My kingdom for a larger message box!!

[myythryyn]

ok, i thought id try to ask again, since the editor has been out for sometime now, maybe, just maybe someone has or can figure out how to improve the small hard to read message box.

im making a new story map, and im worried no one is going to like it, because my dialogue scenes are too lengthy and the current messagebox makes them horrible to read.
ive tried to shorten my messages, but they still are long.

so, is there any hope of making a better messge box?
isnt it just about the size of the box? isnt there a setting somewhere, that determines the size of the box, and if you could just increase that size....
or maybe thats not possible i dont know.

or maybe does anyone know how to use the cutscene feature i heard about? or is it really complicated like the editor documention suggests?

ok, any help is much appreciated

[Vitirr]

I think it would only be possible through mods but I don't know which files you should modify.

or maybe does anyone know how to use the cutscene feature i heard about? or is it really complicated like the editor documention suggests?

That would be awesome. And I don't think that making a simple dialog scene would be so complicated, but we don't have access to it anyway so it doesn't matters.

[Najibarr]

You can see how dialog scenes by following these instructions :

-Open H5 editor with the modification to the mode to access new features
-In the Resource menu, click on select tables (or just press ctrl + t)
-Check DialogScene and DialogSceneCameraSet and click OK
- Open the Game database with the menu or the toolbar
- Open the Selection Property tree with the menu or the toolbar
- Select the DialogScene table and load one of them


Then all you have to do is to learn how they work

[Vitirr]

Shesh this editor allows to do great things, but It demands such a dedication to investigate how you have to do them... Now I'll have to try making my own cut scene

[Pitsu]

isnt it just about the size of the box? isnt there a setting somewhere, that determines the size of the box, and if you could just increase that size....
or maybe thats not possible i dont know.

As far as i know there is no flexible size windows. You could replace the image (Commonbox/box0p) with another image, but then you also need to change the text alignment (i do not know where it is defined). This would of course change also appearance of other messages like "are you sure to quit?". Moreover, strangely I was not capable of changing the MessageBox texture by simple modding, but needed to delete the original file from the data.pak...

[myythryyn]

As far as i know there is no flexible size windows. You could replace the image (Commonbox/box0p) with another image, but then you also need to change the text alignment (i do not know where it is defined). This would of course change also appearance of other messages like "are you sure to quit?". Moreover, strangely I was not capable of changing the MessageBox texture by simple modding, but needed to delete the original file from the data.pak...

so it sounds like changing the messagebox is either very difficult, or just not possible without changing all the menu message boxes.
hmmm, thats too bad.
then maybe cutscenes, but i think the big thing about cutscenes is the graphic and audio component.
i dont think any of us would want to make an animated scene with sound, but even if somehow you could not bother with that part, and instead just use the text part of the cutscene, and fill the whole screen or something with the text to make up for the missing video....

[Pitsu]

Hmm, looks like today is a better day than yesterday. Perhaps I can upload a mod in a brief while for testing. Not a great one, but perhaps better than nothing.
To make it one map specific, not a general modification is a way harder question though...

[Vitirr]

To make it one map specific, not a general modification is a way harder question though...

As far as I know, there are not map specific mods. The most you can get is a mod that only affects the game when the map is in the Map folder.

[myythryyn]

Hmm, looks like today is a better day than yesterday. Perhaps I can upload a mod in a brief while for testing. Not a great one, but perhaps better than nothing.
To make it one map specific, not a general modification is a way harder question though...

hmm, if i gave instructions to the player who downloads the map that they should delete the map afterwards then i suppose having a mod that affects their whole game isnt that bad.

do you think if i placed a mod in a map that changed the overall game files that that would discourage people from downloading it?
if you warned them about it, and made it clear they have to delete the map after?

im willing to try it if you want to post it

[Pitsu]

A sample image:
http://www.celestialheavens.com/admin/p ... ssages.JPG

Download (simply put it into data folder):
http://www.celestialheavens.com/admin/p ... ssages.pak

I do not know wheter any other textbox than the one called up with Messagebox script is affected. Managed to keep the original one for "quit to desctop" etc windows which originally used the same graphics file.
Any possible feedback welcome...

Well, your map does not require a mod, since the mod only makes reading more comfortable right? The main annoyance I see is that mod goes to data folder while h5m type of maps to maps folder. Thus a more complex installation...

EDIT: if that messagebox is TOO large, I could of course do something mid sized, but then would need to do a completely new graph file in that case. Not very difficult, but the lazy me would prefer to spend time on something else...

[Vitirr]

The main annoyance I see is that mod goes to data folder while h5m type of maps to maps folder. Thus a more complex installation...

Extract the pak file with winzip/winrar. Open the map you want to attatch the mod to (with winzip/winrar). Add the folders of the mod you have just extracted and save it with store only option. Now, the mod will be installed with your map, and will be active only when the map is in the Map folder of the game.

This works with every mod. The only problem is that the map file will be larger.

Oh and thanks for the mod Pitsu, it looks nice

[myythryyn]

Pitsu!!! that is perfect and amazing

im sure that will make reading story messges so much easier and more enjoyable.

but...youll have to give me further instructions of how to install it

i opened my HOMM V data folder, and i see lots .PAK files.

when i open the zip file you provided, i see two folders, with subfolders, and other files in the subfolders.

do i just place the two root folders in the data directory? or do i take the files out of the subfolders and place them in the data folder?
i cant wait to try this out...

oh, and i guess i owe you my kingdom now....ill have my scribes right up the documents today transferring ownership to you. I suppose i should tell you there are some abandoned mines youll have to clear out, there is some pesky dragons up on a mountain eating the peasants, monsters have overun the other mines and resouces, oh, and there is a horde of undead moving down from the north and a legion of infernal demons from the south....but im sure you can take care of all that

* edit * i just saw your post Vitirr, you mean i can install the above files directly in my map file and then it only affects the map and no other game files?

[Vitirr]

myythryyn to install mods you just have to copy the pak file of the mod to the data folder. However I think you might be interested to add it to your map, so read my message above.

[myythryyn]

myythryyn to install mods you just have to copy the pak file of the mod to the data folder. However I think you might be interested to add it to your map, so read my message above.

ok sorry if im asking an obvious question, but when i open the zip file, i see two folders, with subfolders and files within them.
like a textures folder and a UI folder.
so its not just one file to attach.

do i just take both folders and place them in the data folder?
i might need some step by step instructions, ive not done this before yet.

[Vitirr]

Ok, here we go.

Way 1:

- Copy the pak file into your data folder.

That's all. This way the mod will be available for all the game always.

Way 2:

- Extract the pak file with winzip/winrar.

- Open the map you want to attatch the mod to (with winzip/winrar).

- Add the folders of the mod you have just extracted and save it with store only option. (To add the folders just select the folders, not the files inside and add them).

- Now, the mod will be installed with your map, and will be active only when the map is in the Map folder of the game.

[myythryyn]

hmm, sorry vitirr for asking again, but you see, there is no .PAK file to place anywhere.

there is a zip file which i downloaded, and within that zip file there is two root folders, called "textures", and "UI".
then within those folders there are subfolders with multiple files, .DDS files, like backtexture.DDS, backtextureMB.DDS ect.
there are also multiple .XDB files.

are you saying that i open my map file with WINRAR and then place the two root folders, called textures and UI with all the files within them, directly in this folder - maps/singlemissions/mapname/ ?

[Vitirr]

The file Pitsu posted here is a pak file. That's the one I mean. Yes it is in fact a zip, but the name is .pak.

are you saying that i open my map file with WINRAR and then place the two root folders, called textures and UI with all the files within them, directly in this folder - maps/singlemissions/mapname/ ?

This would be for the way 2. But you don't have to add them to that folder but to the root folder of the map. The list of folders should be:

Maps
Textures
UI

[Pitsu]

hmm, sorry vitirr for asking again, but you see, there is no .PAK file to place anywhere.

there is a zip file which i downloaded, ..

Err, look at the name in the link:
http://www.celestialheavens.com/admin/p ... ssages.pak

Do not open this file, only save into data directory. Or follow the instructions Vitirr gave.

do i just place the two root folders in the data directory?

That is of course also one way to do...

oh, and i guess i owe you my kingdom now....ill have my scribes right up the documents today transferring ownership to you. I suppose i should tell you there are some abandoned mines youll have to clear out, there is some pesky dragons up on a mountain eating the peasants, monsters have overun the other mines and resouces, oh, and there is a horde of undead moving down from the north and a legion of infernal demons from the south....but im sure you can take care of all that smile

Happens that little lovely place be called Harmondale?

[myythryyn]

Happens that little lovely place be called Harmondale?

You may call the kingdom whatever you wish
ill have my scribes also draft up a change of name form, which will need to be signed in triplicate, then given to the board of name change for approval, then it will have to be announced by the town crier, if anyone objects to the new name, youll have to deal with the unhappy peasant yourself...
and a fee of 20 000 gold, 10 crystal, 15 gems, and 5 sulphur will also be required. But after that, Harmondale shall be the name of your new kingdom:)

ok i got it to work....doh...yes, that file is a .PAK file...i was just so exicited to have a bigger message box, i didnt even think about that.

so i placed the two folders "textures" and "UI" in the root of my map file folder, and it works great.

thxs so much, and btw, im going to put your mod in the sticky file for map hints

[Pitsu]

OK, looks like the mod still messes some things up. Like the message for joining creatures has weird text placement. The same for gold vs exp question in chests.

Will investigate...

EDIT. Looks like that will be easily fixed in next version

Any more problems encountered by someone?