APRIL 1ST 2004 UPDATE:[list=1][*]Added a new image pack, the M003 image pack Two. Check below for preview and download link[/list=1]
MOD INFORMATION:
I think I'm not alone in getting tired of seeing that same old brownish planet at the end of each and every turn. It really gets tiresome I think. What this graphic MOD does is change the end of turn background picture constantly, so there is a fresh new view to look and ponder at while waiting for your next turn.
You need the rotation utility to make this mod work. Download it at:
http://www.inethighway.com/sm/EOTBIR_util.zip (0.3 megs)
There is a total of three image packs. The astro image pack which is themed around space, stars and planets, the moo3 image pack which is themed around moo3 races and game art, and the spacecraft image pack which is themed around spaceships, fighters and other spacefairing objects. You can download and use them all.
Preview links are at:
http://www.inethighway.com/sm/moo3_eot_mod.html
Moo3 image pack Two download:
http://www.inethighway.com/sm/moo3_p2_ipak.zip (16.0 megs)
Astro image pack download:
http://www.inethighway.com/sm/astro.zip (12.8 megs)
Moo3 image pack download:
http://www.inethighway.com/sm/moo3ipak.zip (15.2 megs)
SpaceCraft image pack download:
http://www.inethighway.com/sm/spacecraft.zip (13.6 megs)
HOW TO INSTALL:
The first thing you need is the utility.
Extract the utility zip into your Moo3 'root' folder. Make sure you extract with full paths.
The zip will create the required directories. You will probably get a message saying some directories exist, however nothing will get overwritten.
To make the directories manually, you need to create these:
x:\moo3_path\EOTBIR
and
x:\moo3_path\GameDataSets\Classic_01\GameAssets\Co mmon\Graphics\UI\PlayingGame
The second thing you need is the image pack. Download the zip you want and extract it to:
x:\moo3_path\EOTBIR
You can put as many images as you want in there, there really is no limit, however if you start putting in a few thousands there might be unforseen problems.
HOW TO USE:
Simply double click the RUN.BAT file in your Moo3 folder. The image rotation then starts, and Moo3 is then launched.
When you're done playing you can then close the perl window by CTRL + C, or just closing the perl window by clicking in the little 'x'.
You can also replace any shortcuts to Moo3, so they point to RUN.BAT. You can then even change the icon so it looks just like the regular Moo3 shortcut.
HOW TO MODIFY:
You can modify how often the background image is rotated, by editing RUN.PL in a normal text editor. Simply go the 5th line, and edit the value. This value is in seconds.
To add more images, simply put them in the created image directory x:\moo3_path\EOTBIR
1. Be sure the images are proper PNG files or else you won't see anything
2. Images should be 800 pixels wide and 600 pixels high, otherwise it won't look as good
HOW TO UNINSTALL:
To remove this mod, delete the following directories:
x:\moo3_path\GameDataSets\Classic_01\GameAssets\Co mmon\Graphics
and
x:\moo3_path\EOTBIR
Then delete these files:
x:\moo3_path\RUN.PL
x:\moo3_path\RUN.BAT
x:\moo3_path\PERL.EXE
x:\moo3_path\PERL58.DLL
x:\moo3_path\EOTBIR-README.TXT
CHANGES:
From March 25th version:
Added the Spacecraft image pack; a total of 26 pictures of spaceships, fighters, and other spacefaring objects.
The perl script now copies and rotates the files manually instead of using COPY.EXE, which allows the use of PNGs that are named longer than eight characters.
From March 19th version:
1. Added the Moo3 image pack, which is 28 retouched images used from the moo3 game. It's pictures of races and some of the game art.
2. The perl script now randomizes the list of images before rotation starts.
3. Added case insensitivity in the regex string so the script recognizes any PNG file no matter how the extension is capitalized (works for PNG, png, PnG, pNG, all combos).
Older changes listed in the
README file.
