[Jadehawk]

yup, it's named exactly as you said Right again it's MAPS!  besides, it's the normal that Trashman made. I just plopped it down in my MAPS folder.

[Vasudan Admiral]

Your media VPs and the shader VP (sdr1119.vp) should be in: \Freespace2\mediavps\
Then you set the FS launcher to use that folder as the mod directory: Mod tab -> Select Mod -> mediaVPs folder -> apply.

If that's all in place, the Ezechiel model (.pof) goes in \Freespace2\mediavps\data\models\
the DDS maps go in \Freespace2\mediavps\data\maps\

^ie, make sure that the maps and models folders are subfolders of 'data'. I screwed this up once and it took me ages to realise.

[Jadehawk]

OK, I have a Data folder in freespace2\ that contains both the MAPS and models folders.

I also have a data folder in both with the exact same folders I copied into medisvps and MediaVP. The MediaVP folder was asked to be created in 3.6.10 update per the readme file.  Now I got three separate Data folders with the same content in them.  I got a feeling this is not supposed to be this way. Am I right? The Freespace2 launches fine, just when I click the game launcher for 3.6.10 I get this: unrecognized command line parameter -2d_poof, continue?
 Other than that, it loads up fine and plays good too. I see the other normals for the models that do have them, just not for this one.

I'm just about ready to move onto making shine maps! 

[Vasudan Admiral]

You'd more than likely have exactly the same problems with shine maps not showing up as the normal maps.

I don't think you're following our instructions quite right though.
You should have just the one "mediavps" folder - not "medisvps" or "MediaVP" so get rid of them.

-> In that folder you should have the "MV_*********.vp files, along with the "sdr1119.vp" file.
-> Also in this folder you should have a "data" folder, and in that you should have your "maps" and "models" folders that contain your textures and the model respectively.

Also get rid of any textures and models you may have placed in \Freespace2\data\maps and \Freespace2\data\models, because these will override all your other ones.

Select the "mediavps" folder as your active mod in the FS launcher as I previously described, and that should be it.

[blowfish]

Well, wherever you put the original texture, the diffuse one, that is where you should put the normal map and the rest of the maps.  If the diffuse texture is working, then there is no reason why a properly named normal map in the same location shouldn't be.

[Jadehawk]

I got it where there is only one folder for data now and the game starts with it. But still no normals for the Ezechiel! Now I lost voice scripting which is a no biggie to me. I'll fix that later.

I'm at loss to figure out what is wrong here with this just one fighter. It's missing a red glow light, a missing lower Right thruster glow light as well as the gap in the CG model. I'm getting paranoid about anything causing this not to work as to put salt in the wound, I can see all the other models that do have normals, shines and glows in the game working just fine. Because of that, I do not think it's my setup, but something with the model that is just not working right. Maybe one of you savvy types can take apart the model, check it and even fix the gap, Red light and missing thruster light.
If not, I'll move on and try another fighter that needs updating. But I also have my commitments to TotT first.

I can send the files in a zip for anyone who wants to sort out this themselves before I go nuts and become a Loony bunny! 

Again, I cant stress how much I truly appreciate you guys helping me out and I'm very sure you will much more too in the future!

[Jadehawk]

Quick Question...Does it really matter where I keep my MAPS and Model folders at? Must it truly be in the mediavps folder? I had them files in the Freespace2\Data folder before I installed 3.6.10.

[blowfish]

Quick Question...Does it really matter where I keep my MAPS and Model folders at? Must it truly be in the mediavps folder? I had them files in the Freespace2\Data folder before I installed 3.6.10.

That should be fine.

[Vasudan Admiral]

The model just says 'I use this texture!' and the game says 'Ok, I'll load that texture, now check for a glowmap, yes load that to, now check for a shinemap, yes load that too, now check for a normal map, yes load that too'. You can't screw something up in the model that will prevent normal maps from showing up because they're totally separate.

I am pretty certain you've just not got your folders set up correctly, meaning FS just isn't finding the map.

Well - the other alternative is that the normal map is in the wrong format. Can you zip it up and attach it to a post here?

[Jadehawk]

Sent you email since I cant post files up yet.

 

[Vasudan Admiral]

Well the normal map is in the correct format, so it'll just be a matter of your file locations.

This is what it should be:

\Freespace2\
|
|-data\ (leave alone)
|
|-mediavps\
|    |
|    |-data\
|    |    |
|    |    |-maps\
|    |    |    |
|    |    |    |-ezec01.dds
|    |    |    |-ezec01-normal.dds
|    |    |
|    |    |-models\
|    |         |
|    |         |-ezechiel.pof (or whatever it's called)
|    |
|    |-MV_Core.vp
|    |-MV_Assets.vp
|    |-MV_AdvEffects.vp
|    |-MV_Effects.vp
|    |-MV_music.vp
|    |-sdr1119.vp
|
|-<any other mods you've installed>
|-<a few other folders like Installer, mindspring, screenshots, and a few other files like your main FS2 VP files EXEs and other doodads>

[TrashMan]

You didn't change the Ezechiel model OR the UV mapping, right? You just re-did the texture.

If so, I can fix the gap in 5 minutes.

If not, and you did make UV mapping changes, you need to send the the model so I can fix the gap.

[Jadehawk]

You didn't change the Ezechiel model OR the UV mapping, right? You just re-did the texture.

If so, I can fix the gap in 5 minutes.

If not, and you did make UV mapping changes, you need to send the the model so I can fix the gap.

All I did was make the texture. No changes what so ever to the model as I don't know how too...yet!   Maybe you can fix the Read Right lower thruster as well? It's missing the glow ball or light when you view it in the game.

Currently I'm doing a fresh download installation of the game on my system to see if that helps any.

I did EXACTLY as VG explained above and for some possessive paranoid reason, it's not working on my older install. Hence the new install but I still have the older one to make comparisons with.

[Getter Robo G]

Maybe you got a bad copy? Already looked like an SOC type ship to me.

Looks fine thruster wise from my angle.



[attachment deleted by Tolwyn]

[Droid803]

I've checked the one from the download in FSMods.
It is indeed missing a thruster glow. (actually, it's there, but its radius is set to 0 so its invisible).
Very easy fix.

[Jadehawk]

I've checked the one from the download in FSMods.
It is indeed missing a thruster glow. (actually, it's there, but its radius is set to 0 so its invisible).
Very easy fix.

Wow! thanks for confirming that! 

I was thinking I was going nuts as I know mine did not have it as it came from the downloads at FSMods web site. Now that someone else confirmed that, I wonder if there is anything else wrong with it that could prevent me from displaying on my system the normals and shine files?

Anyone of you who has the Exechiel file with the complete maps and .pofs that did NOT come from FSMods I would like a copy just to see if there may or may not show up different than what I already got.

I downloaded yesterday a new copy of the game in a different directory and tried that. Game works good accept I cannot play any missions I made evne though I got the mission files in the correct folder. ( F:FreeSpace2\data\missions )  I even tried placing them into: f:FreeSpace\mediavps\data\missions and still no go.

My older setup is: f:games\FreeSpace\ and I hope it does not cause any problems. yes I do have seperate Icons for launching each different setup.

[Hellstryker]

I downloaded yesterday a new copy of the game in a different directory and tried that. Game works good accept I cannot play any missions I made evne though I got the mission files in the correct folder. ( F:FreeSpace2\data\missions )  I even tried placing them into: f:FreeSpace\mediavps\data\missions and still no go.

  That's just wierd...

[Galemp]

Are you launching the executable found in f:/Freespace? If you have another one somewhere ELSE and you're running THAT, then of course it won't be finding the new files...

And it needs to be repeated: there is NOTHING that can be done to the model to mess up the normal maps. The model specifies only ONE texture; the game associates the normal, shine, and glow maps with that texture all by itself.

[TrashMan]

I can see the normal map clearly..but honestly, it needs work.

[Getter Robo G]

My copy is the original from the old OTT download (the whole mod).
Did you want me to zip the Ezechiel files up? (I made the crude glow shine maps you see in the pic)

I just replaced a Herc II pof entry in the extracted table with Ezechiel.pof for TESTING only...