Customizing HUD

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Sun Aug 05, 2007 11:21 pm

Hi, I just bought Arvoch Conflict and have been working on minimizing my Heads Up Display. I have successfully removed all targeting boxes, the crosshair reticle, nav point boxes, etc by opening the jpeg and bmp files and making them blank. My goal is to remove all elements of the HUD that are not part of the 3d cockpit (sensors, ship/shield/weapon info, and target info)

However, I cannot get the yellow missile targeting box (that tracks enemy and friendly missiles) to disappear. It is the only targeting box that I cannot figure out how to remove. I have made a blank copy of the yellowbox.jpg and target9.jpg but neither has removed it.

I enjoy as much realism in games as possible, and this one tracking box is driving me crazy. Please help if anyone has figured out how to remove it. Thanks.

[Edited on 8-5-2007 by stonedzen]

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 12:13 am

I think you actually found a gap in the custom cockpit system, target9.jpg provides the texture for the miscellaneous object targeting box, but mi2.jpg is used for the inbound missile indicators. This option needs to be included in the custom HUD options, so it will be added for the next update. Should be available within the next few weeks as part of the 1.488 update.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 1:20 am

Thanks for the reply Vice, but I'm confused by your answer.

I'm trying to remove the yellow box that follows friendly and enemy warheads. I believe its the yellowbox.jpg file. But replacing it with a blank jpeg doesn't work, unlike every other target box I've already removed.

Will I be able to replace it next after next release?

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:16 am

It's certainly possible I may not fully understand what you're referring to, but if you're just trying to remove the yellow 'X' box that follows missiles, the filename isn't target9.jpg or yellowbox.jpg, it's mi2.jpg and that particular filename option was not available for customizing. It will be in the next update, using the filename of mi2.jpg (in the \\hud folder just like the rest of the options), in version 1.488.

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:16 am

Yes, that's what Vice says. Vice says you've found something that can not be edited in the current version since the image cannot be made blank, and the next update will have an image to blank those too, as you request

.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:56 am

Now I understand! Awesome, thanks Vice! One thing though, are they really not possible to disable with current version? Turning off the HUD disables them.

The game is amazing by the way, how is it so small as far as physical memory is concerned?

[Edited on 8-6-2007 by stonedzen]

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 3:18 am

Read this, stonedzen: http://starwraith3dgames.home.att.net/dsize.htm

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 4:00 am

The option needs to be coded into the game. I had originaly hoped that the development language I used would allow for importing media by simply using the same filenames, but after some testing, determined it wouldn't work that way, unfortunately.

Yup, games can be quite small if compressed well, I could inflate it to about 200-400 MB, but it would lose the positive benefits of a small download size and a small hard drive footprint in exchange for making it appear larger, which wouldn't provide a benefit, imo.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:03 am

Will there ever be an option to make the physics like evochron alliance, full time newtonian? I know you can disable the IDS, but it would be awesome if enemies and allies lacked IDS as well during battles. It would make the game far more challenging.

Also, is there any way to increase visibility distance? Sometimes it seems likes objects appear out of nowhere when I approach them at fast speeds.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 6:08 am

Will there ever be an option to make the physics like evochron alliance, full time newtonian? I know you can disable the IDS, but it would be awesome if enemies and allies lacked IDS as well during battles. It would make the game far more challenging.

Probably not, mandatory slow adjusted newtonian physics with lengthy drifting proved pretty unpopular with most players (the original Evochron used such a system and 'tested the waters' with physics systems).

Also, is there any way to increase visibility distance? Sometimes it seems likes objects appear out of nowhere when I approach them at fast speeds.

Not currently. Many are kept hidden until close to reduce the polygon resource load. Adjustable distances could probably be implemented though.

[Edited on 8-6-2007 by Vice]

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 1:38 pm

Originally posted by Vice
Probably not, mandatory slow adjusted newtonian physics with lengthy drifting proved pretty unpopular with most players (the original Evochron used such a system and 'tested the waters' with physics systems).
[Edited on 8-6-2007 by Vice]

Hmmm, well it seems to me that Evochron Alliance and Arvoch Conflict are very similar. Is there anyway you could offer a download that would change the Arvoch physics to use the Evochron?

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 2:07 pm

Maybe, if it's just something you want to try on your own, since gameplay would be imbalanced for multiplayer with split physics systems and most players expect the gameplay rules to be pretty equal.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:31 pm

I would love to try, if there is any way you could send me the necessary data files or tell me where to find/extract them, that would be awesome.

Will this be an easy thing to do? I have a lot of amateur modding experience, but very little knowledge about this game in particular.

I play the game SP so I'm not worried about MP balancing.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 7:34 pm

It would be pretty easy to implement, not so easy for me to provide (I'd have to recode much of the physics system to accomodate the higher drift model). You would replace the existing EXE with the custom version. I'm in the middle of some beta testing, so I don't have much time to devote to this, but maybe when things slow down I can setup a custom build with the different physics system.

Shingen · Post by **Shingen** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 10:18 pm

Originally posted by Vice
It would be pretty easy to implement, not so easy for me to provide (I'd have to recode much of the physics system to accomodate the higher drift model). You would replace the existing EXE with the custom version. I'm in the middle of some beta testing, so I don't have much time to devote to this, but maybe when things slow down I can setup a custom build with the different physics system.

Yeah that would be awesome indeed. The physics in Alliance would be alot more enjoyable if it were more "newtonian" in application. Right now, it's sorta psudo Iwar2ish.

I still haven't found a game that could match Frontier for it's flight model.

Given, most "newbie" space-simmers hate real "newtonian" physics, 'cause surviability is a product of skill and planning, as opposed to mouse-clicking and key-mapping.

Post by **Vice** » Mon Aug 06, 2007 11:57 pm

Yup, most gamers (veterans and newbies) don't like the 'thrusterless/weak thruster slipping on ice' newtonian physics. But it's still fun to play around with

It's one of the reasons I put it in the first Evochron to begin with. For now, in AC and EA, you can turn off the IDS and manage your thrusters manually for a more free drift newtonian system. Even using WASD or variable control with the mouse can be effective with open drifting newtonian sliding keeping the IDS off, although it does take practice.

Shingen, have you tried Orbiter and the X-Plane space-sim spin-off?

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:13 am

Will these changes (missile targeting box and physics) be available with the next patch? or sometime shortly after?

Next patch will be available in a couple weeks?

Post by **Vice** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:27 am

Missile targeting box will be available in the next update. Physics rewriting will be something custom I build for you personally, not as an official patch to the game. The 1.488 build should be available within a few weeks.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:44 am

Wow I really appreciate your help, the game is really really awesome!

One last thing I'm curious about, if its possible to manipulate the location of the engine animations with the ships text file, would it be possible to add maneuvering thruster animations as well?

Post by **Vice** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:04 am

Not with the gfx engine in AC, but such effects are being worked on.

Although the original Evochron is not available anymore, the demo can be downloaded from the link below so you can check out the original physics system and see what you think:

http://files.filefront.com/Evochron+Dem ... einfo.html

[Edited on 8-7-2007 by Vice]

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:38 am

if Evochron is not available anymore is it freeware?

[Edited on 8-7-2007 by stonedzen]

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 2:42 am

Nope. It's discontinued. You can't register it, I think.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:20 am

there a way to add a fuel supply in arvoch conflict, like the one in evochron alliance?

tha_rami · Post by **tha_rami** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:26 am

No. Not as far as I know, at least. Now I must admit I'm more a EvoChron player, but I think the fuel in Arvoch is to keep players flying efficiently. This way there's a sort of time/skill limit too.

stonedzen · Post by **stonedzen** » Wed Aug 08, 2007 3:41 am

Originally posted by tha_rami
No. Not as far as I know, at least. Now I must admit I'm more a EvoChron player, but I think the fuel in Arvoch is to keep players flying efficiently. This way there's a sort of time/skill limit too.

Isnt it Evochron that has limited fuel, not Arvoch?