BTW , paul i almost finishing giving your first prog a windows interface ( finish in 1 week past exams )
Do you interrested to see them and told me what 's good and what's not ?

i do appreciate this effort of mine will contribute to the community so i want you, the original coder , to give a first look at them.

I already started dropping some sketches for the WYSIWYG level editor based on your new stuffs ...

..... that's so exciting

Btw, the funniest part is that we're speaking each other in this forum despite we're... so close : less than 50 kms

Au cas où tu ne l'aurait pas remarqué, il y a 2 fautes de frappe dans ta signature, juste dans les 2 premiers mots (désolé )

quote:

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Originally posted by Paul Siramy:
You're planing to make a .txt readable by excel don't you? No problem. It just recquire me to work on the output format. Let's say the dt1info.exe will output its info either in its current form, or à la d2'txt, it will be an option on the command line that will make the choice.

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A command line option would be great, no need for everybody to get this output unless they want it.

I am going after the files with Access, not Excel. I'll be able to handle variable data better in there. Once I build tables and link data, I'll format queries which I can output to D2Excel-style txt files, not unlike my COF and DCC tables. I'll still need the field header information though.

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“It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.” -- Sherlock Holmes

BTW, i 've merged the extraction-creation and viewing of the dt1 in a single prog., and will throw the ds1 editing stuff in a other.

Suggestions ??

PS : oui ca fait un peu bizarre de se parler par message interposer sur un forum americain alors que 15mn de voiture et hop ca serait fini ...
PPS : je sais j'ai vu ça je corrigerai.

Bye

The dt1info.exe now output 2 txt, in a excel format, as the one used in d2. 1 txt for the blocks, 1 txt for the sub-blocks. The primary key of dt1info-b.txt is "block_num", and in dt1info-sb.txt it is "block_num + sub_block_num". I think it's all good for Acces. If you have questions, just ask.

The dt1extr.exe (or was it the dt1make.exe ?) used to crash at the end, despite the files were created. Corrected. It was when I tried to free the memory that the problem occured.

Dt1debug.exe (the dt1 viewer) now split the old "flags" data into "y_delta", "tile sound" and "animated" data.

@Joel : no particulary suggestion. Making the extractor and maker of the dt1 in a single prog is natural. I was just too lazy to do this Of course, since you provide the world with a window viewer, this update look useless now

Now, for the ds1 editing, I took a pen and some papers, and even after 2 hours of thinking I still don't know what will be the easiest thing for the end-user. But here's some thing that, imo, a good ds1 editor need to implement :

* individual layer drawing toggled (on/off for floor, on/transparent/off for walls)

* it must take the infos of the dt1 to used in the map from the lvltypes.txt and the lvlprest.txt, the first for the list of the dt1 to used, the second for the dt1mask the map used by default (just like my ds1 viewer do). There is still this problem : what is the link between this 2 files ? It's a shame my viewer can't just guess the dt1 to used just by knowing which ds1 is choosen.

* the user might configure its view of the layers. Let's say a ful lscreen, 1 layer at a time (like islveo's one), several layers at a time, or a full-wisywig editor, or mix of all that.

* must use the mouse ( ) and the keyboard, for shortcuts. Like, say, by just pressing a key, the current wall change to the next wall available with the current direction

* can choose a floor from a general window : all the floor are on the screen and the user just see and click. Same for walls.

that's just the most important things I tought of, and I know it's very difficult to implement all of this. Just the wysivyg preview : the mouse move on the screen, and I was thinking of a "tile cursor" that is drawed. And some grid toggle too. Oh, and it must read the dt1 directly from the mpq, of course, not like my current ds1 viewer do

See ? I'm dreaming. I know I can do each part of what I have said, but each ones are time-consuming to make, and I don't talk of all this part put together.

Last bad news : If all go like I want, the next week I start a training for 3 months, so I'll have a lot less time for the ds1 editor I was planing to make (but less don't means none )

EDIT >>> I forgot : my ds1 editor of dreams... it must allow a tile (or multiple tiles, or a complete layer) to swith between layers. Ex : on a precedent post, I show a wall with shadow of the tree on it. The user might select the tile, and swith the stonewall and tree layer infos (it's to avoid him to go again in the dt1 selection in each 2 layers, sinc a simple switch is easier).

Since there are random variations in the dt1, I was thinkg of showing it by many options :
* all the same (the first dt1 the prog find)
* a radom disptach of the tiles, between the available ones (I wonder if the "frame" data is not a sort of "rarity" in this case, btw ?)
* a color coding : floor of variation 1 i nred, variation 2 in green, etc...

Ok, have to stop to dream

1) toggles are nice lay 1~X on and off using the F1 ~ FX keys

2) Useage of 3 major planes
A) Floor
B) Buildings
C) Props (torches,chests etc)

if you got this , you got me hooked

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Come stay a night at my Dragon's Inn

Tiles seleted must be moveable just by a click (or at least a copy/paste).

screenshots must be possible, even for the whole map, while we can only see a part of it.

I was thinking of some options to create a new levels from scratch, but with some parameters such as "floors to use" (wit rarity selectable for each of them), and some kind of basic first-step : let's say you build a layer like in the islveo's "corners" one, and when you have finish this first try, you go in a more detailed editing, but the prog filter the tiles you can use for each cell, as set in the "corner layer".

I think a .txt with a ds1 on each line, and with theses datas in the rows will be usefull :
* ds1_path_and_name
* lvltype_id
* dt1mask
* act_palette

With all that, no need for the user to enter some data by hand, at least for my ds1 viewer : just the name of the ds1 will be enough. I'll do it tomorow.

EDIT >>> oh yeah, Joel, something important. If you plan to credits me somewhere in your prog, I think then it should be nice to thanks Clanad for his dt1 viewer and doc, and Islveo too. Withouts their docs, I shouldn't have done it (I should have give up in fact). Giving back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar...

If you are looking at zoom, how about pan? That way you won't have to have the whole image in one window...if something is off the edge just scroll over.

i also think of a "symbolic" view where tiles are just colored symobl on a 2d map. a button will build a "over-view" (get it ?) of the whole scene

BTW you're update of dt1 tools are not useless, they keep me up to date with your modif.

PS if i could beg something, could you send me a bunch of raw algorithm you've written for the info and extractor. Nowadays i'm just cut/paste your code into my c++ classes and make adjustement. Maybe if i get some principles steps, it could be faster.

PPS : get it for the credits !!

PPPS : starting betat test in 12 days, anyone interested , mail me.

---> yep, I'm sure it will be usefull. It's important to be able to just work on the "skeleton" of the ds1 sometimes.

if i could beg something, could you send me a bunch of raw algorithm you've written for the info and extractor. Nowadays i'm just cut/paste your code into my c++ classes and make adjustement. Maybe if i get some principles steps, it could be faster.

---> I just have some notes here and there on paper. I don't really see what your problem is. Look at the dt1info.c it's very, very simple. I mean, just 7 pages in notepad (and the source have comments). I will be happy to provide you help, that's just I want to know what you need exactly. Is it "just" for the understanting of the dt1 format as I suspected ? Or a particular function that you don't understand how it works ? Ok the dt1extr.c is a lot more complex. Just tell me what you need more precisely, and I'l make it. Quote from a "true programmer" : "code is obvious" ...

just wanna have some dt1 ans ds1 file format info. it will be nice

Whats do you use lvlprest for anyways
sure it has all the names, but here's my thinking if you don't mind some critism.

levels.txt -> they already have X by Y in Ds1
and it's non-changible last time i fiddle

lvlprest.txt -> usless

lvlsub.txt -> can't see it

lvltypes.txt -> don't need it cause in the ds1 they show the same tile location in file

Thats only the way i see it
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Come stay a night at my Dragon's Inn

Remember to have your Deeds recorded on the Imperial Scrolls of Honor.

quote:

---

Originally posted by MPHG:
lvltypes.txt -> don't need it cause in the ds1 they show the same tile location in file

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Sorry, wrong. They are sometimes different. And islveo said the game don't use the list in the ds1 but in the .txt if I remember correctly.

I use the lvltypes for having the list of the dt1 to use AND THE PRIORITY of them. I tried with tristram. In order to not have a tree in the middle of a burnt house, I need to check the tile to draw (in the dt1 list) from left to right (in the .txt)

I use the lvlprest.txt to have the dt1mask to applied to this dt1 : that will tell which dt1 to keep, and which one to forget. There are conflict with some duriel floor. If you keep all the dt1 there is in the list, floors won't be right. If you applyed the dt1mask, and then filter this list, there are ok.

In the levels.txt I think that in fact you need to change the x to y according to the ones you have in the ds1. If you change a map and then make it bigger, you'll have to change accordingly the x and y size in the .txt (just a guess tought).

lvlsub.txt these are very tiny part of a parent ds1.
lvlsub.txt's Type = levels.txt's SubType
levels.txt's SubTheme is when the subtype is the same, look in lvlsub.txt and count the lines. Imagine an invisible sub-type in lvlsub.txt. I'm not sure how it works, all in all, but this is a start (I didn't check the resources in the phrozen keep, so maybe the answer is in there ?)

As for the dt1mask in the ds1, good idea, I'll check. And as long as the critisms are constructive, I always accept them (even if it's sometimes hard, which is not the case here)

[This message has been edited by Paul Siramy (edited 11 April 2002).]

ds1test is a zip of 210 kB. I need some beta test from you, since my box is only a P166 MMX (hey, it's true ! I'm playing at d2 for more than 18 months with it...).

So, tell me :
* does the mouse work ?
* does the keyboard work ?
* does the scrolling of the keyb / mouse too slow / quick / quick to hell ?

This not an editor. This is just a test of a user interface, for my future wysiwyg ds1 editor. There is just a map of 100*100 cells, and with only floor, no walls (and just 4 differents floors).

I tried to make the selection of the tile the more pixel-corect I could. I'm proud of the result.

1) scrolling speed up down left right : abit slower

2) Mouse speed = Perfect

3) on upper edge (0,0) make mouse lock can not move furthur up like -1,-1
then do same at highest (255,255 or what ever the size is )

keyboard is great and mouse is great
I like it, other then my little comments.

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Come stay a night at my Dragon's Inn

2) Mouse speed = Perfect
---> fine fine That was one thing I was afraid of.

3) on upper edge (0,0) make mouse lock can not move furthur up like -1,-1
then do same at highest (255,255 or what ever the size is )
---> that's because It's a test, and I wanted to show you can go everywhere. But of course in the editor I'll check the higher/lower cliffs. of the walls, then do the adjustments.

keyboard is great and mouse is great
I like it, other then my little comments.
---> damn, so perfect ?

Well, have you any ideas of how to make the user choose a tile ? Let's say you open a ds1 an you go right to this screen you see. His mouse is on a tile, then he want to change it, what should he do ? right-click, double click, a key... then what happen : the wall change to the next, a window appear or what ?

I'm working on the interface for more time than this prog, and I still don't see clearly how it should be made (that's slowing me a bit).

[ or { = Previous Floor tile
] or } = Next Floor tile
< or , = Previous <insert> Tile
> or . = next <insert> tile

in caves the cliff upwards = +(numpad)
downwards -(numpad)
unless those are your zoom keys
(i like them better as zoom)

Single Click to select (with auto deselect if another tile is clicked)
right click to deselect

it's all good

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Come stay a night at my Dragon's Inn

Nice also the posts about the ds1 and dt1 formats, they help me to improve some of your routine.

if it'snot too much, could you explain me your 3d cursor trick ( cos i can't get mine working properly )

bye

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Diablo II : Cabal Wars

-- Enter the ANATOLIA MUD'S MOD ---

It will or won't be enough, but that's all I give (for now. When my ds1 editor will be more developed, I'll give the source, but not until it is finished ).

EDIT >>> oh well, I changed my mind. Here's the sample of code I use :

code:

---

void mouse_to_tile(int * layer_x, int * layer_y)
{
   int ax, ay, bx, by, cx, cy, rx, ry, dx, dy;
   // tile under mouse
   ax = preview.x0 + mouse_x;
   ay = preview.y0 + mouse_y;
   
   if (ax < 0)
      ax -= 160;
   if (ay < 0)
      ay -= 80;
      
   bx = ax / 160;
   by = ay / 80;
   cx = bx  + by;
   cy = -bx + by;
   // fine adjustements
   rx = ax % 160;
   ry = ay % 80;
   if (ax < 0) rx = 160 + rx;
   if (ay < 0) ry = 80 + ry;
   if (ry >= -rx / 2 + 120)         cx++;
   else if (ry < -rx / 2 + 40)      cx--;
   else if (80-ry >= -rx / 2 + 120) cy--;
   else if (80-ry < -rx / 2 + 40)   cy++;
   * layer_x = cx;
   * layer_y = cy;
}

---

Be happy

It's ALWAYS easy when you have the answer under your eyes isn't it ? Now, forget this code and try to remake it, SO much harder

In harogath there was a problem near the gate. It is still here, but now I know this is not my fault. I draw some debug info on the tiles, and strangely the 2 floors which have problems appear in the game without these infos. This means they are not floor tiles of path.dt1, but of somewhere else. I suppose they are objects... If it's not that, I'm confused. Theses 2 tiles DO have floor's infos, but according to my knowledge of decoding the main-index / etc ... I'm right... (I hope).

Speaking of Harogat, the strange blue floors that you see here and there with my scene maker, there are in the expansion\town\collision.dt1, which have 43 strange floors. It seems this was some sort of debug info while the artists at Blizzard made the maps... But I don't knnow what is its purpose. Also, a tile with an orientation of 10 seems to be a "special" tile, like the "Town Portal" (this was for Joel).

I didn't uploaded the new scene maker. Just for that, it didn't need. Need a more major enhancement before.

In any way, I'll work on concepts (on paper) during the weeks, and try to work back with my comp in the week end. I won't be able to read/answer any post during the week.

quote:

---

Originally posted by Paul Siramy:
I need some beta test from you, since my box is only a P166 MMX (hey, it's true ! I'm playing at d2 for more than 18 months with it...).

So, tell me :
* does the mouse work ?
* does the keyboard work ?
* does the scrolling of the keyb / mouse too slow / quick / quick to hell ?

---

I tested your ds1test program.

I think...

Mouse work? Yes
Keyboard work? Yes
Keyboard scrolling? It's perfect
Mouse scrolling? It's slow.
Select/deselect tile? It's work perfectly.

could you explain me how it's dealed in your tools ???

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Diablo II : Cabal Wars

-- Enter the ANATOLIA MUD'S MOD ---