Unconfirmed Bug American markings on Iceni Queen

[Grey Roger]

The "SuperFrigate" model contains the file "SuperFrigate_decor.gm", which is a copy of "USS_Constitution_decor.gm". So do the British and French versions, but their base model files don't have the "decor" locator, so it doesn't appear. Even the generic "US_BattleFrigate" doesn't have the locator. But the locator was not removed from "SuperFrigate.gm", which means...

... the Iceni Queen has the same silver stars and US shield as the Constitution.

The "decor.gm" files seem to pick a specific pattern from the texture file, so I can't change it, except to a set of different coloured stars and a different colour shield with an eagle on top. So, any objection to me editing "SuperFrigate.gm" to remove the "decor" locator and remove the US markings from this ship?

For that matter, any objection to me changing its definition in "Ships_init.c"? At present this ship can appear in "Colonial Powers" and even, with a lower chance, in "Golden Age of Piracy"! Being a variant of the Constitution, albeit not with quite the same stats which is why it's not repaint compatible, the design is pushing its luck appearing in "Colonial Powers" and really should not be any earlier.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

So, any objection to me editing "SuperFrigate.gm" to remove the "decor" locator and remove the US markings from this ship?

No objections at all.
Seems like an accidental oversight; I don't think it was ever intentional.

For that matter, any objection to me changing its definition in "Ships_init.c"? At present this ship can appear in "Colonial Powers" and even, with a lower chance, in "Golden Age of Piracy"! Being a variant of the Constitution, albeit not with quite the same stats which is why it's not repaint compatible, the design is pushing its luck appearing in "Colonial Powers" and really should not be any earlier.

Is she not set to CanEncounter and CanBuy = false so that she's a quest-only ship?
If so, her period values would have very little effect. But still, can's hurt to correct it.

 

[Grey Roger]

True enough, though I often use the period settings in "Ships_init.c" as a guide to what ships are supposed to be valid for a given period. And there's another way to get the "SuperFrigate" - it's available as a promotion ship in some cases in "NK.c", though only in "Revolutions" or "Napoleonic" periods. But yes, the genuine Iceni Queen is the target ship for the "Sink the Pirate Corvette" side quest, also only in "Revolutions" or "Napoleonic".

So the next version of the post-7th January fixes will have "Ships_init.c" with the ship limited to those two periods. I'll also see about removing the "decor" locator from the base model.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I'll also see about removing the "decor" locator from the base model.

Cool!

Just in case it does you any good, there are two ways to do it:
1. Remove the locator that puts it there from the hull GM
2. HEX-edit another of those ships to use the Iceni Queen hull texture

 

[Grey Roger]

I tried option 2 as it seemed easier, but something odd happened - the Iceni Queen had a blue band across the stern, with black gaps where the shield and some of the stars would be. I've no idea where that blue came from as I used the "RN_BattleFrigate" as the basis for the hex-edited replacement model.

So I went for option 1, used TOOL to send the locators to a text file, deleted the line referring to "decor", then used TOOL to re-import the locator text. That worked perfectly.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I tried option 2 as it seemed easier, but something odd happened - the Iceni Queen had a blue band across the stern, with black gaps where the shield and some of the stars would be. I've no idea where that blue came from as I used the "RN_BattleFrigate" as the basis for the hex-edited replacement model.

Screenshot? I've got to admit I can't quite picture what you mean....

 

[Grey Roger]

This.


And I've found out where the blue came from. The texture file for the USS Constitution has a small patch of blue - I'm not sure if the Constitution itself uses the blue, but the generic US frigate does, so it has a blue background on which the stars and shield are placed. The texture file for "SuperFrigate" also has the blue patch, which now leaves me wondering why the Iceni Queen doesn't have a blue stern all the time. The British and French versions don't have blue sterns but their respective texture files don't have the blue patch.

What I am now thinking is, the British, French and generic US frigates use a slightly different model which uses that area of the texture file to colour the stern. The British and French versions have black on that area, the US version has blue, so all versions get the correct colour stern. The USS Constitution model doesn't use that patch. The "SuperFrigate" uses a similar model to the USS Constitution. By copying the British version and hex-editing it to use the "SuperFrigate" texture, I ended up with a version which uses the area, meaning another solution would have been to then edit the "SuperFrigate" texture file to change the area to black.

And option 1 now becomes easier than option 2.

 

[Armada]

What I am now thinking is, the British, French and generic US frigates use a slightly different model which uses that area of the texture file to colour the stern.

I believe that's correct. Originally, all ships of that class were a copy of the Constitution, but we added a tweaked version for "generic" use which has different UV mapping, hence the blue stern.