Need Help Out-of-Factory Tweaks

[kenoi]

Hi! Looking for an experienced modder to quickly help me with two things. I recently bought a copy of SDCT (on GOG), and it came with a few cosmetic/visual annoyances.

1. I'm trying to hide the Storm engine data loader pop-up that shows before the game starts, as it looks old-school and quite obnoxious. (I know it serves a practical purpose, but I have no use for it.) Can I do this in the C source files? How would I go about this?

2. I've tinkered with the game INI files, and managed to make the game run in 720p, but whenever there is a cinematic dialog, from the top and bottom black bars, the top one is not fixed snuggly to the top of the screen. There is a one pixel gap that shows the game running behind it. Where is the positioning of these cinematic black bars located, so I can fix this?

 

[kb31]

1. If you mean GDI splashscreen, there is no way to hide it from scripts
2. Try bAbsoluteRectangle

 

[kenoi]

1. If you mean GDI splashscreen, there is no way to hide it from scripts

Is there no way to disable it without having to edit the source code and recompile the game?

2. Try bAbsoluteRectangle

I'm sorry, but how does this help?? "bAbsoluteRectangle" is one of the most recurring settings throughout the game's INI files! (And dialog.ini does not contain it.)

 

[kb31]

Is there no way to disable it without having to edit the source code and recompile the game?

You also can patch the binary. No way to disable it without modifying engine

I'm sorry, but how does this help?? "bAbsoluteRectangle" is one of the most recurring settings throughout the game's INI files! (And dialog.ini does not contain it.)

This is used to stretch rects. If you tweaked interfaces.ini this can help you.
It is used as boolean except for FORMATEDTEXT node, for which it is used as a flag. Set it to 5 so you can't go wrong

 

[kenoi]

This is used to stretch rects. If you tweaked interfaces.ini this can help you.
It is used as boolean except for FORMATEDTEXT node, for which it is used as a flag. Set it to 5 so you can't go wrong

Interestingly enough (or appropriately?), whatever changes happen in interfaces.ini doesn't actually seem to affect the game's GUI that these black bars are a part of. It only affects the menu user interface elements...

What I want to know is if there are any external settings for the positioning of these black bars in the game's assets. All I need to do is to shift the bloody top bar one pixel up.

You also can patch the binary. No way to disable it without modifying engine

By patching, you mean hex-editing?

 

[kb31]

Most of the in-game interfaces which use XINTERFACE assuming that resolution is 800x600. They are getting stretched by aspect specified in engine.ini without rescaling. This is legacy and kinda consequence of poor architecture.
If you modify resolution directly in interfaces.ini, you are just changing drawing area for game interfaces. In order to stretch some elements which you want to be full-screen, you can apply bAbsoluteRectangle on them

By patching, you mean hex-editing?

For example, yes

 

[LarryHookins]

1. I'm trying to hide the Storm engine data loader pop-up that shows before the game starts, as it looks old-school and quite obnoxious.

Sometimes this reports errors, so it has a necessary purpose. It will take just as long for the game to load if it's not being shown as if it is. Would you rather have a progress indicator with just a bar that fills in? I don't think you want a blank screen.

 

[kenoi]

Sometimes this reports errors, so it has a necessary purpose. It will take just as long for the game to load if it's not being shown as if it is. Would you rather have a progress indicator with just a bar that fills in? I don't think you want a blank screen.

Actually, a blank/transparent screen is exactly what I am after. The game loads extremely fast on my computer, and that error/loading Storm splash screen appears just for a brief moment, quite unexpected and visually jarring. Do you have any suggestions on how this would be accomplishable? Is there a command line parameter that will hide the splash screen?

 

[LarryHookins]

The game loads extremely fast on my computer, and that error/loading Storm splash screen appears just for a brief moment

In that case, blink and you'll miss it. If there is any way to get rid of it, the first time you run the game it will probably give an error that you'll need to see.

Maybe you should upload a screen shot of the offending screen.

Hook

 

[kenoi]

Gee, thanks... Troll much?

 

[LarryHookins]

Still waiting for a screen shot.

 

[kenoi]

Still waiting for a sensible person.

 

[LarryHookins]

Y'know... I WAS gonna see what I could do to help.

You might try the blink method instead.

 

[kenoi]

Thanks but no thanks, Larry. Anyone with decent manners who actually may have an answer to this around here?

How to hide/disable the game engine's splash loading popup that appears before the game starts?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Thanks but no thanks, Larry. Anyone with decent manners who actually may have an answer to this around here?

The above posts were not pleasant to read at all.

I can think of no way to do what you ask.

 

[kenoi]

Agreed, and thanks.

 

[kenoi]

I got around problem No.2 by adding a slight (1-2 pixel) overscan in the PC's video card settings for my TV -- for anyone who's in the same shoes with this.

 

[LarryHookins]

Glad you were able to solve the pixel gap problem.

The screen shot has two purposes. First, to make sure we're both talking about the same thing. Second, it may give some clue as to why you find it so objectionable, and what might be done to help that.

The first is necessary because not everyone calls things by the same name. For example, if you were talking about the intro videos, you can easily get rid of those by renaming the files that are played. I'm just trying to make sure that what I'm thinking about is the same as what you are talking about.

Hook