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ANN: SC "Elite Edition" Mod released

HolzemFrumFloppen

By HolzemFrumFloppen
in Strategic Command 1

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HolzemFrumFloppen Senior Member

HolzemFrumFloppen

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This is a repeat of an earlier post on the forum. Download info is at the bottom of this message.

<<snip>>

It looks like I've got Strategic Command : Elite Edition , but I'm not hearing that anyone else received it. My game screens are quite a bit different than anyone else's. Take a look....

mainscreen_thumb.jpgloadsavegame_thumb.jpggamescreen1_thumb.jpgoptions_thumb.jpg

I get the feeling that Hubert favors me above all customers since I haven't left any "Give-me-paratroopers-or-give-me-death" messages on the SC forums. smile.gif

Take a look at some of these other screenies if you are so inclined(hi-bandwidth 200-400k .jpg files):

SC Title Screen

SC New Campaign Screen

SC Load Savegame Screen

SC Load PBEM Screen

SC Options Screen

SC Choose Side Dialog

SC In-Game Screen

SC Report Screen

SC War Map Screen

The more astute reader will note a slight variation in geographic textures on the Elite Edition's land masses. There are also some differences in the resource and city markers. A quick comparison:

terrain_old1_thumb.jpg

SC Standard Terrain/Hex Graphics

terrain_new1_thumb.jpg

SC "Elite Edition" Terrain/Hex Graphics

Note the subtle variation in terrain texture, the ever-so-slight "3D" effect on the resource, mountain and forest primeval graphics. And give notice to the enhanced city/capital graphics that make identification quicker and easier for the SC neophyte as well as the hardened (and myopic) grognard.

Compare a bit more....

SC Standard Terrain/Hex Graphics (#2)

SC "Elite Edition" Terrain/Hex Graphics (#2)

An awe-inspiring comparison for the SC nut. Compare those river graphics. You can almost feel the cold rush of the water in the Elite Edition's graphics.

Well... for those of you who are humor-challenged out there, let it be known that there is actually NO "Elite Editon" of SC, so if you're just about to draft a message to Battlefront's Sales force about how you feel you were shorted, gypped, screwed, etc. on not getting the "Elite Edition", please refrain.

All these graphic modifications will be made available to y'all shortly (as soon as I can get a hold of Otto and upload the package to this SCHQ site). I'll also make available my Unit Graphics which were based on Jorgen Cab's excellent Symbol Mod. I made a few color modifications to it to make for easy visuals in the game. I also added some unique (some might say "lame") headquarters/command unit graphics. Take a gander:

Holzem's Unit Graphics

It's all in a day's work (literally took me most of Saturday to do it all). Hope you can all enjoy Hubert's little gem as much as I am along with some modified graphics. Now I've gotta get back to the Eastern Front... the Huns are movin' fast and I've got Smolensk to defend!

Anyway, you can get the full SC "Elite Edition" Mod by clicking below:

Download Full SC GUI Mod

There's a short README.TXT file in the zipfile; in a nutshell, it tells you dump the contents of the entire zip into your Strategic Command Bitmaps folder (e.g., C:\Program Files\Strategic Command\Bitmaps). If for some reason you think you might want to go back to the original graphics, then make sure you do a backup of the entire Bitmaps directory (or you could always re-install SC).

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. Nothing like a labor of love, I always say.

-Holzem

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Norse Senior Member

Norse

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I downloaded it and it is great! :D

But I have a complaint. I declared war on Denmark, and the Danish corps was a blue unit with blue text on it. I hadto get all up to the monitor to have a look at what strenght number was printed on this unit. White text on the dark-blue unit would be nice, and easy to view. Grey on grey, blue on blue etc., makes it so terribly hard :\ Otherwise it's all good smile.gif Good job ;)

~Norse~

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SaTyR Senior Member

SaTyR

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I too downloaded and started playing, just to quickly test the new graphics... Yeah right ! Stayed up all night and completed the Intermediate +1 challenge as the Axis. Soviet Union never looked so pretty as I blitzed to Moscow :D Thanks ! The mod really makes a difference (again, not to say the original graphics were in any way lacking) !

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SaTyR Senior Member

SaTyR

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Yes, the mod changes the unit icons when installed. But have no fear, just make a back-up of unit_sprites.bmp in x:/../strategic command/bitmaps folder and paste it straight back after installing the mod. I actually prefer the modded unit icons to the original ones ´tho...

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Archibald Senior Member

Archibald

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Call me Mr Picky but...

First off, this is a superb mod and looks fantastic. I have to agree about the problems with reading the strengh of minor allied countries though . I also found my nose pressed to the screen trying to make it out. The Italian corps are also marked as armies (XXXX) rather than corps (XXX), which caused a wee bit of confusion.

Now to get totally anal! Has anyone else noticed that the map in the briefing room is of 1990s Europe. Perhaps we're being tested. ;)

Similarly, the save game screens refer to the campaign of 1940, while the background graphics relate to 1944. How can this be? All mods should be perfect and without error. :mad:

Seriously though, it's a terrific mod. Please please please do more!

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HolzemFrumFloppen Senior Member

HolzemFrumFloppen

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Originally posted by Archibald:

Call me Mr Picky but...

First off, this is a superb mod and looks fantastic. I have to agree about the problems with reading the strengh of minor allied countries though . I also found my nose pressed to the screen trying to make it out.

Thanks very much for the comments, Archibald. Man, oh, man.... I so want to change the allied minor unit graphics, but I just can't see why they're not that readable. Are folks talkin' about the minor units (e.g., Hungary, Romania, Finland, etc.) or about what might be considered minor units (i.e., France and Italy). I, myself, think that the "air" units aren't perfectly readable for some of the minor units including France and Italy. Please let me know a bit more specifically which nationality(ies) are hard to read and I'll fire up the editor and look at the units.

The Italian corps are also marked as armies (XXXX) rather than corps (XXX), which caused a wee bit of confusion.
Hehe... can't believe I missed that. Chalk it up to bad battlefield intelligence reports if you're still playing with the original file. :D

Now to get totally anal! Has anyone else noticed that the map in the briefing room is of 1990s Europe. Perhaps we're being tested. ;)
Ahhhhh.... but you are being tested, grasshopper. It's not really 1990s Europe... it's a 1940s War Department strategist's projection of the European continent 50 years into the future! They would often discuss stuff like that back then. :D

Similarly, the save game screens refer to the campaign of 1940, while the background graphics relate to 1944. How can this be? All mods should be perfect and without error. :mad:
Hmmmm.... now this one I'm not understanding. The SaveGame Dialog, in this particular case, has a background graphic located at the bottom that's a cutout of a map of Operation Barbarossa, 19 41 . Am I not seeing what you're seeing? Maybe it was another dialog that you were referring to. Lemme know!

Seriously though, it's a terrific mod. Please please please do more!
Again, thanks very much for the comments! I've already updated the Unit Symbol graphics to correct the Italian corps/army problem. The whole package has been updated and, again, can be downloaded at the following URL:

SC "Elite Edition" (full download - 3.4megabytes)

Additionally, I have made available a very small zipfile containing the corrected Unit Symbol graphics only . It can be downloaded here:

SC "Elite Edition" Unit Symbol Graphics (corrected - 20kb)

I'd love to get more feedback on the readability problems with the unit colors. Keep it coming and I'll find a good solution!

- Holzem

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Norse Senior Member

Norse

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HolzemFrumFloppen, I found the problem.

Look at unit_sprites.bmp, and you see the three bottom lines of units there. The one on the bottom are "Axis minor", but the other two are both the same thing, "allied minor". I am not sure how this works, but I belive that when a minor nation joins he allies, then it is random what line of units it will use. IE, sometimes it will use the blue units, othertimes the brown.

Now look at strenght_sprites.bmp . You notice that there are only one color on the numbers available for the minor countries, blue! So when the blue units are used with the blue text, then it gets terribly difficlt to read the strenght on a unit.

I suggest you compare the two shades of blue against each other, and either change the contrast between them or change the blue counters into something all-new. What about white? That would be nice ;)

Cheers,

Cato

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Hubert Cater Senior Member

Hubert Cater

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The two lines of Allied minor are in place to take into account potential MOD work that would have the Allied minor unit icons face east or west. The first line is for unit icons to face east, and the second allied minor line is for unit icons to face west.

So for example the first line of Allied minor would include countries like Canada, Spain, Portugal if they joined the Allies, and the second line would inlcude Turkey, Persia etc. if they joined the Allies

Hubert

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HolzemFrumFloppen Senior Member

HolzemFrumFloppen

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Originally posted by Hubert Cater:

The two lines of Allied minor are in place to take into account potential MOD work that would have the Allied minor unit icons face east or west. <snip>

Hubert:

Okay... that makes complete sense. Now I can test some of the newer colors. Much obliged for the information!

- Holzem

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HolzemFrumFloppen Senior Member

HolzemFrumFloppen

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Originally posted by Norse:

HolzemFrumFloppen, I found the problem. <snip>

I suggest you compare the two shades of blue against each other, and either change the contrast between them or change the blue counters into something all-new. What about white? That would be nice ;)

Cato:

I totally understand now. In my own playing experience, I hadn't yet encountered a situation where the blue icons were "paired" up with the blue strength colors. Now I get it. tongue.gif

Hubert posted some very helpful info in this thread as well as to how the icons are assigned to minor countries. I'll have a new units file lickety split. I wanted to enhance some of the other colors anyway.... White, eh? Hmmmm... I wonder. I'll check it out.

- Holzem

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Norse Senior Member

Norse

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Originally posted by HolzemFrumFloppen:

Cato:

Hubert posted some very helpful info in this thread as well as to how the icons are assigned to minor countries. I'll have a new units file lickety split. I wanted to enhance some of the other colors anyway.... White, eh? Hmmmm... I wonder. I'll check it out.

- Holzem[/QB]

White units with blue text would be very easy to read and IMO not too shabby. But it is your mod Holzem, go for anything that you want! So ignore me completely as I am in no way trying to make any decisions for you with your mod (which is already outstanding) :cool:

~Norse~

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HolzemFrumFloppen Senior Member

HolzemFrumFloppen

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Norse, et. al.:

I updated the Unit Icons so that the minor allied (blue) countries have their strength test made more readable. I used a different shade of blue, but one that works well with the "strength" sprites palette.

I also altered the "greenish" color of the U.S. icons... I think the color look a lot better.

Download the updated symbol unit icons here:

SC "Elite Edition" Unit Symbol Graphics (corrected - 20kb)

Or... you can download the full mod (with updated icons) here:

SC "Elite Edition" (full download - 3.4megabytes)

In either case, unzip the contents of the above zipfiles into your Strategic Command "Bitmaps" folder.

Enjoy!

- Holzem

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Desert Dave Senior Member

Desert Dave

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I was hesitant to change the look of SC too much, and so did not add your mod until yesterday... but, boy, am I glad I did! smile.gif

This is an incredible -- an exquisite rendition!

Not that there was anything wrong with the original, but, this as they say -- really smartens up the place! :cool:

Great job!

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HolzemFrumFloppen Senior Member

HolzemFrumFloppen

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Originally posted by arax3:

Holzem...: So if you want the terrain from the "Elite Edition" and the units from JB's mod, then ... ? I don't want the units from EE, I can't read them. But I do want that neat terrain. What now? Thanks. L3

Arax:

Real easy.

Just unzip my entire mod into your Strategic Command "BITMAPS" subfolder. Then just unzip JMBunnelle's Icon mod into the same place. JM's will overwrite my own symbol icons and you're good to go.

Hope this helps!

- Holzem

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  • 2 months later...
JayJay_H Senior Member

JayJay_H

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Originally posted by HolzemFrumFloppen:

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did making it. Nothing like a labor of love, I always say.

-Holzem[/QB]

Terrific Work, much credits on that , still i have to complain in at least one case: the map in the entry screen outlines the territory of post-war Germany.
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