Need help: modifying assimilator

[DoomerMrT]

Ok so I succesfully made protoss to construct buildings like the terrans do but I ran into a problem while modding the assimilator. I've got a custom grp for it with all the necessary frames and everything set up correctly in iscript and datedit (basically a copy of terran refinery code adjusted to the assimilator). However, when I try to build it the building itself is placed under the gas geyser and when it is complete, it is depleted and both the geyser and the building is selectable.

Any tips how to solve these issues?

Thanks in advance!

[Church]

I'm not entirely sure how to fix it. Although I'm not great with iscripting, could I see the mod and script? Could give me a better idea of what the problem is.

[DoomerMrT]

I cannot send because I am using few resources from other mods without permission. My mod is intended only for personal use. I've got an another problem: I want to modify the wireframe of a unit and I did the necessary graphics work but ingame it refuses to color it properly regarding damage taken.

Pic:
http://img842.imageshack.us/img842/2401/wirefram.png


As you can see, the wireframe shows damage despite the ship has full heath. I tried to replicate how blizzard did it but I couldn't find any script file which tells the game how to color wireframes. That's why I thought the different colors just tell which parts of the ships take damage together and SC colors them automatically. It seems this is not the case The shield graphics around the wireframe is working however.

EDIT: the problem might be that RetroGRP doesn't compile my image correctly: if leaving the bmp in 24bit and then compiling it, the wireframe coloring will not work (as I said above). If I manually edit the image's palette RetroGRP fucks it up when I import it. GRPEdit just gives access violations when I try to compile anything. Any solutions?

[Church]

Urff, I had the same problem when I tried to edit wireframes. I too think it's a problem with RetroGRP to be honest. The only solution I could find was making it all green, but then when it got injured the wireframe didn't change at all. Sorry, wireframes are generally something people stay away from. Wish I could help more, but I'm not the best modder in the world :L If RetroGRP and GRPEdit don't work, why not try PyGrp? http://www.broodwarai.com/index.php?page=pyms

[DoomerMrT]

Tried it too, but no luck yet There might be some problems with the bmp file's compression or IDK, I saw a mod having correctly working wireframes so one thing I know for sure: it is possible to do..somehow.

[Church]

Oh, did you try Shadowflare's GRP converter? Laconius says that's what he used for wireframes.

[DoomerMrT]

Yes I already tried it but no luck I am really getting sick of this because I tried to use only exactly the same colors in the bmp with exactly the same palette what blizzard uses, also tried RLE compressed bitmaps but nothing. The annoying thing is that I can't make progress with anything else until I overcome this problem. If this ever gets solved a good tutorial on wireframe editing would make a lot good for future modders. (if they are not completely taken over by SC2)

[bajadulce]

I'd have to see more of your assimilator to offer any help.

As for wireframes, for some reason this is one of the most troublesome and "mysterious" aspect of modding and yet it is extremely simple once you understand what is going on. There are a couple of guides/tutorials out there, but they can be hard to find and/or confusing at best (Warboards.org has a good one. My own forum has something somewhere stashed away.. sorry can't provide any links on the fly). A simple step by step tutorial would be a big help that's for sure.

The problem most have with wireframes, is that they are working with a palette that has multiple instances of the same color (red, green, orange, yellow and the 2 blues). The only thing that matters with wireframes is that you have the proper palette INDEX. Color means nothing. The red/green/yellow/orange towards the bottom of the palette are the indexes your wireframe needs to be using. The best way to avoid getting these mixed up would be to alter your palette so that these duplicate "colors" don't exist. With a new palette, you can decompile your target.grp (there are 3) and work with these compiled .bmps.



There is a lot of good information out there as well as some complex wiki data, but a good wireframe tutorial stripped down to the absolute basic step-by-step process would be a huge help in dispelling the voodoo associated with these little pests called wireframes. Someday, before I'm so called "retired" from modding, I promise to make one. Until then, this is the best I can do:

simple_wireframe.act

It would be almost impossible to screw up with this palette.