Swirly Hypnotic Warppoints!

[Suicide Junkie]

http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Animations/SwirlyWarppoint.zip

Note: Don't overwrite your stock files!
Paste the above into your XFileClasses_Stellar.txt over top of the warppoint entry to enjoy the effects.

http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Screenshots/warppoint.jpg

[Suicide Junkie]

Upcoming super warppoints!
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Screenshots/warppoint2.jpg
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Screenshots/warppoint3.jpg

[Ed Kolis]

Wow... Just wow... I wonder if they still look as good at regular size?

[Suicide Junkie]

See for yourself:
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Screenshots/warppoint4.jpg
Note: The low FPS is because I don't have a video card installed in this PC yet. I get 9FPS looking at a construction queue in stock. Don't Panic! http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/laugh.gif

And, now you can make your own! (Click Here! (http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Tools/WarppointGenerator.zip))
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/nick/postedimages/WPGen.png

[Spectarofdeath]

Great job, this will really be awesome...now we just need a map editor.

[Suicide Junkie]

As a note, this has nothing to do with maps at all.
You can plug these effects into an existing game, and the warppoints will look cool instantly.

[DeadZone]

the images are so cool

[Santiago]

Great work!

[Captain Kwok]

There was a thread over at se5.com that talked about bring life to the galaxy - these warp points and the animated storms are the sort of thing that will certainly fill that void!

[Fyron]

Some samples of what FQM will use:

http://www.spaceempires.net/files/temp/warp_point_lp.jpg

http://www.spaceempires.net/files/temp/warp_point_002_lp.jpg

http://www.spaceempires.net/files/temp/warp_point_003_lp.jpg

[Renegade 13]

Those are some awesome warp points there SJ, absolutely awesome.

[mrscrogg]

I don't understand how to make this part of my game - I play mostly Balance Mod ver. 1.03 . Please explain to a layman how to incorporate this download into my game - Thanks

[Suicide Junkie]

The download there is a tool to generate the warppoints seen.

There are a lot of steps to get this installed, but don't worry, it is pretty straightforward if you follow along slowly and carefully.

NOTE: All this should be done inside modfolders only!
Don't overwrite your stock files.
If the file does not exist in your mod yet, *copy* it from the stock data folder.

-= The initial install =-
1) Copy the pictures\effects from the zip into your (Balancemod) pictures\effects folder

2) Append the "BitmapEffects_System_addon.txt" entries to your Bitmapeffects_system.txt file. Doublecheck that you have exactly one blank line between each entry (check the beginning and end of where you pasted)

3) Open StellarObjectTypes.txt and look for the warppoints.
Change #2, the normal "Large stable warppoint" one to call for "Warppoint Swirly" (for example) instead of the stock one.
Eg: XFile Class Name := WarpPoint Swirly

4)
a - Open XFileClasses_Stellar.txt and search for "warp point"
b - Copy/paste the whole warppoint entry, and name the new one with the name you chose in step 3. Name:=Warppoint Swirly
c - Delete all the cloud pieces, but save the WP center. Renumber it to effect #1 instead of #5.
d - Set the number of effects := 45
Note: Keep this file open, since we will be adding the effects soon.

-= The Creative Process =-
5) Run the Warppoint Generator. Edit the fields to taste; if you want the basic blue swirl, just press generate.

-= Back to mechanical work =-
6) Open "output.txt" which will be generated by the WPG in the current directory (the one you had open when you launched it)
If you used the standard number of cloud rings, you will have effect #2 to effect #45
Select everything in the file and paste it into XFileClasses_Stellar.txt (from step 3).
Check to be sure there is no blank line between effect #1 and effect #2. Check to be sure there is exactly one blank line between the pasted text and the next effect.

7) Save everything, and launch SE5. Load a savegame, and you should see your new warppoints everywhere.

Repeat steps 3-6 for the abnormal warppoints, and get creative with the looks.

Note: All warppoints with no abilities are forced to be the same normal, boring effect.
To get some more variety, you can open StellarAbilityTypes.txt, and give the normal warppoints a "Description Only" ability. This will cause them to use random abnormal warppoint effects... Only player-created warppoints will then use the normal warppoint effect.

(You can then do something really cool, like have a B5 jumpgate model for the player-created warppoints http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/wink.gif)
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Screenshots/GGmodWarppoints.jpg

[Suicide Junkie]

PS:
Might anybody happen to have a model that would go well with this:
http://imagemodserver.mine.nu/other/MM/SE5/Screenshots/Jumpgate.jpg

[Santiago]

A little unclear about some of the instructions

1.
3) Open StellarObjectTypes.txt and look for the warppoints.
Change #2, the normal "Large stable warppoint" one to call for "Warppoint Swirly" (for example) instead of the stock one.
Change exactly what? On which Line?

Stellar Object Name := Warp Point 2
Physical Type := Warp Point
XFile Class Name := Warp Point
Maximum Model Size := 14.0
Hex Size := 1
Picture Index := 688
Portrait Filename := warp_point.bmp
Large Portrait Filename := warp_point_lp.jpg
Description := Large stable warp point.
Warp Point Size := Large
Warp Point One-Way := FALSE
Unusual := FALSE



2. Which line gets changed to "Warppoint Swirly" (example)
b - Copy/paste the whole warppoint entry, and name the new one with the name you chose in step 3

Name := Warp Point
XFile :=
Override Texture Filename :=
Base Model Radius := 0.0
Starting Rotate X := 0
Starting Rotate Y := 0
Starting Rotate Z := 0
Starting Scale X := 0
Starting Scale Y := 0
Starting Scale Z := 0
Starting Position Offset X := 0
Starting Position Offset Y := 0
Starting Position Offset Z := 0
Continual Rotation Vector X := 0
Continual Rotation Vector Y := 0
Continual Rotation Vector Z := 0
Continual Rotation Speed := 0
Number of Bitmap Effects := 5
Effect 1 Name := Warp Point Center
Effect 1 Size := 20.0
Effect 1 Duplicate Count := 0
Effect 1 Frame Change Rate := 200
Effect 1 Offset Position X := 0
Effect 1 Offset Position Y := 0
Effect 1 Offset Position Z := 0
Effect 1 Rotate X := 0
Effect 1 Rotate Y := 0
Effect 1 Rotate Z := 0
Effect 1 Rotate Center Offset X := 0
Effect 1 Rotate Center Offset Y := 0
Effect 1 Rotate Center Offset Z := 0
Effect 1 Use Lighting := FALSE
Effect 1 Blend Source := Blend_One
Effect 1 Blend Dest := Blend_One
Effect 1 Brightness Change Rate := 0.0
Effect 1 Random Brightness Start := FALSE
Effect 1 Starting Brightness RGB := 0, 0, 0
Effect 1 Ending Brightness RGB := 0, 0, 0
Effect 1 Always Behind Model := FALSE

[Suicide Junkie]

Updated the original post, too.
1) The "Xfile Class Name" call.

2) Name. As in name the effect.

[mrscrogg]

How about asking Captain Kwok to add it to his Balance Mod - naxt version 1.04 ?

[Captain Kwok]

I was planning to add some version of FQM to the next update.

[Santiago]

Thanks for the info. I now have some very colorful WP's, ... but they're all the same color no matter what I've changed. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif. Still trying

[Fyron]

To get some more variety, you can open StellarAbilityTypes.txt, and give the normal warppoints a "Description Only" ability.


Did you do that step?

[Santiago]

Yes I did do that step but something went wrong somewhere-- Got my abnormal points and lost my normal ones - Warp points and names are there but now the pics are gone. Guess I'll start from scratch and try again. Obviously I got something wrong somewhere.

[Suicide Junkie]

That's what is supposed to happen...
When normal warppoints have abilities, they all become "Unusual".

The upside is that they get random selections from the "Unusual := True" warppoint flavours found in StellarObjectTypes.txt

The normal warppoints will then only appear when empires use a warppoint opener.
(Which means, if you make the normal warppoint a B5 jumpgate, it looks really really cool, and you know it is artificially created)

[Santiago]

I see what you're saying and it may be great for a Babylon 5 mod, but it's more than I was trying to accomplish. I'm just trying to get different wp's on the display, ie different colors, rotational speed, size etc.

[Suicide Junkie]

Nobody says that you have to make the artificial warppoints look any particular way.

Simple fact is they will all look the same, whatever way you say.
However, all of the natural warppoints can be nicely randomized via the method mentioned.

[Santiago]

Hi

I'm not trying to cause an argument or give anyone a headache here. I'm trying to understand the modding and how all the relevant files are interacting together. I'm not seeing this randomness at all is what I'm saying. Now I know it's my fault somewhere. I think it's a small error, else the files won't load. I just can't find it or it may be several errors. Maybe someone can send me their files that work so I can trace the error (ZRC606@Aol.com)

[Suicide Junkie]

A) Add a "description only" ability to the normal warppoints. (StellarAbilityTypes.txt)
This causes SE to:
B) Make all natural warppoints select randomly from the list of "Unusual := TRUE" warppoints (defined in StellarObjectTypes.txt)

C) By using a variety of "XFile Class Name := " entries across the Unusual warppoint entries, you thus get a variety of warppoint effects.


You will have to generate a new map (which will have the "unusual" warppoints) to see it, of course.

[Fyron]

Is Description Only ability sufficient? Have you tried that specifically, SJ?

Make sure to set the chance for the ability to 1000, so all WPs get it.

[Suicide Junkie]

Yes indeedy it is http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

For GGmod, and the screenshots posted by me, I used:
<font class="small">Code:</font><hr /><pre>Name := Normal Warp Point
Number of Abilities := 1
Ability 1 Chance := 1000
Ability 1 Type := Description Only
Ability 1 Description := Nearby gasses have become trapped in the gravitational vortex of the warp point.
Ability 1 Scope := Space Object
Ability 1 Range Formula := 0
Ability 1 Amount 1 Formula := 0
Ability 1 Amount 2 Formula := 0</pre><hr />