Birth of the Federation

Sorry, didn´t know botf is using "Binary Separation Planes". :oops: I´m working on botf content for just a few days now. That info was helpfull. Now some good news. Due to your info on the file end array, I discovered why scars are drawn behind the model. The T01 Cube HOB is using 3 list...

I was wrong. Thunderchero is right relating to the 12 bytes. They´re not storing Z buffer info even in vanilla HOBs. Did some more hybrid test runs on vanilla models. They often show the same "error" drawing texture behind a ship even if they´re located in front. Interestingly not always...

I´m already after this. Your file is exactly 12 bytes shorter than vanilla ones from the beginning to the end of the phaser array. These 12 bytes must contain the Z value for those scars. Using RM1 data on RM2 worked well, so once found, I think we may use some default Z values and it will be fine....

Success !!! The textures of thunderchero´s model are mismatching due to I added HOB manually - not with UE. I Wanted to keep the 1.02 vanilla exe as it is for the test. As you can see, NEW model uses "pasted in" RM2 scars on it. Also, the texture positions seem to be used for beam targets...

The markers will be difficult to set. I have identified dozens of them in groups throughout the HOB format. They seem to assign texture coords to poligons. The more complicated the model, the more of them. Copy-pasting an array of other length is not working, already tried this. I fear we will have ...

The scars are not related to the model itself. My hybrid rm1~rm2 showed scars in space, a good distance away from the model. But they appear to be stored in the same array that contains the phaser spots. I see 2 possible approaches in getting damage textures to work w/o the original script, as we do...

IIRR - in C++ you may blit any image on a rectangle with the corner positions defined. Scaling/ stretching is done by DirectDraw. So, if the HOB defined the squares corners - or a rectangle-like structure in general, the blitter can adapt the scar1.gif to fit the defined position. As I postulated ab...

Update. I think I am a bit smarter now. Byte #36 stores the number of special polygons. The exe adds up data to know how to use them. Vanilla models have more specials than phaser + damage - probably some info on where to hit em with beam weapons. That was not changed on my hybrid experiment. I hit ...

Thanks !
Played around with decryption of scar data.

Pos 2216 - 1640 makes 576 bytes.
576 / 12 scars == 48 each.
Asuming rectangle stuff - 12 bytes per corner.
4 X : 4 Y : 4 Z.
That´s all one would need to set up 12 scars.

Could it be that easy ?

Yep, I only used vanilla for update, but I looked at some new ones too. Here is where I am by now. All models using scars have the same basic structure up to byte 2300 or so. Pos 1640 is the start for the scar data patch. 2216 is the end. Some pointers identifed, too. Byte 1 file length. Pos 117 poi...

Progress ! By making a HOB A hybrid of RM1 over RM2 I used R´tan scars on R´derex model. Looking weird and misplaced, but now I know where the scar info is located in the HOB file. And some HOBs are missing them, like Klingon DD, causing a crash when to be loaded. Seems only type A files contain t...

Greetings ! I have several minor issues on using UE with the vanilla multi installer version. Tried to make certain buildings available to other races with UE, but the building is still only available to the original races. The popualtion race needed entries are working. I can deny the building to t...

What I would like to see is having food production used on the empire level. I think it is quite stupid to have millions starve while there is a system with overproduction just the next sector. Think it will be difficult to be added though. Next, make ships regain some shield power even when they ar...

I wrote to Atari myself countless times ( support and buisness section ) without any sign of life. Think they´re either dead or illiterate. Also wrote to Jeff Briggs, former member of MicroProse, but no answer yet. Also, Frederic Chesnais, former CEO of Atari, has now his own company "interact...

lazarus ..... worked with ORGINAL devolpers for BOTF he has so much information...... Based on what I read on earlier "offers" for the code, I think the mistrust can be very well understood. If you really have access to the code and want to be believed, I suggest that you/he upload just 2...