Cannot Edit Monster Sprites in MM6-8 Engine

[amfn]

This has been resolved. Thanks for your response


You guys probably hear this frequently, but I thought, what better way to find out than to ask. I tried looking it up, but the alleged link (http://hosted.filefront.com/BigDaddyJim) that had the MM8Editor tutorials doesn't seem to work, and it just brings me to the main filefront area instead of anywhere specific. Perhaps I'm being negligent but I honestly don't think the link works.

I like to mod everything, from the Source Engine (though I'm not C++ literate) to the original quake engine, and lots of stuff in between. Right now I'd like nothing more than to be able to mod one of my favorite old games, MM6. I can change the maps and stuff, but MM7View does not work for sprites.lod. MM8Editor does, but when I load my MM6 directory, nothing pops up and the screen stays blank. All I can get is the readme file to appear. I would greatly appreciate any help that can be offered. For anyone who can help me with this, Santa Clause will be pleased with you.

;)

[amfn]

EDIT: I got it to work by using a program called MMArchive. But when the higher rank enemies die, their blood is tinted like they are. (The mod is to make enemies bleed.) Is it possible to make 3 different versions instead of just tinting them?

[amfn]

Well I did a little searching and I know how to fix my problem, i just don't know how to. You see, it's the icons.lod. The file DSFT.bin, which contains the sprite information. But I can only edit in MM8LevelEditor, and I'm unable to save it.

Just one question. How do I edit the .bin files that NWC uses. The readme just told me to contact him, but there is no telling how long it will be before he reads his email.

[GreatEmerald]

MM8LevelEditor is under active development right now so it won't take long for a reply.
A .bin file is binary, though. That means you might need to fiddle with hex editors.

[amfn]

Thank you for replying. I'll see about contacting them.

But here is the issue. MM8LevelEditor presents the binary in an easy to understand way, in which I can easily change the palette of the monsters, but I cannot save those files.

With any hex editor, or with Notepad ++ it is not organized, and is in it's raw binary. I've tried several hex editors with the same results. If anyone knows of a hex editor that will display things as MM8LevelEditor displays them, as in a clipboard form, like a table, with the code translated, please let me know.

Until then, I'll try to figure out what these strange numbers are supposed to mean.


EDIT: By copying and pasting large portions of code, I seem to have come onto something. Not the something I'm looking for though.

Rather than making the Goblin Shaman use the Goblin's palette (he has blue blood so it is jacked up), I made the goblin shaman become the goblin. Personally, I find it rather funny, though the removal of every unit who has palette issues is no way to go.

I think I'm getting closer. Any ideas you guys come up with are still welcome.

[vladimir-maestro]

what exactly you want - change creatures with sprites and palettes?

the easiest way - is to create new sprites with the same palette as the original creature got and import them with MMArchive.

the hard way is to import palette file with another programm that can be found on sergroj's web-site.