[wistler]

Hi everyone. I have a problem with using the nebula pattern in background editor on the FRED2 and FRED_open.
Whenever i chose a nebula (confined to 01, 02, 03 atm) I get a giant error message. I've had this for years constantly through uninstall and reinstall.

Does anyone know if this has been addressed before and fixed? Or can it be fixed by downloading new nebula patterns?

[karajorma]

Which error?

[wistler]

"" Error: Can't open palette file <gamepalette1-04>
File:J:\src\cvs\fs2_open_3_6_9.final\code\Palman\PalMan.cpp
Line: 360
[This filename points to the location of a file on the computer that built this executable]

Call stack:
------------------------------------------------------------------
    fred2_open_3_6_9-fredhtl.exe 0064ef31()
    fred2_open_3_6_9-fredhtl.exe 00651217()
    fred2_open_3_6_9-fredhtl.exe 00650c56()
    fred2_open_3_6_9-fredhtl.exe 00650c08()
    fred2_open_3_6_9-fredhtl.exe 0064fbc7()
    fred2_open_3_6_9-fredhtl.exe 0064fde2()
    USER32.dll 7e418724()
    USER32.dll 7e418806()
    USER32.dll 7e41b4b0()
    USER32.dll 7e41b4fc()
    ntdll.dll 7c90eae3()
    USER32.dll 7e43b6ac()
    USER32.dll 7e4482b2()
    USER32.dll 7e43b670()
    USER32.dll 7e43b486()
------------------------------------------------------------------ ""

I don't know if its simply looking in the wrong spot or what.

[karajorma]

That's a new one on me.

[BlueFlames]

Are you using background bitmaps (top-left section of the Background Editor) or background patterns (bottom-left section of the Background Editor)?  If it's the latter, that means of rendering the background was disabled during the development of FreeSpace 2.  If patterns are what you're trying, turn them off, give bitmaps a try, and see if it keeps crashing.

[wistler]

Are you using background bitmaps (top-left section of the Background Editor) or background patterns (bottom-left section of the Background Editor)?  If it's the latter, that means of rendering the background was disabled during the development of FreeSpace 2.  If patterns are what you're trying, turn them off, give bitmaps a try, and see if it keeps crashing.

Thanks BlueFlames, it does seem to be just the patterns. I never knew they were disabled. Is there a way i can create the long 360 degree nebula's, like the ones in game rather then the blob like bitmaps. My backgrounds just look plain if i use bitmaps on there own. Also, is there a link to where i can download new nebula's that people have created?

[Stormkeeper]

There's lightspeed's nebula pack. And the backgrounds used in games are generally multiple nebulas positioned and matched. Using notepad makes it easier.

Open your mission in notepad, and search for the "#Background bitmaps"

Then replace it with this:

Code: [Select]

#Background bitmaps ;! 14 total

$Num stars: 2000
$Ambient light level: 7895160

;;FSO 3.6.9;; $Bitmap List:
$Sun: SunWhite
+Angles: 2.370000 0.890000 4.300000
+Scale: 0.500000
$Starbitmap: neb09
+Angles: 4.990000 6.130000 4.560000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb11
+Angles: 0.530000 1.030000 1.750000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb07
+Angles: 1.250000 1.220000 2.010000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: neb17
+Angles: 1.810000 6.100000 0.180000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb09
+Angles: 1.650000 5.190000 2.980000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb15
+Angles: 6.030000 2.520000 4.730000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: neb16
+Angles: 5.650000 2.200000 5.540000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb05
+Angles: 2.550000 5.840000 3.080000
+ScaleX: 5.000000
+ScaleY: 5.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb17
+Angles: 4.240000 1.700000 6.230000
+ScaleX: 5.000000
+ScaleY: 5.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: neb07
+Angles: 1.250000 0.840000 5.010000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: neb15
+Angles: 3.400000 1.660000 0.430000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb11
+Angles: 3.480000 3.130000 2.480000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: neb18
+Angles: 0.950000 4.810000 1.320000
+ScaleX: 5.000000
+ScaleY: 5.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1
$Starbitmap: dneb07
+Angles: 2.720000 4.480000 3.240000
+ScaleX: 4.000000
+ScaleY: 4.000000
+DivX: 1
+DivY: 1

Which should give you a blue/red nebula, iirc. Its up to you to mix and match to make new backgrounds, really. You can use notepad to open missions and copy their backgrounds if you're too lazy to do one yourself.

[wistler]

Thanks StormKeeper thats exactly what i was looking for. It never occurred to me for some reason that the backgrounds might be built out of overlapping style bitmaps, i always assumed they came as one larger image. Shall set about creating them in a similar style from now on.

[terran_emperor]

one cool result from this is that if you overlap a nebula background and a sun, you can create a flaring sun

[Stormkeeper]

one cool result from this is that if you overlap a nebula background and a sun, you can create a flaring sun

Really ? Was it accidental or purposefully done ?

I've heard there are background generators, but I don't really know where to get them.

[terran_emperor]

Well, ive no idea if it was included deliberatly by the designers.

For me it was serendipity

I discovered it by accident when FREDing a mission.

I had a nebula at 0,0,0 with scale factors 1,1.
I then placed a sun at same co-ordinates, same scale factor. for tracking perposes
-My intent was to move and resize the sun once it was placed in the back ground. I placed it at 0,0,0 so i could track it.

I was surpised to find that the resulting effect was very interesting. A star with a gas/dust cloud around it.
So i experimented a bit.

Making the background nebula smaller made the stun look like it was experiencing solar flares and definatly look moor alive than the basic sun images. Making the nebula bigger made the sun look more like how i think a proto-star would look.

Edit:

Stretching a nebula between two Stars gives an energy stream effect - where one star ie a white dwarf pulls matter from its companion

[Stormkeeper]

So in conclusion, experiment experiment experiment to create the best backgrounds that you like.

[wistler]

not to further establish myself as a complete noob but I've downloaded a nebula pack but haven't the foggiest where to place the .pgx and the .tga files so they'll appear in FRED2, if they do. Does anyone know the best place to put them?

[Stormkeeper]

Actually, if you used Turey's installer, it would've come with the Lightspeed Nebula pack.

[Jeff Vader]

I've downloaded a nebula pack but haven't the foggiest where to place the .pgx and the .tga files

Download the other (smaller) LS Nebulae pack from FreeSpaceMods.net. Those are packed into a vp so you can just throw the damn things to \freespace2\mediavps.