SB Graphics Question

NikolaiB · 12-26-2020, 05:56 AM,

Hi! I am currently playing the Grenada demo. Just a quick question, how do I change the unit graphics so that I can see the unit faces? This is the default view in every squad battles screenshot that I have seen. However, currently I can switch between nato symbols or the top down picture of three man squads. I took a brief look at the manual and played around with the settings, but no luck so far. Thanks!

**Compass Rose** · (This post was last modified: 12-26-2020, 07:33 AM by Compass Rose.)

From what I can tell, the original portrait graphics were not included in the updated Demo version.

Send me a email with your address and I will zip up and send you the original portrait unit graphics you are looking for.

You can either use JSGME to easily control a mod that you can create for the game or you can drop the original graphics directly into the game, and hope for the best.

https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards...?tid=65299

NikolaiB · 12-27-2020, 02:35 PM,

Have all the games been changed to the new three man counter graphics? I got DBP and they are there too. There is an Alternate Graphics option, but it doesn't seem to do much.

phoenix · (This post was last modified: 12-27-2020, 08:51 PM by phoenix.)

For reasons many cannot understand, having bought these games with a certain graphics set, JTS decided to 'update' all the titles and make the 'top down' graphics set not only the default, but really the only graphics set you could use, with no possibility of reverting without errors. Many, like me, went ahead and pressed the update button without realising there would be no reverting, on the basis that everyone would need to be on the same version for PBEM play, and hence we're stuck with graphics we didn't want or ask for. To make matters worse the graphics don't really distinguish between leaders and squads, weirdly. Newly bought titles now appear with the top down graphics too. There have been a lot of posts in here about this, but so far - aside from an abandoned effort by Warhorse - no sign that Rich is thinking of rectifying the situation officially.

**Warhorse** · 12-28-2020, 01:43 AM,

(12-27-2020, 08:46 PM)phoenix Wrote: For reasons many cannot understand, having bought these games with a certain graphics set, JTS decided to 'update' all the titles and make the 'top down' graphics set not only the default, but really the only graphics set you could use, with no possibility of reverting without errors. Many, like me, went ahead and pressed the update button without realising there would be no reverting, on the basis that everyone would need to be on the same version for PBEM play, and hence we're stuck with graphics we didn't want or ask for. To make matters worse the graphics don't really distinguish between leaders and squads, weirdly. Newly bought titles now appear with the top down graphics too. There have been a lot of posts in here about this, but so far - aside from an abandoned effort by Warhorse - no sign that Rich is thinking of rectifying the situation officially.

I've covered this before, I was not aware, when I did the updates, that there was ever going to be any reverting back to the old way, no mention of it whatsoever. Consequently, with many additions and changes, the old ones don't work for the most part, I was going to try to make a set for each game so folks would have them, but it is a ton of work. I had asked for help, only a handful actually stepped up, so I dropped it, I have not the time to devote to it, am busy trying to make Squad Battles come back, and don't personally care for the side portraits. Adding to the confusion, somehow 3d was added into the games, without making sure the graphics were even available, so that now they are a complete mess, I had nothing to do with that, I tried in Eagles Strike to update the vehicle graphics, so if you have that title, you can see where I was trying to go with it. Too many of the other titles didn't even have 3d, now folks are complaining about the vehicles not showing correctly, the reason, wrong 3d graphic sheets, can't just add 3d without making sure it is in coordination with the 2d! I recently came into possession of the old 2d graphics for the games, however, you can't just toss them in the game and have them work, someday, maybe they will be available, I just can't do it right now.

NikolaiB · 12-28-2020, 03:29 AM,

Thanks for the replies! I used to play SB actively a long time ago, back when I bough all the games as HPS CDs from NWS online store. The new graphics just don't do it for me. For example, all the three man squad units face in one direction. So, in some battles it looks like the enemy is defending with their backs turned against an assaulting force...

Embis · 12-28-2020, 05:47 AM,

I like the top down vehicle graphics but I don't find the top down Squad and Officer images work for me. I prefer the old portrait images for Squads and Officers.

These can be restored for all (I think) the SB series and its pretty straight forward and it doesnt mess up anything.

Most of the series have a "notes" folder and inside that is a zip of the original graphics. Just extract from this zip file Map/2dunits50.bmp and Map/2dunits100.bmp and copy these into the "Map" folder of the game. You will then see SB looking more familiar.

I have restored the original portraits for some of the SB games I play regularly and will slowly work through all of them. I have done it successfully for Eagles Strike, Pacific War and Tour of Duty, and since most of the games are "infantry heavy" this pretty much restores the look to my satisfaction.

This wont suit everyone but it works for me.

phoenix · (This post was last modified: 12-28-2020, 08:05 AM by phoenix.)

Well, I did try that, Embis, with resulting errors, blank pics, wrong pics, which is what Warhorse is talking about, about not just being able to slot everything back in. So that didn't work for me, sadly. I started a thread about this, with pics, here -

https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards...?tid=73489

Thanks, though.

Actually, now I look at that thread again, you were the first person to reply saying you had the same issue, Embis!!!?? What happened - you found a solution?

UPDATE: I checked, and I see now you meant to just swap out the units files, not the vehicle files. It's true it's a big improvement. So far I've experimented on FWW only and found that if you also swap out the 2 units files from the 'Info' folder (take those in the 'original graphics' file in the notes folder and swap them with those in the 'info' folder in the main game) then you then also get the facial portraits in the sidebar/bottombar and thus far I've seen no errors like this, and this is an even larger improvement.

Thanks, Embis.

Doesn't seem to be an original graphics revert folder in Eagles. Can anyone else with a copy of Eagles check that this is so, please, or is it just my copy?

**Warhorse** · 12-28-2020, 09:18 AM,

(12-28-2020, 06:02 AM)phoenix Wrote: Well, I did try that, Embis, with resulting errors, blank pics, wrong pics, which is what Warhorse is talking about, about not just being able to slot everything back in. So that didn't work for me, sadly. I started a thread about this, with pics, here -

https://www.theblitz.club/message_boards...?tid=73489

Thanks, though.

Actually, now I look at that thread again, you were the first person to reply saying you had the same issue, Embis!!!?? What happened - you found a solution?

UPDATE: I checked, and I see now you meant to just swap out the units files, not the vehicle files. It's true it's a big improvement. So far I've experimented on FWW only and found that if you also swap out the 2 units files from the 'Info' folder (take those in the 'original graphics' file in the notes folder and swap them with those in the 'info' folder in the main game) then you then also get the facial portraits in the sidebar/bottombar and thus far I've seen no errors like this, and this is an even larger improvement.

Thanks, Embis.

Doesn't seem to be an original graphics revert folder in Eagles. Can anyone else with a copy of Eagles check that this is so, please, or is it just my copy?

Send me an email, see what I can do.

Embis · 12-28-2020, 09:47 PM,

I should also add that to complete the transformation from the top down to the the original unit and officer images, you also need to copy the original graphics in the Info\Units.bmp image to the games info folder

... but of course this still just applies to the unit and officer images. The vehicle images will probably just generate some blank images for some of those units added to the vehicle database later but not to the image files.

Of course as you point out the Eagles Strike update didn't come with the original graphic zip but anyone with an older version of ES, myself included, will be able to help supply you with the old graphics for the personnel portraits.

I am sorry the missing vehicle images aren't going to be corrected and sorry that Mike felt disappointed with the support that we offered. But I also understand what a daunting task it must have felt like to put this right. I do think that deciding to correct these errors might be met with greater enthusiasm than any new mods. Mike put a lot of hard work into those updates and for those to then be then left incomplete was a shame. Hopefully we will find someone who can step in and complete the job.