Modding rundown: Portraits

[Noelemahc]

The portraits in XML2 are actually of two types: the common garden variety hud_head used for dialogue, located in HUD, 64x-sized in DXT3, and the character selection picture, which is square, 64x-sized, stored in DXT3 and placed in UI/MODELS/CHARACTERS.

Now, both raise multitudes of questions, as the first include random characters that don't appear in the game per se (including, but not limited to, Polaris, Quicksilver, Dazzler, various enemies that don't ever TALK to the character, like The Sersi, The Brood, the various mutant mixes, etc.) and the second has lots of odd placeholders (including, but not limited to, Magik, Shadowcat, Beast, The Blob, Moira MacTaggart, Banshee, Mr Fantastic, Thing and Mystique -- most of them styled in the SAME vein as the ones that are used as the playabled). Wowie.

Most of the second batch remains in the same folder in MUA, but is not really used. Judging from other placeholders found in MUA's files, it would appear that at some point in development, it had the same drop-down selection screen like the XMLs did, with the backdrop and the four platforms on which the characters would appear.

[darkmythology]

Pretty much any character with a skin had a coresponding HUD head. The others had a lot of characters that were rumored to be in the game at some point in development (blob, mystique, banshee, magik, etc.) but which never quite made it. I figure they're pretty much just leftovers, kinda like the "magik" skeleton that was incomplete in the actors file...

[Teancum]

Looks like there's another portrait set for MP Danger Room.  The icons are set up by number, so I'm thinking it's all one image like power icons.

[BliZZ]

I know: I've been looking into it/substituting X-Men/BHood/Boss char heads over some of the lamer minions. Give me some time, and I'll preview it.

[Teancum]

Do we know the name of the igb?  We could always try and maked the file bigger (like 512x512 or *gasp* 1024x1024) to fit more folks in.

[nodoubt_jr]

so were is the igb that has the dangeroom portraits? i want to replace some characters with new faces

[Teancum]

/textures/UI/mini_convo_icons.igb if I remember right.

On a side note, if anyone makes a new portrait, be sure to open the new igb in a hex editor.  Then search for the string:

.png

It will find one instance of it, and there will be four digits in front of it.  Replace those digits one at a time with something unique.  For instance, I did work on Havok's portrait and changed 2901.png to havk.png.  Now let me explain why that's necessary.

When the game loads any texture it doesn't care where the texture came from.  So with the Psylocke mod the Professor's portrait was used.  So the game loads Professor X's real portrait, 1110.igb.  There it finds 1110.png and loads that into memory.  When it get's to Psylocke's portrait 15401.igb it looks for the texture.  Lo and behold, it finds 1110.png.  So what does it do?  It loads that into memory right over the old one.  That's why Psylocke's picture would show up on Prof X.  Renaming the internal name fixes that.  When you name it something unique it won't overwrite another one.

[nodoubt_jr]

thanks.

edit:
this is how it looks


i thought there would be more room

[Teancum]

There's actually quite a fe smaller minions that aren't used.  Pull some of the generic baddies.  That's what I'd do anyways.

[nodoubt_jr]

yeah i'll replace some of the characters i dont care about.  i was trying to see if there was a similar file in XML1 so that i can use some of those portraits, but i cant find one.

[nodoubt_jr]

i replaced that one with a new simple one


and it ended up making the thing look like this

so i'll just leave it alone, it messed it up

[BliZZ]

You need an alpha layer.

[nodoubt_jr]

lol, i dont know what that means

[Norrin Radd]

RE: i dont know what that means

see the post at the top of this page
http://marvelmods.com/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=41&topic=320.msg10133

[Teancum]

An alpha layer is what makes parts of the picture transparent.  A more-complicated-than-it-needs-to-be explanation can be found below

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_channel

Alpha channels are a black and white channel that allows for transparency.  Black sections make that part of the picture invisible, white totally visible, and greys inbetween.  Only decent photo editors can edit alpha channels.  A good free one is GIMP.  Google it for a download link.