21 replies to this topic

[Erephine]

Oh hey, it's yet another new component



download all of this here.


WHAT THIS DOES
This component adds new colour gradients to Infinity Engine games, raising the count of available colours from 116 to 256. It also includes a new random colour table making use of them for Baldur's Gate II and new colour set files for Icewind Dale II, giving you more skin/hair colour choices for the various races.

I've also fixed a few minor problems with the standard gradients (don't know if anyone will spot them though!).

You can view the entire set of gradients here.

SUPPORTED:
BGII SoA, BGII ToB, IWD HoW, IWD TotL, IWD II


TO INSTALL:
Simply extract these files and run the installer.

*

· Allows easy customisation of the palette patched into the game
· Prevents crashes from invalid colour references (simply because there are no invalid colour entries anymore, haha!)
· Entirely backwards-compatible and working with random colour entries
· Will show up properly in Near Infinity

If you'd like to know more, please please please read the included documentation. It took me hours, and incidentally is the reason this was not released.... about a month ago?

Oh, and if you have a mod that adds new characters and/or items and would like more freedom in your choice of colour, you're absolutely welcome to go ahead and use this (more info in the aforementioned readme)

I always thought the original selection was not very satisfying especially when it comes to hair and skin colours - there were a few colours that looked okay, but if you wanted to have something special (or not-human) you'd be stuck with awfully bright and ugly colours.



The download also includes the new incarnation of

THE 1PP PALETTE GENERATOR (now in v2)


^ this.

The tool I (grudgingly) made for myself to do 1pp palette work! I've (really) included a readme, which I hope is pretty exhaustive. I've done my best to clean it up and make things less confusing.

It's very convenient if you work with anything using IE colour gradients (item colours, character colours, etc.). Features include:

· instant preview of colour gradient settings, now supports standard BAM palettes
· exporting palettes as .pal files (e.g. for BAMWorkshop II)
· generating .tp2 WeiDU code to set colour gradients, glows, etc.
· adding your own preview images
· customisable data
· still has a fancy GUI and snazzy icon!

I won't lie, it's still horribly written, but about one hundred times faster than the original release (I'm not joking) Of course this supports (and includes files for) the extended palette entries above!

I'll add this to the 'all components' installer soon (tomorrow maybe). I haven't decided whether to include the generator in the developer tools, or remove the outdated original release from the developer tools instead - either way. Bear with me.

INCOHERENT RAMBLE

indefinitely postponed.

Edited by Erephine, 30 July 2009 - 10:26 PM.

[Salk]

Great new component for us, Erephine!

I am immediately going to download it!

[Mike1072]

Wow. More unexpected presents for the community, hooray!

I'm having fun with the Palette Generator already, hopefully I'll be able to put it to real use soon. Thanks, Erephine!

[Demivrgvs]

Wow...just wow. I've dreamed of having such a tool!

[Kaeloree]

You are AWESOME.

[Taimon]

Beautiful!

In case you guys don't know: This is also an exe modification (even "cross-platform").

Erephine: Could you please document somewhere what parts of the exe you are using for new things (like the new palette), to avoid clashes?
Normally, I try to avoid adding stuff to "unused" parts of the exe, but one might never know what the future holds.

[Erephine]

Yes, it's explained in the readme.

It's actually quite silly to have to patch the .exe for this, as the only thing it concerns is the actor font colour in dialogue boxes (e.g. [coloured name] - Unconscious). I have absolutely no idea why, but while anything else in the game uses the colour gradient BMPs those font colours are hardcoded (there are a few unset entries after the original ones, but not enough). In other words, everything else works without that modification.

Erephine: Could you please document somewhere what parts of the exe you are using for new things (like the new palette), to avoid clashes?
Normally, I try to avoid adding stuff to "unused" parts of the exe, but one might never know what the future holds.

Okay, hopefully shouldn't be too hard as this is my first official release doing it. I'll add a file listing it to the dev tools.

Edited by Erephine, 31 July 2009 - 05:31 AM.

[Taimon]

It's actually quite silly to have to patch the .exe for this, as the only thing it concerns is the actor font colour in dialogue boxes (e.g. [coloured name] - Unconscious). I have absolutely no idea why, but while anything else in the game uses the colour gradient BMPs those font colours are hardcoded (there is a few padding after the original entries, but not enough). In other words, everything else works without that modification.

Yep - I already came across a few references to that "color array" and it was mostly display string stuff.

Okay, hopefully shouldn't be too hard as this is my first official release doing it. I'll add a file listing it to the dev tools.

Thank you.

[Andrea C.]

Erephine: you are MAGNIFICENT.

[Yovaneth]

Absolutely brilliant!!!!

-Y-

[gloomfrost]

Erephine I am speechless at what a fantastic audition this is to your work. Now i see why i check this board weekly Thank you for adding so much fun to this classic games, they just keep getting better because of you.

[Archmage Silver]

I always wondered why something like this wasn't out there; thanks for this!

[Erephine]

I always wondered why something like this wasn't out there; thanks for this!

Yes! That's exactly the same thing I asked myself, it seemed too straightforward for someone not to have done it... until I ran into the stupid situation with font colours.

It's amazing to think that after you've spent so much time with the Infinity Engine it's still full of little surprises.

[Sayne]

This mod plus the "Commoners wear drab colors" component of the G3 BG2 Fixpack gave me chocolate-colored NPCs (clothes, skin, everything). It was rather disconcerting, actually. Like that TV commercial where the kid turns himself into chocolate with deodorant. *shudders*

I uninstalled "commoners wear drab colors" and it fixed the problem.

[Erephine]

Yes, it's not compatible with that component (they both edit the same file)

it wouldn't feel right if I didn't forget to mention something.

[AnnabelleRose]

Your talent and contributions simply blow me away.

you are freaking amazing.

This mod plus the "Commoners wear drab colors" component of the G3 BG2 Fixpack gave me chocolate-colored NPCs (clothes, skin, everything). It was rather disconcerting, actually. Like that TV commercial where the kid turns himself into chocolate with deodorant. *shudders*

I am glad I am not the only one disturbed by that commercial.

[Jarin Hawkeye]

You're a demi-god!

[Grunker]

Erephine, what would we ever do without you?


...Well, we'd survive and all I guess, but my point is; your work is freaking awesome!

[Andrea C.]

Would a BG1 version of this component be feasible?

[Erephine]

You're a demi-god!

... I don't even want to think about what my portfolio would be.

Would a BG1 version of this component be feasible?

Yes.