Author Topic: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen  (Read 3497 times)

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Offline starbug

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How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
I am currently replaying and really enjoying Solaris TC love. And I am starting to do some FREDing for it. Solaris for its briefings uses LUA scripting to do its command briefings and mission briefings etc. Which i really struggle to do. So i decided to use the standard Command briefing editor and mission briefing editor in FRED. I noticed that Solaris doesn't have the scroll options on the Command briefings like Blue Planet does, as my messages are pretty long. As i am doing my story through Emails, News articles etc.

So i had a look at LUA scripting and i just can't get my head round it. My Brain really struggles to understand scripting like LUA(pretty much all coding) due to my dyslexia, its all blurs and becomes gibberish to me. So i thought about adding scroll buttons to the command briefings as the button graphics are already in the interface folder, but i have no idea on actually how to do it.

So is there a tutorial etc, something easy to understand on how to add this feature?
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnubisX1

if there is any consistancy with the Shivans, it's their lack of consistancy - -Norbert-

 

Offline 0rph3u5

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
It might be that Solaris lacks the correct mask file (tl;dr FS uses at least two files for each non-cockpit UI, one of them is contains the information where each button is).

To enable scrolling text in the Command Briefing you need the following files in data/interface:
2_CommandBriefb
2_CommandBrief-Mb
CommandBriefb
CommandBrief-Mb

there files should be either .pcx (old) or .png (new)

Data interface might already contain CommandBrief.[extension] and CommandBrief-M.[extension] (as well as their 2_ counterparts), these handle the Command Briefing Screen if it is already functional, but don't have irnformation for the scrolling buttons. You can simply copy and paste CommandBrief.[externsion] to make a CommandBriefb.[extension] (that file is just the background) - same for 2_CommandBriefb.
To get functional scrolling buttons you need to the get a CommandBrief-Mb (and 2_CommandBrief-Mb) from a mod that has them working in thier UI - as per usual the MediaVPs should provide.
"As you sought to steal a kingdom for yourself, so must you do again, a thousand times over. For a theft, a true theft, must be practiced to be earned." - The terms of Nyrissa's curse, Pathfinder: Kingmaker

==================

"I am Curiosity, and I've always wondered what would become of you, here at the end of the world." - The Guide/The Curious Other, Othercide

"When you work with water, you have to know and respect it. When you labour to subdue it, you have to understand that one day it may rise up and turn all your labours into nothing. For what is water, which seeks to make all things level, which has no taste or colour of its own, but a liquid form of Nothing?" - Graham Swift, Waterland

"...because they are not Dragons."

 

Offline starbug

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
Thank you so much Orph3u5 :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnubisX1

if there is any consistancy with the Shivans, it's their lack of consistancy - -Norbert-

 

Offline 0rph3u5

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  • Oceans rise. Empires fall.
Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
You're welcome .... if it worked that is (no thanks required if I was off base).
"As you sought to steal a kingdom for yourself, so must you do again, a thousand times over. For a theft, a true theft, must be practiced to be earned." - The terms of Nyrissa's curse, Pathfinder: Kingmaker

==================

"I am Curiosity, and I've always wondered what would become of you, here at the end of the world." - The Guide/The Curious Other, Othercide

"When you work with water, you have to know and respect it. When you labour to subdue it, you have to understand that one day it may rise up and turn all your labours into nothing. For what is water, which seeks to make all things level, which has no taste or colour of its own, but a liquid form of Nothing?" - Graham Swift, Waterland

"...because they are not Dragons."

 

Offline starbug

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
I will let you know, will try it out tonight when i get home from work
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnubisX1

if there is any consistancy with the Shivans, it's their lack of consistancy - -Norbert-

 

Offline starbug

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
Ok so i have got the interface screen with the scroll buttons Yay! but none of the actually buttons are working. I may have messed up something as i am tired so will look again tomorrow
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnubisX1

if there is any consistancy with the Shivans, it's their lack of consistancy - -Norbert-

 

Offline Goober5000

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
:bump:

I didn't see any follow-up to this, but I wanted to add that in addition to the background image files that 0rph3u5 mentioned, you also need the button image files.  The are the CBB_ and 2_CBB files in mv_root.vp.

  

Offline starbug

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
I sort of hit a bump with this in that I still can't get the buttons to work, ive all the button images etc and i am sure i have the right names, but i still can't get them to work. But in Solaris's folder there are multiple files with the name 2_CommandBriefb
2_CommandBrief-Mb
CommandBriefb
CommandBrief-Mb

So i redid them all with the extra button's, still no luck so in the end i chopped up the Command briefings to cover lots of screens. I just don't get what i was doing wrong, maybe i was just getting confused and missing files as there are of interface files in the mod.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnubisX1

if there is any consistancy with the Shivans, it's their lack of consistancy - -Norbert-

 

Offline Goober5000

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
If you have the CBB_ files, the CommandBriefb and CommandBrief-Mb files, and their 2_ equivalents, it should work.  Make sure to put all the files in the data/interface folder.

 

Offline starbug

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Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
See the issue i had was all that is in the Solaris Interface folder isthe 2_CommandB and 2_CommandM, no other  files like  CommandBriefb
CommandBrief-Mb are in the interface folder and the files seem to have a different naming convention so trying to find out if i had the correct files was trickiy. But everything has a 2_ in front of it. Could that be the issue?
http://www.youtube.com/user/AnubisX1

if there is any consistancy with the Shivans, it's their lack of consistancy - -Norbert-

 

Offline 0rph3u5

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  • Oceans rise. Empires fall.
Re: How to add Scroll buttons to Command briefing Screen
Interface like that originally (as in FS2 vanilla) came in 2 resolutions - 640x480 and 1024x768; everything with the prefix 2_ would be 1024x768 in vanilla, everything without 640x480.

I don't know if that would still apply to Solaris.
"As you sought to steal a kingdom for yourself, so must you do again, a thousand times over. For a theft, a true theft, must be practiced to be earned." - The terms of Nyrissa's curse, Pathfinder: Kingmaker

==================

"I am Curiosity, and I've always wondered what would become of you, here at the end of the world." - The Guide/The Curious Other, Othercide

"When you work with water, you have to know and respect it. When you labour to subdue it, you have to understand that one day it may rise up and turn all your labours into nothing. For what is water, which seeks to make all things level, which has no taste or colour of its own, but a liquid form of Nothing?" - Graham Swift, Waterland

"...because they are not Dragons."