Hacking DSTWO Skins

[CannonFoddr]

Go Ahead

... I think most of the Wiki templates etc is done (except for a couple of things I'd like but don't think the Wiki will allow me to do them) - so unless I get some comments for changes - go ahead & add them. You'll see I've already 'converted' some of the multipacks & added some

I only asked skin makers to wait a while otherwise I may find some1 had altered something which b*gger up my layout

 

[Rascal]

[Moved to the Skin Installer thread]

 

[nathancnc]

Has anyone figured out how to convert GBAemu skin to SNESemu skin??? I really want the circuit nebula to work!

 

[CannonFoddr]

^ Yes (sort of)
- it involves loading in, resizing/cropping the GBA graphics then saving with a new name......I think.

I made a start last night in work, but kept getting called out on breakdowns to actually continue

 

[Stormwave]

I might make a program to automate the resizing / cropping and renaming if that is all that is required. It would be convenient to convert gba skins.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Actually it's not as simple as that it seems.

I've taken the time to do a resize/crop etc for the nebual skin & there's more problems than I originally realised.
I can't get a good photo of the screen to show - so I've uploaded the modified skin here for anyone to download & see for themselves

The main problems I've found so far are

• It seems as though the middle & right lower buttons ('restart/return') are swapped round in the SNES emulator
  Not a problem IF the graphics are actual button shaped - but in the case of 'circuit nebula' the 3 buttons along the bottom make up a 'bar' across the whole screen
• The 6 'main buttons' backgrounds will not line up with the main screen background if you have a 'fancy background' picture
  If you have just a 'plain' background (like the deafult GBA skin) - then this shouldn't be a problem
• You can't have any white 'text' in the graphic for the title bar (for when you select Video/Audio etc) as this conflicts with the white text that is printed over it
• There's some graphics used in the SNES emul where there's no 'equal' in the GBA skins (e.g the pink button 'labels' for the main 6 buttons)
  Meaning extra graphics will still need to be made

 

[Stormwave]

Ah right, I won't bother then. Sounds like it's too much to simply alter it algorithmically.

Nice work on the wiki btw, it looks good.

Just a couple of things I noticed though:

Store it in a folder called /_dstwo/skin/ on your DSTWO flashcard, and use the 'plugin' software to install it

The folder should be "_dstwo/skins"

And also you missed iReader off the skin files list.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Thanks for pointing that out (you missed the NDS-SFC/NDS-SNES mistake though

)
now fixed - both ireader added & 'skins' change

+ a few more packs added... so that's all the mulitskin packs 'converted' & put in place, just need to go through all the 'single' skins & see which can be grouped together

 

[viz]

heres the source photoshop file for circuit nebula gba if anyone wants to crop the images + convert to .bmp since you guys seem so interested

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/1325998/circuitnebulagba_src.rar

too lazy to do it myself~

 

[tj_cool]

... I think most of the Wiki templates etc is done (except for a couple of things I'd like but don't think the Wiki will allow me to do them)

Like what? Maybe I can see if it can be done (if you want that).

Also, as you noticed, I moved the page, but you can still use the old link.

 

[nathancnc]

I wish I had Photoshop.....

 

[CannonFoddr]

@ viz: thanks for the graphics - I've tried another attempt @ the 'Circuit Nebula SNES skin' for nathancnc

@ nathancnc: Snes 'Circuit nebula' skin 0.2 - the buttons STILL don't quite match up, but it's better than the first version
Oh & you can use GIMP instead of Photoshop

@ tj_cool : so I noticed - Why ?? Is it because some people MAY get confused over the old address ??
As for 'what I'd like' ...I would've liked a template like

{{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|plugin|eos|loading|gba|snes|rtm|ireader}}

Where IF a red word exists in the line then the word 'Yes' appears in the relevant column on the table
I wanted something like this - so that each line doesn't have to be so long

so some examples are

• {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|plugin}}
  {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|eos|loading}}
  {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|gba|snes}}
  {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|eos|ireader|loading|plugin}}

(note the last one the words are in a different order - I would've liked a way where it didn't matter which order you put the 'tags', the word 'Yes' would still appear in the right column)

Unfortunately there's not much help in the Wiki help pages about the #if: statement (that I could find) - or about if it even possible to add some type of 'decision making'

 

[tj_cool]

@ tj_cool : so I noticed - Why ?? Is it because some people MAY get confused over the old address ??
As for 'what I'd like' ...I would've liked a template like

{{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|plugin|eos|loading|gba|snes|rtm|ireader}}

Where IF a red word exists in the line then the word 'Yes' appears in the relevant column on the table
I wanted something like this - so that each line doesn't have to be so long

so some examples are

• {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|plugin}}
  {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|eos|loading}}
  {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|gba|snes}}
  {{Ds2skin|skinname=|screen=|author=|link=|eos|ireader|loading|plugin}}

(note the last one the words are in a different order - I would've liked a way where it didn't matter which order you put the 'tags', the word 'Yes' would still appear in the right column)

Unfortunately there's not much help in the Wiki help pages about the #if: statement (that I could find) - or about if it even possible to add some type of 'decision making'

Well, you started your page with giving it a new name (the one it has now). A page can't contain it's own title basically. And I had to move it regardless, cause I want the Capitals to be correct (eg: DSTWO and not DSTwo). You can use both links now anyway, so it doesn' matter all that much.

As for the other thing, that is possible, but will take quite some switches/ifs to create

I can create it if you want. The template will be quite a bit bigger than how it is now though.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Nah - don't worry about it.

The one we've got ATM is fairly easy to edit anyway, & as long as everyone stick to the rules there shouldn't be any problems

Although - if you can point me towards some Wiki help pages that explain how to do it etc then at least I'll have some additional info in case it's needed later on
EDIT@NVM found this page that might be useful

 

[tj_cool]

Nah - don't worry about it.

The one we've got ATM is fairly easy to edit anyway, & as long as everyone stick to the rules there shouldn't be any problems

Although - if you can point me towards some Wiki help pages that explain how to do it etc then at least I'll have some additional info in case it's needed later on

You can get loads of info on the MediaWiki site (our wiki uses MediaWiki) or even Wikipedia (which also uses MediaWiki).
Usually the Help Category contains what you need.

 

[rockstar99]

Can somebody make a plugin and loading screen for blinded black eos skin

 

[CannonFoddr]

^ granted .... Although it's a .ds2skin pack containing eos,plugin,loading,gba,RTM
(& because of this I haven't added it as a 'Multiskin Pack' on the first post)

Actually.. It's a mixture of 'BlinDedBlack' eos & modified 'NeonGreen' (by me) - so I've given credit to original makers (as well as me) on the Wiki

(I THINK I've altered all the required graphics - but I'm sure you'll let me know)

 

[VatoLoco]

looks good cannonfoddr, i like it =)

just fyi, i noticed a bit still colored green in the GBA emulator, when you load a game or check version information.

 

[CannonFoddr]

Thanks for that - it's so hard knowing which 'lime green' is for transparency and which is not

...
Mind you - you missed the 'grey' GBA on the main screen but 'coloured' gba on the option screen (like I did originally)

... all fixed now - I hope

 

[VatoLoco]

yar=) i think i need to give all my themes a good 'once over'

im in the process of re-doing the DontPanic GBA skin, more in the fashion of the neongreen and the .ds2skin of BlindedBlack.