Oolite Bulletins

Posted: **Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:33 am**

I am thinking of replacing the original constores in Dr Nil’s YourAdHere oxp with variants of the elusive (in our days) original Griff trader outpost (The one with Ads). I believe that this merging will have a great benefit effect for both Dr Nil’s oxp as for Griff’s model (since YourAdHere is an extremely popular oxp) but mainly to oolite itself.

In the Wiki you can only find its somehow bare sibling as a replacement for coriolis (with a 10% of appearance). As I have said elseware it would be a shame if the original one will become obsolete. The main problem that some people had in the past with this model was all those ads but if we put it in an oxp dedicated to ads nobody will have a problem with this model anymore.

That integration will not affect the existing bare model since it is a lot different from the original one with the ads and they could both coexist in the game. We can even create a background story for the resemblance of those 2 stations. Something like that the model originally created for Tesco and the rest of the companies that exist in Dr Nil’s oxp but due to a shortage in the classic coriolis stations Galcop forced to buy some of this models but they striped out all the ads.

After a preliminary test I think that it would be possible to create defferent variants of the station. The good thing is that Griff have made this station in a way that is relatively easy to replace the ads so to have deferent versions of the station. He even has a spare ad inside (the alchopills one)

From what I can understand what we need in order to create 4 to 6 “barely” unique stations is some more pngs (compatible with the shaders and models that they already exist)

Basically we need:

4 deferent 4frames 1x1 compatible ad pngs (opps!!! I mean 3 since we already have the alchopils one)

4 x deferent 2frames 1x2 compatible ad pngs with the deferent firm names that Dr Nil uses for the stations in his oxp (Tesco ect). This is very essential because that way the new stations will keep the same felling with the old ones. We do not need something spectacular just the firm name in neon.

2 x deferent 2frames 1x2 compatible ad pngs (like the happytrumble one)

4 x deferent compatible with the original one Griff_station_adring pngs

1 or 2 deferent compatible with the original one Griff_station_glow_ads pngs

1 or 2 deferent pngs for replace the drinking space man in the top of the station (shader and no shader versions)

I assume that the shaders, models and the rest pngs will stay the same (but we will have to give them a unique name for every set) and with the proper mix of the above we will have enough variety to replace all the constore sets.

Griff do you have something from the above that you can spare?

As long as someone can provide me those materials above I am willing to do the merging and replacing the original constores with the Griff’s ones in all the sets (as long as this is ok with Dr Nil and Griff). The merging is not as easy as it sounds since the plist format in Dr Nil’s oxp is in XML format and Griff is using the Nest step format so I may have to write some parts from scratch unless someone can pinpoint me an easy way to convert XML to Next Step.

To Doc, Griff and also the rest of the community.

What do you think?

Posted: **Sun Dec 28, 2008 10:40 am**

I think this is a good idea - but I wouldn't make it a 100% replacement - big, rich systems yes - small/poor systems - the original constores should still get a look in - as an analogy - a small market town may not have enough throughput for a supermarket, but might be able to sustain a "Tescoo Metroo", if you see what I mean.

Can you explain what you mean in the add descriptions a bit more? Sizes etc?

Posted: **Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:01 am**

DaddyHoggy wrote:
I think this is a good idea - but I wouldn't make it a 100% replacement - big, rich systems yes - small/poor systems - the original constores should still get a look in - as an analogy - a small market town may not have enough throughput for a supermarket, but might be able to sustain a "Tescoo Metroo", if you see what I mean.

That would break the consistency of the oxp since Griff’s models are light years ahead of the original ones. Maybe we can impliment this with fewer ads in the station of poor systems. But this will also mean that I will have to change the script into something more complex (something that I am not willing to do at the moment)

DaddyHoggy wrote:
Can you explain what you mean in the add descriptions a bit more? Sizes etc?

Do you have the original Griff Trade outpost? You know the one with ads.
If no download it and look inside (I do not have a promblem of providing more details but believe me would be easier if you take a look in the texture folder of Griff's oxp)

Posted: **Sun Dec 28, 2008 11:26 am**

I'll take a look inside the original Trader Outpost, now I know which oxp it's in.

With regards to the original constores - perhaps they could have a bit of an upgrade too? I like the idea of putting in the Ad rich Griff station, but I really would be sad to see the original "village shop" constores go...

Posted: **Sun Dec 28, 2008 2:34 pm**

DaddyHoggy wrote:
I'll take a look inside the original Trader Outpost, now I know which oxp it's in.

Thanks DaddyHoggy!!!!
Every help will be apriciated

I realy think that those 2 pngs below would be fairy easy to be replaced
Griff_station_adring
Griff_station_glow_ads

For the others i am afraid that things are more complicated

I have just noticed that Doc Nil is absent since 15/11 maybe I have to PM him about my intentions. As for Griff I am sure that he will be here sooner or later. I really need their approval before continuing to this task

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 11:58 am**

@Ark
Thanks for your kind words about the trade outpost model, i'm afraid i sort of ran out of steam thinking up more ads for it and never released it as a proper oxp - if you're willing to spend time finishing it off i'm really flattered, although i'd hate to see anybody elses work get elbowed out of the picture for my stuff.

I do have a few more animated ads that i was working on at the time, i think Dr. Nil himself suggested 'lobbies can can lounge' in the 'your ad here thread', it looks like i couldn't decide between 2 different versions to include inthe oxp and in the end chose neither

these are 4 frame animations, each frame is 128 pixels high & 256 wide, for the shader to run them in the correct sequence, ~~the frames need to be stacked in the image vertically with frame 1 at the bottom of the image and the final frame at the top.~~
edit: Sorry, i got the order wrong, frame 1 needs to be at the top of the image and the last frame at the bottom:
here's the shipdata.plist entries for these 2 ads:
edit: sorry, in the original post the shader names were wrong

Code: Select all

"lobbies_cancan_lounge_type1_ad" = 
	{
	like_ship = "reference_griff_station_bb_1x2_screen";
	shaders = 
    { 
        "griff_no_shader_screen.png" = 
        { 
            vertex_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.vertex"; 
            fragment_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.fragment"; 
            
			textures = ({name = "griff_lobbies_cancan_version1.png"; repeat_t = "yes";});			
            uniforms = 
            { 
				FrameCount = { type = "float"; value = 4.0; };
				TimePerFrame = { type = "float"; value = 0.4; };				
                uTime = "timeElapsedSinceSpawn"; 
            }; 
        }; 
	};	
	};
	
"lobbies_cancan_lounge_type2_ad" = 
	{
	like_ship = "reference_griff_station_bb_1x2_screen";
	shaders = 
    { 
        "griff_no_shader_screen.png" = 
        { 
            vertex_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.vertex"; 
            fragment_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.fragment"; 
            
			textures = ({name = "griff_lobbies_cancan_version2.png"; repeat_t = "yes";});			
            uniforms = 
            { 
				FrameCount = { type = "float"; value = 4.0; };
				TimePerFrame = { type = "float"; value = 0.4; };				
                uTime = "timeElapsedSinceSpawn"; 
            }; 
        }; 
	};	
	};

these ads would work as replacements for the 'happy trumble' ad, just check the FrameCount = { type = "float"; value = 4.0; }; line in each add, 4.0 for a 4 frame animation, 2.0 for a 2 frame animation etc, fiddle about with the TimePerFrame value to speed up or slow down the animation speed.

There are 2 types of animated billboards fitted on the outpost:
1. a square one such as the 'madam hiss' billboards, to minimise image stretching this will work best with animations frames with pixel dimensions of 64 x 64, 128 x 128, 256 x 256 etc, and
2. a rectangular billboard that is twice as wide as it is high such as the 'happy trumble' billboard, this will work best with animation frames of 128 x 64, 256 x 128 etc.

The scrolling ring of adds is an image 64 pixels high and 1024 wide, from what i remember these image dimesions worked best with the minimum of horizontal stretching of each ad, to make a new scrolling ring of ads basically just paste replacement ads from left to right into a new image 64 pixels high and 1024 pixels wide, i suppose a lower rez alternative would be an image 32 pixels high and 512 wide.

I was thinking of maybe adding some 'ad-steroid' models, small asteroids with either animated billboards fitted on them, or a 'scrolling ring of ads' like on the trade outpost, good idea or too much commercialism?

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:30 pm**

@Griff - I love the ads! Fantastic - not only are you a model God, and a texture god and shader god but you're also an Ad god too!

I'll have a think I might have something I could do...

With regards to ad-steroids - not too commercial - given that Farmers fields all over the UK that share a common edge with the road system are filled with trailers and old artic trailers advertising pretty much anything and everything - a few ad-steroids pale in comparison!

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 12:54 pm**

Ok now we have
2 more 1x2 compatible ad pngs

thats is a good start!!!!
Thanks Griff

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:03 pm**

Found 2 more, the cat spay one seems too 'busy' & cluttered with all that text, maybe there's a funnier joke someone can think of instead? and the cocktail glass needs a bar name or a floating eyeball in it or something?

Code: Select all

"cocktail_glass_ad" = 
	{
	like_ship = "reference_griff_station_bb_1x1_screen";
	shaders = 
    { 
        "griff_no_shader_screen.png" = 
        { 
            vertex_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.vertex"; 
            fragment_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.fragment"; 
            
			textures = ({name = "griff_cocktail_glass_ad.png"; repeat_t = "yes";});
            uniforms = 
            { 
				FrameCount = { type = "float"; value = 2.0; };
				TimePerFrame = { type = "float"; value = 3.0; };				
                uTime = "timeElapsedSinceSpawn"; 
            }; 
        }; 
	};	
	};

Code: Select all

"free_catspay" = 
	{
	like_ship = "reference_griff_station_bb_1x2_screen";
	shaders = 
    { 
        "griff_no_shader_screen.png" = 
        { 
            vertex_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.vertex"; 
            fragment_shader = "griff_station_animated_w_rollbars.fragment"; 
            
			textures = ({name = "griff_free_catspay_ad.png"; repeat_t = "yes";});			
            uniforms = 
            { 
				FrameCount = { type = "float"; value = 2.0; };
				TimePerFrame = { type = "float"; value = 0.3; };				
                uTime = "timeElapsedSinceSpawn"; 
            }; 
        }; 
	};	
	};

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 2:08 pm**

@Griff: "Captain Hesperus: Spay what?!"

Name for the cocktail bar: Blue Ooyster? (apologies to anybody not familiar with the early (and moderately funny) Police Academy movies)

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 4:53 pm**

When Pangloss did this Ad many moons (2 years!) ago - I thought if only we had glows and shaders and animations and of course now we have, so as Pangloss doesn't appear to be around and not answering PMs, I thought, in the spirit of Oolite, I should breath some life back into this splendid Ad and give it the chance to, quite literally, shine!

Posted: **Mon Dec 29, 2008 7:02 pm**

Or a slightly different version where the girls start off darker too - not perfect as I only have Pangloss's original 256x128 image to work on...

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2008 12:09 am**

Having gone through ALL the Ads in the YAH thread - I found a suitable candidate and one of Doc's own...

Hope it's to your liking.

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:03 pm**

Sorry I was away for so long. Real life took all the time I had... apart from discovering the joy that is "Tremulous". So it looks like I picked the wrong time to leave the Ooniverse. Thanks for reeling me back in with the PM, DaddyHoggy.

I'd say you did a GREAT job with my original design for the pink lounge. So I'm now adding a new animated design.

This is based on a design I did ages ago on Fark.com for something called Photoshop This. The challenge was to Photoshop a citrus fruit that looked freaky, and I made it look like the Fruity Oaty Bar commercial from the film Serenity.

If you've never seen the film, this explains everything.

The octopus eyes go from left to right, both girls wink when the octopus looks at them, and the letters glow red-orange-yellow-orange-red...

Hope you like it. Right: where do I download the incredible graphics version for the Mac?

Posted: **Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:07 pm**

Right from here: http://prdownload.berlios.de/oolite-lin ... c-full.zip

And welcome back, too.

Oolite Bulletins

Replacing Constores with Griff Trade outposts@Griff and Doc

Replacing Constores with Griff Trade outposts@Griff and Doc