[req] ECS EoB data (CPS etc) extractor on Windows

Marcuz · 30 July 2009, 16:47

i tryed following track of such a tool in the various EoB threads, but i cannot find any, as the discussions are lenghty and kinda garbled.

so, for future reference too, i wanted to ask if you guys know of such a tool, as WestPak seems not to be of help with non AGA (VGA) graphics.

Marcuz · 30 July 2009, 19:15

forgot to say: if such a tool doesn't exist, the ECS graphics from both EoB1 and 2 were extracted on amiga with some sort of program? i never had any success with UnCPS, though

Vairn · 31 July 2009, 01:48

you want all the gfx marco? hmm, I might be able to get something this weekend, for ya. It will work, but will be command line based. hehe.

Marcuz · 31 July 2009, 10:14

Vairn, it would be ok even command based, as long as it works with ECS graphics, both in EoB1 and 2 (which may be different in format?);
i want to try to extract images from a supposedly hacked EoB data disk. probably it's nothing but since such a tool is useful anyway...

thank you!

Marcuz · 31 July 2009, 19:55

as an afterthought, may i ask also if it is not too much a hassle to add an option to recompress the files after having edited them?

thank you a lot!

Vairn · 02 August 2009, 03:55

hmm, maybe you shall get compression. It will need more testing though. I may just store them as uncompressed. :/ hmm.

Zetr0 · 02 August 2009, 06:17

@Varin

if memory serves its a simple byte tag to note compression or not, if its present it runs it through the RLE decompressor...

wow, its been a while since I last coded here..

@Marco

the UNCPS does work, it just places it in RAW data, from there it needs to be converted to Bitmap data.... I did actually write one... alas the latter being command line only... but its been so long.... I will try and hunt

Marcuz · 02 August 2009, 10:06

Vairn thank you, but if it as the moment an hassle, don't bother yet... i'll send you a PM in minutes...

Zetr0: i did indeed try your tool, which on ECS files does decompress some of them (maybe other too, if the compression mode has to be changed manually, which i did not as i did not needed it at the time: the specific file that i needed to decompress, was decompressed indeed]

but then i ended with 40000 or 40064 bytes files that i did not know how to open (they are not IFF and i thought that no conversion was needed).

can i do such a conversion manually?

Vairn · 02 August 2009, 12:41

I have put a first release version in the zone, it is for PC. tested with EOB1 and EOB2 Amiga, and Eob2 PC.

It saves them out as bitmap. sorry for the exe size, but it comes with freeimage linked in.

.. damn bloaty software, the exe is less then 100k otherwise. hehe.

Marcuz · 02 August 2009, 13:03

i fear that if it is > 6Mb it hasn't been saved in the zone; can you split it up?

Vairn · 02 August 2009, 13:44

it was 600k compressed. hmm, it is back up now, I don't "recall" deletting it.
Also shoved it on the eob wiki.

Laters.

Marcuz · 02 August 2009, 14:06

It works perfectly! thank you!

Marcuz · 22 August 2009, 19:31

2 questions about uncps.exe:

- why does it points by default to the azure.pal palette (which is in EoB2) even in EoB1' files decompression?
is it needed because of some special cause or it is just a leftover? (it is not a problem either way)

- which files are needed to be used as palette source for the wallsets and decorations in EoB 1 ECS? tryed as i might, i seem not to be able to find the correct colors for the levels. (brick.cps, blue.cps. etc.)

thanks!

Vairn · 23 August 2009, 07:47

I justed needed a default one incase you didn't override it, so that is the most generic one for EOB2.

As with the walls, the wall palette themselves are stored inside, the vcn, files. since only the pc eob1 has palettes. so the bricks are in brick.vcn, etc.

JackAsser · 23 August 2009, 08:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by marco pedrana

2 questions about uncps.exe:

- why does it points by default to the azure.pal palette (which is in EoB2) even in EoB1' files decompression?
is it needed because of some special cause or it is just a leftover? (it is not a problem either way)

- which files are needed to be used as palette source for the wallsets and decorations in EoB 1 ECS? tryed as i might, i seem not to be able to find the correct colors for the levels. (brick.cps, blue.cps. etc.)

thanks!

It's all in the wiki. http://eob.wikispaces.com/eob.vcn#Amiga

Marcuz · 23 August 2009, 10:33

thanks guys: so bricks1.cps has the palette in the file bricks.vcn, as one would expect,
except that with the ECS version of EoB 1, with files imported from the disks, the uncps.exe' output has garbled colors!

that the reason of me asking

Vairn · 24 August 2009, 03:12

hmm, ok. I shall look into that for you when I get home from work.

JackAsser · 25 August 2009, 09:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by marco pedrana

thanks guys: so bricks1.cps has the palette in the file bricks.vcn, as one would expect,
except that with the ECS version of EoB 1, with files imported from the disks, the uncps.exe' output has garbled colors!

that the reason of me asking

Hehe, annoying. But as stated on the wiki, the ECS-version doesn't hold a complete palette in the VCN-file, but instead you must use the palette from invent.cps and replace the colors using the VCN-file.

Marcuz · 25 August 2009, 11:40

yeah Jack, i did read that bit, but i'm not sure it's correctly implemented here, or, at least, i misunderstand the ties between cps and vcn: using a brick.vcn as source for the colours for brick1.cps produces a really strange mix of colours in the extracted file, even taking in account the invent.cps.

that's why i asked for a double check. in any case, it's not a major problem (for the purpose i'm using this tool, i.e. assembling a low-colour template of all graphic in the first level) because i can safely extract AGA files (i think) or recolour easily the bitmap file by hand.

30 July 2009, 16:47	#1
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	[req] ECS EoB data (CPS etc) extractor on Windows i tryed following track of such a tool in the various EoB threads, but i cannot find any, as the discussions are lenghty and kinda garbled. so, for future reference too, i wanted to ask if you guys know of such a tool, as WestPak seems not to be of help with non AGA (VGA) graphics.

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30 July 2009, 19:15	#2
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	forgot to say: if such a tool doesn't exist, the ECS graphics from both EoB1 and 2 were extracted on amiga with some sort of program? i never had any success with UnCPS, though

31 July 2009, 01:48	#3
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	you want all the gfx marco? hmm, I might be able to get something this weekend, for ya. It will work, but will be command line based. hehe.

31 July 2009, 10:14	#4
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	Vairn, it would be ok even command based, as long as it works with ECS graphics, both in EoB1 and 2 (which may be different in format?); i want to try to extract images from a supposedly hacked EoB data disk. probably it's nothing but since such a tool is useful anyway... thank you!

31 July 2009, 19:55	#5
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	as an afterthought, may i ask also if it is not too much a hassle to add an option to recompress the files after having edited them? thank you a lot!

02 August 2009, 03:55	#6
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	hmm, maybe you shall get compression. It will need more testing though. I may just store them as uncompressed. :/ hmm.

02 August 2009, 06:17	#7
Zetr0 Ya' like it Retr0? Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: United Kingdom Age: 49 Posts: 9,768	@Varin if memory serves its a simple byte tag to note compression or not, if its present it runs it through the RLE decompressor... wow, its been a while since I last coded here.. @Marco the UNCPS does work, it just places it in RAW data, from there it needs to be converted to Bitmap data.... I did actually write one... alas the latter being command line only... but its been so long.... I will try and hunt

02 August 2009, 10:06	#8
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	Vairn thank you, but if it as the moment an hassle, don't bother yet... i'll send you a PM in minutes... Zetr0: i did indeed try your tool, which on ECS files does decompress some of them (maybe other too, if the compression mode has to be changed manually, which i did not as i did not needed it at the time: the specific file that i needed to decompress, was decompressed indeed] but then i ended with 40000 or 40064 bytes files that i did not know how to open (they are not IFF and i thought that no conversion was needed). can i do such a conversion manually?

02 August 2009, 12:41	#9
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	I have put a first release version in the zone, it is for PC. tested with EOB1 and EOB2 Amiga, and Eob2 PC. It saves them out as bitmap. sorry for the exe size, but it comes with freeimage linked in. .. damn bloaty software, the exe is less then 100k otherwise. hehe.

02 August 2009, 13:03	#10
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	i fear that if it is > 6Mb it hasn't been saved in the zone; can you split it up?

02 August 2009, 13:44	#11
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	it was 600k compressed. hmm, it is back up now, I don't "recall" deletting it. Also shoved it on the eob wiki. Laters.

02 August 2009, 14:06	#12
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	It works perfectly! thank you!

22 August 2009, 19:31	#13
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	2 questions about uncps.exe: - why does it points by default to the azure.pal palette (which is in EoB2) even in EoB1' files decompression? is it needed because of some special cause or it is just a leftover? (it is not a problem either way) - which files are needed to be used as palette source for the wallsets and decorations in EoB 1 ECS? tryed as i might, i seem not to be able to find the correct colors for the levels. (brick.cps, blue.cps. etc.) thanks!

23 August 2009, 07:47	#14
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	I justed needed a default one incase you didn't override it, so that is the most generic one for EOB2. As with the walls, the wall palette themselves are stored inside, the vcn, files. since only the pc eob1 has palettes. so the bricks are in brick.vcn, etc.

23 August 2009, 10:33	#16
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	thanks guys: so bricks1.cps has the palette in the file bricks.vcn, as one would expect, except that with the ECS version of EoB 1, with files imported from the disks, the uncps.exe' output has garbled colors! that the reason of me asking

24 August 2009, 03:12	#17
Vairn The Grim-Button Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Melbourne Australia Age: 43 Posts: 414	hmm, ok. I shall look into that for you when I get home from work.

25 August 2009, 11:40	#19
Marcuz Registered User Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: . Age: 48 Posts: 5,562	yeah Jack, i did read that bit, but i'm not sure it's correctly implemented here, or, at least, i misunderstand the ties between cps and vcn: using a brick.vcn as source for the colours for brick1.cps produces a really strange mix of colours in the extracted file, even taking in account the invent.cps. that's why i asked for a double check. in any case, it's not a major problem (for the purpose i'm using this tool, i.e. assembling a low-colour template of all graphic in the first level) because i can safely extract AGA files (i think) or recolour easily the bitmap file by hand.

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