New Flags and "replacing the defaults"

[Zyxpsilon]

I was able to package a few "Long-War" assets (pulled for my ReCLR project.. Button-like Icons for the Strategy screens & Oval shapes for the Armors) as a test phase attempt at compiling that qUIck_FLG Mod and its required UPK library, two types of images (UI & Character, incl. proper LOD) and correctly edited Archetypes for them.

 

Everything shows up nicely in both the Barracks list & on the Armors. Except for the USA, only!

 

I've checked all configuration and settings, files integrity, typos... and, i still can't find any rational reason why that specific country wouldn't get its new images.

 

Any ideas?

[Zyxpsilon]

Soooooo, to illustrate -- THAT's the problem!

 

http://s8.postimg.org/ub9mxfdc5/USA_Flaw.png

 

Smooth alignment for everything BUT the wacky stubborn USA default flag.

 

So far, i've tried 1) Renaming each files, 2) Adapting the TC_Flags material parameter, 3) Delete old versions & recreate new.

 

No luck -- i'm stuck. :(

[Zyxpsilon]

Finally... SOLVED !!

 

http://s8.postimg.org/yh878ygth/USA_Flaw_SOLVED.png

 

It took me the better part of the afternoon & early evening but i managed to accidentally determine what really went wrong. So i'd like to share that weird event just in case anyone ever comes across a similar issue.

 

Your XComGameBoard.ini file **MUST** have a line (i had just inserted a rem comment) before your first instructions call-block (as it happens.. USA);

; qUIF1 (Basic 36 defaults)
[Country_USA X2CountryTemplate]
FlagArchetype=qUIF1_UILibrary_Common.FA1_000-UnitedStates
FlagImage=img:///qUIF1_UILibrary_Common.CountryFlags.FB1_000-UnitedStates
Races=(iCaucasian=10, iAfrican=3, iHispanic=2, iAsian=1)
Language=english
UnitWeight=25

You might not detect such a very slight visual change.. but it's more obvious with USA stars corner. That button style picture can be "resized" far better by the ingame filter function simply because the source image (with 16 pixels wide Alpha on both sides) is 96 x 64 instead of 128 x 64. Doesn't take much but that trick also does marvels with central glyphs like the Mexico_Eagle or Spain_Herald, etc.

 

Strange isn't it? Smaller image == somehow improved perception of resolution & details. Magic.

 

PS; Next, onto trying to change the now-obsolete "surrounding blackbox layer(s)" into a transparency trick and i'll be ready to add some extra packages of 24/per Libraries... to raise the total of available countries to (planned) around 145+.

 

:D

Edited March 25, 2016 by Zyxpsilon

[Bret1]

Thouse look realy good :)

Thanks for dooing this kind of mods, they make the game so much more enjoiable :)

[Zyxpsilon]

Might have a release candidate sometimes late next week.

 

I will be packaging them in modular groups.. where about 35 should be in each packs.

These would mostly be based on "Population" values.

Soooo, FLG (is the basic 36 defaults) while F2 + F3 + F4 + F5 should offer five countries per continental "regions" (NA+SA+EU+AF+AS+OC respectively)... thus, indirectly F2 has the highest POP numbers until many tiny nations might end up into F5.

 

Anyhow, it's a LOT of fine-tuning INI settings to develop and a bunch of subtle code tricks to render the "troopers" with proper races, languages and names. Extensive amounts of strings to build.

 

Stay tuned... once i have a more complete amount of assets, i'll probably start a new thread titled "Project -- qUIck_FLG" with details and various ingame snapshots.

 

:D