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DevilEvil

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  1. DevilEvil's post in Help! Color palette was marked as the answer   
    That's wrong. You can use any color you want in RO, however, most used standard colors are the ones in the RO standard color palette. It's not a requirement.
  2. DevilEvil's post in Why this spr become this ? was marked as the answer   
    Uncheck Encode when using SPR Conview's BMP to SPR function. It should work.
     

    Common error that happens when Encode is checked (ON).
  3. DevilEvil's post in Akatsuki Suit was marked as the answer   
    I personally recommend GraphicsGale, but it's difficult at first. Again I'd recommend you checking PixelJoint's guides.
  4. DevilEvil's post in MODEL (mappers) was marked as the answer   
    Wiki article about this matter.
     
    I'm not experienced on it though. I can help you in 3D max modelling/mapping issues though, if you need help.
  5. DevilEvil's post in Opacity/Transparency was marked as the answer   
    There are two problems when you are new to TGA sprites:
     
    1. Understanding the TGA format (which requires general understanding of digital graphics).
     
    2. Knowing the process and common errors linked to RO TGA sprites creation.
     
    1- TGAs are 32 bits images. 8 bit images (which are the ones we usually use for sprites, in bitmap format) store the color in a color table or palette (something you already know due to your recent problem with a color mess up). However, TGA images, and all RGB (3 channels, red green blue) images actually, store the color information in the same image. So the pixel in these images stores the color value (it's not a pixel with a number that refers to an index of a color stored in a color table, in an external file called palette. The pixel itself stores the color).
     
    Three channel images have 24 bits (RGB), however, TGA images we use in RO are 32 bits images, which means we are using an extra channel. This channel is known as Alpha channel (32 bits = RGBA, red green blue alpha), and it stores the opacity information. So each pixel doesn't only store an RGB color, but also the opacity value (this is what let us apply different opacity values to all pixels, instead of all pixels sharing the same opacity value, which is what happens when we use 8 bits bmp images and modify the opacity via ActOR). We only use one single alpha channel per frame.
     
    2. We open our frame in Photoshop, go to the Channels tab (in the layers window), click on new channel, and this channel should be called Alpha 1 probably or something like that. In this channel, we don't draw the sprite, we just specify what is visible and what not. Pure white is 100% opaque, pure black is 0% opaque (transparent).
     
    So what we first do, is select the background in the RGB channel, then go to the alpha channel, and paint the selection with black, and by inverting the selection, we will get the shape of our sprite. We shall paint it with white or grey, depending on the opacity we want to apply. In the example you put, it would be grey.
     
    When we finish, we have to twirl it vertically (not with the rotation tool, we have to select it and apply a vertical twirl). Then save it as a TGA image. Open your sprite in ActOR (if you don't have one yet, open any sprite that is similar to your is size and frame number, as well as in function obviously). Select the frame in the bottom menu and click on replace frame. Load your TGA image. Do this for all frames, delete frames that aren't needed. All the frames must be TGA.
     
    Once you finished, save your sprite. If you are in ActOR 1, open it with ActOR2. In ActOR 2, run the script 8 to 32 bits. It will change the SprType value in all your actor frames, so it won't give an error ingame when you use the sprite.
     
    It should work with this. Feel free to ask if there is a problem.
  6. DevilEvil's post in Custom Texture problem in GRF was marked as the answer   
    While you create the map in BrowEdit, the map reads the file's directory using '/' instead of '\'. If you notice, official maps reads the textures' directory with the proper sign, while in BrowEdit is the different sign. That is no problem if you add it to the data folder, but if you pack them in a GRF, you will have to change it (modifying the map file in Notepadd++, for example).
     
    Regards,
    DE
  7. DevilEvil's post in Model And 3ds max was marked as the answer   
    Max is a 3D modelling software, you can't use it to draw textures. What you can do in max is configuring the UV maps and then render to texture to get general texture information. For example, you can set an Ambient Occlusion to the material and do a 'render to texture'. This way you won't start with an empty map. An example of one of my works (it shows the way I developed the texture maps):

     
    If you notice the first map (which is the one making everything way easier to do) has been done in Max. Once you get the UV Map (in this case I obviously needed to use another program, like UV Layout), you can just add an ambient occlusion render to your map and you will get a lot of info regarding shadows (and areas that are supposed to be black). It's way easier than to start from scratch with only some UV lines telling you where to draw.
  8. DevilEvil's post in Spriting problem please help. was marked as the answer   
    I can't check the files since I'm not on my PC, but probably the problem is related to the image format. A basic thing in RO spriting (even more important that pixeling skill itself) is understanding the bmp format. All RO sprites (except for TGA sprites, which aren't going to be considered in this post) are made up of a collection of 8-bits bmp images, with a single shared palette file.
     
    This means that if you aren't experienced enough, if you don't start with a 8-bit bmp you will most likely get errors. Each one of those images probably have it's own palette (not a shared one), so when you create the sprite, all the images except the first one will look weird, because all the images will use the palette file located in the first bmp image.
     
    Besides, the BG color is not transparent. If you keep track of your palette pixeling your sprite in a 8 bit bmp (working with a Pixel Art friendly software is the best way to use your palette properly) you will easily apply the background color (transparent color) by getting the first color in your palette and draw the background with it. Other way to get a transparent color without using the first color in the palette (though I dislike it) is drawing the BG with magenta (#FF00FF). It's better to use the first color since you can choose any color you like (makes pixeling easier and better, since you can choose a neutral non-saturated color instead of magenta).
     
    To fix the error: In Photoshop: Convert all your images to RGB (Image-Mode-RGB), then index (selective) the first image, get the color palette (Image-Mode-Color Table-Save (as Microsoft Palette)), index the rest of the images (click custom index, instead of selective), load the palette you've recently saved, save the image as bmp (8 bit). Create the sprite again using the new images.
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