New Generals Menu For Ya! - Page 2

Phoib · 03-13-2003, 06:57 PM

Just like the html code you get when you make a webpage in FrontPage?

Maybe they share the same code, the part about being higly unstable and slowing your comp down to a crawl sounds familiar...

Curator · 03-13-2003, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeZire

It was a highly unstable program that slowed your comp to a total crawl but let you edit the wnd files. Trust me, that one was done with WordPad, if you looked at it in GUIEdit you'd know that as it would appear as a total mess

lol, so your not too shabby with editing wnd files either.

Commander-Havoc · 03-13-2003, 10:20 PM

I tried to add the new skills to the new ranks but when i try to run the game it gives me serious error messages.

I backed up all my work an the files ive been replacing.

But did you manage to get it to work Dz?

Im adding the relavent skills to the right sides but i have had no luck.

Anyone managed to get this working?

Post with solutions please...

CH...

:tard:

Freeze · 03-13-2003, 11:40 PM

Always go back to wordpad. It's the universal editor

DeeZire · 03-13-2003, 11:53 PM

If youre having problems, it will be any INI coding you do between CommandSet.INI and Science.INI. The wnd file wont cause a Serious Error in itself. If you stick that in and not change anything else, the practical upshot should simply be a drastically re-arranged Generals menu.

Commander-Havoc · 03-14-2003, 01:19 AM

Cool thanx Dz.

Im going over everything in the ini files to make sure they are both linked correctly.

im going to add each new skill to each side 1 by 1 an see which may be causing a problem.

I will post the finished product for people in this thread, if they would like a copy just ask...

CH...

Flyby · 03-14-2003, 05:06 AM

I had a quick look at the *.wnd file.
Seems pretty logical to me.
Making the graphical layout doesn't look like the most difficult part, but the corresponding ini files might be more a challenge, in fact.

All you do is determine the position of the bitmap buttons in relation with the overall size (800x600) and define 3 button states (disabled, enabled and selected)

Deez, I just wonder why you're limited to 4 abilities/grade? is it a *.ini limitation?

DeeZire · 03-14-2003, 06:17 AM

Its not so mucha limitation of the wnd files or the INI files. Its more to do with how far the designers went in terms of coding.

The entire menu system in the game is like one huge tree - think of every single little menu as being like a branch on that tree. Every menu (ie each wnd file) is linked to another via a branch.

Even the Control Bar is really a menu (and has its own wnd file) so if you get really advanced and edit that file then its perfectly possible to restore the classic C&C sidebar.

The issue is that the game needs to have some method of recognizing how each element in each window affects the game engine state, and its this bit thats hardcoded. For example, if you press the Options button on the Main Menu, the game has to know what to do.

In the Generals menu example, this hardcoded element is what dictates the fact that there can only be 16 buttons on the menu that are used. If you look in that file, youll see that every button has a unique identifier in the NAME tag - its that bit that the game looks for. If you use a name that the game doesant know about, it wont acknowledge it. Its the same case with the Special Power shortcut bars - the game will only deal with 5 on any of them.

Its not as restrictive as it sounds, because say you wanted to add stuff like a line or a border, you can do that just fine as its non-interactive with the engine thus doesnt even need a name. I guess the point is that you can modify the look and layout of the menu to your hearts content, you can even remove elements, but what you cant really do is fundamentally change the function of the window and add totally new elements that are not in the game.

There are a few buttons etc coded into the game which arent in the menus, but not many, such as the 'go to the keyboard controls menu' button which is disabled on the Options menu. Theres also some buttons which are labelled as 'HIDDEN' in the Status field. Deleting the HIDDEN comment usually yields some results as the button or whatever will usually appear and be functional.

mad ivan · 03-14-2003, 07:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DeeZire

Even the Control Bar is really a menu (and has its own wnd file) so if you get really advanced and edit that file then its perfectly possible to restore the classic C&C sidebar.

There are a few buttons etc coded into the game which arent in the menus, but not many, such as the 'go to the keyboard controls menu' button which is disabled on the Options menu. Theres also some buttons which are labelled as 'HIDDEN' in the Status field. Deleting the HIDDEN comment usually yields some results as the button or whatever will usually appear and be functional.

Got that in the Text file

Btw-do you mind if i upload this @ GenRC after it is completed?
(the URL will probably be http://generalsmptest.editingsource.com)

Flyby · 03-14-2003, 09:47 AM

DZ, if I understand you correctly, the commandpanel menu is also using the same structure as the "generals ability" menu.
So basically calling up the the "generals" menu from the command bar, is the use of one button to call up a new batch of 16 buttons?

Makes me wonder if you could have it so, that a button on the generals menu calls up a new menu file that holds a new set of 16 buttons...

Not counting the [done] button, that would mean you're disposing of 15x15 buttons...
...should be enough , I think!