mirror of
https://github.com/spiffcode/hostile-takeover.git
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79 lines
4.2 KiB
HTML
79 lines
4.2 KiB
HTML
<html>
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<head>
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
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<meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0">
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<meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
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<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
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<title>Overview</title>
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<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="AuthorKit.css">
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</head>
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<body>
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<h4>Hostile Takeover Author Kit Overview</h4>
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<p>The Hostile Takeover Author Kit contains the tools needed to create content
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like new levels and graphics for Hostile Takeover.</p>
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<p class="labelproc">Game Databases</p>
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<p>Hostile Takeover makes use of "Game Database" (.pdb) files to store its
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content. There is a custom game database for each major graphics format Hostile
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Takeover supports. For example htdata816.pdb contains graphics tuned for 8-bit,
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lores (16-pixel tile) devices whereas htdata424.pdb contains graphics tuned for
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4-bit hires (24-pixel tile) devices. There is a separate database (htsfx.pdb)
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which stores sound effects. The tool <a href="packpdb2Ref.htm">packpdb2.exe</a>
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is able to create Game Databases and extract or view their contents.</p>
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<p class="labelproc">Levels</p>
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<p>Single and multiplayer levels are created with the <a href="MapEditorRef.htm">
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Map Editor</a> (M.exe) then <a href="HowToAddALevelToAGameDatabase.htm">added to
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a Game Database</a> with the utility <a href="mkpdbRef.htm">mkpdb.bat</a>. Level
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files, also known as Level Description files, have the extension .ld. See
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<a href="HowToCreateALevel.htm">how to create a Level</a> for details.</p>
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<p class="labelproc">Templates, Template Collections</p>
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<p>Maps are created in the Map Editor by assembling puzzle piece-like Templates
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which have been designed to fit together to form roads, cliff ranges, rivers,
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etc. The <a href="TemplateExtractorRef.htm">TemplateExtractor</a> utility is
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used to extract Template art, terrain information and name from artist-friendly
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source files and convert them into Map Editor and game-friendly Template
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Collection (.tc) files.</p>
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<p>A single Template Collection contains all the Templates for maps of a region,
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e.g., grassy or sandy. Template art is authored as 24-bit color images that
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break down into 24x24 tiles. Automated tools perform the job of reducing the
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Template art to Hostile Takeover-compatible 8-bit color art including scaling
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down the art to accommodate lores devices. A Template Terrain info image is
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scanned to determine which areas of the templates block the movement and
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placement of units/structures in the game. For details on all of this see
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<a href="HowToCreateATemplateCollection.htm">how to create a Template Collection</a>.</p>
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<p class="labelproc">Testing new Levels and Templates</p>
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<p>Once a Template Collection has been assembled and a Level(s) created add them
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to a Game Database (see <a href="HowToAddATemplateCollectionToAGameDatabase.htm">
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adding Template Collections to a Game Database</a> and
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<a href="HowToAddALevelToAGameDatabase.htm">adding Levels to a Game Database</a>)
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and launch <a href="HostileTakeoverRef.htm">Hostile Takeover</a> to give them a
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play test.</p>
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<p class="labelproc">Helper utilities</p>
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<p>Several shortcut utilities have been included in this kit to reduce the
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number of steps needed for common authoring operations. They are:</p>
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<table border="0" style="border-collapse: collapse; font-size: 10pt" bordercolor="#111111" width="100%" id="AutoNumber1" bgcolor="#DEEAEF" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="0">
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<tr>
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<td width="21%"><b>makeall.bat</b></td>
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<td width="79%">Extracts grassy Templates to create grassy.tc, then adds it
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and the grassy_test.ld Level to the htdata816.pdb and htdata824.pdb Game
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Databases </td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td width="21%"><b>updGrassy16.bat </b></td>
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<td width="79%">Adds grassy.tc and grassy_test.ld to htdata816.pdb</td>
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</tr>
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<tr>
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<td width="21%"><b>updGrassy24.bat</b></td>
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<td width="79%">Adds grassy.tc and grassy_test.ld to htdata824.pdb</td>
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</tr>
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</table>
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<p>Use these batch files as a starting point to create your own helpers. It may
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be as simple as searching for each "grassy" and replacing with the name of your
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environment, e.g., "sandy".</p>
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</body>
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</html>
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