[Lightspeed]

LS, if you can get me exact rules on what to change (like what set of names to what new set) i could write a QB program for it, so it'll go through each camp file and throw in a new composition of your choice. i'd have to know pretty presise where the exact text is.

A converter would rock (not for the campaign files as i'll do them by copy&paste with notepad, but for other finished MODs). Basically, what it would have to do is randomly copying a background info from a 'background library' with different pre-set good looking compositions and then paste it to the background of the mission.

Originally posted by CP5670
Notepad allows you to change the bitmap filenames quickly but would there be any actual repositioning required? That would be a bit difficult to do in notepad.

No, my idea was somewhat different.

I have like 30 nice backgrounds done, and i'll just have to copy & paste the background section to those of the campaign missions, depending on the system they take place in.

And yeah, there will be blue nebulae

[kasperl]

Originally posted by Lightspeed


A converter would rock (not for the campaign files as i'll do them by copy&paste with notepad, but for other finished MODs). Basically, what it would have to do is randomly copying a background info from a 'background library' with different pre-set good looking compositions and then paste it to the background of the mission.

so, you'd have a block of text (multiple lines i'm afraid?), to replace with another random block of text? shouldn;t be to hard. one question though, are there any comma's in it? i never found a way to have basic NOT threat a comma like a enter.

[phreak]

Originally posted by diamondgeezer
Although Phreak's effort also rules, in a somewhat different way...

Probably since i did it in paint

[Raptor]

Say Lighty, my copy of FRED refused to open the test mission you provided in your link...

V3.5.5, if that helps...

[Lightspeed]

I'm clueless. Try a debug build and check what it says.

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Lightspeed
I have like 30 nice backgrounds done, and i'll just have to copy & paste the background section to those of the campaign missions, depending on the system they take place in.

And yeah, there will be blue nebulae

Oops, wrong one.

[Taristin]

...so where are they?

[Lightspeed]

Yet to do by you lot. Read the post...

You do ~30 nice background settings (you know... the drop down thingy in FRED), and then all I'll have to do is copy & paste them to the missions appropriately. Plus, they'll be picks for the converter.

You'll be happy to hear I've polished off all the base images for Set 2, I should be able to release pretty soon

[Setekh]

Oh, right. Sorry, my bad. Got a little too excited...

[Lightspeed]

Release:







You will find an up-to-date, larger previews section on Milliways: Click

Nebula Set #2 + Test missions for Set 1 & 2

I have found the limit to stars.tbl ~ no more than 60 Background entries (or 61?) will work, any further entries will be ignored by FRED. Could this please be bumped without screwing anything or wasting tons of memory? I'm thinking about doing 6-8 sets, which would be 84-112 images, plus the planets (11 with the Sunsathanas), so it would add up to a total of at least 123 entries (probably more). Until this problem is fixed, I had to comment out the retail nebula links, so any old nebula effects will not show up in-game (they do not cause errors but simply don't show up here, so don't wonder where they went). I will be able to do 1-3 more sets before I reach the limit again, so fix this as soon as possible.

Another thing: The background composition in the second set's test mission is not really good, but I havent had much time, so if you could do some better background i'll update the test mission (test missions should look good ). So... excuse the not-so-great setup backgrounds - submit your own creations

I have changed the link to the first download, check the first post for new linkage. Also, i'd want info on those FRED issues - they might be gone now as i'm below the limit in stars.tbl (due to commenting out the retail nebulae).

[Deepblue]

Have to say that I dont like this one as much as the first but still excellent.
Any way you could make that nebula like the one in the Eve screenhsot?

[Lightspeed]

As I said, composition isn't good on the test mission - You could probably do stuff looking like the EvE nebula with it. Have a try, it won't hurt

[jdjtcagle]

I love it!!! and worship you for making freespace2 BETTER WAY BETTER!!

[Singh]

question: extract to fs2/data/maps or effects folder?

[Solatar]

extract the images to the data/effects folder. They are after al, backgrounds.

[Singh]

hi ho! hi ho! off to test these nebs i go!

[Setekh]

Originally posted by Lightspeed

Guhhh... beh.... blugurgle...

That thing looks better than a lot of my renders.

[Raptor]

Lightspeed, you are one talented chap!

...but how did you make those test missions?

FRED2 refused to open the mission files, but the game ran fine.

Needless to say, I'm:confused:

[Lightspeed]

Thats odd... really odd... use the FRED OGL_d release (debug) and look what error you get. I can open the missions fine

@Setekh: Now, if only that thruster/hull problem was fixed, it would certainly look like a render

[Rictor]

Alright, it goes without saying that I think your nebula work is awesome. Everything you have shown so far is miles ahead of FS2's base nebulas and most every other user created nebula.

However, I'm assuming you also want some constructive criticism in addition to the hurrahs.

The thing with the second nebula, is that it looks sort of grainy instead of silky. Not sure how to put it better than that. Its not the composition, and I see what you were trying to do, but the textures themselves seem sort of wispy and grainy as opposed to...lush I think is the word I would use.

The thing that I think makes Eve's stuff unique is that if you look at it, its pretty much all solid colours. I mean, theres gradients and such, but at any given point you have almost no texture.