Author Topic: Cockpit photos (Read 843 times)

Xasthur · « **on:** January 01, 2008, 09:43:38 AM »

I had a thought the other night... has anyone thought of putting photos into the cockpit of skinned aircraft?

I noticed that (I think it was Krusty...) changed the colour of the protective padding that lines the top of the Fw 190 instrument panel.

As this is part of the aircraft is on that second palette (with the instruments) would it be possible/allowable/interesting to include a photo stuck on to the instrument panel somewhere?

Whether it be a photo of the actual pilot's missus or the skinners or whatever. (sort of like those little 'Superfly' hidden things in the 163 and 234)

Just an idea for discussion, it's probably not feasible (I did a quick job with a photo and it pixelates the hell out of the photo (which needed to be under 40 pxls wide to fit anywhere on the 109 instrument panel with obstructing instruments).

Anyway, your thoughts?

Xasthur · « **Reply #1 on:** January 01, 2008, 10:13:15 AM »

Quick example

Krusty · « **Reply #2 on:** January 02, 2008, 12:39:11 AM »

Somebody did it on a P40 or c2. They redid the entire cockpit.

Problem is you're not really adding much. I played around with the hard-to-see instruments on the 190s in a couple of cases, but it was more of a learning exercise than anything.

The more you include as "new" in the skin, the more total resources are required for the game. I'd say don't do it just to add a photo. If you're totally redoing the entire cockpit, go ahead and include one. However, if the rest is just the same, I'd say skip it.

croduh · « **Reply #3 on:** January 02, 2008, 05:06:58 AM »

Here is the picture from Ah-skins.The new cockpit really looks nice:

oboe · « **Reply #4 on:** January 04, 2008, 05:16:36 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty
Somebody did it on a P40 or c2. They redid the entire cockpit.

Problem is you're not really adding much. I played around with the hard-to-see instruments on the 190s in a couple of cases, but it was more of a learning exercise than anything.

The more you include as "new" in the skin, the more total resources are required for the game. I'd say don't do it just to add a photo. If you're totally redoing the entire cockpit, go ahead and include one. However, if the rest is just the same, I'd say skip it.

Krusty, are you sure about that? I would've guessed each skin's bmp files are built into another file (.res?) that is used by the game - and these files would contain the skinner's modified files and the rest of HTC's content for the skin. The total size of the skin file wouldn't vary. I have no way of knowing for sure though...

Krusty · « **Reply #5 on:** January 04, 2008, 05:21:16 PM »

Every file you include with the skin is specific to that skin. If you change the cockpit, it's not for all the cockpits, just yours.

Every file you edit and include with the submitted skin uses more resources. That's one of the major reasons behind "remodeling" the old skins -- so they use just ONE bitmap instead of 2 (wings/sides), to cut the required resources in half for skins, consolidate the bitmaps, etc.

oboe · « **Reply #6 on:** January 04, 2008, 05:32:06 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty
Every file you include with the skin is specific to that skin. If you change the cockpit, it's not for all the cockpits, just yours.

Every file you edit and include with the submitted skin uses more resources. That's one of the major reasons behind "remodeling" the old skins -- so they use just ONE bitmap instead of 2 (wings/sides), to cut the required resources in half for skins, consolidate the bitmaps, etc.

What I don't quite follow is the part about every file I edit using more resources. If I modify additional file x.bmp, HTC will build it into my new skin, but if I don't modify it, then HTC will just use their default x.bmp, and build that one into the skin. And the bmp files should all be the same size for 1024x1024 bitmaps.

I don't really know for sure, but that's the way I imagine it working. Do you know for sure how HTC does it?

Krusty · « **Reply #7 on:** January 04, 2008, 05:38:51 PM »

Yes, that's true. Say you just edit the main file (i.e. 109g61.bmp). That's all of 1 file HTC has to build. You add another (G14CP.bmp) for the cockpit, and now all of a sudden, HTC has to build 2. You then have to add a lot of other things like the gunsight, the instruments, the faces, the needles, etc, and soon HTC has to build in 2 dozen or more files just for one skin.

Now, on the old planes, you'd have a side, a wing, a markings, and alpha for the markings, maybe an alpha for one of the side files. In the new ones all of these are eliminated into a single .BMP file. It's more efficient and takes up less space in the long run to put it all in one file. I bet from a programming standpoint it's easier to open and read 1 file rather than 5.

So, taking the cockpit, leaving it exactly as it is, but tacking on your on photoshopped "photograph" is basically a waste IMO. HTC will have to build the cockpit into the skin, just for the sake of a few different pixels.

You can try it if you like. I'm sure it'll get accepted, but unless you actually try to make some changes to the cockpit too, seems a bit of a waste.

Just my opinion.

oboe · « **Reply #8 on:** January 04, 2008, 06:24:10 PM »

I have to admit I have no real knowledge of HTC's process, but I would guess each time HTC builds a skin, they must use the full set of files that compose the skin. Usually, the only user-modified file is the main .bmp.

I *think* either way, HTC has to build a cockpit file into the skin, and the only difference is they would be using yours instead of theirs. Since they are .bmp files, they should both be the same size. The final 'built' skin file, the .res file?, should be the same size as well.

I think where we differ in our understanding is I think there is probably only one 'build' process for each skin, and I understand you to be saying there is a separate build process for each user-modified bmp file.

I'm just guessing, but it would be nice to know for sure...

Xasthur · « **Reply #9 on:** January 04, 2008, 08:21:22 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Krusty

So, taking the cockpit, leaving it exactly as it is, but tacking on your on photoshopped "photograph" is basically a waste IMO. HTC will have to build the cockpit into the skin, just for the sake of a few different pixels.

You can try it if you like. I'm sure it'll get accepted, but unless you actually try to make some changes to the cockpit too, seems a bit of a waste.

Just my opinion.

I was going to change a few things in there and make the photo look a little more like a photo. but it does seem a waste, really.

Now that I think about it I'm not sure I want to mess around with all of that.

Krusty · « **Reply #10 on:** January 04, 2008, 11:08:02 PM »

I wanted to 1) Know how the instruments were mapped, and 2) make the altimeter on the 190as more visible (it was almost invisible on my CRT), so when I played around with my skins it was more of a learning experience. If you want to learn, go for it. I plan on doing some cockpit skins (some day

), so it was worth it for me.