How to create mods or cover the ufo mods for TFTD?

[drages]

Hi

I am new at openxcom modding and i read many things and checked many mods but as a TFTD player, most of the things are for UFO and the versions really confused me.

I am the owner of X-Division mod of Xenonauts which is now a 8 GB huge one. I done and know how to create new units for an isometric game at full quality rather then limited color palet and low resolution. So i got even all kind of xenomorph sprites and more creatures. But i don't have any idea how to able to add them to the openxcom. IF any modder out there (who knows how to add units to the game), interested to add the units i created, we can work together.

I am a photoshop user and good at image editing, but image modding is somehow crazy for openxcom with all the packages and sprite sheets.. i read some tools but again they are everywhere. I could only find clear info at wikies.. maybe i could miss something too..

So i am in need of some help for the final version of "how to make mods"..

- I want to get some weapons from UFO mods and use them at TFTD, for both xcom and alien side. I saw many nice weapon sprites, totally new or edited so i want to have them at a big mod at TFTD.
- I want to able to add new aliens to the game or the ones from UFO to the TFTD.

Thanks!

[Solarius Scorch]

Hello! Welcome to the OXC community. New members are always welcome, but new modders even more so... Especially those who make new graphics.

So, you're asking how to make OXC mods. Obviously this is a bery broad question, so let me cover some basics.

1. Palettes
OXC uses traditional X-Com palettes (names are just how I call them):
Basic: for things that appear in various places, in tactical and geoscape parts (for example item images, like weapons)
Battlescape: for tactical combat (for example unit sprites, terrain, hand-held weapon sprites)
Ufopaedia: for big Ufopaedia pictures (not items)
Intercept: for interception screen
Minimized: for minimized crafts (following a UFO)
Basebits: for base view (facilities, crafts in hangars)
Backgrounds: for backgrounds, monochromatic

X-Com and TFTD use a different set of palettes, so each has two versions.

I've attached all palettes (for Photoshop) I have; these are for X-Com, not TFTD.

2. Weapons
A weapon (or any item) needs the following graphics:
a) bigob (large pic) - using basic palette
b) floorob (small pic for items on the floor) - using battlescape palette
c) handob (8 small pics for items held in hand, 1 for each direction) - using battlescape palette

This is fairly straightforward, only the handob is kinda tricky to get right - best paint over something that already works, or use some sort of template.

3. Units
A standard unit needs the following graphics:
a) sprite sheet - the entire battlescape view, with all the body parts in different positions and the dying anim - using battlescape palette. Note that there is a number of routines that define how a sheet is used; for example a human has a different routine than a snakeman, not just different graphics
b) bigob - the corpse pic seen in inventory - using basic or battlescape palette (doesn't matter, because normally you don't see corpses outside battle; but battlescape palette is bigger, thus better)
c) floorob - the corpse pic seen on the floor - using battlescape palette
d) (optional) inventory picture (the paperdoll in inventory)
e) (when applicable) Ufopaedia picture, for example an alien unit (possibly also autopsy) - using Ufopaedia palette.

4. I have the graphics, what now?
a) Check out this reference: https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/Ruleset_Reference_Nightly_(OpenXcom) - it is big and not always easily understandable, but it contains a list of flags etc. for coding the resources into the game
b) check out some mods to see how other people did it
c) ask questions here on the forums (or the IRC)
d) Don't panic, we've all been there and survived.

Hopefully it's a start.

[The Reaver of Darkness]

Another amazing post by one of the top X-Com modders. Maybe THE top X-Com modder.

[Solarius Scorch]

Another amazing post by one of the top X-Com modders. Maybe THE top X-Com modder.

Thank you very much, that's very nice... But I make 2nd tier at best.

[The Reaver of Darkness]

Thank you very much, that's very nice... But I make 2nd tier at best.

I did say maybe, but the best never believes they are best. So it's still possible you are best.

[Countdown]

a) Check out this reference: https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/Ruleset_Reference_Nightly_(OpenXcom) - it is big and not always easily understandable, but it contains a list of flags etc. for coding the resources into the game
b) check out some mods to see how other people did it

drages, I haven't made any official mods, but for my own personal use, these two things were big in figuring it out. Just reading through the Wiki ruleset page can give you a lot of ideas on what is possible. And downloading and looking at other people's mods can be very hepful to understand the process and even serve as a template.

PS - I fixed the Ruleset_Reference_Nightly link. Solarius Scorch's link was broken as it missed the final parenthesis.

[drages]

Thank you for all help!

The biggest challenge is to use right color palette for my images and how to correctly transform them and then using sprite sheets. I am still looking to the forum and i am getting some ideas how to do it right. The problem is, there are many ways to do it but they fail time to time too. And the ways are %95 for ufo rather then TFTD. They are not so different but as i read there is some tricks at TFTD palettes which are more for depth ranges and via versa.

The coding part at rule set is the easiest part because all the wiki and other mods to decode already even still they are for mostly UFO rather then TFTD.

I don't have any problem about UFO but i find it more childish because of it's colorful imagery. TFTD is more serious and more tension and it's colors are less saturated. Maybe UFO could have that kind of feeling with a whole saturation overhaul. TFTD creatures are more fearsome and if i can add some serious UFO creatures to it like snakeman (as a sea serpent version), it would be awesome.

So i need a direct and working tutorial for final nighties as TFTD works on it for graphic tutorial and a short way for battlescape mod testing way for now.

[Nord]

I'm not very good at it, but can provide small help with TFTD palette: There is two palettes for photoshop: battlescape lvl 0(surface) and usopedia. In them some colors was blackened because photoshop not always convert images right. (almost never)

[drages]

I'm not very good at it, but can provide small help with TFTD palette: There is two palettes for photoshop: battlescape lvl 0(surface) and usopedia. In them some colors was blackened because photoshop not always convert images right. (almost never)

Your mod looks really great and i will try that for sure.. As i see from new images, you are very well at handling the graphics and transform things from ufo to tftd. Can you explain me how to make this images for TFTD with all steps and how you edit them like recolor and such.. thx!

[Solarius Scorch]

PS - I fixed the Ruleset_Reference_Nightly link. Solarius Scorch's link was broken as it missed the final parenthesis.

Thanks, I fixed it too. The BBCode is just retarded like this.

The biggest challenge is to use right color palette for my images and how to correctly transform them and then using sprite sheets. I am still looking to the forum and i am getting some ideas how to do it right. The problem is, there are many ways to do it but they fail time to time too. And the ways are %95 for ufo rather then TFTD. They are not so different but as i read there is some tricks at TFTD palettes which are more for depth ranges and via versa.

I haven't mentioned the most important tool for this: Falko's palette converter. It converts palettes between X-Com and TFTD automatically, plus the "mixcolours" option allows for easy recolorization.

It can be a bit tricky to get at first, so ask away if you need to.

I don't have any problem about UFO but i find it more childish because of it's colorful imagery.

Then why is it so hard to get a decent red? (Sorry, a personal pet peeve.)

Also Nord, thanks for sharing the palettes

[drages]

I think this program is from TFTD to Xcom only.

[Nord]

Can you explain me how to make this images for TFTD with all steps and how you edit them like recolor and such.. thx!

Mostly by Photoshop: changing mode from indexed to RGB and then back to indexed with other palette and dithering off. And then manually correcting. A lot of corrections... From this topic:https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,2676.0.html i found useful only EvilPixie.

[Solarius Scorch]

I think this program is from TFTD to Xcom only.

No, it works both ways; just select the correct options from both drop-down menus.

Admittedly I only use it for recolours, but I think it should work fine.

[drages]

No, it works both ways; just select the correct options from both drop-down menus.

Admittedly I only use it for recolours, but I think it should work fine.

I think i figured it out.

Can you explain me how to make the color change with it? I want to recolor some ammos for example.. and do you know what is the fastest way to test new items at battlescape?

[Solarius Scorch]

I think i figured it out.

Yay!

Can you explain me how to make the color change with it? I want to recolor some ammos for example.. and do you know what is the fastest way to test new items at battlescape?

Gladly.

1. Choose Mixcolours from the dropdown menu and leave the other menu as bettlescape:



Note that a new palette box appears below. This is actually the interface for choosing colours:



2. Let's say we want to change browns to reds. In order to do that, we need to create a copy of the palette shown at the bottom, but with the brown row changed to red row.

In order to do that, click on the rows in the palette interface box one by one; they will be copied to a new palette that shows up to the right. This tells the algorithm how to transform the original colours: the one on the left will be converted to the one on the right.

So to change browns to reds, you need to copy the colour as they are, except you put red where the brown was:



So all colours will be converted to the same colours, except for the browns, which will be changed to reds.

If it's still unclear, please ask further.

and do you know what is the fastest way to test new items at battlescape?

Quick Battle is as fast as you can get.