Just letting everyone know an Editor is in the works. I'm not going to release very much info right now.
Needless to say I'm revamping the entire HPI format to a new version just for Spring.
I'd like for a core dev to contact me regarding the new format and dev in general.
-Buggi
Editor in the works
Moderator: Moderators
Re: Editor in the works
An editor to edit what? Map, units etc...?Buggi wrote:I'm not going to release very much info right now.
Nice idea :D
But don't go too far, don't want to have to launch a ultra complex uber software just to look inside an hpi. Or release the progs in format of a pack of tools for the new HPI format.
And while you are working on HPI format with SY, ask why we can use HPI for maps, that would be nice to be able to reduce the size of map folder.
But don't go too far, don't want to have to launch a ultra complex uber software just to look inside an hpi. Or release the progs in format of a pack of tools for the new HPI format.
And while you are working on HPI format with SY, ask why we can use HPI for maps, that would be nice to be able to reduce the size of map folder.
All we need to do is impliment a different compression algorithm with the contents of the map file and it will be significantly better.
It will slightly increase load times of maps as it will decompress them before loading.
There's always trade-offs. And with many people having around a gig of ram now-a-days I don't think there's a major issue.
And the HPI tools will be vast, the main editor will be able to do a massive amount of stuff. While the DLL file is the main interface for the file, a small "viewer" stand-alone util is fairly easy to do.
It will slightly increase load times of maps as it will decompress them before loading.
There's always trade-offs. And with many people having around a gig of ram now-a-days I don't think there's a major issue.
And the HPI tools will be vast, the main editor will be able to do a massive amount of stuff. While the DLL file is the main interface for the file, a small "viewer" stand-alone util is fairly easy to do.
Actual Terrain
Since you're looking at a new format, the stretching of a texture over a height map is limmited, someone needs to make sure we get 3D objects like rocks and big trees and scrap mettal and for places like metal heck when the height just all high for the bumps to have more then like 8 pixles for the jump, and blow-up-able terrain would be nice too...
If you're not using the same compression algorithm as HPI, don't call your files HPI. Find yourself a new suffix.
And I just don't believe in All-In-One editor. There's nothing in common between editing a map, a .3do, and a script.
If you want to start making editors, what is really lacking now is something to remove and places features on a map. Trees and geo for now (I thing geo are features, with mapconv.exe just placing a geo feature and adding geovent.bmp on every green pixel, but I'm unsure), but add support for any kind of features, since once we got the editor to place them it shouldn't take long to start seeing all kinds of features spawn around.
And I just don't believe in All-In-One editor. There's nothing in common between editing a map, a .3do, and a script.
If you want to start making editors, what is really lacking now is something to remove and places features on a map. Trees and geo for now (I thing geo are features, with mapconv.exe just placing a geo feature and adding geovent.bmp on every green pixel, but I'm unsure), but add support for any kind of features, since once we got the editor to place them it shouldn't take long to start seeing all kinds of features spawn around.
Really, we need the whole set of editors, almost all the current ones either have highly irritating limitations, or are useless for TA Spring.
3DO Builder is near to useless for modeling, wont open 3DO files on double click and the newest version doesnt always work in Win XP./
HPI view requires you to extract the HPI fille to change the contents , then repack it, this is not very user friendly.
HPI Replace does allow you to modify HPI files, but it cannot handle more than two levels of folders, and it is otherwise buggy, crashes, doesnt let you repack the same file twice without crashing.
Annihilator is of course, useless for making TA Spring maps unless you are extracting the heightmap from an OTA map.
3DO Builder is near to useless for modeling, wont open 3DO files on double click and the newest version doesnt always work in Win XP./
HPI view requires you to extract the HPI fille to change the contents , then repack it, this is not very user friendly.
HPI Replace does allow you to modify HPI files, but it cannot handle more than two levels of folders, and it is otherwise buggy, crashes, doesnt let you repack the same file twice without crashing.
Annihilator is of course, useless for making TA Spring maps unless you are extracting the heightmap from an OTA map.