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Orion's***Belt
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Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

Hoping that the admins here will create a Q&A type area for those of us who have reached some limits with mapping. Like most others, I have been re-editing old maps, some DM, but mostly CTF, and editing them specifically for the RX server that we all love. But, I have hit some roadblocks along the way. Bad Co, and his uncle, Kevster, have assisted me in the past with just doing some of the things that I wanted done. However, while I appreciate the help they have provided by DOING what they did, I learned little from the experience.

So, my current project map has some wooden boxes, the texture of which are Metalmys.Nazibox4. There is "decal" on some sides of some boxes with the NAZI type eagle, Metalmys.Nazibox5. I'd like to remove those decals, and just have them be wooden boxes texture. No one will look at the name of the texture while in the game. I can cl8ick on the texture (the 5 version) and replace with a "default texture". However, the UT99 Editor 2.0 that I am using doesn't handle the textures all that well. Had hoped I could just copy a texture, and paste it on an adjoining surface, but noooooooooooo.

So, question 1:
Is there a work around for the version of the editor I am using so that I can make the wooden boxes be wood instead of a concrete looking surface?

Question 2:
I'd like to create a ((OB)) kind of logo, and place that around on walls, etc. I cannot figure our how to create a text texture, and how to save it as such, and then use it in my maps.

For many of you mappers, this might be pretty simple. But for me, it's a major stumbling block. I have watchd most of the SmeerKat videos, and no where does he address the subject of custom logo/poster type textures. Or, how to make them, or how to apply them to a surface. I have tried other versions of the UT99 editor, but most don't work at all for what I am trying to do.

Thanks in advance for teaching me these things. Hoping it ill also assist other mappers out there.
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Re: Help needed

Post by evilgrins »

Orion's***Belt wrote: Sat Nov 21, 2020 7:49 pmbeen re-editing old maps, some DM, but mostly CTF, and editing them specifically for the RX server that we all love
You and me both, though I mostly do it for UTDMT/UTDMW/UTDMS and occasionally RX/SLV.

Pathing isn't my strong suit, so I have consultants. Nelsona knows how to path for RX & SLV:
https://hofgamingclan.com/forums/viewto ... f=17&t=445

Now, about the decal... not so hard to remove (also not a fan). As you've noted not all sides of the box have that decal, so you've got 2 options.
1) Identify the normal wooden texture on a side without that decal, find the location of the texture, click it, then click a side with the decal and click "apply texture".

Fixed!

2) Basically the same thing, but put the desired texture into MyLevel and then do the same thing, select your desired texture and then apply it to the decal'd side.

Fixed!
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

I tried your first suggestion, and for some reason, my editor doesn't use a selected texture. It seems to use a texture that it somehow a "default" texture, which is kind of a concrete looking surface.

In a PM, Bad Co suggested that after applying the "Paste" portion of the process, I have to hit "BUILD" to see the replaced texture. I'll have to spend some time with my version of Edit 2.0, and do a lot of screen shots to show you all what I am seeing.
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Re: Help needed

Post by evilgrins »

What's the map you're editing?
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

Just spent some time with Bad Co, and he walked me through how the texture replacement is SUPPOSED to go.
1) Highlight the texture that you want to replace.
2) Open the Texture browser, the icon that looks like a moon behind some landscape.
3) Select Open > and browse to the Textures folder, and find the texture from the family that you are looking for. In the instance of the current project, as previously mentioned, the plain wooden box texture is: Metalmys.Nazibox4. The one with the Nazi eagle in it (that I am trying to replace) is Metalmys.Nazibox5
4) I open that UTX file, and do see all of the family of textures for that group.
5) I select the plain wooden one, which BVad Co suggests (at least on his machine) should just instantly replace the highlighted texture with the one you click on. NOPE Doesn't do that for me. I even tried, right clicking on the Nazibox5 texture and selecting Apply Texture with no result either.

Bad Co asked if I had other versions of the editor installed on my machine, and I said yes. Kevster had suggested 2.1, and I had even gone to Epic's site and downloaded and installed the new version 4.0 which won't even barely run on my old machine. So, at Bad Co's suggestion (and a great one at that!), I uninstalled all the other versions of the editor (the thought was that maybe some other .ini or .int file was interfering with UEdit's ability to do these textures correctly,. Bad Co even sent me his copy of the three files. I archived my originals in a safe place, and dropped his in, rebooted my system, and tried again.

Same ZERO result. There seems to be some kind of "default" concrete looking texture that everything gets replaced with, but not with any texture that I want to apply specifically.

So, while I think I now know the process for replacing textures, I now seem to need help with fixing my UT99 system so I can actually use the editor with replacement textures. A last resort would be to do a complete re-install of UT which is a nightmare to contemplate. My tendency in the past is to copy over my USER.INI and UnrealTournament.INI files, but realize that those might actually be were the issue is.

This is asking a lot, but I sure would appreciate it if someone who is more familiar with the inner workings of the .INI and INT files could assist with this editor texture issue. Kev, you once offered to assist with remote training. Is that still an option for you? Thanks in advance.
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

The map doesn't matter. The example that you have showed is exactly what I am trying to do. The Texture Editor will NOT allow me to select any textures. Therein lies the problem.
evilgrins wrote: Sun Nov 22, 2020 3:43 pm What's the map you're editing?
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Re: Help needed

Post by evilgrins »

I was asking because if you can't edit it then I can and send it back to you, I get the name I can likely find it somewhere and download it.
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

I appreciate the offer. Bad Co and a few others have also offered to do the texture editing for me.
However, it's less about getting it done quickly, and more about ME being able to do the edits myself. Like the olf proverb: "Feed a man a fish, and feed him for the day. Teach a man to fish, and feed him for a lifetime."

I would really like to figure out what is going wrong with my editor that it won't allow me to do these edits. There has to be some simple setting somewhere. I can see the Textures files when I open them. I just can't apply any of them to the work.
The only texture I am allowed to install is some default concrete looking texture which I can't even see the name of.
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Re: Help needed

Post by =(V)=RocketJedi »

ut99.org may be a better bet to learn get info they actually have a mapping sections etc.
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Re: Help needed

Post by =(V)=BloodyRabbit »

Agreed. We do not have enough pro mappers.
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Re: Help needed

Post by evilgrins »

Orion's***Belt wrote: Sun Nov 22, 2020 5:42 pmless about getting it done quickly, and more about ME being able to do the edits myself.
Okay, well as you can see from my screenshots above I found where in UT that texture with the decal was. I found that by clicking on a box with the decal and checking the properties, which brought up that lower window which lists the texture and where in the texture viewer to find it.

In the texture viewer you can see the decal as well as a blank box texture right next to it. Now if you can't select textures as you described above, this should still work... what you do is click a box that has the decal, then click on the blank box texture... and that very simply will replace the decal with the blank.

You can do this individually or select multiple decals, while holding the shift key down while you're clicking them, and then click the blank box texture to change them all at once.

Let me know if you have any other questions.
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

Tried that already also. Doesn't work.
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

I figured it out.........

Some of the things I did before finding the solution:
1) Uninstalled V2.5 of Unreal Ed - made no difference
2) Un8installed V 4.5 of Unreal Ed, this is a full launcher from STEAM, the current owner of the UT product line. The didn't do anything after uninstalling it, it was still there.
3) Uninstalled Steam's UNREAL launcher product. That got rid of the 4.5 editor, but also totally destroyed all of the UT99 connections. It forved me to re-install UT99.
4) I re-installed UT99 GOTY edition, using the free install link I posted some years ago. Grrrrr. What a pain that is/was. I am still recovering from settings that were once pretty solid. Even after the re-install, I still could not use the texture editor.
5) I forgot to make a back up of everything before wrecking Ut99. I didn't save my currenbt USER.INI or UnealTournament.INI files. I only had some really old examples from a buddy from years ago.

Here's where I found the solution:
A) Using a text editor, I put the old version of User.ini next to the currently installed User.ini file. Nothing there that struck out as obvious.
B) I did the same for the UnrealToiurnament.ini files. Then, I was suddenly blinded by the light!!!
There is was: Use32BitTextures=False

DUH!!! All of the textures are 32 bit....... I changed that setting to True, and restarted up UnrealEd 2.0. Magically, the textures started working properly. I am sure that you guys had to make that change some time ago, so long ago that you probably forgot it. But, the False is the default setting.

So, I am now able to change all those pesky textures at will. Hope that this post will show up when someone else like me does a search engine search for this situation.

My next thing to learn is how to make a logo type poster, save that as a texture, so that I can paste it in a map now and then.
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Re: Help needed

Post by Orion's***Belt »

More help.....

I have clearly figured out that Unreal Editor 2.0 is directly connected to the UnrealTournament.ini settings in the system folder.
In the course of recovering an old (really old) set of .INI's (Lesson learned, always make a fresh backup of UnrealToiurnament.ini and User.ini before doing anything), I discovered to my disappointment, that I now had all my UT settings back, but that the EDITOR was broken again.

So, I tried using OpenGL (which I have never liked) as my 3D renderer. No joy with the editor. I also tried all of the other versions, and also found those not working well in the game, and didn't fix the editor.

So, I re-downloaded the newest (V13) or Direct 3D 9, and compared the file sizes with what was on my drive. They were vastly different. So, somehow, my Direct3D drivers got broken, and that seemed to me a possible issue. Dropped in the correct new version, and fired up the game, so far so good.

I started up the Editor, and opened the troublesome map with the texture I wanted to change. YAY! I am back to working properly.

The game works fine, and I have all my settings back. And, the editor allows me to change textures as I need to.

Long drawn out process, but one with a logical solution. Again, I hope that this solution will solve the issue for others in the future.

I'll start a new thread with the questions regarding the desire to create a LOGO that I can use in new maps.

Thanks for the help, offers of assistance, and the patience of the players as I wandered in and out of games to get it all working correctly.
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Re: Help needed

Post by =(V)=Kevster »

You could also create a box of your own, same size, then locate a texture of your choice. Could be from an image off the Net, then create your own custom texture using Photoshop or a similar editor. Re-size it to what it's supposed to be, 64x64, 128x128, 256x256 etc. Then import it into your map. That's what I would do in your case. If you import it into your map, I would make sure that you make it part of the map and not a separate texture file. Then you don't have to worry about naming conflicts with file names.
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