OMF Pilot Picture Converter version 1.2
By Craig Boston
Copyright (C) 1995 Craig Boston

Table of contents:

        0 - Legal crap
        1 - What is OMFPIC?
        2 - Files included with OMFPIC
        3 - How to use OMFPIC
        4 - Limitations of OMFPIC
        5 - Source code for OMFPIC (QuickBasic)
        6 - Source code for OMFPIC (QBasic)
        7 - OMF pilot picture file format
        8 - Tips for drawing pilot pictures
        9 - Palette conversion
        10 - Bug reporting


Chapter 0 - Legal crap
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OMFPIC is Freeware.  You can do whatever you want with it as long as all of
the files mentioned in chapter 2 are distributed with it in an archive
file (ZIP, ZOO, ARJ, etc.).  You can send it to the moon for all I care.
"{beep} Mission Control to Space Shuttle Atlantis, we just got an OMF
modem support patch and I'm itching to try it out.  Switching to data
transmission mode.  Plug the shuttle radio into your flight computer."
Anyway, I'm not responsible for any damage caused by this program either
accidentally or intentionally.  In other words, it's not my fault if some-
thing happens and it somehow screws up OMF.EXE and you accidentally had
erased your backup disks earlier that day.


Chapter 1 - What is OMFPIC?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

OMFPIC is a program that will allow you to convert a GIF file (or part of
a GIF file) into the picture format for One Must Fall 2097 and load it
into a tournament character file.


Chapter 2 - Files included with OMFPIC
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The following files should be in the directory that you installed OMFPIC
to:

OMFPIC.EXE  - Compiled version of OMFPIC.
OMFPIC.BAS  - Source code for OMFPIC (requires QuickBasic 4.5).
QOMFPIC.BAS - Source code for OMFPIC that will work under DOS QBasic.
OMFPIC.TXT  - Documentation for OMFPIC.  You're reading it now.
README.TXT  - File that tells you to read the instructions.
PICFMT.TXT  - Text file that explains the OMF picture format.
LWV24.EXE   - Self-extracting program with files necessary to use OMFPIC.BAS.


Chapter 3 - How to use OMFPIC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

When you start up OMFPIC, it will display a credits screen.  Press any key
to continue with the program.  A dialog box will appear and give you a
list of all the GIF files in the current directory.  You can change the
current drive and/or directory by double-clicking on the drive/directory
(people who use Windows should be familiar with this dialog).  To open
a GIF file, either double-click on it or click on it to select it and
click the OK button.  After a short pause, the GIF file will be displayed
on the screen.  When it has finished loading, a 71x54 box will appear.
Use the cursor keys to move the box.  When you have positioned the box
on the section of the picture you want to convert, press Enter.  If there 
is a color that is not in the OMF palette, you will be asked if you want
to convert.  Refer to chapter 9 if this happens.  After another short
pause, the program will ask you the name of the character.  Enter it
EXACTLY as it appears in OMF.  For example, if you have a character named
STUPID PERSON, you would type STUPID PERSON and press Enter.  After
another brief pause, it will say "Done." and wait 3 seconds or until you
press a key.  It will then exit to DOS.


Chapter 4 - Limitations of OMFPIC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

1. The character you wish to modify must be registered in the North
   American tournament.  If it is not, OMFPIC will display an error
   message and exit to DOS.

2. The GIF file cannot be interlaced.

That's all the limitations that I know of so far, if anyone finds any
more, contacts me on CompuServe at 74442,2200 and let me know.


Chapter 5 - Source code for OMFPIC (QuickBasic)
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I have included the full source code for OMFPIC.  If you have QuickBasic
4.5 or higher, keep reading.  If you don't, skip to Chapter 6.

First, you must extract the external libraries that OMFPIC requires.  Copy
all of the OMFPIC files into the QuickBasic directory.  At the DOS prompt,
type LWV24 and hit Enter.  Several files will be extracted automatically.
You must start QuickBasic with the following command:

QB /L LANGWIN /AH

Then open OMFPIC.BAS.


Chapter 6 - Source code for OMFPIC (QBasic)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have also included a version of the OMFPIC source code that doesn't
use the external library.  The filename is QOMFPIC.BAS.  You can load it
into the QBasic program that comes with DOS 5.0 and higher.


Chapter 7 - OMF pilot picture file format
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

The format of the OMF pilot picture is explained in PICFMT.TXT.


Chapter 8 - Tips for drawing pilot pictures
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To draw your own pilot pictures, you will need a paint program.  I strongly
recommend Deluxe Paint 2.  It's very easy to draw pilot pictures with (and
apparently the designers of OMF agree with me, it's what they used) and it
comes with it's own screen capture program, which you will need.

First, you must capture a screen from OMF that has a pilot picture in it.
You only need to do this once if you keep the file that it saved to.  Load
it into your paint program.  It should read the palette data and switch to
the OMF palette.  If it remaps the palette or the colors don't look like
they do in OMF, the paint program that you are using may not have the
ability to use the OMF palette (this is true for most Windows based paint
programs).  If it works, use a filled rectangle tool and clear out a
space big enough to draw a face in (use black as the primary color).  Do
not use the file|new option, as that will erase the palette.  Draw the
face and save it.  Now you will need a program to convert the file you
saved to a GIF file.  There is a shareware program called VPIC that does
the job quite well.  After converting, load it into OMFPIC and replace
a character that you just created (or one of your old ones).


Chapter 9 - Palette conversion
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you answer yes when OMFPIC asks you if you want to convert the palette,
you will be asked whether you want black to be opaque or transparent.  This
determines if your picture will have see-through parts.  Note that OMFPIC
treats color 0 as black.  If the picture has another color with the RGB
value of 0,0,0, OMFPIC will treat it as opaque.  The screen will go blank
for a few seconds.  While it is blank, OMFPIC loads the old and new
palettes.  This may take a few seconds.  The portion of the picture that
you selected will be displayed.  OMFPIC will go through and change the
colors to a new value.  They may look strange or not appear at all.  This
is normal, there's no way I know of to display more than one palette at
once.  After the change is complete, the colors will become normal again
and the program will continue as normal.


Chapter 10 - Bug reporting
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

As a friend of mine once said, it's virtually impossible to write a program
that doesn't have a few bugs in it (except, of course, for those "Hello,
world" programs).  If you find any, you can contact me at 74442,2200.  I
regularly hang out in the Epic MegaGames forum, so contact me there if
possible.  Otherwise, send it E-Mail.
