I see official tools in Tools_Builds folder, but seems no tutorial within.
I’m looking for this info also.
The new graphic files are .smx, not slp.
One of those included tools converts .slp to .smp, although I don’t know what the purpose of that is.
The Art Desk tool also doesn’t seem to let you view .smx files, only .slp files in a different palette.
Could Administrator trans this thread to Modding Forum?
SLP isn’t used anymore. You can find them in the interface folder (and possibly others), but I’m not sure if they are actually used for anything. I think they might be old assets from HD they forgot to clean up.
Anyway, the new format for AoE2 DE is SMX, which itself is just a compressed version of SMP. SMP was the format used in the beta. The game reads both SMX and SMP formats. My app (SLX Studio) will have support for creating proper new SMP/SMX files hopefully in the near future. The formats are already mostly figured out, but there’s still a few unknowns and I need to update things in my app to work correctly with the new formats.
There’s no guide provided by the devs, yet. The DEAssetTool will do a simple conversion of SLP to SMP format, but has some potential problems. For one, it seems as though mirror-mode doesn’t work in DE, so you need to make the unit SLPs have 8 directions, not 5. It also doesn’t convert shadows and instead just paints them as black pixels.
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There are more than 8 directions. It’s like 12 I think.
Normally units in AoE2 DE have 16 directions (it’s actually 32 in AoE1 DE), but you can also use 8 directions in AGE. But what I’m saying is if you’re trying to convert an HD/AoC unit mod with only 5 directions, the best you could do is duplicate and mirror the west angles to east so you have 8 directions (E, SE, S, SW, W, NW, N, NE) because apparently mirror mode doesn’t work anymore.
I count on architecture graphics more. Converter is already there, but converted smps have neither correct player color nor DE style shadows. This troubles me a lot.
My app will correctly set player colors and shadows in SMP/SMX. But actually architecture/buildings will be difficult in DE because of the destruction animations. I actually have an idea for a tool to generate them, which should be good enough for people without the animation expertise to make proper ones. Also, buildings have damage layers, which I haven’t completely figured out how they work exactly.
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Generating destruction animation? You surprised me. If truely, it will save me. I create architecture graphics by hand-drawing, and no idea with creating destruction animation.
Take a scissor and a camera? Could be true art!
No, not that artistic, just draw pixels in Photoshop.
It certainly won’t be nearly as cool as the official ones, but having buildings “sink” while behind a dust cloud and creating a generic rubble pile in it’s aftermath is doable and may be sufficient.
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Sounds enough for me.