jstonehouse

Re: resolution, I think you need to refer to the pinned DDFIX post.

I've had another crack a creating a l0xxxx.gtl editor, this time as a standalone program that allows you to change terrain textures by applying altitude based rule changes. Basically, it's a visual version of what FU3 does through the RULES.TXT file. You can use this with the default 13 textures or with my extended 26 textures.The Editor converts l0xxxx.gtl files and their corresponding l5xxxx.geo elevation files to 512x512 bitmaps and displays useful information when moving the mouse across the main display, i.e. Min Alt, Max Alt, Alt Range, Alt Index, Texture and so on. The Index value is an altitude range corresponding to the 64 colours used to create the elevation bitmap and is useful when specifying Min Alt and Max Alt values for rule changes.You can apply up to 8 rule changes at a time (just repeat until you get the desired results), either to the entire tile or to a subsection defined as X and Y co-ordinates. The Editor displays X-origin and Y-origin values within the tile as an aid to this.I'm not really expecting this to get much use - I did it to amuse myself as much as anything - but it's in the Avsim library if anybody wants to have a play.Jonathan S.

Nice work Dave! I never could get my head around the rules, which is why I went to such lengths with the GTL tiles. Keep 'em coming!:Applause:RegardsJonathan S.

Hi GlidernutAll the outer terrain textures use the same 256-colour RGB colour map. You can view and export the palette very easily using IrfanView: select Image - Palette - Edit Palette or Image - Palette - Export PaletteIn The GIMP you can either view the palette directly by selecting Colours - Map - Rearrange Colourmap or, if you want a permanent copy available at all times, import the palette from the image itself:Select Windows - Dockable Dialogues - Palettes Right click anywhere in the Palettes window and select Import Palette... Under Select Source select Image Under Import Options change the Palette name (if desired) Click the Import button The imported palette will then appear at the top of the list of palettes in the palette window. Right click it and select Edit Palette... to view, zoom, etc.The GIMP is open source so you can download it for free @ http://www.gimp.org/downloads/The same applies with OpenOffice. If you want it then download it free @ http://download.openoffice.org/Kind regardsJonathan S.

Hi GlidernutThe attached images (taken near Grand Canyon West) show the difference between the original LGS textures and my new ones. The first image shows the LGS textures, the second my new textures. However, as the RULES.TXT file needs a lot of work you'll find that the layout of the textures is the same as the original LGS layout, i.e. only the textures themselves have changed as per the screenshots.As regards installation, the base TarGA images don't need to be installed. I only included them so that anyone who wants to add their own rules can see what the new textures look like before trying to use them. As long as you've copied my new GENTILES.TAG and RULES.TXT files to your /Flight3/gentiles folder then FU3 will replace the original 13 LGS textures with my new versions. However, you'll need to generate loose GTL tiles to see all the changes (see my ReadMe.txt file in the zip file you downloaded).Hope this makes sense!RegardsJonathan S.

Hi everyoneI've just uploaded the final version of my Outer Terrain textures to the library. This version contains a complete set of 26 textures (25 land, 1 water) and includes water transition tiles for 13 of the 25 land textures. Adding water transitions for the other land textures would take forever so I picked 13 of the most likely and obvious candidates and ignored the remainder. I had hoped to complete the water transitions in April but I've been abroad for the last 4 months and didn't get chance to complete them before I went.I haven't had time to create a new rules.txt file but maybe someone could have a bash at this? I think Dave Morgan was planning to have a go but I have an idea he was waiting on me to forward the water transitions...sorry Dave...The zip file contains:A new gentiles.tag fileA copy of the RULES.TXT file originally provided with the last beta release of the texturesThe 26 base textures as TarGA imagesA tile transition spreadsheet (so you'll know whether agriculture will transition with snow, for example)The full list of textures and their FU3 identifiers is as follows:A AgricultureB SuburbanC CanyonD Dark ForestE Rice fieldsF ForestG GrassH High DesertI HighlandsJ FieldsK MarshL Light ForestM MesaN ChaparralO OrchardsP PuebloQ Spring TundraR MeadowS SnowT Grassy HillsU UrbanV Salt FlatsW WaterX Forest/Snow MixY Desert ScrubZ Winter TundraRegardsJonathan S.

Hi everyone. As far as I know LGS never released the original artwork for the Outer Terrain's night tiles. So, I've extracted all the TarGA images (91 in total) from NITETILE.TAG and uploaded them to the library, just so we have them 'on file'. I know you've all been dying to get your hands on these so please don't all rush at once... :( Kind regardsJonathan S.

Hi Dave. I've uploaded a new gentiles.tag file to the library, titled Outer Terrain Textures - Version 2. This includes a texture transition spreadsheet and the artwork for the 26 base textures. Good luck with the rules!RegardsJonathan S.

Hi DaveGlad you're going to have a crack at this. In terms of what you're letting yourself in for, be aware that I drool almost all the time now and wake up in the middle of the night screaming obscenities and wrestling with phantom LGS texture artists. As regards rules, FU3 reads the file header (for the terrain types, mapping and rotation) each time you start a flight in the OT. So, if you use your existing rules file as a starting point then you'll need to copy the file header from the rules file provided with my textures and paste it into your own rules file.I'm working on the remaining 7 textures at the moment, to complete the full set of 26. Otherwise, I'd probably never get round to finishing them! Should be ready by the end of the first week of March. I'll upload the gentiles file when it's done and then make a start on the water transitions. The only change is to terrain type 'E', which is now an alternative field texture. Otherwise, the terrain types are as per my previous post: http://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=275453Oh, with the next gentiles upload I'll also provide a texture transition spreadsheet. Most textures will only transition with a dozen or so other textures, and the spreadsheet will tell you whether texture A will transition with texture B, C, D, E, F and so on.I've often though that Portland would make a good candidate for a makeover: Google maps shows it as a nice mixture of urban, suburban, fields and agriculture, with a national park and mountains nearby. Kind regardsJonathan S.

Hi Jim. I'd forget about markers.dat - I've examined this myself and it's a typical last-minute LGS bodge.However, you should be able to set the aircraft's orientation in the script iself, as per my previous post on the subjecthttp://forums1.avsim.net/index.php?showtopic=268881Try commenting out (//) the line that references the markers.dat file for the plane's orientation and replace it with your own command: Set orientation of plane to X Y ZI think the X Y Z values have to be between 0 and 65536, with 65536 indicating 'due north' at 360 degrees.From memory, I think there's some duplication between the AutoPos and AutoCord sections of the markers.dat file, so you might find that one of the three orientation values will change the plane's initial altitude!RegardsJonathan S.

Thanks Andre! Hopefully someone will have a go at improving my quick-and-dirty new rules! This reminds me, I forgot to list the terrain type identifiers in the RULES.TXT file:a = agricultureb = suburbanc = canyond = dark foreste = earthf = forestg = grassh = high deserti = highlandsj = fieldsk = marshl = light forestm = mesan = chaparralo = orchardp = puebloq = spring tundrar = meadows = snowt = grassy hillu = urbanv = salt flatsw = waterx = forest/snow mixy = parched desertz = winter tundraRegardsJonathan S.

I've just uploaded a beta version of some new outer terrain textures to the Avsim Library. No water transitions yet, but the GENTILES.TAG file contains 19 new base textures, plus variation and transition textures. Also included in the zip are a new RULES.TXT file and a full set of GTL tiles, for those who don't want to generate their own tiles. Water transitions will follow next month: I need to produce about 100 or so but they take time...As regards the match-up to the Seattle high-res region, it's a bit hit-and-miss at the moment. Mountainous areas (i.e. the western border - see screenshots) fare better than, for example, the area north of Paine Field. There's still work to do here... In general, hilly areas really look much better than they did with the original LGS textures. Plains and flatlands less so, as rules can only provide so much variation. Try a flight around the Grand Canyon and the mountains west of Seattle.I've provided this beta version in the hope that someone will have a go at improving the rules while I work on the water transitions: the mid-west in particular still looks fairly barren.RegardsJonathan S.

I haven't checked to be honest. Should be OK, but I'll check and do some match-up work if necessary. The rules.txt file needs a lot of work: huges swathes of the OT are covered by just two or three textures, so even with better textures it still looks pretty grim. If anyone feels like taking a crack at the rules then I could upload a 'beta' version of the new gentiles.tag file in a couple of weeks. This would include all the land textures, variations and transitions but exclude water transitions, which I haven't even started yet!

A few more of Death Valley and the Grand Canyon areas.

Here's a few screenshots of some new textures I'm working on. I'm hoping to release a set of 17 next month, to replace the existing 13 and add new field, canyon, rocky desert and chaparral textures. I have another 9 on the backburner and hope to release a full set of 26 at some point. Unfortunately, it takes a lot of time to produce transition tiles...especially water transitions...RegardsJonathan S.