Exult Forum

Lately I have been playing around with making some new chunks for the map I have been working on. Tonight I decided try importing some terrain tiles from Serpent Isle and have found that they seem to work differently than other shapes in the shapes file.

The first thing I noticed is that there does not seem to be an "export/import all frames" option. Is using the expack tool the only efficient way to export and import these. I've been trying to get that tool to work, but am not too savvy with things that don't have a GUI and only run from a command line. I have also had no luck with getting the gimp plugin to work with windows 7 (though I seem to remember using it five or so years ago on windows xp).

Another weird thing with the tiles I imported is that when I place them in a chunk using the "terrain edit" function it seems to treat them more like regular shapes when terrain tiles - I turn off map editing and it says "too heavy" if I try to move them; and they seem to be raised off the surface one or so pixel. I've set all the settings for them the same (as far as I can tell) as other floor sort of tiles....

What am I missing here?
thanks, matthew

"Flat" shapes are currently hard-coded to be those shapes < 0x96; they are treated slightly differently in many respects.

Is there a way to script changing the chunk used in a given spot? I'd like to drain some water but it doesn't look like this is possible.

Also, how do I import only frames to add to existing shapes when modding?

m-johnston:
Gimp 2 needs the Gimp2 plugin from our download page (I might need to hide the 1.x plugin) and that should offer the correct install path when you doubleclick the download (Gimp20Plugin.exe).
Then you need to restart Gimp and it should just work. Tested this right now on a Windows 7 64bit.
BUT as I just found out, the self-extracting installer is a 64bit exe, thus will only run on a 64bit Windows. If you are on a 32bit Windows use winrar to extract the files and copy them manually (and then it works). Sorry about that. I'll talk to Kirben to fix that.
Edit: And I think the Gimp plugin does not support those flat shapes for some reason. But I'd need to verify, I think I stumbled over this some time ago.

@KnightCaptain: Chunks are used multiple times over the map. If you want to change a specific spot, duplicate the chunk and then edit the *clone* via Terrain editing. Otherwise *all* instances the chunk is used are changed as well. So no scripting possible.
If you have problems with editing a chunk, do it via hex editing

To import frames, right click on a shape you want to add to and choose "import frame".
But as Marzo wrote, the first 150 (#0-#149) shapes are treated special and not everything might work as usually with shapes.
(And another issue is that while you can create patched vga files that only have the added shapes (via an expack command) you cannot do that for frames. But don't mind that yet, it will only lead to confusion )

ipack can't do it? iSad.

ipack might be ideal to pack the flats *but* it also can't do frames only. This would be a much bigger problem since the vga files are archives with an index, so you can have empty "slots". While the shp files are actually files that aren't supposed to be frames only. I'm sure it could be solved but not as simply.

Kirben fixed the Gimp 2 plugin installer