Hi all- does anybody have experience using GraphicConverter? I can use it to access and modify graphics in the MM Sprites file (like changing a brick color.) But the saved changes don't show up in resource file. GC also lets me add/replace graphics to the file but those don't show up in the mansion builder either. Any ideas?

(Forgive my naive questions, I've read all the readme's and joeb's excellent tutorial but I'm still not sure if I need a resource editor with GC.)

Thanks!

Hi Josephine,

I have no experience using "Graphic Converter" (even though I have the software, I have never used it), however I do use other applications to change sprites or tiles in MM.

First of all you should use a Resource editor, I feel that "Rezilla" works best (as far as MM goes), but even Rezilla has its fair share of bugs.....

Usually I first open the resource file of the tile / brick / sprite etc. I want to change, using/opening the files "Midnight Mansion Graphics" or "Midnight Mansion Sprites" in Rezilla.
Then I open the image of said resource - say a blue floor switch - (within Rezilla) and copy the image into Photoshop (for example).

There I can change the image to my taste and maybe save it under a new name. When I'm finished I copy the (changed) pic again.

Back in Rezilla I open the file ________ (your mansion name), and once it is opened I "Create a new Res", make it a "PICT" resource and give it the same res ID (number) as the original tile / sprite I have changed (in our case: the orig. blue floor switch). An empty resource field opens.....with cmd-V I paste my (copied) new picture into the field, hit save and close it.

Voilà:  Within my custom-mansion's resource now resides a new custom graphic "PICT" res file which afterwards automatically shows up in the Mansion Level Editor, and - ultimately - within the game, whenever I play the new custom mansion.

I hope that helps ?

Thanks aquamat!

I was hoping to just use Graphic Converter since I'm only making simple changes, like colors not ID's. It looks like I will have to learn ResEdit  :P

Oh well, Graphic Converter is ok (and free) but not nearly as good as Photoshop.

aquaMat wrote on 14.05.2009 at 19:34:04:

Back in Rezilla I open the file ________ (your mansion name),

Perhaps the mistake is to change the image in the Sprites file and not in the [as aquamat points out] mansion file?

Thanks Olle. (I'm not exactly sure how I did this but...) with a combination of GC, ResEdit/Classic and Photoshop my new brick appeared in the mansion builder and the custom mansion.

Once.

After making another change to the new brick and reimporting it, it disappeared  >:(

Anyway, now that I have a better idea of the steps, I'm going to start over with all new files. Wish me luck!

Hi Josephine,

I'm going to wish you luck too, cause whatever you three are talking about, it sounds like Greek to me!!!  (And I have built one mansion, and have one half finished for the new, improved mansion builder when the Expanded MM is released), and still have not got a clue of the advanced stuff and other programs you guys are talking about and using with obvious ease!

My Kudos to you guys for being so inventive and resourceful !!!  [smiley=vrolijk_1.gif]

Thanks for sharing your mansions made with all you guys' hard work with our MM world !

SandyBean [smiley=2vrolijk_08.gif]

Josephine, are you doind the changes in the classic environment?  Perhaps it is causing a problem?  You could try Rezilla instead of ResEdit.

I would guess so too.

As I said above, I feel that Rezilla works better for MM than ResEdit anyway.... and I didn't even take the "Classic issue" into account.

But considering this you're almost beggin' for troubles!   ;)

As far as PICT resources go....the good thing about Rezilla is that "what you see is what you get".
But beware: after having changed a PICT res and copied it into a Rezilla res ID window you should hit SAVE immediately and once more after closing the ID window....and then it still happens sometimes that the new PICT has disappeared when you reopen the same PICT res window.
This is one of the major bugs in Rezilla, that I mentioned above.

So after including several new PICT resources you should always re-check ALL of them at least once to make sure they are still there !

Thanks guys. I've been making the graphics changes in OSX but using ResEdit in Classic mode to make a new resource and ID's (mostly because ResEdit was already on my computer.) I downloaded Rezilla, will give it a try.

SandyBean- Immortal Ruins was good, you should do another mansion (nudge nudge  ;)  ;D ) Smooch the horses for me!

OK, Rezilla seems to work when modifying a brick (say, changing the original blue brick to dark blue.) And like you said aquaMat, sometimes the "saved" PICTs disappear. But I'm not having any luck adding a new brick. The new brick appears in the MM Sprites file when I open it in Rezilla but not in the mansion builder (like the resource map isn't seeing it or something. I have only a vague understanding of forks and stuff. Can you tell I'm not a programmer?  :D )

This is what I did:

Open MM Sprites file in Rezilla> copy blue brick> quit> open Photoshop> new file, paste, change brick to dark blue> save, copy, quit> open MM Sprites in Rezilla> new resource> type PICT and give it an ID that's not already taken (in this case 202)> new window opens, paste dark blue brick> SAVE> save again just for fun> close window> save and quit. Open MM Sprites in Rezilla again, new brick is there, quit. Open mansion builder but there's no new brick.

It's probably not a big deal, as long as my custom mansion doesn't need lots of different bricks. But I hate being limited   ;)

Dear Josephine,

you are making one big mistake (and one or two smaller ones):

The "adding" of new bricks -as you imagine it- is NOT possible. If you want to add a new brick you always have to REPLACE an old brick with it, using the old brick's res ID.
This is because Vern did not provide the "empty space" needed for additional bricks / tiles (and additional res IDs)...which you can see very easily in MM's Level Editor: The top row displaying all available tiles and sprites is already full! Where should a new, additional res ID appear ?  
So you have to replace an existing res ID's image with your new PICT, which does not mean however, that you're restricted to simply changing a brick's color.
If you look at Joe B's set of graphics or my Discotheque of Doom custom bits you'll notice that we have changed some of the tiles + sprites quite drastically...within certain limits.

Example: you cannot change a normal "brick" into a "moving platform" sprite or something. You also cannot change a blue bird into  - say - a tiger....because that tiger would then fly; which is due to the fact that Vern has programmed a certain amount of "behavioural traits" (my expression) for the sprite "blue bird". You can replace its image with that of a tiger, but it would still behave like the blue bird.

What you can do, however, is change blue or gold bricks into sand or snow tiles, for example, or those "oil paintings" into pop art posters (as I did in DoD), or even change Jack into a robot as Joe so successfully once did.
That last thing, trust me, is a huge amount of work though.

So start with simple things.

The second, smaller mistake you apparently make is that you put your new custom PICTs into the "Midnight Mansion Sprites" res file, which is no longer needed. You can put it directly into your mansion's res file. But take care to apply it the exact res ID as the tile or sprite you want (it) to replace (which of course DOES reside in the MM Sprites file).
However, you don't have to remove the old res ID, as the game is now clever enough to know your having added a PICT res with the number XXX into your (mansion name) file means this is the one you want to have used (instead of the old one).

Clear enough ?

Doh! That would explain why I'm having trouble adding a new brick, wouldn't it? And Olle pointed out the res file mistake but I misunderstood what he wrote. Mi Engrish not so guud sumtimez  :D

Anyway, thank you guys so much for your help! You rock.

PS- flying tigers?? Hmm, that gives me an idea. Flying pigs? Flying toasters (remember those?)  ;D