Change Geoscape Background?

[ParGellen]

Is it possible to change the Geoscape background to just a field of stars? What file would I need to edit?

[Hobbes]

What file would I need to edit?

GEOBORD.SCR

You don't need to edit this file, you can simply use a ruleset to tell the game to use a different image file (PNG format, 320x200 dimensions) instead of the vanilla GEOBORD.SCR

[ParGellen]

Ok cool. Unfortunately I have no idea how to edit a ruleset or even where they are located. How do I find them? Google has been no help

--- posts merged ---

When I try to open that geobord.scr file with notepad it is just a bunch of random characters. Is that the ruleset? If so how do you edit it? Everything I can find searching these forums seems to think I should already know everything about rulesets but I can't even find them in my OpenXcom installation. I'm 100% sure I could do this if I just knew how to get started. Please help.

[Gordonmull]

I'm not much of a modder but hopefully this might be of some help: https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/Rulesets_(OpenXcom)

[Warboy1982]

.rul files are what you're looking for.
you'll want to make a mod, the ruleset for your mod would be something like:

Code: [Select]

extraSprites:
  - type: GEOBORD.SCR
    width: 320
    height: 200
    singleImage: true
    files:
      0: Path/To/Your/File.png
if you're daunted by the whole process, try downloading a simple mod that does something similar to see how it does it.

[ParGellen]

Thanks for the pointers guys. I had the same thought about downloading a mod that changes the background and then just trying to alter it. I'll see what I can find.

--- posts merged, please don't double-post without a good reason ---

Ok I figured out how to change the background. Unfortunately it refuses to only do white stars (keeps changing them to rainbow colors even though the only colors in the file are black and white dots) and also totally borks the buttons on the side. I guess I'll just stick with the default background. I didn't realize such a simple thing would be this difficult.

[Hobbes]

I didn't realize such a simple thing would be this difficult.

No one said that modding is easy

Ok I figured out how to change the background. Unfortunately it refuses to only do white stars (keeps changing them to rainbow colors even though the only colors in the file are black and white dots) and also totally borks the buttons on the side. I guess I'll just stick with the default background.

The reason why you're getting rainbow colors is because you need to convert the palette of your image to the ones used by the game.

[ParGellen]

No one said that modding is easy

Fair enough I actually think I've figured out how to fix the buttons.

The reason why you're getting rainbow colors is because you need to convert the palette of your image to the ones used by the game.

That sounds like something I can do. Which palette is it?

[Hobbes]

That sounds like something I can do. Which palette is it?

I've attached to this post the palettes used by the game in .pal format. You can also simply use an image from an existing mod and export that palette to your own image.

You can read more about the palettes used by XCOM here: https://www.ufopaedia.org/index.php/PALETTES.DAT

[ParGellen]

Thanks!

[long6oarder]

Hey Hobbes,

Do you know if there has ever been any talk about updating the geoscape itself? It seems like it would be possible to change it to something that better reflects the quality of the rest mods and updates rather than the low-poly, chunky geoscape leftover from the original game.

[Hobbes]

Do you know if there has ever been any talk about updating the geoscape itself? It seems like it would be possible to change it to something that better reflects the quality of the rest mods and updates rather than the low-poly, chunky geoscape leftover from the original game.

If you change the Geoscape you're limited to using the polygon system

[ohartenstein23]

You can always use more polygons for greater resolution, but it takes a lot of work.

[Hobbes]

You can always use more polygons for greater resolution, but it takes a lot of work.

And the more polygons you use, the more the geometric shapes will be noticed.

There's one mod called 'Improved Nations' which contains a reworked Geoscape that I imported to the Terrain Pack/Area 51 - I had to remove several polygons because features like the delta of the River Nile look too artificial

[long6oarder]

I see. Thanks for replying.

Has anyone done a LP of Area 51 which shows this 'improved nations' mod in action?