Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Bug/Patch Discussion => Topic started by: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2019, 07:10:04 PM

Title: Facility Display Bug
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2019, 07:10:04 PM

Quote from: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2019, 06:58:51 PM

I think I've discovered a display bug in the game - many of those yellow facility symbols  in the base build screen are other colors in the fac-folder files; probably a palette issue...

-For instance, that's why Perimeter Defense displays red in the Datalinks; it's supposed to be red.  Now, I'm assuming the same images were used, from the 'fac' folder in the AC installation...

Like, this isn't anything real important after all these years, but if we weren't pedants, none of us would be here.  Seems more likely this is a coding oversight than original intent...

Title: Re: Facility Display Bug
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 10, 2019, 08:00:09 PM

-Then again, I just had to make a Sky Hydroponics symbol out of a Datalinks screenshot, because it's nowhere to be found in the facs folder - or the root, or any of the subfolders I looked through, which is all of them.  Where's Datalinks text & pics stored?

Title: Re: Facility Display Bug
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2019, 04:09:43 AM

Using GIMP 2.10, I had no trouble using its preview feature when trying to Open files.  facs/fac034.pcx is readily seen as the Sky Hydroponics Lab.

As for discrepancies in stored colors, I postulate that they changed their Explore, Discover, Build, Conquer encodings sometime during development.  I wouldn't be shocked if there's code or a palette change somewhere to override the original art assets.

Title: Re: Facility Display Bug
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 11, 2019, 02:37:17 PM

Ah.  The copy I was looking in had some modded images.

Why do you suppose the Recreation Commons shows green, then, and Orbital Defense Pod pink?

Title: Re: Facility Display Bug
Post by: bvanevery on September 11, 2019, 08:33:36 PM

The various notes in the .txt file say that "Explore" is for "colonization and growth".  Maybe at some point in development, making people happy was seen as growth oriented.  My own SMACX AI Growth mod has adopted this sensibility.

The irony is, so late in development, will I keep it?  I'm currently working on denying the Recreation Commons at the beginning of the game, to force the AI to do something "more useful" than that.  I don't have a verdict yet on whether my approach is an improvement or not.

The ODP looks sufficiently red to me.  The purple background is probably causing a color shift in our own perception.  In the game it's displayed on a black background, so will look different to our eyes.

xfac037.pcx shows a Subsea Trunkline icon, in white on a purple background.  Maybe they were originally going to put it in the Discover tree?  It displays white in the Datalinks as well.

The Orbital Power Transmitter file is white, and displayed white in the Datalinks.

Title: Re: Facility Display Bug
Post by: Buster's Uncle on September 11, 2019, 08:49:13 PM

It's an inconsistent mess, intended that way or not.