Soffish Halo 2 Content Editor

BattleSkarz · Post by **BattleSkarz** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 7:38 pm

it would be really nice to have a bsp viewer like sparkedit... much easier than entity. just sayin.

also the ability to internalize bitmaps would be cool, possibly by the several, or maybe just an option to just internalize all of them. entity is missing that. it's really annoying when you ftp a map to your xbox, run down a flight of stairs, start up halo, go into a game, and then realize you forgot to internalize your super cool plasma pistol skin... and entity can't do it...

and i don't know if it is possible, but it would be amazing if i could delete tags...

anyhoo, that's my two cents. keep up the good work, this looks like it could be really cool.

OwnZ joO · Post by **OwnZ joO** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:20 pm

Like I said there are lots of tools that get the job done...
Java Multiple Bitmap Internalizer - You will need Java to use this program

Also there are some versions of entity that do have a bitmap internalizer, and the ones that don't you can just duplicate the bitmap and the duplicated one will be internalized if I remember right.

Themandyou · Post by **Themandyou** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 9:42 pm

BattleSkarz wrote:it would be really nice to have a bsp viewer like sparkedit... much easier than entity. just sayin.

also the ability to internalize bitmaps would be cool, possibly by the several, or maybe just an option to just internalize all of them. entity is missing that. it's really annoying when you ftp a map to your xbox, run down a flight of stairs, start up halo, go into a game, and then realize you forgot to internalize your super cool plasma pistol skin... and entity can't do it...

and i don't know if it is possible, but it would be amazing if i could delete tags...

anyhoo, that's my two cents. keep up the good work, this looks like it could be really cool.

Wow, put your PC next to your xbox or other way around... Or buy a laptop.

I just even get annoyed of havin to change 1 little thing, sign it, FTP it, load it, and play, I can't imagine stairs in there...

sparkedit is the most amazing BSP viewer ever... Who made it?

kibito87 · Post by **kibito87** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:14 pm

Themandyou wrote:sparkedit is the most amazing BSP viewer ever... Who made it?

Grenadiac. The owner of this site.

Shock120 · Post by **Shock120** » Sun Sep 07, 2008 10:28 pm

kibito87 wrote:
Themandyou wrote:sparkedit is the most amazing BSP viewer ever... Who made it?
Grenadiac. The owner of this site.

aww, wish the great modders of Halo weren't dead/sleeping forever.

I also wish that Halo modding wasn't so dysfunctional. Everyone is separated, Halo 1, Halo 2 and Halo 3. there'll be some who care about all.
Its like having a family, that doesn't talk to each other or understand one another and therefore doesn't care if one is dying/dead.
I've seen amazing stuff happen with other games*, which makes me wonder, why is Halo modding so slow?

*These people don't has any source code to help them, they make their stuff from scratch.

DemonicSandwich · Post by **DemonicSandwich** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 9:13 am

BattleSkarz wrote:also the ability to internalize bitmaps would be cool, possibly by the several, or maybe just an option to just internalize all of them. entity is missing that.

A single bitmap internalizer was one of the first things added to Soffish.

BattleSkarz wrote:it's really annoying when you ftp a map to your xbox, run down a flight of stairs, start up halo, go into a game, and then realize you forgot to internalize your super cool plasma pistol skin...

I used to have to do something similar, I eventually bought some crappy TV from a yard sale and put that under the computer's table and the xbox on top the TV.

kibito87 · Post by **kibito87** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:00 am

Shock120 wrote:
kibito87 wrote:
Themandyou wrote:sparkedit is the most amazing BSP viewer ever... Who made it?
Grenadiac. The owner of this site.
aww, wish the great modders of Halo weren't dead/sleeping forever.
I also wish that Halo modding wasn't so dysfunctional. Everyone is separated, Halo 1, Halo 2 and Halo 3. there'll be some who care about all.
Its like having a family, that doesn't talk to each other or understand one another and therefore doesn't care if one is dying/dead.

It wouldn't necessarily have to do with him being "dead/sleeping forever". I'm sure some of the "older" modders have moved on and stopped modding because of other more important things like school, work, family and friends. It's inevitable. But there are always new comers who show great potential. I've been around long enough to see it.

DarkShallFall · Post by **DarkShallFall** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:52 am

I remember being a new comer. Old times. Noob times. times, times, times, times, times, times................times, times..................times.

BattleSkarz · Post by **BattleSkarz** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:12 pm

DemonicSandwich wrote:
BattleSkarz wrote:also the ability to internalize bitmaps would be cool, possibly by the several, or maybe just an option to just internalize all of them. entity is missing that.
A single bitmap internalizer was one of the first things added to Soffish.

yay

the multiple internalizer is really convenient though, is it possible to implement that as well?

BattleSkarz wrote:it's really annoying when you ftp a map to your xbox, run down a flight of stairs, start up halo, go into a game, and then realize you forgot to internalize your super cool plasma pistol skin...

I used to have to do something similar, I eventually bought some crappy TV from a yard sale and put that under the computer's table and the xbox on top the TV.[/quote]
what's worse is when i realize i forgot to turn on my xbox, or plug it in, or switch the internet from the 360... much stair-ing.

my setup sucks.

SpecOp44 · Post by **SpecOp44** » Mon Sep 08, 2008 3:10 pm

DarkShallFall wrote:I remember being a new comer. Old times. Noob times. times, times, times, times, times, times................times, times..................times.

u still are

roofle

DemonicSandwich · Post by **DemonicSandwich** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:33 pm

Alright so continuing our efforts to make the modding process as seamless and functional as we can we have run into a slight hiccup: the User Interface, or GUI, depending on how your thinking about it.

We have some ideas of our own, but we would also like to hear what you think the perfect way would be for an application to layout its controls so that you, the modders, can best do your jobs, modding.

One of the ideas floating around is to make everything free-floating so the user can drag windows wherever they want to optimize their workspace the way they want it.

Another idea being thrown around is to use integrated context-sensitive controls and tabs like Visual Studios uses: for those non-programmers think tabs + docked windows that update their content based on the selected tab.

If you can post your ideas through a detailed description or a nice drawing, or even a screen capture of an existing application maybe? Anything really should do as long as it clearly gets your idea across to us. Post here with your UI designs/ideas and we'll see if we cannot come up with a nice solution that makes everyone happy.

- The Project Guys.

BattleSkarz · Post by **BattleSkarz** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 2:48 pm

ooh! ooh! i've got more!

it would be totally freaking awesome if you could search the tags and the reflexives and idents and whatnot so you weren't scrolling through thousands of similarly named tags to find what you're looking for. everything would be faster. also if you could rearrange the reflexives/idents by name or tag class, that would be cool.

as for a gui, i like idea of a visual studio-esque layout, but i'm not really sure what you would have said menus... (plural... meaning more than one...) would it be the tags? and... i have no idea. i see no real issues with what you have now, even if it's similar to entity. it works. that's what matters.

EDIT: dothalo has floating windows, and it kinda gets annoying sometimes, because you have to keep finding the tags window... and the dependencies window... and the meta editor...

perhaps tabs? like, tags on the left, bitmap viewer/other stuff on the right, and a center window with tabs on top for meta/dependencies/hex stuff/whatever i'm forgetting.

xzodia · Post by **xzodia** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:08 pm

Demonic forgot one important thing. The ability to have multiple maps open. Since this has a very large impact on the UI design. Its a lot easier to make a easy to use UI for a single map than it is to for multiple maps, however some people may think that a multiple map interface is a must...

BattleSkarz · Post by **BattleSkarz** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:15 pm

in all my days i've not once modded two maps at once... seems like a rather pointless feature to me... but idk, maybe some people would need that for whatever reason... (transfering tags perhaps?)

again, the problem could be solved with, yes, more tabs.

or just opening an entirely new window. that'd probably be pretty simple.

SpecOp44 · Post by **SpecOp44** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 4:35 pm

I say tabs, like that other guy.

luigi90210 · Post by **luigi90210** » Tue Sep 09, 2008 9:21 pm

SpecOp44 wrote:I say tabs, like that other guy.

agreed

Shock120 · Post by **Shock120** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 3:32 am

xzodia wrote:Demonic forgot one important thing. The ability to have multiple maps open. Since this has a very large impact on the UI design. Its a lot easier to make a easy to use UI for a single map than it is to for multiple maps, however some people may think that a multiple map interface is a must...

include support for multiple displays.
One map on the 1st screen, then another on the 2nd.
Or like others have said, "Tabs".
Or both, with options to change.

Prey · Post by **Prey** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:51 pm

ManBearPig_06 wrote:I thought that quaternions were easier to use than vectors only when dealing with a trailing float point behind a model. How/why are they being used here?

Quaternions are regularly used for rotations in game development, it's just how it is. You would think that Vectors would be used (and more than not they are), it all depends on the programmer.

Shock120 wrote:Will the BSP viewer look better than Entity's &/or as good as Prey's Visual Scenery Mover[...]

Ehh from what I can remember VSM and Entity are graphically identical - same textures are shown in the same way.

I like the idea of what you are doing here - combining everything into one. Feel free to use any of my code that I've uploaded with my applications here if needs be.. I'm pretty sure I uploaded the program's source code each time, just post if there's a source I forgot to post and you need it.. For the BSP viewer, making an on/off for texture loading and viewing will solve people's RAM woes.. textures are the only real memory hog with BSP viewers, I've found anyway.. For multiple maps I would just go with the tried and tested Parent-Child windows like Entity and Insolence did.. they're the best way to do it in my opinion.

Few points about the app..

The info on the left: If the values were to be in textboxes for better alignment and copy (paste) functionality.
Bitmasks in the meta editor: Use checked list boxes, individual checkboxes never work out well..
Ability to sort out lists by clicking on different column headers - like someone asked for above - just look on msdn for the how-to.
"Status: waiting" - waiting for what? "Idle" suits the situation better.
Consider loading the Meta Editor asynchronously: some of these larger tags are a pain to wait on.

Just my 2 cents.. keep up the good work.

Eaton · Post by **Eaton** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 1:58 pm

Prey wrote:I'm pretty sure I uploaded the program's source code each time, just post if there's a source I forgot to post and you need it..
Just my 2 cents.. keep up the good work.

Can you post Prophet's source?

Prey · Post by **Prey** » Wed Sep 10, 2008 2:13 pm