Mod Release GOF - WIDESCREEN Improved/Overhauled Spyglasses (v1.1)

[TheBlackKnight]

All,

TheBlackKnight is proud to present the WIDESCREEN Improved/Overhauled Spyglass MOD v1.0!

Basically, another set of graphical corrections for the CoAS game regardless of what version you are playing (Vanilla, GOF, GOF Eras) to bring the game up to modern standards.
I always get a bit irritated when things are out of proportion and stretched improperly which breaks the immersion of the game.

Doing a little bit of algebraic math and some graphical editing, the results turned out very well.

What does this MOD Change?

1) Corrects ALL FIVE spyglasses so they appear proper for all widescreen aspect resolutions while in game (ie. 16:9 and 16:10, 1680X1050 and above)
2) Corrects spyglass2.tga.tx (Regular Spyglass) that had its transparency alpha channel reversed, so the spyglass is now properly usable in game
3) Removes "over image" cutoff effect for ALL FIVE spyglasses to proper dimensions
3) 4X Increase in lens glass image resolution for all spyglasses (not spyglass magnification which was unchanged) over the original coded image for better clarity
4) Adjusts transparency level for each spyglass to better represent the quality of the spyglass
5) Adds glass bezel effects and proper shadowing as you would see if you were actually looking through an old period spyglass

UPDATE:

Version was updated to 1.1 to correct deficiencies in aspect ratio.

Download LINK:

The Black Knight's CoAS Mods Dropbox - 4 WIDESCREEN Spyglass Mod v1.1

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/9hgkt5o5mk1bwwe/UBQZhrQrs7

Download Size: 15.09 MB
Unzipped Size: 106 MB

Instructions:

1) Backup your original files!
2) Extract to separate directory
3) Copy all files to Resource/Textures/Battle_Interface/Spyglass
4) Enjoy the game!

TIP:
When switching spyglasses you must exit the sea battle screen and go to your cabin or world map, in order for the game to properly load the right spyglass image.
The spyglass image will otherwise remain the same if you switch spyglasses "on the fly" in battle.

Preview PHOTOS

EXCELLENT Spyglass - BEFORE Correction:

EXCELLENT Spyglass - AFTER Correction:

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Well I finally got around to trying this mod and it does not quite seem to be perfect. It seems to be taller than wide, and yes I did measure it. This is at 1920 X 1080 16:9 fullscreen.

 

[TheBlackKnight]

Well I finally got around to trying this mod and it does not quite seem to be perfect. It seems to be taller than wide, and yes I did measure it. This is at 1920 X 1080 16:9 fullscreen.
View attachment 14738

Hylie,

I will make the corrections.
But, I know the cause, albeit from my system.
I use a 16:10 resolution to play the game, and those extra pixels at 2560X1600 change the aspect ratio over a 16:9 resolution which is unavoidable.
I will have to make TWO versions to scale the images in order for everything to be exact.
Perfection is tough thing to come by these days!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Would this be compatible with PotC as well? I think it just might be.

 

[TheBlackKnight]

Would this be compatible with PotC as well? I think it just might be.

Completely compatible, they are just modified, upgraded 2048X2048 texture files with different textures and transparency.
Magnification and usage is handled by another script file.
I don't remember how many spyglasses are in the POTC mod, as there are only FIVE in CoAS.
Specifically, Cheap, Regular, Good, Excellent, and the Reflecting Telescope.
You would just have to pick which images you want to use for what spyglass
The quality of the telescopic clarity increases with the spyglass used.

 

[Diperscitus]

Completely compatible, they are just modified, upgraded 2048X2048 texture files with different textures and transparency.
Magnification and usage is handled by another script file.
I don't remember how many spyglasses are in the POTC mod, as there are only FIVE in CoAS.
Specifically, Cheap, Regular, Good, Excellent, and the Reflecting Telescope.

Awesome!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

PotC has just four spyglasses, so that should work out fine.
I've listed this to be added to the next Build Mod release.

 

[TheBlackKnight]

All,

I uploaded the corrected 16:9 aspect ratio spyglass views to the my CoAS MOD Dropbox- 4 WIDESCREEN Spyglass Mod v1.1
Re-measured and tested, all spyglass view circles are identical in view now and properly spherical in shape along with necessary effects for telescope quality.

I realize now it was more than running a higher resolution.
I messed up on the positional guidelines I was using when editing causing the alpha transparency layers to shift.
This effectively caused things to go into "ellipse mode" as I rarely use less than an excellent spyglass now, and did not properly test everything.

Please let me know if I missed anything else, otherwise I will officially close updating this mod and move on.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Will test this soonest.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Please remind me to add this in a future PotC Build Mod update!

 

[Hylie Pistof]

I forgot to take a screenie but it does look rounder.

 

[Hylie Pistof]

Rounder!


I took this screenie because it does not say what kind of ship this is. I was in the end game of a long drawn out battle having captured one ship and was pounding the other two into submission when the anti virus decided to update and crashed the game.

 

[TheBlackKnight]

Rounder!
View attachment 15024

I took this screenie because it does not say what kind of ship this is. I was in the end game of a long drawn out battle having captured one ship and was pounding the other two into submission when the anti virus decided to update and crashed the game.

Thanks for the double check on the spyglass mod.
I had to change the bezels slightly to make sure everything got aligned properly, otherwise I could not see my work and there was no way to verify their shape.

I actually fixed all the ship type descriptions texts for the module already.
These are all found in common.ini, and several were missing, most likely when MK edited out the non-period ships.
No more "null" types, which is what happens in the spyglass and ship GUI screens.
I can post this if needed.