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Irish Jim
Seaman
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 Posted: Tue Feb 16, 2010 1:33 pm Post subject: |
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After I did my first Ireland Mod, I then did a Scottish one for a friend. I have NEVER been able to find the location of the color strings for the Dutch text, even when I modded the .exe to replace some of the Dutch references.
| Quote: | | Does anyone have any tips on how to get nation colony flags in their various states to be see through? |
You have to remember to use the proper alpha channel to set your transparencies for all your flags (city flags and war status flags) when you are saving your .dds files. I have already completed two sets of flags for the Scots, both the Saltire and the Rampant Lion, if you are interested
Edited to clarify: When you are saving your .dds files, for each city flag (flag_dut0.dds, flag_dut1.dds) there is a corresponding alpha channel with the increasing levels of transparency. After you create your final flag design, you save it with each numerical value (0-3) with its appropriate alpha channel. You can open each of the different flags already in the game to grab the alpha channel and save it as a .bmp from your dds program (I use DXTbmp). Hope this helps!
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Fri Feb 19, 2010 12:24 am Post subject: |
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Hi Irish Jim,
Thanks for your reply!
If there's no known way of changing the nation colour, then I'm just going to see about replacing the French with the Scots - what good is orange being all over the place when it should be blue :p
If you don't mind me incorporating your flags mod into my mod, with credit of course, then I'd like to use the Saltire flags - the Lion Rampant being the Royal flag - and thus too entwined with the Crown.
Are your flags available via the downloads section?
Cheers,
-Selkirk
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ExtraCrispy
Boatswain
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| Posted: Tue Apr 13, 2010 11:03 am Post subject: |
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How is the mod going? |
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Selkirk
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Posts: 26
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 1:54 pm Post subject: |
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Over four years later and I'm finally back in a position to finish this mod!
I guess I owe you all an explanation as to what happened - life happened. Things haven't gone so well for a while health wise, but I'm back at 100% and back on my feet.
I'm going to start working on this mod again from the beginning, and I'll be replacing the French with the Scots this time. I'll post updates here as I make progress!
It be time to sail the Caribbean again, lads \m/
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 3:39 pm Post subject: |
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And I've run into the first problem - despite my custom language files being in the Assets folder, the new place names don't appear in game  Any advice?
Edit: I'm running the Steam version of the game now, perhaps there's some conflict there?
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Wed Mar 19, 2014 5:40 pm Post subject: |
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Okay, so after being unable to get the modded files running on the Steam version, I had a crack at my old laptop and managed to find the original mod files I was working on... in the Sid Meier's Pirates! directory - so I've got the game not on Steam also.
Looks like my new computer can screenshot too, so here's an screenshot of the very first thing you see after starting the game:
http://i.imgur.com/j0YR9LW.png
Now, there are some things I need to change, mainly the faction from Dutch to French, but I should be able to just use the new mod files for that.
More info when I have it!
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AdamMil
Cutthroat
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 1:46 am Post subject: |
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Good luck! What happened with the Steam vs. non-Steam thing? Did you get it working with the Steam version or ultimately have to use the non-Steam version?
Also, I can help change the text color from orange to something else, if you still want to replace the Dutch. Just send me the color(s) you want, and I'll send you a version of the game .exe with those colors along with a patch file of sorts that you or others can use to create said .exe. |
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 3:18 am Post subject: |
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| AdamMil wrote: | Good luck! What happened with the Steam vs. non-Steam thing? Did you get it working with the Steam version or ultimately have to use the non-Steam version?
Also, I can help change the text color from orange to something else, if you still want to replace the Dutch. Just send me the color(s) you want, and I'll send you a version of the game .exe with those colors along with a patch file of sorts that you or others can use to create said .exe. |
Thanks 
I wasn't able to get the modded files working with Steam, so I'm working with the non-Steam version at the moment. If anyone has any experience getting mods to work with the Steam version I'd very much like advice on how that works
Regarding the Dutch, I think I'll leave them in, although if you can give me any pointers on editing the .exe file that would be great, as I understand there are some language values in there that may need to be changed (ie, the select faction screen)!
Cheers
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AdamMil
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 9:22 am Post subject: |
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| Selkirk wrote: | | I wasn't able to get the modded files working with Steam, so I'm working with the non-Steam version at the moment. |
I've read that it's possible, but I don't know the details. The only mods I've used so far have been purely .exe-based mods.
| Selkirk wrote: | | if you can give me any pointers on editing the .exe file that would be great |
Sure, just feel free to ask any questions that you have about editing the .exe. :-) |
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 5:48 pm Post subject: |
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The main thing I think here is the .exe file - I understand a number of language strings are only available via that file, so it may not be possible to edit all the text without that - if that's the case, then the mod will only be available for the non-Steam version.
What's the best way to go about editing the .exe file - is a HEX editor going to allow me to see the text I need to edit?
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AdamMil
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 6:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Selkirk wrote: | | if that's the case, then the mod will only be available for the non-Steam version |
You can always distribute a patched non-Steam .exe along with your mod, or a patch file that people can apply to a non-Steam .exe that they acquire through some other means...
| Selkirk wrote: | | What's the best way to go about editing the .exe file - is a HEX editor going to allow me to see the text I need to edit? |
If you just want to edit strings, and you don't want to make them longer than they already are, then a hex editor is fine. If you edit a string and make it shorter, you just have to end it with a zero byte. If you want to make a string longer or add a new string, it's more complicated and a hex editor usually isn't sufficient by itself. (You can make the changes with a hex editor but you'll need other tools to help you figure out what to change.) |
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:32 pm Post subject: |
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Those things you speak of, I have no knowledge of them lol
Guess it's time to start learning some new things!
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AdamMil
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| Posted: Thu Mar 20, 2014 8:37 pm Post subject: |
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| Selkirk wrote: | | Those things you speak of, I have no knowledge of them lol. Guess it's time to start learning some new things! :) |
Yep. :-) If you get stuck, just ask! |
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Selkirk
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| Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:07 am Post subject: |
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Thanks, will do!
It'll need to be the more complicated method, as replacing French with Scottish will be changing string lengths 
I do worry about the legality of distributing a modified .exe file though :S
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AdamMil
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| Posted: Fri Mar 21, 2014 11:19 am Post subject: |
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| Selkirk wrote: | | It'll need to be the more complicated method, as replacing French with Scottish will be changing string lengths :P |
Well, that requires writing some code, but it's not too hard. It may be a pain, though, if there are many strings that need to be changed.
| Selkirk wrote: | | I do worry about the legality of distributing a modified .exe file though :S |
I'd recommend not worrying about it, since it's not unethical and most other mods are no more legal. (There's nothing different legally between distributing a modified exe and distributing a modified nif file, for instance.)
If you're really worried about it, you can distribute a patch file that people can apply, but then you must rely on somebody else to distribute the base exe (to which the patch is applied) for you, since the Steam and retail exes both have encrypted code segments and cannot be feasibly patched in the way you want. I already distribute an unencrypted exe, though, so you could release a patch for that. :-P |
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