The Litterbox site update thread

[SickAlice]

https://thelitterbox.freedomforce4ever.com/index.html

This is my updates page for the Litterbox. Any announcements will be made here regarding site updates. As well if anyone has a personal request this would be the best place to make them. Thanks to everyone who has put so much fantastic work into the game so far, to catwhowalksbyhimself, Tomato, Freedomforceforever, FreedomReborn, and thanks for checking out my stuff.

More updates:
- New hosting. I fixed all links, consolidated some pages for now and added new page sections while I was at it.

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Updated: 01/22/2023

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Here is a link to my old site and " FF1 " releases. I've been asked a few times now if I can convert my current FFVTTR stuff to the first game and the answer is no. I have a few ideas how to go about it, mainly to import a FFVTTR nif into a 3d program then save it as a FF1 nif but the problem on my end is where some users don't have FFVTTR I'm at the opposite end of the spectrum where as I don't have FF1. So I would have no way to actually look at what I've done and see if it works. Also I have to stand on the opinion that modders should upgrade to FFVTTR if they haven't. There isn't a reason in my mind to use the inferior less developed engine. I can't think of a company that supports that ideology either, even the devs of Nifskope outright forbade this. I hear it's a money issue and can sort of wrap my head around that but it's not like FFVTTR costs a fortune either so it's hard to concede to. In any case though I can't do the conversion myself. I give permission however for anyone who can and wishes to to convert any of my releases for the older game and release them when and where they see fit.

http://catmanexe.tripod.com/id14.html

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I have a habit of hiding Easter Eggs everywhere from the site pages to the skins to the nifs and so on. So many that I have an actual system to determine what are legit Easter Eggs and what are just compliments to a character representation. Anyways I started thinking on the fact that I can't recall any entity that hasn't actually revealed it's own little treasures. It sort of stands that it's rhetorical to hide an Easter basket so well that the only way to find it is the scent of rotten egg. That and I actually recall one that I did and can't remember where I put it anymore, lol. So for those who want the end of the movie before they see it (raises hand) here's the list to date and what they actually mean. Be warned though...such knowledge was not for mortal minds to conceive of! :

Easter Egg List To Date:

Spoiler

1.) On the bottom of the index page a sprite of the player character from the game Contra is embedded meant to be a clue. Entering the  Konami code on your keyboard while on the index page brings up the Contra Heroes page where a skin pack containing Scorpion and Mad Dog from the game can be acquired. *currently disabled as the code itself has been taken offline

2.) In the Green Lantern Alfred E. Neuman's standard skin directory a MAD Magazine board game $1,329,063 bill is slapped on one of the textures (which you can only collect if your name is Alfred E. Neuman of course). This does not actually apply to anything in game.

3.)  " NOK. ", the somewhat goofy tribal call of the Indigo Lanterns is on a JPEG packed with Iroque.

4.) Inside the Sinestro Corps Kryb mesh there is a node called " nevermind ". The model itself is very small and buried behind the bone crib and babies so clicking on it appears to not reveal much. However if you strip down the nif it's a model of a dollar bill (also textured ) and next to it a baby is positioned to appear to be floating and reaching for the money. This is a 3d diorama of the cover of the album Nevermind by Nirvana.

5.) There's a collector card hidden in Phil Coulson's hand via an alpha channel on the texture. Meant as a hat tip to the Avengers movie naturally.

6.) One of the nodes in the Spidey mesh is called " horse_thing " and appears to make nothing visible. However it's actually a very tiny version of Beyonder's horse mesh if you extract it or increase the size. As well instead of the string name for the model being Editable_mesh or TriShape it's a web address. Copying it into a web browser and going to that page plays the cheesy horse thing line from the Spider-man 3 over and over and over. On a side note not Eggs persay but on the fireman skin I changed the patch on his uniform to be the proper one (Forest Hills V.F.D.) and again on the Earth X Spidey's police uniform alt the badge is now the correct one (Forest Hills of course, officer design) and the arm patch also corrected to the right NYCPD one.

[Cyber Burn]

Lots of interesting stuff on your site, I'm sorry I've never seen this before.

[President Raygun]

Sweet update. Great to finally see some skins for the Order and Supreme Power.

[hoss20]

Nice to see you back, Catman. I look forward to seeing all of the new stuff and the meshing tutorial.

[spydermann93]

Wow, a lot of great textures and meshes here!

Great work, Catman!

[SickAlice]

Thanks all. It's fun to be working with this stuff again.

[laughing paradox]

Very cool updates!

[SickAlice]

My next is going to pretty hefty. I'm keeping the who in the dark but I started on a certain character, and noted none of the characters from their world had FFVTR counterparts. I've been toiling pretty hard, and am really happy with the results so far. I look to releases a new page with a bunch of characters within a week for anyone to enjoy, with a lot of new parts that people can use for whatever tickles their fancy as well.

[Cyber Burn]

New toys to play with is always exciting, especially if it means new pieces to skope with. 

[cmdrkoenig67]

Good to see you back in action, CMexe.

Dana

[SickAlice]

Thanks again people! (:
A small update, I removed the Larfleeze and Bleez announcements due to the files being moved to a different page (which will have more releases).
Look for that update in a few days. Sorry for any inconveniences this may have caused.

[Amazo Version 2.2]

red lanterns, sweet stuffage

[steamteck]

Very coll. Thanks for sharing your great stuff.

[SickAlice]

Welcomes and thank you!
Hey, I got a question for you fantastic guys and gals regarding my site.
Is it more convenient to have one big package to download, or a bunch of little pieces for anyone?
Why I ask is sometimes I like doing a set where one character has several skins, and the full thing can get up in
the hundred MB range. So is it better to have it all in one directory or would you rather I put each skin in
a different file?

[Tomato]

... what resolutions are you using for those skins? It would take over a hundred 512x512 tgas to get a file size that high, and I know from experience you don't really need anything higher then that.

[Cyber Burn]

Are you putting keyframes in with each skin/skope? That might account for the high file size.

[SickAlice]

@Cyber Burn: Nope. The skins are always universal to one mesh
@Tomato: 512 x 512 at the largest. It's the amount. One of them I'm uploading by the end of the week has 170+ tga's and counting.
You'll understand why when it's uploaded.


Anyways, I'm not looking for a solution nor is it a problem on my end. I must have composed that wrong.
I'm asking what works for any of you all as far as downloading convenience.
I would prefer to upload them as one big file myself, but I don't want to stick it to anyone who has
speed problems.

[Cyber Burn]

One big file works for me.

[hoss20]

I'm only going off of the couple of new lantern meshes/skopes I've downloaded, but a couple things you might think about:

1. Don't include the copy of the Standard skin. I'm sure we all make one for the preview pics we make as the resolution is lousy in CTool for the Standard skin. But, for file size, I always delete mine. For example, you could reduce your Larfleeze file size by 8.29 MB just by deleting the Standard skin copy.
2. If your mesh doesn't use the Refl or Glow tga files, try reducing their resolution. Since their not being used, it doesn't matter what size they are, as long as they are included. I reduce mine to at least 256x256, usually 128x128. A black Glow.tga at 512x512 is 1 MB, where the same file at 256x256 is 256 kb.

One last thing to double check is that you haven't left any extra tga files in the skin folder. I know with my skopes, that I'm always going back to make sure I haven't left anything unnecessary in there. Being that they're all 1 MB in size, they'll add up quickly. (I haven't picked apart your Atrocitus, but I notice that there is a series of male_heavy2 tgas that are all black, so I assume they aren't being used. There's 3 MB's right there.  )

Anyway, I love the new stuff and hopefully these little adjustments may help out.

[Cyber Burn]

For me, any all black (.TGA) or (.DDS) file gets reduced to 4x4. Cuts down alot on file size.

[SickAlice]

Right, so I'm not having any problems on my end with the size nor was I asking about adjusting it...anyways, got one for big files, I'll go that way then.

@Hoss20: Wow, you picked apart my stuff more than I did when I made it. Anyways, I'm not looking to reduce the file size as I have no personal problem with it (I hope I'm being clear this time), and 8 mb really isn't going to make a difference to 170+mb to someone downloading it.

What I'm asking, any of you, not myself, is if " you prefer " to download split rar files or large single ones. I guess if I get complaints later I'll turn around and go the split route then.

[hoss20]

Sorry, as I was perusing the thread, I kept coming across references to "file size" and I guess I went that way. I guess there was the connection of multiple skins with file size and downloading. So, back to your original question, as long as file size or download time isn't an issue, I'd go with all skins in one file.

[SickAlice]

K. I figure most people have modern tech right now, as in fast internet and huge hard drives, but you never know. Someone around here could have
snail speed and an old HP running 98 or something. But thank you too, the info does come in handy anyways and I'm opting to try and remove the standard copy.
More knowledge is always appreciated. I won't do it all the time though, I'm cramped and focusing more on the modelling and skinning parts (I'm counting 24 skins/meshes done in four days right...yikes! I need sleep pee-pole! *.*), and I keep three files of everything on my drive: one on my workbench filled with excess files and experiments, one in the characters folder to view and put in game, and the rar for my sites index which is comprised from the second. Hence I just will miss a file here and there. Same goes with the Refl and Glow file size, though I do that on purpose a bit too. I do use most of them, even if it's not immediately visible that it's there. It might just be a small very dark refl highlight to a female_basics eyes and lips to give it that extra dimension. But thanks for the pointers.

[ElijahSnowFan]

I had always learned never to say never about this game and the creators who provide such unique content, but I'll tell you what: I hadn't thought we'd ever see a Larfleeze and some of the Red Lanterns you did. I am amazed at how the creators always seem to find a way.

They are awesome, and thanks for making them!

[SickAlice]

Thank you. Sinestro Corps (wow, there's a lot of these guys!), Blue Lanterns and the Indigo Tribe are coming in a few days. I'm just finishing off the geometries on a few of the SC Corps heads.

[Cyber Burn]

Definitely looking forward to the release.

[SickAlice]

Sorry there hasn't been anything new in awhile gang. I came down with a real nasty flu bug and am having a hard time focusing. I have been working on the Star Sapphire's, but with them I'm trying a different approach then the others, mainly in that I'm meshing them in Blender and giving them sculpted bodysuits. Needless to say I've scrapped and restarted each of them thirty times over, and ran into every conceivable and inconceivable glitch so far. I seem to be on the verge of getting them though, and should release them soon.

[Outcast]

I'm really impressed with the variety of skopes you've been doing. Some of them look very difficult to do. Great job on them.

[SickAlice]

Thanks again much! This is helping get me through the lag in my year, that's for sure. Honestly I didn't intend on doing all of these Lanterns, but it's pretty fun so why not?
So, did everyone figure out the secret of my page yet?

[Cyber Burn]

Secret page??? No. But now I know to look.

EDIT: And I still can't find it.