[Lupus]

This mod will randomly change your Startup and Mission Load Screens for each country each time you load IL-2. They will not change between missions.

Unless you used the default installation, you will need to change the .bat file as indicated in the Readme file (which is posted below) RTFM please

Please feel free to post here or PM me if you have any questions or need help and I'll do the best I can.

You can find the mod here:

http://bit.ly/hqpG71

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Readme:

This mod will randomly change your Startup and Mission Load Screens for each country each time you load IL-2. They will not change between missions.

Credits:

Zachary G. Ives for writing the Randfile which is the heart of how this mod works.

Quelty and Ark-iyos for writing the initial .bat file which changed the start screen and served as the inspiration on how to write the file that would change the mission load screens.

Berserker for his nice collection of splashsceens which I used in this mod.

To everyone who posted a splashscreen in this thread at AAA (I borrowed a lot of those for this mod):
http://allaircraftsimulations.com/forum/...nd&start=0

Able72(myself) for writing the final version of the .bat file you find in this mod.

Intallation:

*WARNING* Backup your mods/splashscreen and missions/campaigns directory.

Drop the contents of the Mods folder into your /mods folder and the contents of the mission folder into your /missions folder.

Open splashscreen.bat using notepad and change the following line to the installation directory where you installed IL-2

set root=c:\program files\ubisoft\IL-2 Sturmovik 1946

Adding Screens:

You can add your own splashscreens to the screens folders and change nothing else and it will add those to the rotation automatically. Just add them to the screens file that you want them to become part of the rotation for. They must be .tga files.

Settings (optional):

The .bat file can also launch your start program of choice. For me, I have it launch IL-2 Stab (which then launches my TrackIR software). You'll need to modify the tale end of the .bat file IF you wnat it to launch any other programs. If you adjust the cd command to point to whichever program you use to launch IL-2 then you can only have one icon on your desktop to start the whole thing.

If you run a lot of extra programs, like teamspeak, or some custom joystick software, you can set up the last part of this batch file so that all of those are launced from the click of a single icon. Simply point one of the CD commands to the foulder containing the .exe file for that program and have it start that .exe file.


Once installed and ready, run splashscreen.bat to change all your loadscreens

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edit--updated readme.txt to clarify directions

[Osudog]

I will not use it in my online game for testing but I have 4 install I keep up to date to give betas a test in will give it a try in the AM and get back to you here ....hope it will work could be a good Mod

[Lupus]

Look forward to your feedback. . . be sure to change the splashscreen.bat file line so it points to the one you have installed the mod to.

[Doolittle81]

The bat does work now...once the bat is changed to point to the correct location of the IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 root folder. ...
As for your included tga files (SplashScreen and Menu images), they are still incorrect. They must be 512X512 or 1024X1024, otherwise the images In-Game will be squashed/distorted.

Thanks for this MOD.

[Lupus]

The bat does work now...once the bat is changed to point to the correct location of the IL-2 Sturmovik 1946 root folder. Some people won't know that in order to open and change a *.bat file, they must first change the extension from bat to txt, then open with notepad. Make changes. Save. Then change extension back to *.bat from *.txt

As for your included tga files (SplashScreen and Menu images), they are still incorrect. They must be 512X512 or 1024X1024, otherwise the images In-Game will be squashed/distorted.

Thanks for this MOD.

Thanks. I'm glad you like it.

Are you on a widescreen monitor or a standard 4:3 monitor?

[Doolittle81]

I am on a widescreen (1920X1200) but that is irrelevant. You'll note that every original/default Menu background tga file and the original SpashScreens that came with IL2, Forgotten Battles, Pacific Fighters, 1946 all are 512x512 (or 1024x1024can be used). It's simply the way IL2 works.

There is no doubt in my mind that if you load one of your tga's, it will be squashed/distorted In-Game.

[danimalhanke]

I use Vista and I noticed the random file exe will NOT does things correctly if the input file is longer than 8 characters long. So I shortened them to less than 8 and it works OK.
thanks

[Quelty]

They must be 512X512 or 1024X1024, otherwise the images In-Game will be squashed/distorted.

It was my understanding that the width was the critical thing with splashscreens ie 512 or 1024 wide.

Extracted the background tga from the std game and in the tga converter tool, it reports the size as 512x353


but viewing it in nero picture viewer after saving from the tga converter shows 512x512


Splashscreen distributed with UI is 1024x768

Cheers

Quelty

[Lupus]

I am on a wide screen (1920X1200) but that is irrelevant. You'll note that every original/default Menu background tga file and the original SpashScreens that came with IL2, Forgotten Battles, Pacific Fighters, 1946 all are 512x512 (or 1024x1024can be used). It's simply the way IL2 works.

There is no doubt in my mind that if you load one of your tga's, it will be squashed/distorted In-Game.

You are correct, the original splash screens are 512x512. However, the splash screens in the Mods Folder created by the UI 1.1 is 1024x768. That is what I based the resolution on for the splash screens I used in this collection. I am on a 21" 4:3 CRT (1600x1200). I expect that any distortion this small difference creates is not noticeable on my monitor (at least I can't see it). I expect on a wide screen monitor such as yours, which operates on a 8:5, this would exaggerate the distortion and make it more readily apparent.

[Lupus]

I use Vista and I noticed the random file exe will NOT does things correctly if the input file is longer than 8 characters long. So I shortened them to less than 8 and it works OK.
thanks

I don't use Vista, so I wouldn't know about compatibility with that. If you have a work around, could you post me an example of the change you made so I can work that fix into the MOD?

[Quelty]

Some people won't know that in order to open and change a *.bat file, they must first change the extension from bat to txt, then open with notepad. Make changes. Save. Then change extension back to *.bat from *.txt

Wouldn't it be easier to right click on the .bat file and select edit - opens it in notepad, just make your changes and save



Cheers

Quelty

[Quelty]

able72,
To get around the 8 character thing possibly change background to back as I've highlighted below;

::Changing Startup SPlashscreen

::Generating a new Splashscreen
cd %root%\MODS\SplashScreen\GUI\Screens
RANDFILE *.tga back.tga

::Fix the SplashScreen name
:: Due to 8 chars MS-DOS limit, the name is too short
move back.tga "%root%\MODS\SplashScreen\GUI\background.tga"

Don't know whether this would make Vista happy, don't have it myself to check

EDIT: got my son to check it on his comp (vista 32 bit OS) all worked ok for him, using background or back as file names.

Cheers

Quelty

[Osudog]

Been working with my install and it works some what but it is just fantastic at how the boy's here at AAA can get something going and the help is top notch .....thanks one and all this will be a nice add on for the UI AAA game for all of us who love to have it our own

[Lupus]

Been working with my install and it works some what but it is just fantastic at how the boy's here at AAA can get something going and the help is top notch .....thanks one and all this will be a nice add on for the UI AAA game for all of us who love to have it our own

Works somewhat?

What difficulties are you having?

Please give me as much detail as possible so I can try and fix the issue.

[Doolittle81]

Some people won't know that in order to open and change a *.bat file, they must first change the extension from bat to txt, then open with notepad. Make changes. Save. Then change extension back to *.bat from *.txt

Wouldn't it be easier to right click on the .bat file and select edit - opens it in notepad, just make your changes and save

Quelty

You are absolutely correct. I've deleted my cumbersome procedure so as not to confuse people. "Edit" is the right course to follow.