I need help for my Mod

[Lord_Vader]

I'm making my first mod for WW. I've already made two new races (Aspians and Pirates), plus the spaceships to go with the races, loads of new artifacts and other items/systems (including one point defense weapon), and a few new quests including DOZENS of new mercenaries for hire.

Without the GIMP or Photoshop (only Jasc Paint Shop Pro and Ulead Photo Impact), I'm finding it extremely difficult to make spaceship graphics. Does anyone know if Paint Shop Pro or Photo Impact can be used to make ship graphics? Or will I have to get another program for it?

So basically, what I'd LOVE is someone to help me make graphics (and music and sounds, as well). If you could say here if you would like to help me, and contact me at lordvader94@gmail.com and then I can send you the info on the graphics (or sounds/music) I need, and then HOPEFULLY one of you guys can make the graphics, and send me it via e-mail. I'd really appreciate it.

[Ace_Garp]

I could help with some music. (I can't draw at all though)
I'm already doing some for someone else's mods, but would also love to help with yours.
The more mods the merrier ;-)
I'll send you an email.

[Lord_Vader]

Thanks a lot Ace_Garp. I'm sending an e-mail now.

Now I need help with the ship graphics... anyone who wants to help with the graphics, send an e-mail to lordvader94@gmail.com.

[Fingers]

You can use PSP to make ship graphics. I'm quite sure it can output 32-bit (RGBA) .tga files as it's a very common file format. However, I have not used it myself.

[Lord_Vader]

OK... when I tried doing the graphics a few days ago, I could make it but then when I saved it as a .tga file, it would merge all the layers. Perhaps I was doing it wrong. I'll try it again.

[Lord_Vader]

Actually I think I was wrong. I don't think I listened (or read) closely to the Mod-Making Guide to the Galaxy.

BTW, when are you going to do a weapons help file in that guide? Or maybe phalgm could do it if he has spare time.

[Fingers]

I keep putting that off... Maybe next month if I remember http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif (We're trying to submit something to IGF with the deadline being 9/30, and I'm shipping another game at work that's kept me really busy for the last year)

[Lord_Vader]

Hmm, I was wondering if it's possible to make completely invisible spaceships by simply making a completely black/blank alpha channel on the ship graphics. Maybe Fingers could help? I'll try it soon anyway.

[Mafaa]

Well, i don't mod all that much but the problem i see is that enemy ships wouldnt know its invisible so if you have a three way battle the ai would just attack it.

[Phlagm]

I wonder what would happen once the shields are down and the missiles are trying to crash into the solid part of the hull. If they can never hit white on the alpha layer, I'm not sure they'd ever be able to hit. They might be able to knock down shields, but maybe not finish the ship off.

[sgqwonkian]

The ship wouldn't be invisible for players, either. You'd still see a red triangle around it, wouldn't you?

And I wouldn't be surprised if the game crashed the first time a weapon tried to target the alphaless ship.

[Fingers]

Well, the game wouldn't crash... But it'd be impossible for projectiles/beams to collide with the ship so you could never destroy it (unless you knock down its shields and finish off the hitpoints with the same hit). Black parts in the alpha channel are merely non-solid, not "invisible" if there's something in the RGB channels there... Non-zero RGB with zero Alpha gives you the transparent glowing effect used for the ship lights and Kawangi reactor glow.

This would allow you to create an insubstantial / indestructable "ghost ship" which could be really interesting http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif (I think it'd only be destroyed by the bomb or a nova if you don't give it a shield)

[Lord_Vader]

I tried it, and the results were strange. Instead of being invisible, it came out as loads of black lines. Whether it could be destroyed or not remains to be seen.

But yeah it'll raise up too much problems so I'll just equip them with cloaking devices, make them shadowy, and then we'll have as close to invisible as possible.

Since the race I'm making these for are called Phantoms, maybe I could make a ship called the Phantom Menace. ; - )

[ragnarok_mr4]

As a variant of this, I've tried to make "invisible mines" by referring to a non-existent image for the particle. BIIIIG mistake - this brings the engine to its knees in terms of FPS.

[Fingers]

If you want an invisible projectile, just don't put in a sprite entry (SPRI). There's no need to "draw something invisible".

[Lord_Vader]

Alright. I've decided to have three different ships for the Phantoms, two would be just standard ships but with cloaking devices, and the third one would be a special event ship which would be indestructable. I could make this "ghost" ship appear only in a Kawangi-type event.

I'm happy with that idea.

[Lord_Vader]

Just an announcement to all:

I should be releasing my mod in a few months. I originally was thinking February next year, but now I'm thinking more like late November this year for a beta, and the full version (fixing any bugs you guys find, and just generally improving it) around May 2008.

While I probably should call this one something like "Weird Races," as it's got dozens of them, I've decided to call it Peculiar Planets, partly because it sounds much better, and also it's not just more races, I've got plenty of new quests and a few more weapons, too.

Watch out for it!