help with skins please read

[mule_0wnz]

Im not sure how to edit a female or male skin...and i dont knw what size to make the paint paper thing on paint.i know to make them a pcx fil thugh and all that but i make the skin but when i use it on quake...its icon isent what i wanted and the color isent!

PLEASE  ! ! ! THANKS

mule

[[BTF] Reflex]

The icon is a separate file,  in pics I think.

As for the color,  you need the q2 pallette file?

[mule_0wnz]

See this is what i dont understand i just dont get it...i want the icon to be a big "m" and i want a female skin that is red white and blue.

[mule_0wnz]

if i need a program i dont know where to get it..id need a link, id realy just like to edit a female skin or something but it might be easyer to start from scratch..i dont know whats best or where to start

[[BTF] Reflex]

Wish I could help, 

I only know enough to be a danger to my own q2

[{TNP}Dukie]

these threads may give you some help:


http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=5306.0

http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=5037.0

http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=4241.0

[Whirlingdervish]

http://dervish.tastyspleen.net/files/iview399.exe
http://dervish.tastyspleen.net/files/wally_155b.exe
http://dervish.tastyspleen.net/files/q2palette.zip


A. install irfanview. (uncheck the box to install google desktop, it's bloatware)

this program will allow you to browse through entire folders of .pcx, .jpg, .png and pretty much every other graphic file format

B. install Wally
C. unzip the q2 palette to the palettes folder, inside the wally folder.

this will allow you to apply the q2 palette to your skin.
I assume you will be "painting" it, in mspaint or some other program and then converting it to .pcx from .bmp, and I assume that the image you want to make into the skin is the correct size. in case you don't know how big it should be, use irfanview to open the original, and use "save as" to make it a .bmp file.

open this file in paint and copy it, then paste it over the skin you are making.
if it fits perfectly, you're good.

either way, undo this action to bring your skin back, and only continue if it is the correct size.

Now to make a .pcx that works with Q2...

1. select the "batch conversion" option in the file menu of Wally, and set the destination directory (where the skin is going to be put when converted) and the source directory (where the .bmp file is)

2. now where it says wildcards, you put this:

[peewee_RotA]

Dervish covered it well and of all the people here I'd point you to him for this stuff.

Real quick to answer the questions in quickfire style

1) Your resolution should be 256x256. The simplest way to set this in MS paint is ctrl+E

2) Quake 2 has a very specific pallette. You need to use that specific pallette or else the file will either show in black and white only, give a skin loading error, or show with seemingly randomized colors. The best way to keep the original pallette is to stick with Wally which Dirvish mentioned, NSTV, or a version of Photoshop that will save and load .pcx with which you should be able to import the pallette from somewhere.

3) There are 2 types of files associated with player skins. The normal skin and the _i.pcx. For example the default skin for the male model is grunt.pcx and has an associated grunt_i.pcx. The _i.pcx file is 32x32 and uses the same pallette. It will know to automatically search for your _i.pcx file based on the name. For example if you made the skin mule.pcx it would automatically load a mule_i.pcx. If that file does not exist you will get some massive errors in deathmatch when you press f1 to bring up the score list.

You'll need a lot of patience to learn a new tool. Modding a game is pretty complicated even for the simplest changes.

[{TNP}Dukie]

or you can use the paint program created to do q2 skins

http://dukieskinz.homestead.com/files/SkinED.ZIP

oddly enough, the default q2 skins, grunt, athena, etc... were painted with Deluxe Paint, which was an original paint program for the Amiga

edit: nice little just the basics tutorial here:

http://skindom.planetquake.gamespy.com/faq/quake2/

also, as in my links I posted earlier, you can get the q2 pallete here:

http://dukieskinz.homestead.com/dukiesskinzq2.html

just click on the bottom left hand corner to download

[mule_0wnz]

Thanks alot guys, i now know how to make skins im on to somin new now, map making.  Iv already made maps tryin to get them into the server now hehe

[spawngirl]

what programs recommend to edit/publish skins?

[[BTF] Reflex]

Welcome to the forums...

dervishes post seemed to cover everything you would need  http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=7278.msg78126#msg78126

[|iR|Focalor]

what programs recommend to edit/publish skins?

Silly noob, creating a new skin isn't going to keep me from using it too. Feel free to waste your time though. 

[spawngirl]

?????

[spawngirl]

Welcome to the forums...

dervishes post seemed to cover everything you would need  http://tastyspleen.net/quake/forums/index.php?topic=7278.msg78126#msg78126

Thank you Reflex