Oolite Bulletins

I got a bit bored so...
'Pimp my Ride Cobra 3' is a trial (test) OXP which allows you to design a custom paint job for your Cobra 3. If successful it may lead to a series of OXPs covering the most poular 'Core' ships.
Put simply, the .zip contains a 'readme' with instructions, a prepared OXP minus the diffuse_map, and a Graphics folder containing a base image, a selection of coloured/patterned overlays, some pre-prepared decals and a graphic with the ship's detailing.
The idea is you build up the layers (using Gimp or similar) to end up with a custom Cobra diffuse _map. This is then moved into the .oxp Textures folder and the whole thing is then put in AddOns.
The readme gives step-by-step instructions.
The purpose of this beta release therefore is to check it all works, makes sense and is relatively easy to do, and to trial the concept to see if this an idea worth taking forward.
I'd be really grateful if some of you could try this out and let me know what you think.
'Pimp-my-Ride Cobra3' beta 0.9 can be downloaded here.

Hi Smivs,

I think this a great idea. Speaking as someone who would really like to have a go at a bit of customisation, this should be a great starting point.

However (didn't you just know that was coming?), I can't quite get it to work. Apologies if I've just not followed your instructions properly, but I've been over them again and can't see where I might have taken a wrong turn.

The new version of the ship appears on the startup screen, and in game, but with a sort of dull red "undercoat" finish - no detail or texture. Unfortunately, I don't currently have any other oxps that make use of a shipdata-overrides.plist to compare the setup or behaviour with.

This is version 1.74.2 on Windows XP, with an NVIDIA GeForce FX5200 graphics card.

I don't know if I've given enough detail here, but obviously let me know if there's anything else that may be useful. (Ah, wait, the latest log file!) There are some messages here that look as though they'll help:

[log.header]: Opening log for Oolite version 1.74.2 (x86-32 test release) under Windows at 2010-11-27 23:44:31 +0000.
1 processor detected.
Oolite options: procedural planet textures, docking clearance, wormhole scanner, target incoming missiles, spoken messages, JavaScript console support, OXP verifier, localization tools, debug GraphViz support.

Note that the contents of the log file can be adjusted by editing logcontrol.plist.

[joystickHandler.init]: Number of joysticks detected: 1
[display.mode.list.native]: Windows native resolution detected: 1920 x 1080
[searchPaths.dumpAll]: Unrestricted Mode - Resources paths:
Resources
../AddOns
../AddOns/buoyRepair1.02.6.oxp
../AddOns/CombinedSounds.oxp
../AddOns/Commies.oxp
../AddOns/Dictators v1.4.oxp
../AddOns/globestation2.0.oxp
../AddOns/Griff_Debris_sets135_no_normal_map.oxp
../AddOns/GrittyCoriolis.oxp
../AddOns/Pimp_my_ride-Cobra3.oxp
../AddOns/Taxi_Galactica_Teaser.oxp
../AddOns/tori.oxp
../AddOns/transhab.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_A.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_A414_upd.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_B.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_B414_upd.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_C.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_C414_upd.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_D.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_D414_upd.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_E.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_E414_upd.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_F.oxp
../AddOns/YOUR_AD_HERE_set_F414_upd.oxp
[rendering.opengl.version]: OpenGL renderer version: 2.0.1 ("2.0.1")
Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
Renderer: GeForce FX 5200/AGP/SSE2
[rendering.opengl.extensions]: OpenGL extensions (110):
GL_NV_primitive_restart, GL_EXT_abgr, GL_S3_s3tc, GL_ARB_shadow, GL_IBM_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_EXT_texture_edge_clamp, GL_EXT_separate_specular_color, GL_EXT_blend_minmax, GL_EXT_texture_object, GL_ARB_texture_env_add, GL_EXT_timer_query, GL_NV_texture_env_combine4, GL_EXT_texture_cube_map, GL_SGIX_depth_texture, GL_EXT_texture_env_dot3, GL_IBM_rasterpos_clip, GL_ARB_texture_env_dot3, GL_NV_light_max_exponent, GL_EXT_framebuffer_object, GL_EXT_blend_subtract, GL_ARB_multitexture, GL_NV_register_combiners, GL_EXT_stencil_wrap, GL_ARB_texture_border_clamp, GL_NV_depth_clamp, GL_NV_vertex_program, GL_NV_occlusion_query, GL_NV_fragment_program, GL_ARB_texture_env_combine, GL_NV_fog_distance, GL_SUN_slice_accum, GL_EXT_packed_pixels, GL_EXT_texture_env_add, GL_SGIS_texture_lod, GL_ARB_depth_texture, GL_ARB_transpose_matrix, GL_ARB_occlusion_query, GL_NV_texgen_reflection, GL_NV_packed_depth_stencil, GL_EXT_stencil_two_side, GL_ARB_shading_language_100, GL_ARB_fragment_program_shadow, GL_EXT_rescale_normal, GL_NV_multisample_filter_hint, GL_ARB_pixel_buffer_object, GL_NV_fragment_program_option, GL_EXT_secondary_color, GL_EXT_paletted_texture, GL_ARB_texture_mirrored_repeat, GL_NV_fence, GL_EXT_draw_range_elements, GL_ARB_half_float_pixel, GL_NV_texture_compression_vtc, GL_NV_register_combiners2, GL_EXT_texture_lod_bias, GL_EXT_texture_filter_anisotropic, GL_NV_vertex_program2, WGL_EXT_swap_control, GL_SGIS_generate_mipmap, GL_NV_texture_rectangle, GL_ARB_texture_rectangle, GL_ARB_point_sprite, GL_EXT_texture_lod, GL_EXT_texture_compression_s3tc, GL_EXT_packed_depth_stencil, GL_ARB_vertex_shader, GL_ARB_vertex_buffer_object, GL_WIN_swap_hint, GL_NV_vertex_program2_option, GL_NV_float_buffer, GL_ARB_shader_objects, GL_ARB_imaging, GL_NV_texture_shader2, GL_EXT_Cg_shader, GL_NV_vertex_array_range, GL_NV_texture_shader3, GL_NV_point_sprite, GL_NV_pixel_data_range, GL_NV_texture_shader, GL_SGIX_shadow, GL_NV_vertex_array_range2, GL_ARB_fragment_shader, GL_KTX_buffer_region, GL_EXT_texture3D, GL_EXT_fog_coord, GL_ARB_window_pos, GL_HP_occlusion_test, GL_EXT_point_parameters, GL_ARB_fragment_program, GL_EXT_texture_env_combine, GL_ARB_vertex_program, GL_EXT_shared_texture_palette, GL_EXT_compiled_vertex_array, GL_EXT_bgra, GL_ARB_texture_cube_map, GL_ARB_point_parameters, GL_EXT_vertex_array, GL_ARB_multisample, GL_EXT_multi_draw_arrays, GL_ARB_texture_compression, GL_NV_copy_depth_to_color, GL_NV_texture_expand_normal, GL_EXT_blend_func_separate, GL_NV_half_float, GL_EXT_texture_sRGB, GL_EXT_shadow_funcs, GL_EXT_blend_color, GL_NV_vertex_program1_1, GL_NV_blend_square, GL_EXT_pixel_buffer_object
[rendering.opengl.gpuSpecific]: Matched GPU configuration "NVIDIA GeForce FX family".
[rendering.opengl.shader.support]: Shaders are supported.
[rendering.opengl.shader.mode]: Shader mode set to SHADERS_FULL.
[script.load.world.listAll]: Loaded 11 world scripts:
buoyRepair 1.02.6
communist_population 2.11
dictators.js 1.0
mission_taxi
oolite-cloaking-device 1.74.2
oolite-constrictor-hunt 1.74.2
oolite-nova 1.74.2
oolite-thargoid-plans 1.74.2
oolite-trumbles 1.74.2
Pi-Forty-Two Con stores 4.1.4
taxi_station_placement
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[loading.complete]: ========== Loading complete. ==========
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[script.load.world.listAll]: Loaded 11 world scripts:
buoyRepair 1.02.6
communist_population 2.11
dictators.js 1.0
mission_taxi
oolite-cloaking-device 1.74.2
oolite-constrictor-hunt 1.74.2
oolite-nova 1.74.2
oolite-thargoid-plans 1.74.2
oolite-trumbles 1.74.2
Pi-Forty-Two Con stores 4.1.4
taxi_station_placement
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[files.notFound]: ----- WARNING: Could not find texture file "base_cobra3.png".
[gameController.exitApp]: .GNUstepDefaults synchronized.

Closing log at 2010-11-28 00:55:46 +0000.


Cheers
John

Big Oops, I've made a small but fundamental mistake...the name attached to the model was wrong.
I've just uploaded a fixed version (not tested but hopefully OK).
Re-download the OXP. You won't need to change anything you've done or start again, just place your Cobra texture ('Pimp_my_ride-cobra3.png') in the 'Textures' folder of the new version of the oxp, or replace the Models folder in the original .oxp folder with the one from the new .oxp folder. Hopefully either of those options should sort it out.

Edit:- Seems OK now. I just downloaded the 'fixed' OXP, made a quick Cobra and installed it into AddOns and it worked as intended.

Nice idea!

Perhaps you could re-think its title, though? It's quite close to the Pimp My Cobra competition (which famously never came to an official end, but gave us famous Cobra versions, including the DW Cobra and the Chopped Cobra).

Commander McLane wrote:

Nice idea!

Perhaps you could re-think its title, though? It's quite close to the Pimp My Cobra competition (which famously never came to an official end, but gave us famous Cobra versions, including the DW Cobra and the Chopped Cobra).

You've got a long memory! Being a relative newcomer I had not previously come across the Pimp my Cobra competition...the final post for that was Dec 2007, more than two years before I joined up.
I'll think about the name, but if the idea is worth expanding there may be other (non-cobra) editions as well, such as a Pimp my Ride Python. A whole series of them!
Perhaps I'll hold a competition for a Series Name.

Smivs wrote:

Perhaps I'll hold a competition for a Series Name.

The Paint Your Wagon series, perhaps.

El Viejo wrote:

Smivs wrote:

Perhaps I'll hold a competition for a Series Name.

The Paint Your Wagon series, perhaps.

Perfect. Nice looking ship, I think I'll take it out for a spin. I just hope those decals are resistant to the odd bit of laser scorching.

Cheers
John

JD wrote:

Perfect. Nice looking ship, I think I'll take it out for a spin. I just hope those decals are resistant to the odd bit of laser scorching.

Cheers
John

Excellent news!
There are probably around 700 different permutations in total, some looking better than others I expect. Perhaps you could post a screenshot sometime?
This is the one I made to test the fix. Solid green background with 'roundel3' decal.

OK, I have an image, but I don't think I can upload it directly. I think I've seen someone recommend a website that can be used as a staging area - something box? Is that the easiest way to do it?

Cheers
John

Try one of the free photo hosting sites like Flickr or Photobucket.

OK, the board won't let me do any of that - I need to be here for a couple more days before I'm allowed. In fact I'm beginning to wonder if it might have blocked me from posting altogether, as it has refused my last 5 or 6 attempts at replying.

Give me a couple of days and I'll try again - unless there's a workaround?

I see from the image you've posted that the solid colours come out well. In their raw form they looked so strong that I thought they may be overdoing it, so I skipped that layer. I might go back and try out some colour schemes.

Cheers
John

Smivs wrote:

You've got a long memory!

The curse of being a long time member.

There is a few days when new members can't post links...it's to prevent spamming so ultimately is a good thing...but you are probably close to being OK. Try again in a day or two and it should work.
The BB can be a bit funny with regular posts as well. It gets us all from time to time, it's nothing to do with being new. A few days ago it refused to accept several of my posts, then about three all appeared in the same thread at the same time!

Re the solid colours, they are a bit crafty to allow the 'metal-plate' finish to show through. They are actually 25% opacity colour on a transparent background, as are the patterns. You will have noticed the Decals are on a transparent background as well. This allows you to overlay each layer on the previous one.
In Gimp if you want transparency, click on Layer, Transparency, Add Alpha channel, right-click, select by color, hover the cursor over the colour you want to make transparent and left-click, then right-click, edit, and clear. The selected colour will become a transparent area, which looks like a grey check pattern.
To make the solid colours I did this starting with a white background (the default) which I made transparent, then bucket-filled the whole image with opacity set to 25%.
The Decals were just applied to a transparent background in the right position.
You might have fun playing around with some of this to customise your Cobra further...maybe try a colour I didn't do or something fairly simple like this to start with.

Are you telepathic? I wanted to add this idea in the suggestion box but you've made an idea reality. Expect some skins in the near future