Graphic Mod - "Best of both Worlds"

[Telumar]

The mod relies heavily on Cabido's Board Game Sytle Mod (https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/tm.asp?m=4523087). It is actually a combination of modified versions of his graphics with my own or modified versions of my own graphics you might recognize from my earlier Telu IV Map Mod. Hence the title "Best of both Worlds". The mod contains also a blue version of the TOAW IV GUI.

Get the Mod here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/dhiharp0gwtvg93/BobW.zip?dl=0

For the Map and GUI fonts get the Opart 4 Fonts.ini here: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hydr3ev5pxuia ... s.zip?dl=0

**********************************************
Important:
In order for the Mod to display hills as intended you need to do the following:
Go to TOAW IV's main directory into the /graphics folder and "deactivate" hills_overlay graphics. This can best be done by renaming the according files (you may not want to delete them in case you wish to use them again later):

h_tiles_hills_overlay.png
tiles_hills_overlay.png
s_tiles_hills_overlay.png
**********************************************

EDIT 07. Mar 2020: Added s_unitviewnew.png to the GUI files. The file was missing in the initial version.

[Telumar]

More Screenshots in the following posts..

[Telumar]

Winter:

[Telumar]

Desert / North Africa:

[Telumar]

A look at the zoom out view:

[Telumar]

And a look at the zoom in view:

[Shadrach]

Wow, this is really nice! I really like both yours and Cabido's map mods, so this is really the best of both worlds! [:D]
And I really really love the blue UI mod!

Knowing myself I will probably change it around a bit since I use mods for parts of this already, like the borders, movement arrows, water, rail and so on. Maybe an idea to break it up a bit more into smaller bits, like the cursors, flags and movement arrows don't necessarily need to be part of the UI mod?

A small tip - I once suggested to Cabido to try using transparent PNGs as the hills_overlay files, to avoid having to delete the files in Graphics. But apparently this doesn't work, just makes the hills *invisible* instead, which is weird ... So I've tried to avoid it by instead creating empty 0-byte files and naming them as the PNGs, and placing in Graphics Override. It seems to work. Easiest way is just create a new empty txt file, and rename it as .png after saving [;)]

[Shadrach]

Another tip: the new flags in the H_combatviewstuff.png file(s) are nice, but for someone with (slight) red-green colour-blindness, the green you use is hard to distinguish from the orange/yellow one. I suggest you use clearer colours for this. Something like the file I'm attaching here, which uses clean green and yellow which is easy to spot for me.

[rjantzi]

Could you please remind me where I put these files in the TOAWIV directory structure? Thanks

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: Shadrach
A small tip - I once suggested to Cabido to try using transparent PNGs as the hills_overlay files, to avoid having to delete the files in Graphics. But apparently this doesn't work, just makes the hills *invisible* instead, which is weird ... So I've tried to avoid it by instead creating empty 0-byte files and naming them as the PNGs, and placing in Graphics Override. It seems to work. Easiest way is just create a new empty txt file, and rename it as .png after saving [;)]

Why so complicated? It's absolutely sufficient to rename the files in TOAW IV's main directory. Note that the files are write protected, so you need to enable overwriting them. I haven't fiddled much around with fully transparent graphics or tried what you suggest. If one doesn't want to disable the write protection maybe then your approach is the way to go.

ORIGINAL: Shadrach
Another tip: the new flags in the H_combatviewstuff.png file(s) are nice, but for someone with (slight) red-green colour-blindness, the green you use is hard to distinguish from the orange/yellow one. I suggest you use clearer colours for this. Something like the file I'm attaching here, which uses clean green and yellow which is easy to spot for me.

Luckily you already created those file and i don't need to create them and incorporate them in the download. [:)]

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: rjantzi

Could you please remind me where I put these files in the TOAWIV directory structure? Thanks

libraries/documents/my games/The Operational Art of War IV/Graphics override

Note that you need to delete or rename the three hills_overlay graphics in TOAW IV's program directory (programs (x86)/Matrix Games/The Operational Art of War IV/Graphics)

[Telumar]

Flat style supply markers and revised cursors as the Mod's original cursors didn't fill the entire hex, they were two pixels to short. The attached file also contains a new Opart 4 fonts.ini for a better display of supply numbers. Screenshot in the following post.

Btw, i found that the huge font for supply is broken. The engine always displays a scaled up version of the normal supply font no matter what. Is this already known?

[Telumar]

Flat supply markers, revised unit/formation cursors:

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: Telumar

Flat style supply markers and revised cursors as the Mod's original cursors didn't fill the entire hex, they were two pixels to short. The attached file also contains a new Opart 4 fonts.ini for a better display of supply numbers. Screenshot in the following post.

Btw, i found that the huge font for supply is broken. The engine always displays a scaled up version of the normal supply font no matter what. Is this already known?

You have to have all three sizes together, if you mod any one of them.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

ORIGINAL: Telumar

Btw, i found that the huge font for supply is broken. The engine always displays a scaled up version of the normal supply font no matter what. Is this already known?

You have to have all three sizes together, if you mod any one of them.

Meaning what exactly? All three sizes the same font or..? Because that is what i did.

[Curtis Lemay]

ORIGINAL: Telumar

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

ORIGINAL: Telumar

Btw, i found that the huge font for supply is broken. The engine always displays a scaled up version of the normal supply font no matter what. Is this already known?

You have to have all three sizes together, if you mod any one of them.

Meaning what exactly? All three sizes the same font or..? Because that is what i did.

I mean if you put a modified Supply.png in the Graphics Override folder, then you have to put the s_Supply.png and h_Supply.png there as well. Once it finds Supply.png there, it won't look elsewhere for the other two. It will generate them via scaling instead.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay

ORIGINAL: Telumar

ORIGINAL: Curtis Lemay


You have to have all three sizes together, if you mod any one of them.

Meaning what exactly? All three sizes the same font or..? Because that is what i did.

I mean if you put a modified Supply.png in the Graphics Override folder, then you have to put the s_Supply.png and h_Supply.png there as well. Once it finds Supply.png there, it won't look elsewhere for the other two. It will generate them via scaling instead.

Yes of course.

I was referring to the font settings in the font editor.

[Hellen_slith]

This is great! I'm only using the GUI (blue style) and the destroyed RR and bridges. The formation highlight too is very very helpful for these old eyes.

Question: I also like the little airfield markers you have, but I can't find the "tile" or whatever you call it to be able to replace the default symbols. Any hint which ones those are?

Also, I see on your web site some other GUI like a "red" style for Soviet ... can I use those ONLY for "soviet" scenes, by putting those in their respective scenario "graphic override" folders?

Ok, well, thanks again, very helpful!

[jmlima]

Looks amazing, great work.

[Telumar]

ORIGINAL: Hellen_slith

This is great! I'm only using the GUI (blue style) and the destroyed RR and bridges. The formation highlight too is very very helpful for these old eyes.

Question: I also like the little airfield markers you have, but I can't find the "tile" or whatever you call it to be able to replace the default symbols. Any hint which ones those are?

Glad to hear that you like it

As for the airfield markers - they can be found in "tiles_misc".

ORIGINAL: Hellen_slith
Also, I see on your web site some other GUI like a "red" style for Soviet ... can I use those ONLY for "soviet" scenes, by putting those in their respective scenario "graphic override" folders?

Ok, well, thanks again, very helpful!

These are old TOAW III Mods an only work for the TOAW III GUI.