HC - How to add graphics to the DB

In HC Gold and newer the images shown in the platform editor (for the commondb battlesets, aka EC2003 and WestPac) can be changed by the user and new images can be added.

Game Requirement (affects HC Gold only, HCE 2007.000+ can use animations): In the game (GE, Winharp32.exe) you must turn off animations. If you do not do this, the game may crash with GetAnnex errors when the animations should show. In the Settings menu, Game Options, uncheck:

• Enable Launch Animations
  
• Enable Area Defense Animations
  
• Enable Hit Animations
  

The Images:

• RGB encoded Windows bitmaps (aka BMP)
  
• Maximum dimensions 320x200 pixels
  
• 16 or 256 colors, limited support for more colors (images tend to cut off at > 256 colors)
  

What to name and where to put the images:

• Make sure you have your database loaded into the Platform Editor.
  
• Find the file in the commondb\rsr with the largest number (in my case, res384.bmp).
  
• Save your first custom/new image in that directory and name it with the next number in the series, in my case res385.bmp. Continue numbering your next images in the same manner, with no gaps in numbers.
  
• Once your custom images are saved into commondb\rsr directory, go back to the platform editor.
  
• Find the platform that should have your first custom image you saved, change it's PicID to the image 'number' minus 154. In my case, res385.bmp - 154 = Pic ID 231.
  
• Save the record in the PE, change any other Pic IDs you need to change and Export your database from the PE.
  
• Give the Game a whirl and your new graphics should be associated with the correct platforms in the platform display.
  

You may also replace the existing images, so you could swap out the image for the Ticonderoga (Pic ID 4 = res158.bmp) with a different image by over-writing res158.bmp with your custom image and re-exporting your DB.

Special Pic IDs

• 0 - Shows the no image graphic
  
• -1 - The unit will not show up in the platform display
  

Note: If you distribute your DB to others, to see the changed images you will have to distribute not only commondb.res from your game directory but also commondb.rsr.

Paint Shop Pro palette of original 16-color HC palette:

R G B

0 0 0

0 87 0

0 171 0

0 171 171

171 0 0

171 87 0

171 171 255

171 171 171

87 87 87

0 87 171

255 171 171

87 255 255

255 87 87

87 87 0

255 255 87

255 255 255

Some day I'm

sure someone will write a utility that verifies the image formats,

names appropriately, etc. Until then the above is a working

method.

Edited July 17, 200817 yr by TonyE
new info for HCE