Chapter Four: Sprites and Graphical Data

Reference: Arsenal III: Images Editor

File [text box]: This is the reference to a line in the images.tbl (start counting from 1, not 0). The line that it points to determines what GRP this images.dat entry uses for its main animations (since the images.tbl is just a list of the paths to all the GRP and LO* files in the mpqs). (Pointer to a line in images.tbl)

Gfx Turns [check box]: This determines whether or not the graphic "rotates" when it faces different directions (e.g., a marine graphic turns, a science vessel does not). This is a fuzzy description since there is no technical way to describe what we mean by "turning" in animation terms; the more accurate description is that if this variable is checked then when the animations of this graphic plays (determined by the iscript.bin) then it will add up to 17 to and/or mirror the frames of the GRP depending on what direction the sprite is facing. For example, if the animation calls for the marine image (Gfx Turns checked) to play frame 0, then it would play actually play a frame between 0 and 16 and possibly mirror it (since the frames only face from north to east to south, not west) depending which way the spite was facing at the time. For the science vessel (Gfx Turns unchecked), play frame 0 means play frame 0, no matter which direction it is facing.

Shadow Turns [check box]: This determines if "active overlays/underlays" (overlay and underlay graphics which "follow" the main graphic) rotate frames (via the same process as described above) with the main graphic's animations. For example, a marine's shadow is an active underlay graphic for the marine (played by the iscript.bin entry of the marine main image). If Shadow Turns is checked on the marine, then this underlay will also turn (play the frame + up to 17 and/or mirrored depending on the direction the main graphic is facing), otherwise it will play the exact frames of the animation sequences irrelevant of the direction of the main graphic. (This is used because active overlays and underlays often do not have any animation sequences of their own and instead simply "follow" the same routines as their main images they were played on).

Unknown [check box]: Unknown.

Floats [check box]: Not sure what this does...

Palette Type [drop-down menu]: This sets which palette is used when displaying the frames of this image.

Palette [drop-down menu]: This value is only used if the Palette Type above is set to "Special Palette." If that is the case, then this variable sets it to use one of several special "glow" palettes (semi-translucent, colored).

Iscript ID [text box]: This variable determines which iscript animation set to use for this particular image. This number is a pointer to the reference table at the bottom of the iscript.bin (see the next section for more information).

Shield O.L. [text box]: This is a pointer to a line in the the images.tbl (starting from 1). Correctly referenced, the line should be a reference to a LO* file, or more specifically (though it doesn't matter) a LOS, in the mpq. This file determines what overlay image to play if the unit using this sprite has shields and is hit (shied overlay), and where specifically on the main image (via specifying coordinates) to play it. (Pointer to a line in the images.tbl)

Overlay 2-6 [text boxes]: These are additional pointers to lines in images.tbl which reference other LO* files which this sprite uses (mainly when certain opcodes in the iscript animations for this image are used; see the next section for more information). The LO* files are simply coordinate maps and sometimes when an iscript animation plays a certain overlay, it requires these coordinates in order to place it correctly ontop of (or under if it is an underlay) the main graphic. I do not believe the specific correlation between specific opcodes and these specific overlay variables have been made yet (though it would not be very difficult to do). (Pointer to a line in the images.tbl)