problem in mounting Menu_Client

[excentriker.de]

Hi , I have some problem to mount a custom Menu_client.zip, with HUD-Icons in it to the menu folder , it just dont works.
I made Selection-Hud Icons with Photoshop as .tga's with the alpha channel and saved them to the according folder.
I also made some Atlas-Texture map and made the changes in the .tai file.
Evrything seems to work , only when it comes to load the texture files from the custom .zip the debugger says "can't find Texture File".

When I edit the original MemeAtlas_020.dds and try to load it from the custom Archiv it still uses the original from ..\bf2\Menu_client.zip

The only way I get custom textures in the game is: Edit the original file and repalce it in the original Archiv, but thats not the aim of an mod.

Someone an idea ?

mfg

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

so noone wants to help me or maybe have the skill ?

So i had to find it by myself. I got an tip from mschoeldgen[Xww2] from the bf2editorforum.

Ok I have two files , the changed .tai and the changed .dds , the texture goes to .._client.zip the .tai to the .._server.zip . That doesnt work; the only way it works if you exchange the files (.tai into client.zip , .dds into server.zip ) or better put the .tai and the .dds in one .zip Archiv and mount it twice, in the ClientArchives.con and also in the ServerArchivs.con

i tested it and so it works, the only thing i dont undertand why is this so , its not an editor bug, maybe its an bug of the bf2 engine or maybe even an feature !?

[Paladin-X]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

We did not have this issue with our mod. We used the texture atlas tool to create a new atlas. Added the atlas dds to menu_client and modded the .tai/.tac file of menu_server to include the changes. If you don't quite follow what I mean, download our mod (PRMM) and have a look at the menu files.

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

i know what you mean , i did the same at first, the .dds file crated by the atlas-dingsbums-tool to the menu_client.zip and the altered .tai in the menu_server.zip

But it did not work

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

I just looked at your mod and i can say that i did exactly the same i had a MemeAtlas_030.dds and the tweaked .tai, only that i had my zip files called excentriker_Menu_client.zip and excentriker_Menu_server.zip and they were loaded from main mod-folder.

[Paladin-X]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

We also altered the .tac file.

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

the tac file is only for listing the files to be compiled, i think, if i have two texture files , i dont need a .tac file ? Or do i need one for running the generated files ?

[Paladin-X]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

I added this to the end of my .tac. I also put the .tgas in the listed locations

group Menu\Atlas\MemeAtlas_03 width 1024 height 64 format dxt5 miplevels 1 border 2
menu\HUD\texture\Ingame\Weapons\Icons\Hud\Selectio n\BUCKSHOT.tga
menu\HUD\texture\Ingame\Weapons\Icons\Hud\Selectio n\HEAT120.tga
menu\HUD\texture\Ingame\Weapons\Icons\Hud\Selectio n\SABOT120.tga
menu\HUD\texture\Ingame\Weapons\Icons\Hud\Selectio n\BUCKSHOT137.tga
menu\HUD\texture\Ingame\Weapons\Icons\Hud\Selectio n\SLUG137.tga

[Paladin-X]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

The whole process again... (just to make sure we're on the same page)

We ran the texture atlas tool to create MemeAtlas_030.dds that only contained the textures we added. We took the information from the created .tai and added it to the end of the BF2 .tai (modified path location as appropriate). Also added the aformentioned lines to the end of the BF2 .tac. The locations mentioned in both .tai and .tac is where I put the .tgas from which we had created the atlas. I put the .tai and .tac in menu_server/Atlas and the atlas in menu_client/atlas. It may be that you don't need to do all the steps, but this is how my team did it.

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

hehe, very complicated thing with the menu textures

what i did:

1. i made 2 custom menu-selection Icons as tga's with alpha channel

2. i ran the atlas-tool

..\dice_TextureAtlasTool.exe -o MemeAtlas_03 -format dxt5 mbt_coax.tga mbt_round.tga

3. it created 3 Files MemeAtlas_03.tai , MemeAtlas_030.dds and Atlaslist.con

4. like in tutorial i copied the file int he various places:
the .dds into excentriker_menu_client.zip \Atlas\
the Atlaslist.con and MemeAtlas_03.tai into excentriker_Menu_server.zip \Atlas\

5. i ran the mod in windows mode and it didnt even start, it crashed and said
"Texturefile MemeAtlas_030.dds not found"

6. i did a lot of testing , editing and renaming, nothing worked

7. i opened the original MemeAtlas_020.dds and copied the custom textures to an free place in the file, also the alpha channel ; saved as dxt5 without mipmaps, ok (i also altered the red dot from M4 [aimpoint.tga] a little bit , mainly for testing)

8. i reloaded the saved .dds in Photoshop again to look if something went wrong, evrything ok

9. i edited the original .tai file added the path of the new textures calculated the x,y position and inserted it

10. i copied the .dds to excentriker_Menu.client.zip \Atlas\
i copied the .tai to excentriker_Menu_server.zip \Atlas\

11. ran the mod, evrything works fine , no crashes or errormessages , but the
reddot of the m4 is the original and the 2 icons for weaponswitching are just two semitransparent empty icons , assuming the black empty space from the original. dds

- >>> it says to me that the icons where taken from the original MemeAtlas_020.dds and not from the edited !

12. i made a Backup of the original menu_client.zip in ..\mods\bf2\
i copied the editet MemeAtlas_020.dds to the original menu_client.zip in \bf2\

13. i ran the game and it worked the m4 had the altered aimpoint and the icns for the wapons were shown :)

14. i had no idea

15. i read something about the editor bug, that you have to add the .tai file also to the Menu_client.zip, I did this , but it didnt work, so i had the idea maybe to copy all files in both archives

and it worked ! the problem is you have the files double , i didn't like it

next idea copy the files in one menu.zip and load the file in CientArchives.con and ServerArchives.con and so it works too :)

and thats the situation, i have no idea Why it works for you and not for me

maybe the .tac file, but the .tac file is the source file with configuration settings for the texture compiler , so why i should need it for the game?

maybe its the same kind of issue that you have the texture in the atlasfile and also as single tga's in the file tree? Who knows ?

So finally it works for me and i can live with it, but i'd really like to know whats the problem.

mfg

[Paladin-X]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

Even BF2 has the files double. :P

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

Even BF2 has the files double. :P

i ment that, not that You have the files double

another strange behaviour in the positive sense, i just compiled all the textures with the config from the MemeAtlas.tac plus the custom textures , and it generated all 3 files correctly (loaded them in photoshop) in less then 1 second ?!

[excentriker.de]

Re: problem in mounting Menu_Client

:) now it works like it should, .dds in client.zip .tai file in server.zip but i still dont have the .tac file in the archive , mhmmm :rock: