Intro and LBM program

[Mithel]

I was guided here to introduce myself. I'm a software developer (and game developer). I took an interest in modifying Medieval Total War and noticed the troubles dealing with lukmap.LBM files. So I wrote a program specifically to help people who want to create their own maps.

My program is written in Java so you'll have to download and install the Jave Runtime Environment too. You can find my ImageConverter program on our secondary website at:
http://www.mnstarfire.com/download/ImageConverter.html

Enjoy it And let me know if you find any problems or have a suggestion to make it better.

- Mithel

[KukriKhan]

Greetings Mithel, and welcome to the Org. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I've copied your post to The Dungeon, our 'mod-ders' forum. You can follow it here:
http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin....1;&#top (http://www.totalwar.org/cgi-bin/forum/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=5;t=2641;r=1;&#top)

You can post replies here, and we'll move them for you, until you make Senior Patron, when you can move about freely. Clumsy, I know, but part of our orientation process. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

[Mithel]

Thank you KukriKhan.

I've updated my program (now version 1.1) with a major addition of being able to load and save color tables. Thus you can now get your color table in the order you want it, save it and then use it again after editing your image without the need to recreate your carefully crafted color table order to make a new LBM.

- Mithel

[KukriKhan]

Thank you Mithel for the excellent bit of work. I sent your v1.1 info to The Dungeon. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/smokin.gif

[Mithel]

In response to Kraellin (from his response in the Dungeon):

My program does seem to alter the file size a little (if you load an LBM and then export it with no changes) the basic lukmap2.lbm that starts as 701K becomes 702K. There is a little ambiguity in the definition of the compression method used for LBM format files and hence my compression routines may not get exactly the same compression. However files generated by my program can be read by Medieval Total War with no apparent trouble.

By using the color palette saving feature of my program you could use any other graphics program and/or file format as long as your conversions didn't alter the actual RGB color data. I have no intention to directly support BMP (there is no reason for it).

The procedure would be thus:
1) Load the original LBM into my ImageConverter program.
2) Save the color palette.
3) Export to your favorite format (PNG would be the best). Your only choices would be JPG or PNG but JPG is lossy and thus would alter the image - very poor choice for this type of work.
4) Edit the image with your favorite graphics package (PSP, Photoshop, Fireworks, etc). (you no longer need to worry about the order of the color table being scrambled)
5) Read your edited image back into my ImageConverter, reload the original color palette.
6) Export as LBM.

- Mithel

[barocca]

Mithel, looks good,


MAKE sure you read and understand the documentation
Documentation and File Link (http://www.mnstarfire.com/download/ImageConverter.html)
:-)

[Kraellin]

lol. you need to bribe the pope, mithel, so we can talk :)

K.

[KukriKhan]

Mithel can play with the big dogs now - got promoted today. Thanks for copying his latest to The Dungeon, brother barocca.

Gregoshi is his holiness, me a mere acolyte...so I can be had for cheap, Kraellin. http://www.totalwar.org/forum/non-cgi/emoticons/joker.gif

[Kraellin]

kukri,

i want my sheckles back. that last virgin, wasnt. ;)

K.