New zone loading screens with Ultra graphics

Leandro · 04-29-2010 09:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Street_Wolf

Hey Leandro, just wondering if there's been any more done since the last time I checked in here. Everytime I load up Atlas or Steel Canyon, I get a little giddy inside because to me, the loading screen is a big deal.

From the formspring.me Q&A:

Quote:

Originally Posted by theOcho

Will you ever change or update the Loading Pictures when you enter a zone?? by Magma09

[David Nakayama] Yes, this is in the works!

While I might do some more when I have the time, it feels a lot less useful now that there's redname word that new screens are coming.

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This is what 3700 heroes in a single zone looks like.
Thanks to @EnsonsDeath for the GVE code that made me VIP again!

Street_Wolf · 04-30-2010 07:06 AM

Oh, I gotcha. The devs seem to be out to ruin your fun, Leandro.

First splasher doesn't work on character screens, and now this.

Leandro · 04-30-2010 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Street_Wolf

First splasher doesn't work on character screens, and now this.

Splasher should be easy to modify to work for the new character screens, but I lost the source code for it last year (Windows 7 beta didn't play nice when I decided I hated it and tried to install Windows XP on top of it, and the filesystem ended in a bad state), together with a bunch of other projects, like the mission editor and the ragdoll poser.

I'm pretty sure the source is still be backed up in some DVD somewhere, but I wasn't able to find it in order to fix the character screen. As it currently stands, any update to Splasher involves starting the project again from scratch.

www.SaveCOH.com: Calls to Action and Events Calendar
This is what 3700 heroes in a single zone looks like.
Thanks to @EnsonsDeath for the GVE code that made me VIP again!

Canine · 04-30-2010 08:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leandro

While I might do some more when I have the time, it feels a lot less useful now that there's redname word that new screens are coming.

Why do you think I stopped doing my attempts at updates? Knowing that there's something in the works from the Art crew is more than a little of a disincentive

I'm patient, I can wait.

Warning:

The above post may contain Cynicism, sarcasm and/or pessimism. If you object to the quantities contained, then tough.

Spinomania · 05-01-2010 01:49 PM

Like for the splasher, is it possible for us to create our own screens and upload them with this cool tool ?

Leandro · 05-01-2010 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spinomania

Like for the splasher, is it possible for us to create our own screens and upload them with this cool tool ?

Sure; it's not a "cool tool" though, it's an Excel macro.

1) Leave the top row of the spreadsheet for headings. The first column is not used by the macro (I put the zone names in there), the second has the loading screen ID (the .texture file) and the third has the JPEG file for that screen. Example of how the spreadsheet is built:

Code:

   A             B           C
1  Zone          Screen      File
2  Outbreak      City_00_01  outbreak_16x10.jpg
3  Atlas Park    City_01_01  atlas_16x10.jpg
4  Kings Row     City_01_02  kings_16x10.jpg
5  Galaxy City   City_01_03  galaxy_16x10.jpg
6  Steel Canyon  City_02_01  steel_16x10.jpg
7  Skyway City   City_02_02  skyway_16x10.jpg
8  Pocket D      City_02_04  pocketd_16x10.jpg

2) Go to the VBA editor. If you don't know how, record a macro, immediately stop it, then select it on the Macros screen and click "Modify". Replace everything in the VBA editor with this:

Code:

Sub LoadingScreens()
i% = 1
Do
  i% = i% + 1
  If Cells(i%, 1) = "" Then Exit Do
  texfile$ = Cells(i%, 2)
  jpgfile$ = Cells(i%, 3)
  If jpgfile$ <> "" Then WriteScreen jpgfile$, texfile$
Loop
End Sub
Sub WriteScreen(jpgfile$, texfile$)
  Dim asciz As String * 1
  Dim buffer As String * 1024
  asciz = Chr(0)
  jpgpath$ = "C:\Documents and Settings\Administrador\Escritorio\ultra_screens\Excel"
  texpath$ = "C:\Games\City of Heroes\data\texture_library\loading_screens\City_Zones"
  Open jpgpath$ & "\" & jpgfile$ For Binary Access Read As #1
  Open texpath$ & "\" & texfile$ & ".texture" For Binary Access Write As #2
  Put #2, , 80& + Len(texfile$)
  Put #2, , LOF(1)
  Put #2, , 1024&
  Put #2, , 1024&
  Put #2, , &H30002
  Put #2, , 0&
  Put #2, , 0&
  Put #2, , &H32585400
  Put #2, , "texture_library/loading_screens/City_Zones/" & texfile$ & ".jpg"
  Put #2, , asciz
  While Loc(1) < LOF(1)
    Get #1, , buffer
    Put #2, , buffer
  Wend
  Close #2
  Close #1
End Sub

3) Notice the two lines that define paths. Put the path to your JPEG files in jpgpath$, and the path to the loading screens in texpath$. The loading screens path must exist, the macro won't attempt to create it, so make sure you have it on your COH folder.

4) Resize your screens to 1024x1024. Yes, they'll look stretched, that's normal. Save them as JPEG in the path you set in the macro. Go back to the spreadsheet and run the macro.

5) Rejoice, as your screens are now in the game.

The list of IDs for all the zones in the game:

Outbreak City_00_01
Atlas Park City_01_01
Kings Row City_01_02
Galaxy City City_01_03
Steel Canyon City_02_01
Skyway City City_02_02
Pocket D City_02_04
Faultline City_02_05
Talos Island City_03_01
Independence Port City_03_02
Croatoa City_03_03
Founders' Falls City_04_01
Brickstown City_04_02
Peregrine Island City_05_01
Ouroboros (Heroes) City_06_01
Perez Park Hazard_01_01
The Hollows Hazard_01_02
Tunnels of the Trolls Hazard_01_03
Boomtown Hazard_02_01
Dark Astoria Hazard_03_01
Striga Isle Hazard_03_02
Crey's Folly Hazard_04_01
Abandoned Sewer Network Trial_01_01
Sewer Network Trial_01_02
Terra Volta Trial_03_01
Eden Trial_04_01
The Hive Trial_04_02
Rikti War Zone War_05_01
Cimerora City_03_04
Midnighter Club Coop_02_01
Firebase Zulu Hazard_06_01
Cascade Archipelago Hazard_06_02
The Chantry Hazard_06_03
Storm Palace Trial_06_01
Breakout V_City_00_01
Mercy Island V_City_01_01
Port Oakes V_City_01_02
Cap Au Diable V_City_02_01
Sharkhead Isle V_City_03_01
Nerva Archipelago V_City_03_02
St. Martial V_City_04_01
Grandville V_City_05_01
Ouroboros (Villains) V_City_06_01
Bloody Bay V_PVP_02_01
Siren's Call V_PVP_03_01
Warburg V_PVP_04_01
Recluse's Victory V_PVP_05_01
The Abyss V_Trial_04_02
Monster Island V_Trial_04_03

www.SaveCOH.com: Calls to Action and Events Calendar
This is what 3700 heroes in a single zone looks like.
Thanks to @EnsonsDeath for the GVE code that made me VIP again!

Katie V · 05-01-2010 04:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leandro

Serge paid me good money for the Icon product placement >.>

(I actually asked on Beta Testers "what three landmarks do you think of when you think of Steel Canyon?" and nobody mentioned the skyscrappers. The university, Icon and the hero statues were the most mentioned, so I went with that.)

How about this view for the statue image? It's taken from about -3180, 15, -1135.

Spinomania · 05-01-2010 10:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leandro

Sure; it's not a "cool tool" though, it's an Excel macro.

I meant, coming from the guy who brought up CoH Splasher, it is to a certain degree cool.

Sure, with your explanations, I feel stupid because I try to understand, and I see I don't have the brain for it, but 'll still try to use it.

Spinomania · 05-01-2010 11:11 PM

Actualy, it works !!!

(Not that I doubted it would, but I doubted I could make it work myself )

Spinomania · 05-02-2010 02:39 AM

For some reason, I can't make it with the villain zones.

Leandro · 05-02-2010 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Spinomania

For some reason, I can't make it with the villain zones.

There's no difference between one and the other. Just make sure you're using the right file name and that the first column is not empty (the macro runs down the first column until it finds an empty cell, then stops).

www.SaveCOH.com: Calls to Action and Events Calendar
This is what 3700 heroes in a single zone looks like.
Thanks to @EnsonsDeath for the GVE code that made me VIP again!

Spinomania · 05-02-2010 07:02 AM

Oh, I had some empty cells before the villain ones (didn't do all the shard and left it blank)
Must be that, thank you !