Customizing SuperSize_Me Skin

[Holllywood]

Would any of you kind knowledgeable persons be able to guide me as to how I can add a background to my SuperSize_Me Skin. I would like to be able to run a MsAgent in the SuperSize_Me Skin with a background. The Haptek console does not come up when running a MsAgent.

[GamerThom]

Hi Hollywood,    I have not been keeping up with things
on this forum as much as I used too, but if I could be
informed where to find the SuperSize_Me skin, I would be
happy to take a look at it and see what can be done about
inserting a background for use with an MS Agent. []

[Holllywood]

Hey Thanks for comin back so quick Tom. I don't know how to put the skin up in the forum, but if you select search//Super Size_me/filesharing// Dr.Benway the forum will take you right to it. I was gonna email you a copy of mine but I don't have your addy.

[Holllywood]

Whoops!

[GamerThom]

All that did when I ran the search was bring me back here. []

Send it to me at

admin@charctercreationsanddesignworks.us

Please make sure all the files for the skin are included
when you send it to me. (all bitmaps or .jpg's and the .uhp)

[Marcel]

I have Super Size Me. Nice skin, with a giant window and tiny text. Here's the link.

http://www.zabaware.com/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=2195&SearchTerms=super,size,me

[GamerThom]

Thanks for the link Marcel.

I just took a look at the .uhp for this skin, it
will need to be updated to the correct format in
order for it to display properly in the newest
Hal 6 upgrade.

I should have it figured out, changed
and re-posted in a day or two. []

I will post a download link for
it here when I have it ready. []

All you will need to do is substitute the new
.uhp file for the old one in the Ultra Hal folder.

[onthecuttingedge2005]

I have changed the Super Size Me Skin to work with HAL6.

You can download it here:

Simply run the setup program to install it.
Choose the Super Size Me from HAL's Skin options.

Sorry GamerThom, Wasn't trying to steel your thunder, I just had nothing else to do and I got bored.
Jerry[8D]


Download Attachment: SuperSizeMe.zip
45.35 KB

[GamerThom]

No problem.  How is it now for displaying a background
while using an MS Agent character like one from DesktopMates?
Backgrounds were working OK for haptek characters, but the
problem was that you couldn't change backgrounds with an
MS Agent loaded. That part of it I have discovered, has to
be somewhere in the part of Hals coding that calls up the
MS Agent for display.

I just tested some other Hal skins, and it displays
the same with all of them. Same dull grey background
with all of them. No background load when you are
using an MS Agent character. Has to be somewhere
in Hals coding.

[onthecuttingedge2005]

quote:Originally posted by GamerThom

No problem.  How is it now for displaying a background
while using an MS Agent character like one from DesktopMates?
Backgrounds were working OK for haptek characters, but the
problem was that you couldn't change backgrounds with an
MS Agent loaded. That part of it I have discovered, has to
be somewhere in the part of Hals coding that calls up the
MS Agent for display.

I just tested some other Hal skins, and it displays
the same with all of them. Same dull grey background
with all of them. No background load when you are
using an MS Agent character. Has to be somewhere
in Hals coding.

Hi GamerThom.

I think the answer to that may be in the .uhp file for each MSAgent character like Merlin.uhp in the Ultra Hal Assistant 6 folder.
If you change the BGColor=128128128 to BGColor=100000000 the Grey Back ground will be a dark Red when character is refreshed. How to implant a background image is another story.

Jerry[8D]

[GamerThom]

What about changing the BGColor to transparent using 2550255 ?[?]
Nope, that doesn't work either. It seems that the agent software
doesn't recognize that color code as transparent the same way that
the haptek code does. []

If that isn't an answer, then I suggest we put some heads
together and find a way to substitute a call string for the
background in place of the BGColor in the characters .uhp file

[onthecuttingedge2005]

quote:Originally posted by GamerThom

What about changing the BGColor to transparent using 2550255 ?[?]
Nope, that doesn't work either. It seems that the agent software
doesn't recognize that color code as transparent the same way that
the haptek code does. []

If that isn't an answer, then I suggest we put some heads
together and find a way to substitute a call string for the
background in place of the BGColor in the characters .uhp file

BGColor=2550255 defaults to Black just the same as removing the BGColor=? entirely, Robert may have an answer to this question.

Jerry

[GamerThom]

I think you're right.

I tried every call string I could think of in place of or in
addition to the BGColor, and about the only thing you can do
is alter the color of the background field. It is something
that will probably need to be modified in Hal's coding or there
may be a way to custom create an MS Agent using a character on
its own background. Don't know, I never tried constructing an
MS Agent character. But if you included an environment in with
the agent character itself with all of its animations, the file
size would be huge, just because of the required size of the
bitmaps involved.

[mcant23790]

Here's what I have found works when using skins with MS Agents.  Be sure to make copies of these files before you mess with them.

1.  Find the skin's .uhp file and open it with Notepad.  Find a line like this:

skinFacewidth=1024 (I think this is the right one, I'm not at my computer with my Hal right now)

and change it to

skinFacewidth=0

Then find a line like this

skinFaceheight=709 (or something like that)

and change it to

skinFaceheight=0

This will close up the area of gray, and allow whatever is the skin's .jpg to show through.  The MS agent character will not be altered in size, and will always be on top.

Usually you can also edit the .uhp file to adjust the character's X and Y coordinates....that controls where the character will show up when you first open Hal.

Now, you can use something like Paint to edit the skin's .jpg as you with.  You can copy and paste in background photos, make your own drawings or whatever.

It will not work the same as it does with the Haptek characters, as you will have to edit the skin's .jpg any time you want to change the background.

Another strategy is, once you get rid of the gray background, is to increase the transparency of the skin using the menu...then your desktop wallpaper will show through it as the background.