]

The Dr is in! I just want that one needle as white. If you could find out if you get a chance. Currently I have all the dials as clean black faces. These boats were new and so were the gauges. Making them look old is the wrong way to go IMHO. Anyway, the dial on the rudder gauge is now black with the white numbers (not yellowed like it has been around for 60 years). As a result, the black needle is hard to see and really needs to be white.

[AVGWarhawk]

Originally Posted by jimimadrid

You have to paint a new Indicator.dds with white needle. I suppose that the number only put a black layer over the image. Lowering the number of the color the alphachannel of the layer will be reduced and the original image appears.

This is how it works with the "new value" and "value" needles. "Value" needles are the original image, an "new value" are darker copies of the originals.
Therefore you should darken the new value needle:

[G3F I46]
Color=0x?????????

You should play a little around with this value.

This is what I did, the texture for the indicator.dds is basically the shadow of the actual needle. In other words, if you click on the dial to have the rudder swing, there is a ghost white needle that shows up were you clicked. The hard color needle will swing around to were you clicked thus covering up the ghost needle. It took the indicator.dds texture and blackend in this needle for the rudder. When I tried it in game, all this did was make the once white ghost needle turn black. So, I'm guessing this is the wrong texture to fool with.

[skwasjer]

Originally Posted by DrBeast

Hex code would be #FFFFFF, but that damn thing is not in hexadecimal code! I can't for the life of me figure out that format. I did manage to remove the black color from my home-brewed dials, but unfortunately I don't have the menu_1024.ini file here at work.

0x... format is hex format, just not 'html'. The '0x' is a hex specifier in programming languages like C++/C#.

Unfortunately I am no menu.ini guru so I don't know what order the hex data is written (the game reverses several other data as well (also in .dat files)).

So it could be:
0xRRGGBBAA or 0xBBGGRRAA

I'm sure one of the other menu guru's has the final answer.

One way or the other, 0xFFFFFFFF is white.

[DrBeast]

Originally Posted by AVGWarhawk

This is what I did, the texture for the indicator.dds is basically the shadow of the actual needle. In other words, if you click on the dial to have the rudder swing, there is a ghost white needle that shows up were you clicked. The hard color needle will swing around to were you clicked thus covering up the ghost needle. It took the indicator.dds texture and blackend in this needle for the rudder. When I tried it in game, all this did was make the once white ghost needle turn black. So, I'm guessing this is the wrong texture to fool with.

No, the indicator is right. There are two values in menu1024 for defining "go-to" and active needle position.

[G3F I45] stores current needle position, [G3F I46] is the "go-to" position. So what you need to do is also tweak the Color=xxxxxxxxxx of I45. I thought this case was resolved, so I didn't bring along my home-brew. I have found the perfect (to me) color conditions.

Originally Posted by skwasjer

0x... format is hex format, just not 'html'. The '0x' is a hex specifier in programming languages like C++/C#.

Unfortunately I am no menu.ini guru so I don't know what order the hex data is written (the game reverses several other data as well (also in .dat files)).

So it could be:
0xRRGGBBAA or 0xBBGGRRAA

I'm sure one of the other menu guru's has the final answer.

One way or the other, 0xFFFFFFFF is white.

Cheers for that. It was the last two figures that eluded me. Now, if only I could figure out what AA stands for (as obviously RRGGBB is for Red Green Blue).

ETA: Never mind, did a google search and found it. AA is for alpha channel transparency; 00 is for fully transparent, FF is for fully solid. Well, glad to have this nut cracked!

[DrBeast]

OK, AVGWarhawk, let's summarize. If I understand this correctly, you want a fully white needle for your rudder, correct?
Here's what to do: leave the texture as is (you might as well paint it pink, it won't matter!).

Go to [G3F I45], change Color=0xWhatever to read

Color=0xFFFFFFFF

That will make the needle white.

Now, to differentiate the needle of your current rudder position from the "go-to"position (i.e. the one you get when you click somewhere on the gauge to have the rudder swing there), we're gonna make that second needle a bit grey.

Go to [G3F I46] and change Color=0xWhatever to

Color=0x999999FF

If it seems too dark for you, try

Color=0xCCCCCCFF

Hopefully, it'll work.

Below is a random internet site with hexadecimal color codes:

http://www.johncfish.com/bggallery/otherchart/index.htm