So I tried to modify a GIF file in paint and then use it in the game...

[665ac8afca3a4Diego137]

I tried to lightly edit a GIF file in Data/res/Mesh/txt16 using paint and then repaste it into the archive. However, the model became partly transparent and grossly discoloured. I'd appreciate any information on this and what I'm doing wrong. Thanks.

[665ac8afca5c3voodoo47]

yes, convert the modified picture into a more modern format, like png. no need to stick with the legacy formats unless you want oldDark compatibility.

[665ac8afca845Diego137]

voodoo47
Thanks so much. One more thing: how do I edit the song (SNC) files and then use them in the game?

[665ac8afca9a8voodoo47]

no idea, actually. I have used GoldWave in the past, but that was for the wav files.

[665ac8afcac8cDiego137]

voodoo47
For what it's worth, I'm playing around with the idea of creating a 'Faithful HD Enemy Textures' mod for people who dislike the Rebirth models. It's going pretty damn well so far, and it's not too difficult thankfully. I'll see what happens.

[665ac8afcae0bicemann]

Feel free to provide screenshots. Always happy to see texture mods at play.

[665ac8afcb0abDiego137]

icemann
Aw, thanks for showing an interest in my little project, ha.  It's nothing special, but I'm having fun with it. If I get seriously invested, I might register and submit it as a mod. I never liked the Rebirth models, and I think some people would appreciate having refined versions of the classic textures for the base models. I've done the pipe and shotgun Hybrid so far. The textures aren't in ultra ultra HD, but they're sharper and WAY more defined than the originals - you notice the difference immediately.

[665ac8afcb32aCyberneticGeneral]

icemann
I decided to create an account. Here's an example of the refined textures I'm creating for the classic enemy models. 

[665ac8afcb44fvoodoo47]

eeeh.. ok, I suppose, a little bit of extra sharpness won't hurt anyone. but note that anything really hires will just make it painfully obvious how broken the actual model is.

[665ac8afcb6a3CyberneticGeneral]

voodoo47
I know exactly what you mean. The res is 384 x 768, so it's not too ridiculous. It's mainly for those who want a little more clarity but dislike the Rebirth models.    I'm also adding little details here and there.

[665ac8afcb95aZylonBane]

The res is 384 x 768

(video driver crashing sounds intensify)

[665ac8afcbb36CyberneticGeneral]

ZylonBane
Hehe.

[665ac8afcbc8dZylonBane]

I'm not trying to make you teehee, I'm giving you a very strong hint that that choice of resolution is going to cause problems.

[665ac8afcbd71voodoo47]

oh yes - power of two textures only, would you kindly.

[665ac8afcbfb1CyberneticGeneral]

ZylonBane
Oh, sorry - I know next to nothing about modding and how System Shock 2 actually works, so I apologize for missing that. 384 x 768 was part of a 'process' I used to get those textures, but I can probably change it. The original gif. resolution of the pipe Hybrid is 128 x 256, so I didn't see anything wrong with replacing it with a 384 x 768 PNG image at the time, especially considering the texture resolutions included in other HD mods. Is there something I'm unaware of? What do you recommend? Thanks.

[665ac8afcc0fevoodoo47]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_of_two

so the closest valid resolution would be 256x512 in this case. next step is 512x1024, etc. generally you don't want to go over 512 for normal res mods, 1024 and higher is usually overkill for SS2.

[665ac8afcc357CyberneticGeneral]

voodoo47
Right, so I stick to multiplying the base values by two, which is 256x512 in the case of the pipe Hybrid - got it - but what was wrong with three (384 x 768)? Would I be setting myself up for something bad down the line? Thanks for being so helpful. 

[665ac8afcc457voodoo47]

Dark Engine likes to have texture sizes at the power of two. anything else may result in undesirable behavior, such as random crashes.

three is not (power of) two.

[665ac8afcc58cCyberneticGeneral]

Thanks for warning me! I used the new resolution in my texture process and it worked fine. 😊 Included an attachment showing a comparison.
[dump004.png expired]

[665ac8afcc919ZylonBane]

Dark Engine likes to have texture sizes at the power of two.

Let's not be too narrow here-- every 3D engine on the planet prefers power-of-two textures.

Included an attachment showing a comparison.

Hmm yes the one on the right does look better.

[665ac8afccc84CyberneticGeneral]

Let's not be too narrow here-- every 3D engine on the planet prefers power-of-two textures.
Hmm yes the one on the right does look better.

I can understand your perspective: the original textures are more natural and don't 'clash' so much with the overall palette.

Whenever I play with the 'SHTUP-ND' and 'Four Hundred' texture mods (which I find are relatively faithful to the original textures), the only thing 'missing' for me is sharper enemy textures. I dislike the Rebirth models, so I thought I'd try my hand at something like this, even though the results won't be utterly perfect.

This was formerly a personal project, but a few people outside the website showed interest too, so I thought I'd share it.

If you look at the attached image, I was doing something like this -- 'touching up' the original gifs from scratch in an upgraded version of Microsoft paint, but I get that it isn't everybody's cup of tea, so nevermind. 
[og_pipe02 Edited.png expired]

[665ac8afcd0b5sarge945]

Oh, sorry - I know next to nothing about modding and how System Shock 2 actually works, so I apologize for missing that. 384 x 768 was part of a 'process' I used to get those textures, but I can probably change it.

Just a pro tip.

Basically every game engine uses power of 2 textures. Games that claim not to are usually lying (often they convert it to a power of 2 texture internally). You should always, whenever possible, use power of 2 textures when doing any texture for any game, just to be on the safe side.

I would say that new textures would go well with a new model, but that's a lot more work, and SS2:EE is already shipping with new models (of varying qualities).

[665ac8afcd33fCyberneticGeneral]

sarge945
Thanks. Yes, I think if I'd started doing this 4-5 years ago - just touching up the classic gifs in paint - it would have been more appropriate, but the new models in SS2 Enchanced Edition would make my mod redundant. Oh well. *Air hugs.*