Problem with the Zerg console

[bajadulce]

A single console for all 3 races sounds like a good option.  Your welcome to use that custom PEAI one.. tho it doesn't really fit the Zerg theme very well.   

Gluck w/ your campaign.  As for the icons, you'll have to be sure to use the iscore.txt in the background for the palette.  Also, I can't quite remember whether those images need their colors reversed with something like paint.  Cursors I know do.  I'll try to find some time later tonight and decompile these .grps with the correct palette and upload so you can modify. 

Are all your campaign missions going to be ending in the Zerg victory or defeat screen?  If so, those are the only 2 .grps you'll need to edit.  ... oh wait, hmm wonder if your "BWTerran" missions end in Terran victory screen or Zerg's?  You'll have to confirm that as I've lost my test scenario.chk

[Eredalis]

A single console for all 3 races sounds like a good option... ...tho it doesn't really fit the Zerg theme very well.

baja, I know that. But better doing some sort of "gave it never before" than having a mutilated Zerg console.
EDIT: Ok, you mean, I must make these black area transparent?! That is the point, from I do not know how I should make it.

Gluck w/ your campaign.

Actually it is not ONE campaign, but rather three. They are in the same order and number as Brood War. In other words, it replaces the Brood War expansion set completely.

To the icons:
To get me wrong, I want to swap the litte marine face with the hydra face, since I have swap the briefing rooms of the Terrans and Zerg and the defeat and victory sreens, too. Also the music of both races.

Yesterday I have swap these both files, the two iscore.grp files in the folder Td (Terran defeat) and Tv (Terran victory). Same for Zd and Zv. Considering of the fact, that in these iscore.grp files are the little face smilies, it should be successfully swapped. But nope, it isn't... Have you an idea why? (I'm not an expert, especially not for color palettes)  ;D

[bajadulce]

@ Transparency. 
Open your zconsole.pcx with whatever image editing program you use and find the last index "000".  Change that to "00ff00" and you will never agonize over  this issue ever again.  You'll notice that both the PEAI console and the quick "slashed" Blizzard Zerg console that were uploaded don't use black as transparent colors. Never use "000" as a transparent index EVER!  

[imgwh 640x421]http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/4448/palette.png[/imgwh]

@ iscore .grp's
You can't just swap these as they use different palettes.  You'll need to extract the palettes from their respective folders, decompile the .grps and then swap 004.bmp (Terran) with 003.bmp for both the Victory iscore and Defeat iscore.  So that's the steps if you'd like to do this yourself or if others want to know how to do this.  I do this kind of shit almost daily so I can whip this up pretty quick here:
Swapped Terran 2 Zerg iscores.zip + Playlist.txt for Music Swap

@swapping music.
For this use ShadowFlare's playlist plugin if you want to do this yourself or you can use the .txt file uploaded with the iscores. 
1. Add the plugin via MPQDraft or Firegraft whichever you are using for your "mod". 
2. Archive the playlist.txt as "music\"

I don't mean to sound like a broken record but PEAI employs everything you're describing and would be a good mod for you to reference.  It uses a single race with swapped iscore, single console, and a single shared sound track.  Basically every race in PEAI is identical to one another in the GUI down to the last detail. 

[Eredalis]

Thank you so much, baja.
One last thing: RetroGRP shows only pixel mash in the preview window. After I have decompiled the .grp to .bmp, pixel mash still exists. I suppose I have to use another program. Which is it?

I mean, I cannot see with RetroGRP which .bmp is important.

EDIT:
*sigh*
Same goes for the image program to edit console... -.-
Which program have used? Neither photostudio nor paint shop pro can do it. Edit palette, right?

Sorry, man. But I do this kind of shit not daily... [imgwh 56x41]http://www.smilies.4-user.de/include/Br ... _b_019.gif[/imgwh]

[bajadulce]

"the" .grp must be referring to the iscore ones?  If so, Retrogrp will not be able to handle this as they are uncompressed.  I personally use SFGRPConverter exclusively for its simplicity.  I have no need to "see" anything.  Poiuy has a great .grp converter as well  which lists palettes in a separate window which is a great feature.  Unfortunately .grp compiling with his program is limited to the "source" version as there appears to be a problem with the exe version for some of us window users.

But there's nothing you have to do?  I converted those icons per your particular needs in that package.  Just archive them in your mod as "glue\" and the Terran icons in the victory/defeat screen are now Zerg. 

[Eredalis]

Damn it.
baja, one thing I have totally forgotten. It doesn't makes sense to swap the little race symbols in the score screen. Yes, the player has now "his" correct race symbol, but not the computer players. For example, in the map with the pylon problems is a Terran opponent, his race symbol is now of course Zerg, too. It's a *no win* situation.

Oh hell....
I must find a compromise...

[bajadulce]

haha!  welcome to the world of modding. 

Looking for a solution that would be consistent with your single console?  Build a kickass little logo that represents your campaign and use that for all 3 races? 

[Eredalis]

Yeah, I had the same thought.
baja, I would ask you with pleasure, if you could make these icons for each race. They should have the same measurements as the original ones and three little letters should be inside of the boxes:

Spoiler

[imgwh 40x20]http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/7302/exampleicon.png[/imgwh]

Can you please do this for me?

Or maybe you give a little demonstration how to use the tool SFGrp? Every time I start it, I click on "Open GRP or Bitmap to convert...", then on the .grp file and... Nothing happens. Click on "Convert" and "No palette has been... blablabla" What the hell is that?

Is there a special magic trick, or something?
Have work so far with RetroGRP...

[bajadulce]

Will have to write the guide some other time, but look for it soon.  You're not alone, lots of ppl seem to be having a hard time with custom .grps such as wireframes etc these days.  These particular .grps need their palettes "inverted" from the ones you pull from their respective folder.  So there's a little more to these than just being "uncompressed".

The "green" got a little lost and it has a bit more of a yellowish tone than the original. 
OWS_custom_iscore.zip

[imgwh 364x174]http://img718.imageshack.us/img718/649/ows.png[/imgwh]

[Eredalis]

Now that's cool.... 
Thank you very much, baja. I am so grateful to you, I am so grateful to you...
To give you pie is certainly not enough for everything what you have done for me. (although I WILL give you pie, of course )

[Pr0nogo]

What about supply icons for the player?

[Eredalis]

Supply icons? What do you mean?

@bajadulce:
Please, check your private message box!

[Pr0nogo]

I mean that when you're using the Zerg console or whatever, and the player is supposed to be controlling Terran, the supply icon will be Zerg. How are you going to fix that?

[Eredalis]

Ah yeah, thank you for this hint. Fortunately, this must not be exchanged, because the supply icon is depending on what units you control in the relevant scenario.

[Pr0nogo]

Good. good. I was hoping you wouldn't have to undergo a rewrite of the supply icons as well.