Hud Mods

[chilong]

I understand I can't use hud mods that I made for Legends but can new mods be made for this game?

[Nigel_Strange]

Yes. New mods can be made for this game.

[Marvin]

Indeed. Warsign is hard at work.

[chilong]

How do I find out how to change the hud? I think it was Warsign that helped me the last time. Maybe he'll clue me in.
Warsign, calling warsign, Warsign, come in.

[Marvin]

I think I hear his Gphone ringing.

[Vice]

You can use HUD mods you made for Legends, most of the difference just involve changes in file names (and optionally texture sizes). Most of the 'JPG' files are now 'PNG' files. There is a planned customizing kit for the game, not sure when it will be ready yet though.

[warsign]

Mercenary has just released. We have to give time to Vice for customizing kit imo, because I know from previous games, he needs to rearrange whole game for mods. He already worked very hard for Mercenary, it is time for him to celebrate...

I am working over a big project for Mercenary, I think you will like it. But all modders need to understand new game's engine of Mercenary. When customizing kit released, mods will start to release for sure...

We modders are getting our power from Vice... He gives us infos and methods, we are doing mods. First we learn from him how can do mods for Mercenary, then we are doing things...

Personally, I plan to release many mods for Mercenary, and adapting old releases to Mercenary too. And there are many good modders in forum as well, I plan to collaborate them to build bigger mods etc... But new game, new problems for mods, we have to learn first. Especially shortcuts to adapt old ones to Mercenary

Evoviper would be one of them. Inspired from Viper of Bsg, still working on her.If you didn't notice before, some pictures of her and some concepts about ship frame:

Concept model of cockpit:


In-game screenshot (testing light layer in dark places):


Stay tuned and enjoy playing Mercenary...



[Edited on 9-24-2010 by warsign]

[alpha45]

That looks like it's gonna sweet mod. The new default HUD is pretty awesome too, and I really love how the HUD looks much more realistic now, with many of the HUD objects pixelized as(gives it a much more authentic feel IMHO). It looks like modders have a lot work on their hands if they want to surpass it in quality. Speaking of which, I just might dig up Adobe Fireworks and make my own (Fireworks is like Photoshop, but designed for creating smaller things like icons and logos rather than the editing of large pics, which is pretty useful). Not the full modeling shebang like warsign, just some custom HUD textures. Maybe it'll be more successful than my attempt to model ships.

[Edited on 18-9-2010 by alpha45]

[warsign]

Everyone can do different things and we can form a mod team one day for doing nice mod packages!

Yes, I love Mercenary cockpit and HUD, I think we have to play Mercenary as original for a while because whole game is awesome!

[Edited on 9-18-2010 by warsign]

[chilong]

Vice,

Do you mean if I change the file extensions to .png and drop a "hud" folder into "Mercenary", it will work?

[Vice]

For most of the HUD options, yes. There are also a lot of new ones. Here's an excerpt from the kit in development (should all be available and working in the current build of the game):

b2-compass.png = transparent compass and console buttons
b2-compassshadow.png = compass shadow (inverse transparency, white is invisible)
b2barXcenter.png = console button highlight center texture (looped for width, X range 1-4)
b2barXleft.png = console button highlight left edge texture
b2barXright.png = console button highlight right edge texture
b2console.png = base console display
b2console2.png = navigation console display
b2consoleinv.png = inventory console display
b2gun.png = transparent gunsight, mode 1
b2gun2.png = transparent gunsight, mode 2
b2gunshadow.png = gunsight shadow texture (inverse transparency, white is invisible), mode 1
b2gunshadow2.png = gunsight shadow texture, mode 2
b2menu.png = HUD button menu
ccpitblue1.jpg = 3D radar display screen texture
ccpitblue2.jpg = ship status display screen texture (left)
ccpitblue3.jpg = target status display screen texture (right)
ccpitblue3b.jpg = target range list display screen texture (right)
ccpitbox1.jpg = 3D radar display texture
ccpitbox2.jpg = ship status display texture (left)
ccpitbox3.jpg = target status display texture (right)
chatbarleft.png = text message area vertical bar
chatbarline.png = text message area horizontal line highlight bar
chatbartop.png = text message area horizontal bar
chatbox.png = blank button box
chatclose.png = text message area close button
chatdown.png = text message area line down button
chatdown2.png = text message area page down button
chatslider.png = text message area scroll box
chatsliderbutton.png = text message area scroll button
chatslidersmall.png = small scroll box
chatup.png = text message area line up button
chatup2.png = text message area page up button
chatvoice.png = voice chat button
chatvoicemute.png = mute chat indicator
compass.png = transparent numbers for compass display
cyan.png = transparent movement spears
cyan1.jpg = medium yellow radar blip
glass.png = Cockpit glass frosting (optional)
glass2.png = Cockpit glass reflection texture (front)
glass3.png = Cockpit glass reflection texture (right)
glass4.png = Cockpit glass reflection texture (left)
green1.jpg = bright green radar blip
green2.jpg = medium green radar blip
green3.jpg = station radar blip
greenarrow.jpg = nav map direction indicator
greenbox.jpg = nav map waypoint indicator
grid.png = transparent sphere lines for 3D radar sphere and target ship direction indicator
hud1.jpg = target MFD range list left bracket
hud1b.jpg = target MFD range list right bracket
hud3.jpg = status display shield hull damage green bar
hud3b.jpg = target MFD detail hull damage indicator bracket
hud4.jpg = status display primary weapon energy indicator blue bar
hud5.jpg = inbound missile range indicator red bar (kept for potential legacy use)
hud7.jpg = target MFD detail hull damage indicator red bar
hud8.jpg = red dot used for critical shield array level
hud9.jpg = yellow dot used for critical shield array level
hud10.jpg = green dot used for critical shield array level
hud-alert1.png = transparent ENERGY alert indicator
hud-alert2.png = transparent SHIELD alert indicator
hud-alert3.png = transparent SYSTEM alert indicator
hud-alert4.png = transparent CAUTION alert indicator
hudrings.png = race course boxes
hudtape.png = transparent numbers and lines for artificial horizon display
hudtape-shadow.png = shadow for artifical horizon display
icon-ast1.png = rocky asteroid nav map icon
icon-ast2.png = ice asteroid nav map icon
icon-ast3.png = golden asteroid nav map icon
icon-blackhole.png = black hole nav map icon
icon-blue = map log entry nav map icon
icon-buttondown.png = nav map down button
icon-buttondown2.png = nav map down highlight button
icon-buttonleft.png = nav map left button
icon-buttonleft2.png = nav map left highlight button
icon-buttonright.png = nav map right button
icon-buttonright2.png = nav map right highlight button
icon-buttonup.png = nav map up button
icon-buttonup2.png = nav map up highlight button
icon-carr.png = carrier nav map icon
icon-cave = cave nav map icon
icon-circle90.png = friendly clan territory indicator
icon-circle90b.png = hostile clan territory indicator
icon-circle180.png = short range sensor indicator
icon-circle300.png = long range sensor indicator
icon-csta.png = constructor station nav map icon
icon-gat.png = gate nav map icon
icon-map.png = nav map background map grid
icon-sta1.png = station type 1 nav map icon
icon-sta2.png = station type 2 nav map icon
icon-sta3.png = station type 3 nav map icon
icon-sta4.png = station type 4 nav map icon
icon-sta5.png = station type 5 nav map icon
icon-sta8.png = station type 8 nav map icon
icon-wor.png = wormhole nav map icon
inertial1.png = IDS off indicator
inertial2.png = IDS on indicator
landgreen.png = ILS green landing path
landred.png = ILS red landing path
map.png = Quadrant map
mapt.png = Territory quadrant map
mape.png = Economy quadrant map
mdts1.png = transparent MDTS active indicator
mdts2.png = transparent MDTS tracking indicator
mdtsshadow.png = MDTS indicator shadow
mi.png = transparent missile inbound alert indicator
mi2.jpg = bright yellow inbound missile highlight box
mlock.png = transparent missile lock indicator
mode1.png = particle and beam weapon firing mode indicator
mode2.png = particle weapon firing mode indicator
mode3.png = beam weapon firing mode indicator
modeshadow.png = firing mode indicator shadow
point1.jpg = menu selection mode mouse pointer
point1-shadow.jpg = menu selection mode mouse pointer shadow
point2.jpg = menu selection mode mouse pointer scroll bars
point2-shadow.jpg = menu selection mode mouse pointer scroll bars shadow
point4.png = flight mode mouse pointer
point4console.png = selection mode mouse pointer
point4cshadow.png = selection mode mouse pointer shadow
point4shadow.png = flight mode mouse pointer shadow
purple1.jpg = cargo/weapon storage container and wormhole radar blip
red1.jpg = dim red radar blip
red2.jpg = medium red radar blip
red3.jpg = bright red radar blip
redbox2.jpg = red highlight box
strafe.png = transparent strafe indicator
target1.png = red lead indicator
target1green.png = green lead indicator
target1yellow.png = yellow lead indicator
target2.png = red tracking indicator high priority
target3.png = red tracking indicator for target
target3green.png = green tracking indicator for target
target3yellow.png = yellow tracking indicator for target
target4.png = red tracking indicator
target5.png = red direction pointer
target5blue.png = blue direction pointer
target5yellow.png = yellow direction pointer
target5green.png = green direction pointer
target7.png = green tracking indicator
target8.png = yellow tracking indicator
target9.png = white highlight box for cargo
target10.png = blue station tracking indicator
target11.png = asteroid indicator
target12.png = cargo indicator
targetmissile.png = HUD pointer direction indicator for inbound missiles, regular threat level
targetmissile2.png = HUD pointer range bar for inbound missiles, regular threat level
targetmissile2red.png = HUD pointer range bar for inbound missiles, critical threat level
targetmissile3.png = HUD pointer and range bracket for inbound missiles, regular threat level
targetmissile3red.png = HUD pointer and range bracket for inbound missiles, regular threat level
targetmissilered.png = HUD pointer direction indicator for inbound missiles, critical threat level
targetradargreen.png = green target highlight radar blip
targetradarmissile.png = inbound missile blip
targetradarred.png = red target highlight radar blip
targetradaryellow.png = yellow target highlight radar blip
targetshadow.png = tracking indicator shadow for target
targetshadow2.png = tracking indicator shadow
targetshadow3.png = navigation indicator shadow
targetshadow4.png = inbound missile indicator shadow
targetshadow5.png = lead indicator shadow
targetshadow7.png = mouse pointer shadow
targetshadow8.png = waypoint indicator shadow
waypoint1.png = green waypoint highlight box
waypointn.png = yellow navigation highlight box
white.jpg = white radar blip
yellow1.jpg = bright yellow radar blip
yellowbox.jpg = yellow navigation radar and nav map indicator

[Maarschalk]

LOL...that is a long list of grocerie shoppings for mods......:P:P:P:P

[chilong]

Wow, thanks. I'll try fooling around with the files in my original mod and see if I can get it to work!

[BraveHart]

"Now I know I'll Like the Viper a lot....since it has my call sign on it!!".....Now it's even hotter

Thanks Warsign you definately have my order for one

[Marvin]

Originally posted by Eclipse

You have to change the graphic format, not just the extension naming (just to be clear).

In Vista and Win7, you can load your JPG files to MS Paint and re-save them as PNGs. Possibly, it works with WinXP too.

[Koranis]

WOW! Can't wait to try it!

[SeeJay]

Anyone knows how to put the "Quadrant map" in the cockpit view. I added my position and Cargo bay list so I don't have to open NAV/INVENTORY consoles all the time. I'm guessing I have to add a text-file similar to the mentioned modding with pos/size or something???

[Edited on 2010-9-23 by SeeJay]

[Marvin]

One of warsigns cockpit mods for Legends had two extra viewscreens. They were static but did allow you to paste whatever image you wanted, including a static version of the quadrant map. Maybe he'll clone that cockpit for Mercenary.

[SeeJay]

I saw that. It looks really cool. I waaaaannt it!