Wtf?

[Treize69]

How the heck should I svae the skins I do so that I can view them in game? I can view them just fine in the skin viewer, and they show up in the drop-down menu in-game, but the skin stays on "default" when I selct the one I made. WTF!?

Used to work just fine, but since I had to reinstall, doesn't work. I'm about to snap!

[United]

Be sure you create a new folder in your C/Program Files/HTC/Aces High II/skins directory.

For instance, if you are working on a spit, the file is called Spit5.  You need to make a new folder called Spit51.  For each subsequent skin, you increase one number (spit52, spit53, etc).

Then, place all the files you edited into that folder.  Be sure they are saved at 256 colors.  Then, you should be able to go in game offline and select your skin in the dropdown menu.

[Treize69]

Did all that, it shows in the drop down menu, but when I click on it, the menu closes like normal but "default" is still highlighted.

Its saved in a ne folder, named properly, and the color formatting is correct.

[Krusty]

I had this problem when going over a certain number of folders. In some planes, it does not like adding new directories past the point of existing skins for the plane. For example I had problems on the 190a8 when I tried to use a directory named "190a86" -- had to use 1-5 but not 6 and above. Try a lower number and see if that works.

[Treize69]

Im only on "109e42".

[Krusty]

Okay, basic trouble shooting time. These may be obvious but consider it a checklist. Some of these probably won't help but they are ideas.

1) Is the directory properly named?
2) Is the bmp properly named? It has a hyphen in it.
3) Is the bmp indexed in 256 colors?
4) Have you tried including a "109e4.txt" file with description?
5) Have you tried changing texture size to 1024? (shouldn't be an issue but give it a try)
6) Clear your cache? Something else is interfering?
7) Re-name the directory as 109E41 (if you already have this, name it something else just to test this). Then rename it 109E43 and see if both work/don't work.

[Treize69]

STILL nothing. I have it saved exactly the way the default skin is set up, both as 109e41 and 109e42. Both show up in the drop down menu, but nothing happens when I click them- the menu closes like normal, but it stays on the default skin, both in the window and on the aircraft.

I have tried both 1024 and 512.

Why would it show up just fine in skin viewer but not in the game? I want to be able to get in close and look at it in game lighting, but I can't.

Its driving me absolutely insane!!!

And on that note, why can't you zoom in with skin viewer??

[Octavius]

You reinstalled AH2 or the skin viewer?  It may not be recognizing the fresh .res file.  Try reselecting stdshape.res in the Plane (resource) field, then pick your 109E4 and appropriate skin id.

[Krusty]

That's for the skin viewer, Oct, but he said the skin viewer works. It's in-game that's screwed up.

Treize, I don't know why that's happening at all. Might want to ask HTC. Didn't do that for me. Would also suggest (worst case) reinstalling AH.

[Treize69]

Reinstalled, still doing it.

I give up. I'm just gonna go pound my head on the floor and cry now...

[rogerdee]

this may sound silly but i did it my self.
 when u moved the bitmap from the original to the new  skin folder,eg
 109e  to 109e1 did u rename the bitmap too? eg 109e bitmap to 109e1 bitmap.
 i did this with a skin folder and it wouldnt show the skin i was doing,till i reput it as the original bitmap number.

even tho u change the bitmap it still stays the same name just the folders it is in changes.

 i hope i made this clear enough it sounds english to me but after a few glasses of white wine everything does

[Octavius]

That's for the skin viewer, Oct, but he said the skin viewer works. It's in-game that's screwed up.

oh.

Kill the cache folder or rename it.  Rename the settings/sticks/sounds/squads/etc folders temporarily.  

Or reinstalling to a completely new location and copying over your 109E skin folder may be easier.


btw, use shift and control + right click to zoom in and pan around.

[Fencer51]

May I suggest that the program you are using to save the bitmap is the problem.  I saved the bitmaps with Photoshop and it would not show up.  So I used infraview to reduce them down to the correct number of colors.  Now I use the Bright plugin.

[Krusty]

Here's the ULTIMATE test. ULTIMATE test.

Step 1: In skin viewer or in AH hangar save the default skin.

Step 2: Go to /skins/ directory and copy and paste (as-is) the entire directory named "109e4" -- you should now have a "Copy of 109e4" directory.

Step 3: WithOUT changing anything inside it, rename the folder "109e41" or "109e43" or whatever you wanted to use.

Step 4: open the 109e4.txt file inside this directory, change it so you can distinguish it from default.

Preview in-game.

If it doesn't work e-mail HTC or post in bugs forum.

If it shows up, the problem is not the directory structure, but rather what you are putting into the structure. If the hangar allows you to choose this skin, that means the way you were saving the bitmap before was not working.

In photoshop: 2 schools of thought. You work in RGB, that's a given. Flatten all layers, select Image > Mode > indexed, select adaptive palate and 8-bit (or enter 256 colors manually). Save file as 8-bit bitmap. Try again, should work. Second option flatten all layers, select File > Export > Bright and give it the proper export name.

[Treize69]

tried both the test and the suggestion, both no-go.

Bugs forum, here I come!