A basic MOD for Combat Mission Appui-Feu

UnluckyLuc a écrit : "

Among video games library, there is one game easy to mod : Combat Mission.

In deed, game engine creates 3D views by sticking picture to an unseen support.
Furthermore these BMP format pictures are easy to access into game directory (run/bmp/)
As the title mentions it, the aim of that tutorial is not to make a “BatMobile” from a Panzer IV, but to approach this knowledge branch, in the more accessible way.

Well, first let’s have a look on required tools

1) Picture to modify

In order to simply start, try to modify a single picture that is easy to find into big CM game BMP directory. This picture gets another asset, you will see it in all your future games , it is even the one you will look for the most because it is the Objective flag, 450.bmp file.

(right click on the picture / save as… si you are to lazy to find it.)

2) Software

Let’s use « Photofiltre » that you will be able to download here: Photofiltre

It has got various assets, the one we first care about is that it is very easy to use, compare to others more sophisticated ones. Second asset, and not the less, it is free and constantly updated by a dynamic team. Do not hesitate to visit their web site in order to make your point of view.

Nothing to say about installation phase…etc. It is like cooking TV programs, we never watch the baking it-self…
I) Well, let’s start really now… open photofiltre, I load my 450.bmp file (in the upper left side, click file/load, well nothing really new)
But we will work properly… let’s work on a copy of this picture.

II) Next we are going to paint in white the picture.
For this, maintain pressed left mouse button, selecting the entire picture (border must become a dashed one), then click right “contour et remplissage” ("Border and background").
When using the software for the first time, white colour is normally the colour by default. At this step, verify that the “remplir le fond” ("Fill background") function is sticked.

III) We are now going to do a black/white shade on the previous uniform picture (it is absolutely required for next steps). Next picture is quite explicit, isn’t it… you may play with different colour opaqueness in order to get different effect.

IV) A real flag is rarely fixed, isn’t it?
No problem, tool barr, “filtre”("Filter"), “déformation” ("Distortion"), “ondulation” ("Wave").

V) Well it is still quite sad, let’s try to get more fun…
In order to make sure your infantry go straight to the objective why not put a picture, let’s say, a little bit more attractive?

This latter was quite easy to find out… never forget that google is your friend, just type «pin up».
Before continuing, there are 2 things to do.

(5.1) - Make sure that back ground picture is uniform with a colour that is really different from the one you are going to use in your picture. If it is not the case, you may cut the part you want to keep, thank to « pinceau » (« brush») tool in right tool bar, just up to « charger une forme » (« change form») in small yellow folder, then click right and paste. Another solution is to manually paint the background part using mentioned tool bar.
Trick: if right tool bar is shaded and then tools are not available, you may certainly load a GIF format picture. Then just do a copy as has been written in chapter I)

(5.2) - Put a transparency on the background now this latter is uniform. Then select “transparence” ("transparency") tool, and play with until border is not fine. Further more, it might be possible that selected colour by default in order to do a transparency operation be not the wished one, in that case, put your mouse onto desired colour, and click left.

VI) Next picture shows what you have to do. You may locate precisely your picture, maintaining pressed left button, on the same way used for dashed borders, in order to size it.

VII) Let’s now have a look on picture transparency in CM game.
Searching into run/bmp files, you may have seen that some pictures have some pink parts, as space between rollers of tank tracks for instance.
What a good point that colour is also available into photofiltre software. So every picture part paint with that pink colour will be unseen during CM game.
In next picture, once that pink colour is selected, use line tool in order to easy obtain the shape we want, in that case, do not forget to stick away “lisser” ("smooth")option…if not border will be not clean and fine then a pink border will appear during game.

VIII) When finished...

.. Here is our proud and attractive flag ! !

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Le bar d'AF