Splash Screens

[teukros]

It seems that the splash screens available in the downloads section are 24-bit BMPs. But according to the hi-res patch readme, I need 8-bit BMPs if I want them to be displayed as splash screens.

I don't have any graphical software to convert 24-bit BMPs to 8-bit BMPs.

Why is it so hard? Why is there not simply an option to display the original images for x number of seconds?

Is there a collection, somewhere, of the original 640x480 images (and maybe a few new ones) in 8-bit BMP format?

 

[Gizmojunk]

www.irfanview.com [Windows]

 

[teukros]

Thanks for the info about that graphical tool. Seems pretty sweet. For decreasing the color depth, I chose 256 colors, Floyd/Steinberg Dithering, and Best Color Quality. Seemed to work very well.

But I must be doing something wrong. According to the Windows Photo Viewer all of the images are 640x480, 8-bit. I have them in D:\games\fallout\f2rp233\data\Art\splash. In F2_res.ini, I have

SPLASH_SCRN_SIZE=1

and

SPLASH_SCRN_TIME=8


But I still get no splash screen when I start the game.


EDIT: Win 7 Pro 64 bit with 4 GB

 

[Gizmojunk]

I always thought that the splash screens had to be in RIX format; where did you read that it should be Bitmap?

Is this a special feature of the hi-res patch? (That's not one that I've installed.)

Irfanview will [also] list the image file information; including format and size information.

 

[teukros]

Yes, according to the documention,


From f2_res_change.log:

V3.0 21/05/11
Major code overhaul, most of patch re-written and/or optimised.
Fixed Splash screen display.
Added scaling options for Splash, Help, Death, Ending Slides and Main-menu Screens.
Added option to load 8bit bmp's on Splash screen.

and from f2_res_README.rtf

8. Custom Art
In this section "data\" refers to the Fallout2 patch folder usually located in your Fallout2 Install directory.
 
Splash Screen
With version 3.0 you can now load 8 Bit BMP images as splash screens. These can be of any size or 
shape(within reason) and have the same naming scheme as their RIX counterparts. If a BMP has the 
same name as a RIX than it will be shown instead.New splash screens should be placed under 
"data\art\splash\". For non english versions this may be "data\art\<your language>\splash\".

EDIT: I found a couple of F1 splash screens in RIX format and placed them into my data\art\splash folder. They are not displayed on startup, either.

 

[Gizmojunk]

I don't get it.
It seems like it should work, but I'm not getting any Splash screens either; none, neither official nor custom.

 

[teukros]

I've been unable to resolve this. I wonder if it has something to do with the path, the names of the folders (e.g. F2RP223 instead of Fallout2), or the fact that it is installed to the D: drive.

 

[Gizmojunk]

The first thing to check, is does the default install of the game [no mods] have the same issue? Or do the splash screens show up, but then stop working once a mod/patch is applied?

 

[teukros]

I think I checked for that a few years ago. I always assumed that the splash screen just went blip on a modern computer for far less time than it takes the monitor to switch modes or whatever it is doing for the several seconds of blackness at the beginning of each session (during which time I can hear the music starting btw).

 

[teukros]

The first thing to check, is does the default install of the game [no mods] have the same issue? Or do the splash screens show up, but then stop working once a mod/patch is applied?

I finally had time to uninstall F2 and do a clean (humongous) install of JUST the game from the CD. The new path is D:\games\fallout\f2rp_233. Starting the game, it's got the rainbow colors and no splash screens being displayed. The monitor switches resolutions and before the monitor is done switching, the music starts. So either the splash screens are being displayed so quickly that I can't see them, or they aren't being displayed at all.

 

[teukros]

I think I'm finally closing in on the problem.

If I go into Screen Settings and choose Window Mode, the Splash Screen DOES INDEED appear... for just a fraction of a second.

Going over to my Fallout 2 folder, D:\games\fallout\f2rp233\, I edit the f2_res.ini file thusly:

; Increases the length of time the Splash screen is displayed in seconds
SPLASH_SCRN_TIME=30

Now I start the program (still in Window Mode) and the splash screen displays... for just a fraction of a second.

Shouldn't it be displaying for 30 seconds?

Am I doing something wrong?


EDIT: I now know exactly what the problem is. Unfortunately I have no idea how to fix it.

The splash screens being momentarily displayed in Window Mode are the original .RIX format images in their original locations. They display whether I have a custom \splash folder or not.


from f2_res_README.rtf

8. Custom Art
In this section "data\" refers to the Fallout2 patch folder usually located in your Fallout2 Install directory.
 
Splash Screen
With version 3.0 you can now load 8 Bit BMP images as splash screens. These can be of any size or 
shape(within reason) and have the same naming scheme as their RIX counterparts. If a BMP has the 
same name as a RIX than it will be shown instead.New splash screens should be placed under 
"data\art\splash\". For non english versions this may be "data\art\<your language>\splash\".

Trying a custom \splash folder with only non-original images (all 640x480x8) with each of these three paths:

D:\games\fallout\f2rp233\data\Art\splash
D:\games\fallout\f2rp233\data\Art\english\splash
D:\games\fallout\f2rp233\data\Art\English\splash

and starting in Window Mode, the game continues to display only original splash screens, for just a second.

In other words, it is a Hi Res Patch issue. The custom \splash folder is simply not seen.

Maybe it only works if F2 is installed to the C:\ drive? But my C:\ drive is a SSD so I don't want to do that.

I have no other issues with F2, btw. Oh, and Win 7 Pro 64 bit with 4 GB.