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JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #186119]

Sat, 24 May 2008 15:16

Shanga is currently offline

Messages:3479
Registered:January 2000
Location: Danubia

If you have worked extensively with a particular editor/tool and you wish to share you knowledge with the community, please post a short guide here. Heck post even a long one if you want. Also if you know good guides posted on BP or elsewhere, put the link here (we'll copy and store the guides later in the dedicated JAG section)

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Captain

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #187967]

Mon, 09 June 2008 10:36

Mythrell is currently offline

Messages:78
Registered:May 2008
Location: Mikkeli, Finland

I've used SLFExplore and STI-Edit and Project1 version of it in Vista, and even if I don't know if they really need a guide, I can say one thing.

They're both pretty unstable for Vista, plus STI-Edit has a major trouble when closing / crashing. It leaves the process running at background which eats considerable amounts of CPU and memory, I have to kill it almost every time I close the program.

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Corporal

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #187982]

Mon, 09 June 2008 14:15

Shanga is currently offline

Messages:3479
Registered:January 2000
Location: Danubia

Yep, we know the tools are buggy, but they're the only one we have (unless someone translates those russian ones.

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Captain

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #187997]

Mon, 09 June 2008 16:03

Messages:1156
Registered:October 2005
Location: USA

I use DragonUnpacker for all my JA2 extraction needs. I never liked Slfexplore much, and maybe Dragon will work better for you under vista.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Programming/File-Editors/Dragon-UnPACKer.shtml

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Sergeant Major

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188000]

Mon, 09 June 2008 16:39

Shanga is currently offline

Messages:3479
Registered:January 2000
Location: Danubia

Bah, that unpacker crashed just as bad and now it won't even start on my Vista machine.

And STI-edit is the one who's problematic, not SLF-explore. Bimbo never truely finished the work on it. He made STI-edit mostly to stop our whinning over the limits of GRV editor, who messed up animations. But the tool is somewhere between alpha and beta stage. Oh well, at least it does what it's meant for.

[Updated on: Mon, 09 June 2008 16:39] by Moderator

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Captain

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188010]

Mon, 09 June 2008 17:38

Messages:1156
Registered:October 2005
Location: USA

Quote:

Bah, that unpacker crashed just as bad and now it won't even start on my Vista machine.

I tell ya, I am just not seeing all the glorious benefits Vista claims to be offering. It is above and beyond worse than they claimed XP was going to be with older programs. I never had problems with XP getting the older programs to work.

Looks like everyone is going to need 2 pc's to work with from now on, with one having XP and the other Vista for all the new "stuff" they are forcing upon you.

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Sergeant Major

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188015]

Mon, 09 June 2008 17:49

Shanga is currently offline

Messages:3479
Registered:January 2000
Location: Danubia

The only benefit.. please don't laugh...try to be serious... it's that when it craps out an error doesn't freezes like XP does. It's basically easier to kill processes ran amok.

But of course for such luxury you have to put up with watching a Quad Core processor brought to its knees and made slower than a 8086 (SX).

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Captain

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188185]

Tue, 10 June 2008 18:15

Messages:1834
Registered:September 2004
Location: CH

say guys, what kind of modmaking info should we make sure is being stored somewhere on this part of the boards?

i'm currently trying to close some gaps of lacking information in case anybody takes an interest in modmaking.

i guess .JSD files would be good, but there's so little that i could contribute... so...

what else?

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Sergeant Major

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188194]

Tue, 10 June 2008 19:15

Shanga is currently offline

Messages:3479
Registered:January 2000
Location: Danubia

In this particular part, guides on how to use various editors. Vanilla and v1.13 related, I don't care.

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Captain

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188200]

Tue, 10 June 2008 19:43

Messages:1834
Registered:September 2004
Location: CH

yeah i meant the read only part

was just asking here because read only implies no discussions

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Sergeant Major

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #188205]

Tue, 10 June 2008 19:53

Shanga is currently offline

Messages:3479
Registered:January 2000
Location: Danubia

Ah... well, any salvageable post that look like good info to you. You're doing great so far.

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Captain

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #189994]

Wed, 02 July 2008 15:13

Will Gates is currently offline

Messages:1012
Registered:September 2006
Location: Far far away.

I find that the tools are cranky rather than buggy. They all work fine but just work differently to the programs we use elsewhere.

Sti-edit always prefers you to "save as" especially on larger files like loadscreens; I use the file name I'm working on and just add a number on the end. It's then simply a question of renaming the file manually once you are out of Sti-edit.

UB-editor only lets you delete equipment from a mercs slot in the detailed view of that slot(where you see quantity, trap level, attachments etc). Any attempt to delete equipment from a different view will cause ctd. To give a newly placed rpc/npc/civ a schedule click on the schedule of an existing person (even in another map) then right click on the peep in question whilst in merc view. Faction info sometimes also appears when you do this. To place a new sniper; ctrl c on an existing sniper in another map; open your map hover over the roof in question and ctrl v; then edit the equipment etc so he's not a clone anymore.

Never use anything other than JA2IE to alter the itemdesc because it automatically stops you going over the line length allowed in the lower description panel. Using one of the older editors it is possible to exceed the line length which wipes out all subsequent descriptions and can't be reversed!

When using JA2TSE be ultra thorough. Just one typo will cause it to fail. Print out a list of your changes and go through it line by line. As with all the above keep a backup of the last known working version; saves a lot of heartache.

But here is a question: if you give an enemy a gas mask and some other headgear like nvg's will he choose which one is appropriate for the situation or not? Sure I can test this myself but if anybody has a quick answer it'd be good.

[Updated on: Wed, 02 July 2008 15:31] by Moderator

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Sergeant Major

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #190105]

Fri, 04 July 2008 13:14

Will Gates is currently offline

Messages:1012
Registered:September 2006
Location: Far far away.

Amongst the things that can cause ctd's or the eternal stopwatch are "impossible tasks". A soldier with point patrol positions that now cannot be met because of your new buildings or landscape. A vehicle or tank not set to stationary (so it wants to move but can't). An RPC, NPC, EPC or Civ with orders to move to a grid number that's now off limits. However sfaik there are some exceptions: unreachable panic triggers will just be ignored instead; & maps with the "doesn't look so good there" everydamnwhere you click will set your guys down in a tight formation if you press "spread" instead of "group".

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Sergeant Major

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #283463]

Tue, 14 June 2011 21:22

Blue_Fox is currently offline

Messages:539
Registered:September 2006
Location: Netherlands

Can someone help me out with a manual or tutorial for making maps?

having som problems deleting/removing stuff.

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First Sergeant

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #283469]

Tue, 14 June 2011 21:51

cdudau

You should already have a guide with 1.13 or even Gold. Look around in your Directory.

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Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #283471]

Tue, 14 June 2011 22:04

Blue_Fox is currently offline

Messages:539
Registered:September 2006
Location: Netherlands

Ooh.. looked for it but cant find anything about map editor.
*Edit:
I ment a manual about making a map.

[Updated on: Tue, 14 June 2011 22:05] by Moderator

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First Sergeant

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #283474]

Tue, 14 June 2011 22:13

cdudau

Blue_Fox

Ooh.. looked for it but cant find anything about map editor.
*Edit:
I ment a manual about making a map.

Look in the DOCS folder.

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Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #283475]

Tue, 14 June 2011 22:17

Blue_Fox is currently offline

Messages:539
Registered:September 2006
Location: Netherlands

Damm me

Smile

Thanks.

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First Sergeant

Re: JA2 Tools and Editors Help and Manuals[message #290922]

Wed, 21 September 2011 14:04

Logician is currently offline

Messages:7
Registered:June 2009
Location: Europe

Hey all,

I've just started playing again after two years & I'm trying to get a feel for what's changed - in particular, which of the old tools & utilities still work in combination with the latest 1.13 build..?

It would be cool to have a basic index of some commonly used JA2 modding & customisation tools, ideally as part of the initial post here in this thread? I've browsed through some of the replies here, but some seem to be outdated & contain broken links here and there.

I understand some of the files & folder structures have changed over time - that would probably cause compatibility issues with some older modding tools. I'm a bit scared to use them now. ;-9

I'd love to finish work on an interface overhaul I had been designing back then, because it was almost complete when I quit..Unfortunately I'm still a bit confused which tools I need to be using for the entire process now. Furthermore, where the new interface graphics should be placed inside the new structure & whether any graphics or file formats have undergone changes (for tactical screens, background images, buttons, icons, laptop, menues and loading screens).

Respectfully submitted,
Elorian
(formerly 'Logician' if I recall correctly..couldn't retrieve my old account here *sobs* ;o))

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