> example icon <

This format is more portable and easier to check.
If there are any format changes in the future, this template can be auto-converted to a new format very easily.
The following is a brief explanation of the new PC icon format.
This is the only format that will be accepted for unique icon submission.

"o" state
- 16X16 overworld icon
- conversion expands it to 2X2
- auto-split into a separate icon

for all battle states:
- must be 4 direction animations
--- no single frame images!
- SOUTH = standing still
- NORTH = moving
- example in "" icon state
- default frame delay is 2
--- exception is "attack" which defaults to 1

IMPORTANT: all frames in an animation must have active pixels
i.e. flashing hurt states won't be recognized and your animation will be cut off
solution: add a placeholder pixel or alter the hurt state

IMPORTANT: to change the frame delay from 2, you must change the name of the icon state.
This takes the form: "[state] [frame1 delay] [frame2 delay] [etc...]"
e.g. "cast 10" = "cast" state, with 1 frame of delay 10
e.g. "chant 3 4" = "chant" state, first frame delay = 3, second frame delay = 4
Changing the frame delay in the animation itself has no effect; you must add the delay times to the name!

required states: o, [blank], attack, victory, wounded, hurt, dead, cast
optional states: armlock, chant, grab, hold, kick, ready, sleep, stun, face

> the converter <

Once you've created an icon, download the converter and run it in Dream Seeker.
Use the conversion verb and direct it to the icon file you've created.
The converted icons will appear in the "converted" folder within the program folder.
(Thus, you have to unzip the program for it to work.)
Check the converted icon for any errors. If there are none, submit the unconverted version in the Unique Icon subforum.

What about the icons already in the game? Does not seem logical to suddenly change the icon format without warning....I mean...All the work people have put into icons that were just recently put into the game and such... :unsure:

*Points to converter*

So do icons that've already been put ingame need to be converted for the new version?

Gaku:

if you want to edit them for FFO: yes
if you want to save yourself the trouble in case of a future internal format change: yes
if you want it in Terulia when the time comes: yes
otherwise: no

Next question is, when do the new icons need to be resubmitted?

Gaku: when Terulia's up and running, so a while.

So what do we do if we already made an icon?..do we have to change it. cause i created one and it was about to be put in the game, so do i have to change it now?

Gaku: yes, it must be changed if you want it added

So in the null state, we have to have all four directions available, but the east and west states are left empty?

For other the other battle states other than null, all directions must be available, but the animations are only in the south state?

Gaku: Yes, simply because BYOND doesn't default to [the only state available] if SOUTH doesn't exist, and I don't feel like coding in the distinction.

I don't know if this is a problem with the converter, but when I converted it, everything turned out fine and dandy, except the OW sprite was non-existent.

Thought I'd point that out.

Same problem as Sphen except my battle icons are missing huge chunks

Upload your icon and I can tell you what you did wrong.

~~. . .

Gaku: post the unconverted one...

oh sorry :o
^-- unconverted :x
^-- I'm prob just stupid

You can't use the converter on your old icons.
You have to convert it to the new format first.

I literally just replaced the corresponding sprites with mine. And I tested the converter with the example, OW is empty after conversion.

You have to make your OW the lil tiny thing first.

I converted my icon, im not sure if i did it right or not, but after i used the icon converter on it, the only battle state there was my walking state.


And with this new system, does that mean we cant have different attacking states for stading still/moving around? Along with blinking eyes when your standing still in OW/battle?

EDIT: this is my icon before i converted it using the icon converter, not sure if i did it right or not.

EDIT2: My icon also uses the rewind function with the walking state in battle mode, this doesnt save that when it converts.

When i convert it, the OW state where i see my face full on isnt converted either.

It may be a bug with the current version of BYOND.
If you'd post your icon, I could find out what's wrong.

One direction corresponds with standing still.
The other corresponds with moving.
So yes, you can have both.

By default, the OW icon does not support eye blinking and such.
The battle icon does support animations for standing still.
If that's an issue, let me know.

Its right up there.

So then before i convert my icon, ill have the standing attack state in the south, and then the walking attack state in the north?

That is correct.

By default, you don't have to include both forms of "attack", and if you only include the standing still version, it will make a walking one for you as well.

Your "50 1 1" state belongs in "" in the SOUTH direction, with walking in the NORTH direction.

Turn off "rewind" for walking. Your death state needs work, and your face is looking the wrong way.

Okay, i cant seem to make the battle states work right. I put everything in how you said to, and when i convert it, all i get out is the attack and walking states for the battle mode.

And on top of that, the attack state only has my moving attack state, and not my standing still one. Has anyone got this to work right with an old icon? or is this how its supposed to work?


EDIT: okay, so i converted the Baka icon that gaku provided, and i got the same results. The OV doesnt have a real south state, and the battle icon only has the walking state.

Okay, I changed the converter slightly. (i.e. redownload it)

"" is now "battle", so you can modify the frame delays
See yours for example.

Okay, so when you convert the icon, your supposed to lose all the extra states like sleep and stun?

It also never shows any different attack state for the standing still attack in the converted files.

I did make the OW small Quinto, which is why I'm confused.

ah.

Sorry bro, i cant figure this out either :P

Okay, post your pre-conversion icon + everything going wrong with the conversion.

Okay, so garral and i were messing around with my icon, cause i still couldnt get it to work. So he changed a couple of things, and BAM it worked! So i changed those things on mine, and ran it through the converter, and still nothing. I grabbed the new converter and everything, but still nothing.

Not sure what went wrong, could i have a version of byond thats not compatable with it?

Gaku: sounds likely. update it.

Well that zip folder includes my pre-converted icon, the converted one, and the converted one after I edited it so you can see what's wrong with whatever.

quick question, how do you make your overworld 16x16 >_>

resize 25% in paint.

50%.
25% would be 8x8

Its cool, i just drag it to the lil dots it has. i was trying to be technical, so people would understand, doubt anyone understands when i say 'drag it to the lil dots it has.'

updated: http://www.byond.com/members/Gakumerasara/...28Player%29.zip

slight change:
Icon names must be of the format "[character name] - [character key]".
If the name/key are incorrect, your icon will not be correctly linked with your character.
Be sure to use the converter before submitting an icon for reviewer approval.
The way it looks after conversion is exactly the way it will look in FFO/Terulia.

I thought you knew, Gaku, that you can't have quotemarks in filenames.

Now it's unusable.

Pretty sure he doesn't mean to use the quotes, too.. Should just be like:

Alacor - Exophus

Actually, every other sensible combination fails. It seems it was coded to use the quotation marks.

I put a icon through it like this

Alacor - Exophus

No quotes, and it gave me:

Alacor - Exophus.dmi
Alacor B.dmi
Alacor F.dmi

Everything came out fine in the icons. I don't see the problem, but then again I don't know what it's like uploading them to the game.

Tried that, still getting the "Icon filenames must have the following format: "[name] - [key]"" thing.

I also removed spaces, same error still.

I did move the icon into the folder first before I did it. Maybe that could have something to do with it.

It's a BYOND bug, actually.
Do a file search for "byond.rsc"
Delete it.
Then, try uploading again.

Basically if you've EVER uploaded the file, it keeps it in memory and uses the OLD filename even if you change the name.

So delete byond.rsc and it should work fine.

Thank you, Gaku. It works great now.

Okay, i deleted byond.rsc and whenever i try to convert an icon with the new converter, it just says i need them to be in [name] - [key] format.

Could it be because my name and key are so alike? Quinto - Quintocer0s


EDIT: okay, April - Quintocer0s worked, but Quinto still wont.

EDIT2: okay, it seems that i had an unneeded mute state in my Quinto icon. I deleted it and it worked fine.

Just for easier use, here's a Terulia format for the Fighter icon since people can't figure out the Baka.dmi Gaku uploaded.