Warhammer Dark Omen Forum

Have any of you had luck in decoding the .BOP or .FOL files in SOTHR? I'm assuming .BOP is where the sprite data is being held, but as these file extentions seemed to have been created before we discovered trees, I have no way with working with them.

Olly do you still have contact details for Jeff Gamon? He could mostlikely shed some light on it, if not he could get us in contact with Steve Leney who would know.

If I can get into these files, I can use them to effectively recreate and improve most of the SOTHR units, which would save me a hell of a headache drawing these units from scratch.

Only Rob ever investigated decoding the SOTHR sprite files and could read the amount of frames per sprite (interestingly the Orc Biguns in SOTHR had more frames than the one in Dark Omen). However, it was deciphering the colour palettes that was the hardest part that sadly never progressed any further. We came to the conclusion that it was easier to take screenshots of them ingame and their quality probably wasn't upto Dark Omen standards.

In terms of producing new sprites, lets team up and get back into converting the Call of Warhamemr 3d models ->

http://forum.dark-omen.org/2d-sprites/call-of-warhammer-3d-models-to-dark-omen-2d-sprites-t805.0.html (http://forum.dark-omen.org/2d-sprites/call-of-warhammer-3d-models-to-dark-omen-2d-sprites-t805.0.html)

:)

FOL files entries are header info for each image in the BOP file ( width, height, offset, etc. )
An 8-bit entry in a BOP file is an index to a 16-bit entry in the PAL file.
A 16-bit entry in the PAL file is TWO 8-bit indices into the palette.

So each 8-bit BOP entry eventually becomes two pixels.
 
Where the real palette comes from is unknown. ( I just dumped it from ram to a file... )
Some PAL files have more than one palette...
Some FOL files are not multiples of 16?

[attachment=1]
so someday... I might create a tool to convert BOP/FOL/PAL triples to bitmaps.

Good progress and explanation and would be totally amazing to one day have such a convertor tool.

:)

so here is a WIP

it only does sprites type 1 & 2
which covers some ( ~740 ) images...

it doesn't handle any units yet...
I think type 4 is packed... something to do with the 'f' index.

[attachment=1]

have fun

Excellent work, many thanks from all of us!

(http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2193/oki5.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/59/oki5.jpg/)

:)

Iirc type 4 is just a simple run length encoding. If there is a 0, then it is followed by a run length (of zeroes).

 :o That is exactly what it was, Thanks!

+8,000 images dumped...

[attachment=1]

it's 4am here ... so here is where I'm at.

:-)

Wow this is amazing, a real dream come true to have all the sprites and graphics from Shadow of the Horned Rat!

Eternal thanks

:)

(http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/7103/y1fa.jpg) (http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/y1fa.jpg/)

Thanks for extracting this :) Now we can get started on building another campaign :D

Hi it's seems to be a great work. Unfortunaly it didn't work for me or i don't know what to do with the .exe to see and edit the images files.
I seek for the complete collection of "mugshot" from sothr, without the battle golden frame will be fantastic, 'cause i was just able to make screens capture. Specially the ennemies ones, there very rare, i dont know if thanquol himself have a battle portrait.

I was very enthusiastic when i saw the sheet edit by olly. Minor the fact its a jpg, a very good one but with little hint of pixel compressing. And a little confused, because the first portrait its unknow to me. this is otto hiln ?

i'll be nice able to edit a portrait sheet on my own so if you have advice, i'll check it. For information i use an oldgames.sk of the game on a win7.

thanks again

download the "sothr_spr.zip" that does NOT understand how-to extract units.

extract the sothr_spr.exe program into the sothr folder that has all the *.BOP files in it..
for me that is: "e:\games\sothr\binary\"

download this batch script and extract it into that same directory...
[attachment=1]
double-click that batch file...

you should now have ~740 bitmaps in that folder...
switch explorer's view over to "Large Icons"
determine which pictures that you want and delete the rest.

---
currently we can only extract pictures from sothr we can't import edited pictures into sothr
( if that is what you're trying to do? )

---
and yes, Grey Seer Thanquol has a portrait :)

here's the sothr "mugshots" with lossless png compression
http://bitpatch.com/downloads/sothr_protraits.zip (http://bitpatch.com/downloads/sothr_protraits.zip)
talking frames, banners, and backgrounds not included.

IMPRESSIVE
yeah without the batch file it s much better thanks.
yes i would only to see and extract this pictures, i have no level to edit the game.

finally i can see all little secrets of the game, like that unused bmp dragon head, replace by a 3D kind in the game.

or the very ellusive and rare portrait of thanquol, who didnt show up on my play when i make the final battle ^^

if the name is good the first portrait of olly's sheet, is the artiller, another else that didnt show in my play.

lot of thanks

Its so cool to have the SOTHR sprites in Dark Omen and doesn't take too much time to convert (copy and paste mainly).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTHslnQy2Yk&feature=share&list=UU8sdepsCtmpBUP4U9nVE3Qg (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTHslnQy2Yk&feature=share&list=UU8sdepsCtmpBUP4U9nVE3Qg)


:)

Really nice,
I wish I had those at hand when I was an active campaign creator :p would spare a lot of time and make my campaigns more interesting.
:)

Hi Cuthalion, many thanks again for your excellent Chaos Dwarf campaign and we now have all the tools to create new campaigns, maps and sprites. I just need all the campaign & sprite creators to rejoin and we can finally finish a complete mod.

I will post how to guides very soon and then can concentrate on making the new maps thanks to Aqrit's new height map tool. The plan is to update Dark Omen Expanded with the new additional sprite mod and add these Shadow of the Horned Rat sprites and others, to make complete armies.

:)

I do not have SoTHR at hand.
If I am not asking too much, could someone (Olly? :) ) provide me with SoTHR sprite set or converted pictures and give a brief direction how to convert them?

Also, on a side note: I saw in another thread that additional sprites in DO are now possible - that's great. I will look into it. But another question: Each unit type in DO - Cavalry, Wizard, Monster, Archer or Infantry - had its own sprite structure, like..a monster movement chain should consist of 4 pics while Infantry - of 3, Cavalry - of 5 etc...
is it editable

hy cuthalion this a link to bmp extracted from SOTHR sprite http://www.mediafire.com/download/4v20371q853qszf/extracted+bmp+pic+sprite+from+sothr.rar (http://www.mediafire.com/download/4v20371q853qszf/extracted+bmp+pic+sprite+from+sothr.rar)

Thank you so much ) Iwish I had all that stuff 3 years ago when I was actively modding with ctl, btb, armies and sprites.
You do not want to know how I made my dwarf overlord riding a wyvern.

1. I installed SoTHR for PlayStation as they had said it had better graphics.
2.  advanced as far as wyvern shaman mission.
3. Installed screen-capturing software.
4. Recorded Wyvern flight and fight from all directions.
5. Copy-pasted and spent hours cleaning up and rounding up copy-pasted screen shots.

BTW are DO leader portrays editable too and can be imported from SoTHR effectively?

ya it must have been a pain in the ass

if you want to see very good sprite for inspiration

this link may be help you

http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/index-anims-ac.html (http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/index-anims-ac.html)

there is goblin and skeleton manly

http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/index-anims-gi.html (http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/index-anims-gi.html)

http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/anims-worgridercaptain.html (http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/anims-worgridercaptain.html)

Yeah, nice sprites :)

Having looked at SoTHR sprites I figured they are somewhat smaller and thinner than corresponding DO sprites. Is it only me? Is there a solution to smoothly enlarge or broaden sprites to fit DO size? Or does everything look very good even when sprites are untouched?

ya with Ifranwiew you can enlarge spirte ( 150 % or 140 % )

and with instant sprite you can make sprite sheet realy quick

http://instantsprite.com/ (http://instantsprite.com/)

here is a link to a tuto for auto tools enlarge pics with ifranview

http://www.commentcamarche.net/faq/13847-irfanview-travail-sur-images-par-lots (http://www.commentcamarche.net/faq/13847-irfanview-travail-sur-images-par-lots)

Thank you,
I will definitely try this tool as I come to creating DO sprites based on SoTHR ones.
By the way, black orcs look pretty large even for DO. Are they that gigantic? I am not very familiar with Warhammer universe and rules )

Yeah I found Irfanview is by far the best at scaling sprite sizes and reducing colours (Illidan and I have been fine tuning Crash's tutorial on 3d Model (& their Animations) to DO sprite process, with great results. The whole process is now so much quicker than when we used to manually adjust pose for each frame, thanks to Fragmotion).

Illidan's idea of scaling up all sprites by 140% (50pix for normal human sized units and up to 100px for Giant), has allowed new sprites to have amazing detail for still only 16 colours. He has a Troop height scale picture that will help, Black Orcs have same physical description as Big'Uns in the Warhammer Rule Book - just saying how they larger and tougher than ordinary orcs but a Black Orc Warlord can be up to 15 feet in size apparently.

:)

Olly, I do not quite follow you in respect of using 3d models to quicken process of positioning sprites. I am not up to date :) do you mean those links to animated phantasy pics Illidan posted recently?  :)

By the way, I had my own experience using Call of Warhammer 3d models for my sprites. And experience was negative:
beautiful minotaurs with a lot of details that could be seen on large-sized 3d body...all those details became a handful of gray pixels completely out of order and beauty when minotaurs were scaled to the size of DO sprites.
I suspect same may happen when you enlarge SoTHR sprites to DO size? when there are few pixels it becomes essential.
Anyway it must be much easier than if I would draw them myself because I am a lousy painter )

it is a exemple of dwarf attacque sprite sheet enlarged with photoshop

Illidan, I did not quite understand how these models can be used for Dark Omen sprites. Is it possible at all? I downloaded a few pictures, but they only look 1 direction and do not do a lot of actions...Could you prompt me what I do wrong? or are those only nice pictures that inspire us in DO work? )

sure

the way i do is :

here : http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/anims-worgridercaptain.html (http://d2mods.info/resources/infinitum/anims-worgridercaptain.html)

i click downloaded the Animated GIF Files by click in PK next to him

as i i found a tool to generate a complete sprite sheet from a .GIF file  : called ( Avi4Bmp)


can be download her : http://www.bottomap.com/Software/A4B/A4B.html (http://www.bottomap.com/Software/A4B/A4B.html)

i use it and as the giff file are like : Attack 1 (15x8) Attack 2 (15x8) Corpse (1x8) Death (16x8) Get Hit (11x8) Neutral (15x8) Walk (17x8)

so in Rows i paste 8/  in coluns i paste : 15 or 15 or 1 or 16 or 11 or 15 or 17 depend of the file i chose

and i click save image and it give me a sprite sheet like in the linked image

were is no running  pose but may we can combine pose to create the running pose

need a way to  change the order of the files but we are working at it :)

i also launch a topic to find a way to get the bmp extracted from SOTHR into Dark Omen

http://forum.dark-omen.org/2d-sprites/find-a-way-to-auto-tools-bmp-extracted-from-sothr-into-dark-omen-t1267.0.html;msg12923;topicseen#msg12923 (http://forum.dark-omen.org/2d-sprites/find-a-way-to-auto-tools-bmp-extracted-from-sothr-into-dark-omen-t1267.0.html;msg12923;topicseen#msg12923)

there is a tuto for create sprite sheet and for :

RESIZING / ANTILISING / GET COLOR REDUCTION / COLOR INDEXING

i am also looking for some auto tools to make the proces a little bit quicker

hope it will help you :)

Yeah thank you it sounds cool. I will try as soon as I have enough free time, and if I have problems I will ask you more questions :)