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| Thread: How to prepare begin game menu icons for Era 2 | |
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted December 29, 2012 05:01 AM |
bonus applied by Corribus on 29 Dec 2012. |
Edited by artu at 23:40, 29 Dec 2012.
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How to prepare begin game menu icons for Era 2
A lot of people make custom heroes for Era 2 yet few make their new specialties display in begin game menu. I thought this guide can be useful for future mods.
Step 1: First you must extract Wog un32 and un44 defs, their destination is this: Mods/Wog/Data/Homm35wog
Homm35Wog is a Pac file and you will use MMArchive of Era Tools to open it:
Step 2: You must open the un32 and un 44 files with Def Preview from your Era Tools, and extract the pictures to desktop as bmp files.
If you select "0 Group" it will extract all of them to a selected folder. Be careful not to select the desktop or 156 pictures will suddenly be placed on it. This is the collection of all possible specialties you can give to your heroes with ERM, unless of course, you create your own.
Step 3: You determine the order of your specialties according to hero number. (0 Orrin to 155 Xeron). For later, it is a good idea to number the pictures, like if Edric's specialty is now Anti-magic, name the bmp file 2un32AnMg. But duplicate your extracted pictures before doing that because you can not use the numbered ones, it will mess up display order. When that is done, open Def Editor of Era Tools and select "interface" as type, check Def Path and name your file un32 (or un44, whichever you are preparing), check Bitmaps and select the un32 or un44 extracted pictures as your path:
Step 4: Go to Frames section of Def Editor, the selected path of Bitmap Pictures folder (must be the one without numbers) will be listed, start clicking on the pictures on correct order to place them. You can use the numbered pictures for guidance and to work faster. Once all 156 pictures (0 to 155) are done. Go back to general section and click on the wrench icon to make your def file.
Step 5: You must now have two files un32 and un44. Create a new Pac file with MMArchive and drag them into it. This is your mod's pac file an will be placed as this: Mods/My Mod/Data/Mod.pac
Once you do that all modified heroes' erm code for UN:G2/HeroNumber/3/SpecialtyPictureNumber change. The new specialty picture numbers are your heroes' number (check erm help, index H). So open your mod's erm file and add to your script:
!#UN:G2/0/3/0;
!#UN:G2/1/3/1;
!#UN:G2/2/3/2;
!#UN:G2/3/3/3;
!#UN:G2/4/3/4;
!#UN:G2/5/3/5;
!#UN:G2/6/3/6;
and so on..
That's it. You now have proper specialty display in game start menu:
PS: You should also extract HeroSpec.txt from Homm35Wog pac and edit only the first words of specialtes (change old ones with new) than add it to your own pac like UN files. If you've given new names to your heroes, extract HOTRAITS.txt from GameFolder/Data/H3bitmap (not Wog, Heroes 3 Data folder) to edit names of Heroes on start menu.
Edit: You can also open extracted UN files with Def Preview, export Def List and open the exported list with Def Editor, that way there will be a list of bmps in classic order for you to edit. Just click on the bmp you wish to delete and press DELETE, and/or click on the bmp which after you want to insert your next picture.
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fred79
Disgraceful
Undefeatable Hero
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posted December 29, 2012 05:52 AM |
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good work, artu. i wish i knew enough to post this kind of stuff, then i'd get those special stars too... 
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted December 29, 2012 06:38 AM |
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Quote:
good work, artu. i wish i knew enough to post this kind of stuff, then i'd get those special stars too...
Thanks. Those are regular stars not quality ones, they pile up along the way as you keep posting.
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fred79
Disgraceful
Undefeatable Hero
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posted December 29, 2012 07:00 AM |
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lol, i realized that as i browsed the "comic of the day" thread. i'm a dumbass... 
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Bersy
Honorable
Supreme Hero
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posted December 29, 2012 08:14 AM |
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted December 29, 2012 01:09 PM |
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Edited by artu at 14:48, 29 Dec 2012.
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You welcome. I also noticed a little bug. When you extract the wog files un32 has old Orc and Orc Chieftain and un44 has the new Yona Orc for both Orc and Orc Chieftain. The Pikeman and Halberdier are all old versions. May I suggest for Era 2.5 that all versions should be added ? Or if that's not possible because of a number limitation or something, the new ones replacing the old ones and the old ones getting placed at unhotify mod.
As of now Era-Wog handles only the un44 of Jabarkas not un32, so in trade window and kingdom overview, his specialty is displayed as old Orc not Hotified version. Also the wrong display of Jeditte and Nagash can be fixed this way.
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Bersy
Honorable
Supreme Hero
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posted December 29, 2012 03:52 PM |
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1. I will remove Hota elements from default package in the next version.
2. Original Hota didn't have some un32 pictures.
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted December 29, 2012 04:24 PM |
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Edited by artu at 16:27, 29 Dec 2012.
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Quote:
1. I will remove Hota elements from default package in the next version.
2. Original Hota didn't have some un32 pictures.
1- So Wog won't be in the package and will be released as a separate mod I guess and it will contain the HOtA elements. However it's going to be, that separate Wog can contain the correct UN32 and UN44 files and the ever wrong displayed Jeditte and Nagash specialty icons can finally be fixed.
2- I simply resized the un44 to un32 for Hota Orc:
Un32Orcs.bmp
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Bersy
Honorable
Supreme Hero
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posted December 29, 2012 06:18 PM |
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Thanks for the resized image.
And no, I decided not to supply any Hota elements in Era and WoG packages after some conversation with Hota's member.
Era needs a mechanics of def frames replacing, like alpha plugin does. In such case you will be able to provide only necessary frames for artifacts, spells or specialties without changing the whole def like un32.
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted December 29, 2012 06:33 PM |
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so we'll have the awful looking pikeman back? please dont do that, we got used to the new one and its so much better.
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Salamandre
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
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posted December 29, 2012 06:41 PM |
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You can make your own mod replacing any creature. I agree with Bersy, Era should not change creatures, now is too easy to do such modifications ourselves.
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Era II mods and utilities
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artu
Promising
Undefeatable Hero
My BS sensor is tingling again
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posted December 29, 2012 06:50 PM |
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If you invest time and get used to it, it becomes easier and easier but thats not for every one. If the Hota member asked Bersy not to use the def there is nothing to be done, other than that I see no reason to swich back to the old crappy pikeman, no one ever complained and if someone does, they have unhotify mod. Or if its reversed, a hotify mod can be released at least.
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Salamandre
Admirable
Omnipresent Hero
Wog refugee
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posted December 29, 2012 07:20 PM |
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I complained about the pikeman/orcs, I found the HoTA ones gross. The purpose of a mod is to modify regular graphics, not to revert to original. Please remember that people played with the "crappy" pikeman during 10 years. Anyway, looks like decision was made, so prepare your HoTA defs 
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Era II mods and utilities
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Bersy
Honorable
Supreme Hero
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posted December 29, 2012 07:28 PM |
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I like new creatures too. Thus Hotify mod would be nice. Preferably with def frames replacing system.
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