[EM] Filenames mismatch. Nebula mod for EM 1.x won't fit in 2.x

[Umbo]

Hello.

I'm looking at these two mods for Evochron Mercenary:
- High Resolution Nebula (for EM version 2.x)
- Enhanced Nebula (for EM version 1.x)

I discovered the 2nd one for last, and I happen to like it over the 1st. However, the latter mod (Enhanced Nebula) is meant for EM 1.x
I suppose its images could be remapped to the filenames expected by EM 2.x (correct me if I'm wrong), but I wouldn't know which cX.jpg file would best associate with which starsX-Y.png file since I haven't seen much of the universe (in truth I'm still confined to Sapphire... have mercy).


Maybe this was answered already - but I searched the forums with no luck. Don't hit me.


Any assistance?

Ciao ciao : )

[Marvin]

Background nebulae are entirely different when comparing 1x to 2x ... 'though it might be possible to convert 1x to 2x using the program in the Customizing Kit.

You can get the Kit here: http://www.starwraith.com/evochronmerce ... nloads.htm

Look in the environment folder for a program called EvochronCubeMapUtility and follow the instructions in the ReadMe.

This kit includes a cube map generator which will automatically convert a spherical texture into the six cube map images needed for the game. The program is located in the \\environment folder with this kit and is named EvochronCubeMapUtility.exe. To use the program, simply save/copy the spherical texture you want to convert in the same folder as the program using the filename spheremap.png, then launch the program. It will prompt you to select the rendering resolution for each image, then once you select a resolution, the program will automatically export the cube images images. If you find the images are mirrored from the orientation you want once the program renders them, simply flip/rotate them as desired after they are exported. The images will be named starsX-Y.png where Y is the direction number listed above from 0 to 5 and X will need to be changed to the group value you want to use for importing them into the game.

[Edited on 3-16-2013 by Marvin]

[Umbo]

Hello, and thanks for helping.


I'm not sure. Must I use that mapper program at all costs?
I mean...

I recall that the background nebula images in 1.x were limited to 2 per 'system'. And the two images were -by limit of the chosen design- opposing each other, much like faces in a cube (example: front vs. back; left vs. right; top vs. bottom).
I must have read this somewhere, but I don't remember the place.

Then, with 2.x the background was switched to a cubemap (spherically mapped, as you pointed out) which allowed to place the nebula images virtually anywhere within the sky dome (certainly a welcome change, as is everything that opens up new possibilities).
Still, a cubemap is a cube, which is made up of 3 pairs of opposing faces, which we could map back to the old 1.x background nebula - or the other way around, sure.
That would mean that the cubemaps in 2.x would have 2 opposing faces with nebulas (where applicable), and the remaining 4 faces always 'blank'.

Wouldn't this work?



I looked inside the readme of the customization kit for version 2.408. It mentions the expected filenames (starsX-Y.*) but it doesn't tell which images are currently mapped to which 'side' of each cubemap.

The readme of the customization kit for version 1.828 was more specific and told you which images (which 'color patterns' more precisely) went in which filename.

Here I quote it:

Background nebula and spherical textures are used in combination with the background star texture. You can apply individual nebula textures using the 'cX.jpg' options and/or use the 'cbackgroundX.jpg' spherical options for one large spherically mapped texture that covers the surface of the entire background. Here are the default filenames and groups for each color pattern used in the various regions of the game's universe:

Paired Texture Groups:

c1.jpg - c2.jpg: blue – green nebula
c2.jpg - c1.jpg: green – blue nebula
c3.jpg = c9.jpg purple1 – purple2 nebula
c4.jpg = c8.jpg: blue – light blue nebula
c5.jpg = c7.jpg: orange – brown nebula
c7.jpg = c5.jpg: brown – orange nebula
c8.jpg = c4.jpg: light blue – blue nebula
c9.jpg = c3.jpg: purple2 – purple1 nebula
c11.jpg = c2.jpg: dark green – green nebula

Individual Textures:

c6.jpg: Empty
c10.jpg: Andromeda background (spherically mapped)
c12.jpg: Milky Way

The paired texture groups can be used for high resolution details such as nebula clouds, massive stars, or other effects. The individual textures are unique to the Andromeda and Sol systems and can be customized for a different appearance or a blank background.

For the spherical background texture options, here are the filenames and color patterns used:

cbackground1.jpg = blue (used with c1.jpg, c4.jpg, and c8.jpg)
cbackground2.jpg = green (used with c2.jpg and c11.jpg)
cbackground3.jpg = pruple (used with c3.jpg and c9.jpg)
cbackground4.jpg = brown (used with c5.jpg and c7.jpg)

Correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

[Edited on 3-16-2013 by Umbo]

[Marvin]

Try this:

(1) Create six squares, 256x256, using MS Paint.

(2) Paint them black.

(3) Number them 1 thru 6 by adding one red number to the center of each graphic.

(4) Save each of them as a PNG file.

(5) Re-name them according to the ReadMe for the sky box.

(6) Put them in the environment folder, as directed in the ReadMe.

(7) Run the game.

(8) Fly to different star systems until you find one which uses your mod.

(9) Make note of where each number shows up (forward, back, left, right, up or down).

[Umbo]

Will do.

I guess it'd be impolite to ask for somebody else to do this for me.
I only know Sapphire thus far. Olympus will be when next I'll have time to sit and play.

Ciao ciao : )

[Marvin]

Try this (no guarantees, though):

[Marvin]

1: front (starsx-0)
2: right (starsx-1)
3: back (starsx-2)
4: left (starsx-3)
5: below (starsx-4)
6: above (starsx-5)

Example: If you want the nebula to be in the top part of the sky box, replacing the first default nebula, assign it to stars1-5 and leave stars1-0 thru stars1-4 black (without the red numbers).

[Umbo]

Done.

Twenty minutes of terror, hopping around fast, taking the stray shot, and some work with a photo editor (good for me I have a bit of experience in the field).

The 4 skyboxes (#1, #2, #3, and #4) are all easily seen:
#1 in Fauston
#2 in Sapphire
#3 in Lambda
#4 in Olympus

Some systems have no skybox. Onyx is example.

With heading 0° / pitch 0° / roll 0°, the six cube images do index as follow:
#0 -> front
#1 -> right
#2 -> back
#3 -> left
#4 -> down
#5 -> up


Ignoring c6.jpg, c10.jpg and c12.jpg, all images in the Enhanced Nebula pack are square shaped. They have generous dimensions (from 1280x1208 to 1950x1950) -- actually _excessive_ dimensions. Even at Full HD (1080p) a nebula worth 1024x1024 pixels would give you more detail (texel:pixel ratio > 1.0) than you could appreciate on the vertical axis, especially since you can't "zoom in" on them. In any case some graphics cards won't digest textures whose side size isn't a power of two, so a reshape was in order.

I've uniformed them all to 1024x1024. Some had to be resized. Others could be cropped.
Two or three had to be "cleaned" of the background noise, which -normally invisible- would reveal as you entered a planet's bright atmosphere and looked up, through the clouds. The translucencies would "add" to the colors, brightening the thing -as if you raised its gamma- and the noise would be exposed.

Here's the mapping (file renaming) I've done:

c1.jpg -> stars1-3.png
c2.jpg -> stars2-2.png
c3.jpg -> stars3-0.png
c4-jpg -> stars3-4.png
c5.jpg -> stars4-5.png

c7.jpg -> stars4-3.png
c8.jpg -> stars1-0.png (<-- also visible in the main menu screen)
c9.jpg -> stars4-4.png

c11.jpg -> stars2-0.png


The remaining stars*.*.png files are a black square (worth ~3 KB of compressed .png). Although "empty" they're necessary. Without these their "faces" of the cube maps would appear of a brighter shade of black, showing the "edges" of the cube faces containing actual nebula pictures. Again, this would become apparent if you descended on a planet and looked up through the bright sky.

If someone wants to try this pack, I'll share. But I need a place to upload it to (~9 MB size).

Credits for the original Enhanced Nebula images go to Leatherpoker.
Credits for their post-processing work go to me.


Ciao ciao : )



[edit]
Thanks again to Marvin for the tips.

[Edited on 3-18-2013 by Umbo]

[Edited on 3-18-2013 by Umbo]