[REL] Kill Flags Mod

[Ivan Putski]

D T, I have a question, in my tex folder the NSS_Gato_T0! and T02 emblems are devoid of my USS Drum emblem and kill flags. Is there a limit to the number of kill flags you can display on the tower. Puts

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by Ivan Putski

D T, I have a question, in my tex folder the NSS_Gato_T0! and T02 emblems are devoid of my USS Drum emblem and kill flags. Is there a limit to the number of kill flags you can display on the tower. Puts

Nope, there's no limit. Let me look at the files. While I'm looking, let me know what mods you're using. In particular, if you're using TM, there's a work around for the later war towers.

Edit : They're on the textures at my end. If you're using TM, please see here for instructions on how to correct the problem.

[Ivan Putski]

DT, at the present I`m running SH4 Gold edition.

RFB_v1.51_062308
RSRDC_v15_V395_RC5
RSRDC_V395_Patch 4
RSRDC_AuxGB_Fix
OpsMonsun_V301
OM_V301_Patch 2

On my last Kill flags upgrade in the tex folder both T01, and T02 towers were blank no Drum emblem, or kill marks, thank you. Puts

[Digital_Trucker]

Hey, puts, I just checked both the files I have on my computer and the one's on sqk's server (where you download from) and the files were fine. Here's a link to the sub skin again in case I may have sent you a bad link or something http://battleflags.net/killflags/Iva...%20Fooskin.zip

[Ivan Putski]

DT, works a charm, still don`t understand why I got a blank tower before, but all is working fine now, thanks for going the extra mile. Puts

[Front Runner]

Is it possible to create an alternative USS Tusk with the other patch, the one with the fish and lightning?
Here is a link
http://www.navsource.org/archives/08/08426.htm
No hurry, and thanks....
Front Runner SS426

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

Battleflag :



Commissioning plaque :



Siggy flag and plaque plus links :



http://battleflags.net/miniflags/Bat...Runner_sig.jpg

http://battleflags.net/miniflags/Com...Runner_sig.jpg

Sub skin available at http://battleflags.net/submarines/Ba...0Weathered.rar

Welcome to the Killflag family, Front Runner
Have fun with the "alternate reality" of your Tusk having gotten in on the war, skipper

[HansVonBeehan]

My conn tower is just full of battleships lol XD

[Digital_Trucker]

Front Runner, I've got that request in line with the current updates (2 in front of you in line). Shouldn't be more than a day or so.

Hans, your next update is first in line. You'll have even more stuff on this one

[HansVonBeehan]

woo!
say i have 20 Warships on atm

and get another say 10 do I need to say 30?

or just 10? as will it be added? or do i need to keep count for all my ships i sunk?

[Te Kaha]

DT, how about adding ribbons for medals earned to the battle flag?

And a graphics question, what's the use of the alpha channel, and how to create it? Frequently I do my conning tower updates myself, and I safe the dds without alpha.

And the ever same question - believe me I searched - which file gives away the info when the combo skin changes from black to grey?

[Digital_Trucker]

Originally Posted by HansVonBeehan

woo!
say i have 20 Warships on atm

and get another say 10 do I need to say 30?

or just 10? as will it be added? or do i need to keep count for all my ships i sunk?

Your patrol reports need to reflect the totals for your boat. That way there's no confusion about how many kills are on the flags and the boat.

Originally Posted by Te Kaha

DT, how about adding ribbons for medals earned to the battle flag?

And a graphics question, what's the use of the alpha channel, and how to create it? Frequently I do my conning tower updates myself, and I safe the dds without alpha.

And the ever same question - believe me I searched - which file gives away the info when the combo skin changes from black to grey?

I like that idea, TK. I'll have to get with SQK to see if he can change the patrol report form to allow for medals and we'll have to come up with some appropriate ribbons for the flags.

As for tha alpha channel, it can serve a couple of purposes. The only one that I'm familiar with is to determine which parts of the texture appear in the game. For instance, on the textures for the command bar at the bottom of the screen, there are sections of the texture that are for the background, buttons and icons that go on the buttons. on the icons, for instance, only the parts of the icon that are included in the alpha layer are displayed over top of the button graphic. The parts of the icon that are not included in the alpha layer are "invisible". Basically the way I look at the alpha layer is that it is a selection of the graphic that is visible and the rest of the graphic is invisible. If you open up one of the GUI files (for instance E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4\Data\Menu\Gui\UserRadio.dds, substituting your install folder for "E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4") in photoshop, then click "select" on the menu bar, click load selection then click OK while the channel is set at "Alpha 1", then the alpha layer will show as selected. Conversely, in order to create (or modify) and alpha channel, you can select the areas that you want to be in the alpha, click select in the menu bar, click save selection, change channel to alpha 1 (or create new and name it alpha 1), then click the radio button for the option you want to perform (New channel, Add to channel, Subtract from channel or Intersect with channel) then click OK and the alpha will be modified/created according to your entries.

As far as the conning tower and submarine T02 and T02 files go, save them as a DXT1 with no alpha. This reduces the size of the texture files since the alpha isn't needed. For the O01 files, save as a DXT5 (interpolated alpha) if you modify those files at all. Most of the time, you won't need to modify those. I only do so to put the hull numbers in the bow of the subs so that they won't be mirrored on the left side.

Finally, for the dates that the sub changes from black to grey (if the skin is set up that way), you'll need to look at two different files, one for the sub body and one for the conning tower. For the sub body, for instance, for the Gato, look at the E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4\Data\UPCData\UPCUnitsData\UnitParts1Gato.upc (again substituting your game install folder for "E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4"). Open it up with your favorite text editor and search for T01 and T02 and you will see the lines that control the dates that the textures are used.

The conning tower is a little more complicated in that the textures used on it can be specified in the actual .dat file for the conning tower. If you'll look here, you'll see a work around for a texture conflict with another mod that demonstrates how the texture is specified in the .dat file for the conning tower. In the E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4\Data\Submarine\NSS_Gato\NSS_Gato.upc you'll see (several lines down at the first part of the file) the dates that each conning tower is used.

Hope that helps and thanks for the idea about the ribbons on the flags, that's a nice touch

[Te Kaha]

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

As far as the conning tower and submarine T02 and T02 files go, save them as a DXT1 with no alpha.

That's exactly the way I do it, and yes I don' touch the other files at all - no need to.

Thanks for the explanation of the Alpha channel, sounds complicated, and good to hear it's not necessary for doing the conning tower stuff.

Originally Posted by Digital_Trucker

Finally, for the dates that the sub changes from black to grey (if the skin is set up that way), you'll need to look at two different files, one for the sub body and one for the conning tower. For the sub body, for instance, for the Gato, look at the E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4\Data\UPCData\UPCUnitsData\UnitParts1Gato.upc (again substituting your game install folder for "E:\Games\Silent Hunter 4"). Open it up with your favorite text editor and search for T01 and T02 and you will see the lines that control the dates that the textures are used.

Thanks, copied this for reference. Finally I know my Balao-Class will change to grey on 5th May 44


Glad you like the idea with the ribbons!

[HansVonBeehan]

thats ok =] i put them all together

[Sledgehammer427]

YEESH!
busy hans?!

[Digital_Trucker]

Here's your alternative version of the Tusk:





http://battleflags.net/miniflags/Bat...Runner_sig.jpg

http://battleflags.net/submarines/Balao/SS426%20USS%20TUSK%20(fish%20version)_BALAO%20HI-RES%20%20Weathered.zip

Enjoy