aikidorat

going back to pauls' question re: mods made on a mac, how to convert them to this PC format, it was mentioned that there are 2 txt readme files... one for the description, one a preview... can you elaborate a bit more on that? currently, the author of a mod includes one readme file (txt based), and a jpg preview that shows the mod in-game.. are you supporting this, or is there a new approach in work? is the preview actually part of the preview text file, or ????? I'd like to discuss this with you, either off line or on-line, so I can ensure that MCM3 at least supports the PC mod manager.. I wont be changing the approach of MCM3, but want to make sure that all the mac users are able to use any mods created with your mod manager. ideally, I'd love to get some info before you release your mod manager so I can determine what I need to do with MCM3 to ensure compatibility.. I may even be able to add the feature in MCM3 to create a mod package if I can find out the format info, etc, of the file. thanks, and congrats on getting your mod manager almost finished up! sounds like it will be a pretty nice program... I'll have to check it out using Virtual PC on my mac. happy holidays to all, dave ------------------ History is made at night

hey shadow.... are you talking about different country mods for the shermans, etc -the mod folders that contain extra textures for american, free french, and british shermans, etc? if so, these texture mods have a folder, or folders, that contain the different bmps. IN each folder, there may be some bmps that have dash numbers, or letters, after them. These are the ones that differentiate the countries. use MCM3, or manually do it, to convert the specific dash number you want. IMPORTANT: Do not convert all the dash numbers, as only the last one converted will show up in the game. ie: xxxx-1.bmp: american M4 xxxx-2.bmp: french xxxx-3.bmp: canadian xxxx-4.bmp: british (note: I made those up, the actual split may be different ). so, for the canadian M4, use xxxx-3.bmp. For french, use xxxx-2.bmp. CM the game only recognizes ONE texture per vehicle, so if you have the french version loaded, and are playing a game as the americans, your shermans, etc, will have the french markings (using my example above). To get teh american version you have to convert the american texture (xxxx-1) before starting CM. hope that answers your question.. if not, let us know and we'll figure it out. dave ------------------ History is made at night

which conversions are you having troubles with? also, how much video ram do you have? It seems to be possible to overload the video ram in some cases, and the new textures dont appear in game. also, use MCM3 to double check (visually) that the new textures were copied over into your data file. if you still have trouble, feel free to email me, or post here. I'll check back when possible, though computer access is limited for me until the new year (vacation). and, definately let me know if you think there's a bug, or find one. We tested it thoroughly but you never know. I know i havent had any issues with MCM3 not correctly converting the folder... oh, one more thought: check the log file and look at the file path that you modified. That should show you a few things: 1. the mod was loaded and converted 2. where the conversion happened. A last note: if you hit the OPEN button when selecting a data folder, as opposed to the CHOOSE button, MCM3 wont convert. I used the standard mac open folder call to choose the folder, and may change this as there has been some confusion regarding which buttion to hit. another thought: I assume MCM3 worked before in converting textures? If so, even more odd that it wont do it now. Please let me know what mods (specifics) wont convert over, and I'll see if I can get them to work. thanks, and happy hoidays to all! dave ------------------ History is made at night

just checked out the v24 beta patch, and noticed the new graphics 13 file. wanted to let the mac users know that if they transfer this file (Graphics 13) over to the data folder, you will lose all your winter mods. MCM3 uses G13 to store the winter mods. so, two ways to get around this (well, three): 1. use MCM3 to copy out all the winter mods from the OLD G13 into a mod folder, then use MCM3 to convert these back into the NEW G13. This is the hard and long way to do it. 2. Use MCM3 to copy out the new explosion graphics from the NEW G13, then use MCM3 to convert these new textures to your OLD G13 file. This is the preferred method for me. 3. Use ResEdit and paste the new explosion mods into your existing G13 file. The trusty standby... NOTE: If you have already copied the NEW G13 into your data folder, and have used MCM3 before today to add winter mods, you should have a Graphics 13 Backup file in your data folder. You can use this to revert the new G13 back to the last mod you did to G13, which may or may not save the winter mods. Remember to copy out the new textures before you revert the new file though. feel free to email me if you have any questions.. I'll look into seeing if we can have this in the readme for future releases or not... to save you the trouble of redoing all the winter graphics mods. sorry for the late notice, just downloaded the new version here.. best, dave ------------------ History is made at night

I think CM can default to the CD-rom images if you overload the video ram of your machine. I think we saw it happen on the mac side, with the gridded grass textures, and some other hi res mods. You can copy the bmp into the correct folder, but it wouldnt display properly, so I think it defaults to the lower res if needed. then again, could be something else. only BTS could answer for sure. Odds are, however, that they're in the wrong folder, or not named correctly (for the PC only; MCM3 does it automatically for the mac users). best, dave ------------------ History is made at night

yeah, he's forced to use em due to a serious lack of VRAM in his machine...rather have hi res vehicles than fancy grass. now be nice to 'em, or he wont do any more mods. dave ------------------ History is made at night

Hey Mikey D! so, it just feels different than 1.1? Could be the auto features I added (to keep from having to select the mod folder everytime). as for issues, what I thought was an issue with MCM3 or the CM beta turned out to be a Netscape issue, unrelated to CM and MCM3 (ie, not a conflict, but a netscape bug). I typically leave netscape on, and it was what crashed, not CM or MCM3 (though it did screw up the resource file I had open). If you can nail down what bugs ya about 1.5, let me know. I have to do an update to it (to accommodate the new sound resource file), but wont be doing it until after Xmas (personally, once you get used to the file management I used in MCM3, you'll find it saves a ton of time. Especially if you change mods a lot, or create your own) dave ------------------ History is made at night

I forgot to mention that the new sound that is packaged with CM 1.1b is mapped to Sound Effects 11, which MCM3 v1.5 currently does not support. There's only one sound in there so I dont think it's something that has to be fixed right away. Besides, if someone creates a mod for that sound, it should work anyway, as CM looks through each resource file in order, and picks the first sound that matches. thought you'd like to know. and, since I have to do an upgrade sooner or later to accommodate this, here's a last call for suggestions for improvements or additional features. Not saying that the features will get in, but I'll listen and see if I can implement them. So, post here, or email me. best, dave

Francesco, If you are a mac user, you are in luck as there are two mod managers for CM. They only work for the mac, but make the process easier, and faster. So, if you do use a mac, check out CMHQ, third party mods section, and find the mac mod manager section. You'll find MCM3 v 1.5 (with sound mod support), and CM Mac Mod. If you use a PC, you'll have to do it manually for now, though I heard that someone was working on a mod manager for the PC. havent heard much about it lately though. best, d ave

Are you a mac user using MCM3 1.5 to modify the textures/sounds? are you using CM 1.1b? if so, have you had any strange occurences or incidents involving MCM3? I've run across one, that I cant reproduce or pin down, and wanted to see if anyone else had anything odd show up since the 1.1b. I recently had a graphics resource file (G5 to be precise) become corrupted, though CM continued to work fine. I wasnt able to use MCM3 to view the files, or convert, and when I tried ResEdit, it wouldnt open G5, and stated that it was in use somewhere else. Nothing else was running though, so ..... Couldnt revert it either, as MCM3 didnt tell me it couldnt be changed (something for me to fix in the future!) (quick fix was to duplicate it, toss the old and rename the copy to Graphics 5). so, just checking in to see if anyone has any other issues, or the same. I cant fix bugs or stuff if I dont hear about them. thanks! dave ------------------ History is made at night

no mac version right now, I'll look into it though..may be after Christmas though, lots to do between now and then...any other mac programmers want to tackle it? dave

there's a video driver issue with certain iMacs that has the text print out as black on black (on screen), rendering it useless... the fix is to download CroMag Rally, and use the OpenGL update that comes with it (or search the last week or so on this chat board and look for info on where you can get it) other than that, besides a limitation on the video ram there shouldnt be any issues playing it. have you downloaded the demo and tried it out? also, right now the only modification managers that are released are for the mac, so you can easily swap out all the different vehicle textures, and now sound, and replace them with ones you make, or download from the net. Pretty cool.... best, dave

Feel free to mention the mod managers for the mac too, if they care that is..... let me know if you want/need more info on them.... dave

in regards to video memory, 16 megs is probably near the bear minimum if you want to add a lot of hi res mods, as well as the winter cammo mods, etc. my G3 with 16 meg Orion starts to feel it on large maps, lots of differnt units, and alot of hi res mods. I recommed try some, see if you notice a difference in graphics quality, and in speed. If you install them and there is not a noticeable difference in the graphcis, chances are your card cant handle them. (or if things really slow down..) dave [This message has been edited by aikidorat (edited 11-22-2000).]

John, I recommmend trying out a mod at at time, of what you care to convert, and see how it works on your iMac. as mentioned before, there are a number of small ones that dont use much memory but do add to the game. I really like the faces mod, where the faces that appear in the interface screen are changed to those from Kelly's Heroes, SPR, etc. Adds a lot to see Oddball commanding my tanks. And, with MCM3 or MacMod, installing and reverting the resource file is pretty easy, so you can always go back to what you had before if it doesnt play well. If you have any questions about using MCM3, feel free to email me, or ask away. I would stay away from hi res mods though, especially the hi res grass. They are a major drain on vram, though I believe the system will default to the CD folder if it cant handle the new textures (I seem to recall this was the case with the gridded grass (dont bother trying those). good luck, and enjoy! dave

elementalwarre, thanks for the info. I notice that it isnt posted at apple yet, any idea when? be a lot easier on mac users instead of having to d/l cro mag rally to get it. and welcome! havent seen you post before, but obviously you have. dave ------------------ History is made at night

I should put that fix in the readme for MCM3... we had thought about fixing them and reposting on CMHQ, but there are a lot of mods and it isnt always worth it, especially since it's an easy fix. as for creating your own, I'm working on my first one, and helped another bud with his ambush hetzer, recently posted at CMHQ..... Photoshop is the preferred tool, but pretty much any program that allows you to clean up and work on pictures, existing textures, or draw your own, will work. I use PS, Graphic Converter, and some scanning software at times (though I havent produced jack yet. Gotta see if I have the talent... ) It's a lot of work though. That hetzer took 8 weeks or more, and hopefully the next one will be a bit faster, as we know more now... as for installing them, obviously I prefer to use MCM3. hope that helped... oh, if you want to make your own textures, use MCM3 to copy out the existing textures from the data folder (the resource files) - they are a good place to start, at least to fool around and see what you an do. (My first "mod" if you will, consisted of placing a huge "TEST" on the top of the StugIII, just to make sure that I understood how the darn resource file and picts worked. ) later! dave ------------------ History is made at night

Madmatt, I see that employment by BTS has finally let you see the light! An almost positive, though sarcastic, remark about the mac from you. It's a start! (just couldnt resist, what with all the little mac jabs you've given me this year. ) ------------------ History is made at night

Måkjager, ya beat me to it... was going to say what you were going through, seeing how we've been trying to figure it out for how long now? Now, get back to work on more mods! No rest for the weary! dave ------------------ History is made at night

Thanks, you're welcome, etc with luck, this will be the last revision to MCM3, unless I finally crack the wav conversion (it wont be until after Xmas though, too much to do). as usual, once it comes out, feel free to email with me compliments, complaints, etc. and hopefully it will be posted soon. Not sure when MM will have the time though, but getting closer.. dave ------------------ History is made at night

Mac users, I've finally sent the v1.5 to madmatt for posting at CMHQ. After extensive testing and bug squashing it's finally ready for prime time. Sound support added! new in v1.5 is the ability to manage the sounds, in addition to the textures. Unfortunately I was only able to provide support for mac system sound format, so we've included a readme on how to convert the .wav files to mac system sounds (using SoundApp, for example), then you use MCM3 just as you would for bmps and PICTS. when you choose a sound, you can, via a checkbox, choose to listen to the sound or just convert it, just like a texture. The same buttons and functions handle both text and sound mods, the program figures out what to do. With "play sounds" and "auto load resource" checked, message boxes appear to inform you which sound is playing, and asking you to click to play the second sound. additional features: (most of these were added due to my helping out with the new Hetzer mod with Paul. It got tiresome having MCM3 just do stuff, so I added in a lot of flexibility to speed things up, and help the user out) - added a log to tell you what you have converted, reverted, and when - cleaned up the navigation: after you tell MCM3 where your game folder is, it now remembers it, instead of asking you to locate it each time you convert a mod. Saves time! (you can still tell MCM3 you want to choose a new folder via a new checkbox) - MCM3 now automatically (if you select the checkbox) opens up the existing texture (or sound) when you click on a proposed mod sound. no more searchign through the mapping readmes to determine which resource file to open, MCM3 does it for you! The testers liked this one a lot (and it was originaly provided by CM Mac Mod, but I've implemented it a bit differently). (you can turn that option on or off to speed up the program if you like) - optional backup during conversion: check or uncheck the box to tell MCM3 to make a backup file or not. Saves some time and disk crunching. - general code clean up and bug handling. Fixed a few errors in the other releases. - updated the massive color readme to include a bit on the new features, but since they are very similar to the old features there isnt much difference. Look for it soon! And enjoy! dave ------------------ History is made at night

On the Mac, I've been using SnapzPro2 from Ambrosia software, great shareware program for taking screen shots. You can select different areas to take the shot of, differnt windows, save in different formats, hide the cursor or show it, etc etc etc. saved a lot of time when making the readme for MCM3....and much more powerful than the built in capacity for the mac. Check it out: http://www.AmbrosiaSW.com Oh, and by the way, MCM3 v1.5 with sound conversion capability (limited) was sent to madmatt today for posting. Should be up soon for all the mac users. I'll create a separate thread on that tomorrow to let all the mac users know. just a sneak preview in this thread... dave ------------------ History is made at night

Tom, head to madmatt's CMHQ and go to third party mods. There's a site for both mod managers. enjoy! dave

aka Tom, i hid that info in the lengthy post above. I tend to get too verbose trying to explain the simple, the mundane, the easy to verbalize stuff, whereas it could be presented in a more concise manner. But where's the fun in that? short version: sound manager is in final testing and, with luck, will be ready for public use this weekend. Oh, it's built into MCM3 v1.5. You convert using the same method as for textures, the program decides if it's a sound or graphic and takes care of the rest. as mentioned before, you'll need to convert the sounds to mac system sounds before converting (my poor coding skills couldnt figure it out in a fast manor, and I didnt want you all to wait any longer). we're putting together a readme to show you how to do it, but it's straight forward. Once converted, appears that they work pretty darn good. dave ------------------ History is made at night

You're welcome. and I'm glad you're enjoying it. Makes all the time and effort that have gone into it worth it. (not to mention the fact that it's a lot easier to modify the game now than the old resEdit method). the two mod managers sure make the game better, as we can easily tweak the graphics (and soon the sounds, with an extra step) to suit our tastes. v1.5 of MCM3 is even easier and more feature laden. I havent heard recently from bsoplinger regarding macmod, so I cant say where that stands (ie, if there are any changes or updates coming to it). enjoy, and feel free to email any feedback (gripes and likes) to me. dave