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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Design and Modding >> Galaxy Background

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Galaxy Background - 1/26/2014 10:28:59 PM

solops

Posts: 814
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Central Texas
Status: offline

I would like to play without ANY of the background nebula effects...just a flat black screen behind the stars and ships. How can this be accomplished and has anyone already done a mod for this? Minimizing the effects via the Options screen does not come close to getting rid of them.

Edit: After some discussion, this was made to happen. The files to make this happen can be found below in posts #6 and #7.

< Message edited by solops -- 1/28/2014 9:15:52 AM >

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Post #: 1

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/26/2014 10:44:48 PM

Darkspire

Posts: 1986
Joined: 6/12/2003
From: My Own Private Hell
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: solops

I would like to play without ANY of the background nebula effects...just a flat black screen behind the stars and ships. How can this be accomplished and has anyone already done a mod for this? Minimizing the effects via the Options screen does not come close to getting rid of them.

Backup all files first

Map:

Make a new 2000x2000 image in a paint program, fill it with black and save it as galaxy_backdrop.jpg
Go to Distant Worlds\images\environment\galaxybackdrops
Put the new galaxy_backdrop.jpg in the folder (overwrite the original, hence the backup)

Nebula:

Goto Distant Worlds\images\environment\nebulae
load all 51 images into a paint program that can edit and save PNG files
Clear each image and save it (overwrite the original, hence the backup)
It will now just be a blank PNG file, note that each nebula PNG is a different size so do each one individually.

Load DW and you will now have a black background and no nebula

Darkspire

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Post #: 2

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/27/2014 12:07:26 AM

solops

Posts: 814
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Central Texas
Status: offline

Done....and it looks GREAT!!! No more clutter, at last I can see everything...all-knowing, all-powerfuls. Muahh-ha-ha-HA!!!!

BTW, I just did one nebula pic (deleted all the others) and it seems to work fine for all size maps and save games.

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Post #: 3

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/27/2014 4:45:03 PM

ricanuck

Posts: 162
Joined: 5/24/2013
Status: offline

care to share? lazy.

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Post #: 4

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/27/2014 7:25:23 PM

Buio

Posts: 247
Joined: 11/21/2012
Status: offline

A good idea. I like when it's just black space and stars, and not extra fluff just to make it not black and empty. Gonna test it myself for my next game.

(in reply to ricanuck)

Post #: 5

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/28/2014 3:44:45 AM

solops

Posts: 814
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Central Texas
Status: offline

Here is the background file for : C:\Matrix Games\Distant Worlds\images\environment\galaxybackdrops

Back up the originals.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by solops -- 1/28/2014 4:55:47 AM >

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Post #: 6

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/28/2014 3:51:45 AM

solops

Posts: 814
Joined: 1/31/2002
From: Central Texas
Status: offline

This nebula file works, but I got a message from MS Paint saying I would lose transparency when I saved it. But, as I said, it works. The message appears to be non-relevant. I had to upload the file as a "jpg" file. After downloading, rename it as a "png" file after putting it in C:\Matrix Games\Distant Worlds\images\environment\nebulae

I deleted all of the other png nebulae files in that folder and have had no problems...but I did back them up, just in case. Someone who knows what they are doing should look over this stuff. Better yet, CodeForce should give us an option to play without any background.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by solops -- 1/28/2014 9:25:40 AM >

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Post #: 7

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/28/2014 6:06:03 AM

Kayoz

Posts: 1516
Joined: 12/20/2010
From: Timbuktu
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Darkspire
Map:

<snip>

GENIUS! Best mod -EVER-!

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Post #: 8

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/28/2014 6:56:28 PM

Buio

Posts: 247
Joined: 11/21/2012
Status: offline

Tested myself. Love how crisp and clear it became.

Example picture:
http://abload.de/img/dw_0001lkkjy.jpg

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Post #: 9

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/29/2014 12:58:19 AM

Henzington

Posts: 38
Joined: 12/29/2013
Status: offline

Wont this be better placed in the mod section?

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Post #: 10

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/29/2014 1:25:52 AM

Darkspire

Posts: 1986
Joined: 6/12/2003
From: My Own Private Hell
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Henzington

Wont this be better placed in the mod section?

It was never intended as a 'mod', OP asked how to and I gave him a suggestion on how to obtain what he wanted, I will make / edit the full and correct files up that are needed, zip them and add them to the broom cupboard so folks can use it as a 'mod'.

Darkspire

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Post #: 11

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/29/2014 3:27:32 AM

Spidey

Posts: 411
Joined: 12/8/2013
Status: offline

Just a small detail, but you don't actually need the background to be high res when it's all black anyway. Whether you're scaling up a 500x500 black square or a 2000x2000 black square really adds up to the same thing. The bigger square just takes up more space in a zip file.

(in reply to Darkspire)

Post #: 12

RE: Galaxy Background - 1/29/2014 7:33:15 AM

Darkspire

Posts: 1986
Joined: 6/12/2003
From: My Own Private Hell
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Spidey

Just a small detail, but you don't actually need the background to be high res when it's all black anyway. Whether you're scaling up a 500x500 black square or a 2000x2000 black square really adds up to the same thing. The bigger square just takes up more space in a zip file.

With all the nebula PNG's and the background the zip weighs in at 216kb, just need the right combo of tools to achieve the desired result

It's in my File Repository, check the size out yourself, lots of folks seem to get the file size incorrect for the backgrounds, I have seen some weigh in at over 2mb+ and with a few clicks reduced to under 500kb.

Darkspire

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Post #: 13

RE: Galaxy Background - 2/1/2014 2:11:31 AM

marc420

Posts: 224
Joined: 9/23/2002
From: Terrapin Station
Status: offline

THANK YOU!

For the life of me, I never understand why someone would develop a game where players need at times to be able to spot tiny little dots on the screen and thus be able to find an asteroid or something, but then they decide that the game has to be played on a background of many tiny little dots.

And yes, it would be , nicer, easier for the players, and probably not too hard to program to put a graphics setting in the game that could turn on a no-tiny-little-dot background option. Seems like all it might have to do is to have the program switch around the background files when the setting changes.

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Post #: 14

RE: Galaxy Background - 2/1/2014 2:40:10 AM

marc420

Posts: 224
Joined: 9/23/2002
From: Terrapin Station
Status: offline

Does anyone have any ideas on how to do the same thing to the system view? This helped with the galaxy view, but when I zoom into a system I still get the dots there that can make moons and asteroids hard to see. I've got the slider in Options all the way down, but there's still a scattering of dots in the background that I'd really prefer weren't there.

I was searching to see if there was a similar system background file I could change/replace, but doesn't seem like it. And I'm guessing from the slider in options that this is more something generated inside the game rather than a background image displayed underneath everything. I guess if a programmer sees this, I'd prefer if possible that the slider in Options get completely rid of all dots and use a flat-black background when the slider is set to its far left extreme. For me, the slider currently goes from less annoying to more annoying, but not annoying at all doesn't seem to be an option. ;)

Yeah, I know its a little thing.

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Post #: 15

RE: Galaxy Background - 2/1/2014 6:18:46 AM

Buio

Posts: 247
Joined: 11/21/2012
Status: offline

@marc420: No, it's not possible as far as I know. Believe it is procedurally generated stars, not using any graphic file.

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Post #: 16

RE: Galaxy Background - 2/1/2014 6:30:30 AM

Darkspire

Posts: 1986
Joined: 6/12/2003
From: My Own Private Hell
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Buio

@marc420: No, it's not possible as far as I know. Believe it is procedurally generated stars, not using any graphic file.

Back in the dark ages we called it a star-field

Darkspire

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Post #: 17

RE: Galaxy Background - 2/22/2014 5:47:08 PM

Khanti

Posts: 317
Joined: 8/28/2007
From: Poland
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL:solops
I would like to play without ANY of the background nebula effects...just a flat black screen behind the stars and ships(...)

Brilliant idea. Downloaded and used. Thanks.

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Post #: 18

RE: Galaxy Background - 2/22/2014 6:39:17 PM

tjhkkr

Posts: 2428
Joined: 6/3/2010
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Buio
Tested myself. Love how crisp and clear it became.
Example picture:
http://abload.de/img/dw_0001lkkjy.jpg

Nice job.
I have a dark blue background, and that accomplishes the same thing.

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Post #: 19

RE: Galaxy Background - 5/24/2014 7:03:14 AM

Buio

Posts: 247
Joined: 11/21/2012
Status: offline

So why aren't the Nebulae moddable images in Universe? I know you can overwrite the original ones as we did here, but I started to read the modding manual and they are in the "unmoddable image folders" list.

< Message edited by Buio -- 5/24/2014 8:36:30 AM >

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Post #: 20