Mainr.bin question

[67b50b2460cf8xdiesp_]

I was looking into the main menu files, in order to change what happens when you click on "intro". When I found this model file, Mainr.bin: I tried to switch it with the SIM one, which doesn't feature the "intro", but it only scrambled the text all over the screen. So far, I haven't been able to view it correctly either. Has anybody yet successfully altered it?

[67b50b2460f03ZylonBane]

You cannot change what any of the buttons do. You can only move them around the screen.

[67b50b246101dxdiesp_]

Goddamnit... :$ So I change the bin file with the motion editor, to change those locations?

[67b50b2461124ZylonBane]

The motion editor? I... what?

[67b50b2461243xdiesp_]

Yeah, it's something I have never checked before. I assumed it was for editing models. Guess I was wrong Yeah, I'd like to edit this mainr.bin in... some way lol.

[67b50b246138cZygo]

You'd have to hex edit to change the positions. No idea on its format though, probably same as the bin for the automap system.

bin, rather confusingly, is just a general 'binary' file type for dark stuff, it doesn't actually mean that anything using it has the same file structure. Indeed, even the models' bin format is different between mesh and static objects.

[67b50b24614f0ZylonBane]

No, you don't have to hex edit anything. There's a program that converts the interface layout PCX files to the BIN format. I forget if it's included or comes in one of the toolkit archives.

[67b50b24615efxdiesp_]

Could that be FreetheObjects? Or Deoci. Can't see many more converters in the forum.

[67b50b24616ecxdiesp_]

Thanks to Namelessvoice for knowing the answer: the cutout and makerect utilities from DromedToolkit 1.0.

[67b50b2461812xdiesp_]

It turns out that what you can do to the menu, is: change the graphics; change the text for the buttons (like, "start new game" instead of "new game"); change the position of the clickable parts, which includes actually hiding them by making them very very small. You can't have the buttons output another command. And then there's the controls for the menu animation, but that's another story.

[67b50b24618f7ZylonBane]

Yes, I already told you that you can't change what any buttons do.

[67b50b2461a90xdiesp_]

I was writing for anyone browsing the topic for information. I had to crack my head open to make this work, as the information about it is unclear and mostly limited to Thief. Here's more:

1) You need the Dromed 1.0 tools, which in the subfolder Thiefmapper have the "makerect.exe" utility.

2) Edit the Intrface\MainR.pcx file and add 5 frames (squares empty inside, the line is 1 pixel wide) of the same pink color you can see in the example attached. You might get problems if the frames aren't 1 pixel wide, or they merge with the outer border of the image.

3) Drag the MainR.pcx file over the makerect.exe utility, and a new MainR.bin file will be made (note: only the pink zones are read by te software, the rest of the image is ignored)

[mainr.PCX expired]