Noob Question! How do you change Background Art/Comic Covers?

[O_Prime21]

This is such a dumb question, I know, but how do you change the back ground art and comic cover art in  :ffvstr:? Also, is there anyway to make origin stories? I'm sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, I took my best guess. My weak search-fu came up empty. Any help is as always very much appreciated. Thanks!!!!

[Previsionary]

http://www.irrationalgames.com/modforce/tutorials/custommenubg.htm

For ff1, but similar process for ffvttr. Next time, check freedom fans or at the very least the "comprehensive list of tutorials". Also, just forget about the origin thing unless you're prepared to do tons of tga work and actually figuring out how they're set up. Not something for someone new to the game to really tackle.

edited to give you a little more help:

Certain folder. Go into art/library/interface_scenes/mg_ff_team_main.
It's full of dds files you can change to your heart's content... I don't know if you can change their sizes[...]

[O_Prime21]

Thank you for the reply. I did look at the list of tutorials you mentioned and saw nothing that specifically helped with  :ffvstr:. I followed the tutorial you mentioned and applied it to  :ffvstr:, and it didn't make a change. Do I need to change directory names or file names to get it to work with  :ffvstr: instead of  :ff:?

Also, I get the origins are a pain to make, so I am forgetting that idea. How about the custom comic covers? I see others doing that and I didn't see it mentioned in that tutorial.

Again, not trying to be a pain, but I did look around. Maybe I just suck at searching. :)

[Previsionary]

changing the comic covers, just like the main screen, require you to find a specific folder and change the dds/tga files to whatever you want it to be. For the main screen:

art/library/interface_scenes/mg_ff_team_main

Go inside the texture folder and change all fifty-four (that's 5...4) DDS files to whatever you want in an art program. Save, and it should represent the new image. Keep in mind, this is mod specific, so if you changed it for FFVTTR (the unmodified game), it's only going to be changed there.

[GogglesPizanno]

I'm at work now, so this is gonna be as best as I can from memory. But first off are you trying to change the default screens for the whole game, or are you doing this for a mod? Depending on what you are going for, you will add your new files to either the data directory or the mod directory.

Anyway, in the Data Directory, there is the art.ff file. Its basically a zip file so you can either rename it to art.zip and open it (be sure to rename it back) or just manually open it in some program that supports zip files (winzip, winrar, 7-zip etc...). Once opened there will be all kinds of directories and files (all the art content for the game). You should extract the "art/library/interface_scenes/" directory to someplace on your hard drive where you wanna work on it.

You could extract it right into the game or MOD directory, but if you aren't terribly familiar with the directory and modding yet, its probably safer to move it someplace else and then copy it back.

Once its extracted there should be a bunch of DDS files. Opening them up and edit whatever ones you want to.

Once you are done, you need to put them in the appropriate place.

If you want them to be changed universally in game open you game directory and create the following folder "Data/art/library/interface_scenes/" and copy your new files over there.

If this is going to be specifically for just a specific mod, create the folder "<MOD_FOLDER>/art/library/interface_scenes/" and copy them there.

They should then show up in game.

*EDIT: Doh.. must type faster  :ph34r: by Prev....

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

Also, there is a mesh someone cooked up that you can use to replace the normal one that uses one and only one, art file instead of a bunch of tiny pieces.  I used it in Liberty Bay and got it from somewhere else.  I think Unkoman gave it to me when he gave me the screens he did for that mod.  Anyway, that file makes changing these things much easier.

As for origin scenes, it could be done with somelike like the backgrounds, a series of images one after another.  I've been told that the actual mesh for that is fairly easy to make, but you'd need all the images.

[GogglesPizanno]

As for origin scenes, it could be done with somelike like the backgrounds, a series of images one after another.  I've been told that the actual mesh for that is fairly easy to make, but you'd need all the images.

If you were willing to use something that simple, couldn't you just use a single plane mesh and then give it an animated texture made up of xx number of "frames?"

I thought you could adjust the speed of the animation in Nifskope

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

That's precisely what I'm talking about.

[O_Prime21]

Wow, thanks again for all of the replies.

Ok, this is where I am at. I found my art.ff folder and extracted it. I then put all those files in my mod folder in the appropriate spots like I was told. Now...I'm not so sure. I go into the mg_ff_team_main folder and there is a scene .nif file there to set up the background I am assuming and a textures folder chock full with all of the .dds pictures that show up in the scrolling of the main menu.

A) I'm not sure how to edit .dds files, as my photoshop doesn't recognize them.
B) I don't need the fancy scrolling background, just a stationary one image background would be great and I'm not sure how to go about it.

Sick of me yet?  :blink:

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

All of the background .nifs are interchangable.

So if you make a copy of one of the static backgrounds and rename it to be the same name as the rotating one, it will be replaced.

[O_Prime21]

Ok, that makes sense, I'll try that. Also, I found a dds plugin for photoshop, so I can actually see them now. Woot.

[UnkoMan]

All of the background .nifs are interchangable.

So if you make a copy of one of the static backgrounds and rename it to be the same name as the rotating one, it will be replaced.

This is actually what I did. I just took a generic loading one, and then renamed the folder for every other screen. That way I only have to worry about the one image.

Remember to make the image with regular screen dimensions first, and then shrink it at the sides to make it square afterwards. That way it won't appear warped in-game.

[nikitossan]

But how convert for example jpg in dds.i use ddsconverter 2.1 but it show me error-something wrong with size.so what size it must be?? :blink:

[catwhowalksbyhimself]

.tga's should work as well, if you can't get it to convert to .dds format.

I'd recommend Xnview, which is freeware, for that operation.

[nikitossan]

tga doesnt work

[nikitossan]

okay i convert it in dds but it become just something pink.i want just change characters in main menu in ffvtr

[Previsionary]

you should have checked out the size of the original background and did something similar. Size goes up by powers of 2. So numbers like: (4, 8, 16...256, 512, 1024..., etc.). In this case, IIRC, the sizing would be something like 512 x 512. You'll also need to go through ALL the tgas/dds and black them out to remove the FF characters.

[nikitossan]

and how i can black them?i dont think with paint

[cmdrkoenig67]

Blacked...Then they have to be alpha-ed out.

Dana