[Guide] How to open/edit/save sfx files.

I worked on this tut for about 20 hours with some breaks to get some sleep, release some stuff and to eat.
So I will appreciate it when you leave a comment.

Typos or incorrect phrases are possible, Please correct me by posting a comment.

Oke Today I will explain how to open a file in sfx.mrs, how to edit it and how to save it.
In This tut you will learn a small amount of photoshop and a small amount of Alpha Editing.
My End works from this tutorial can be downloaded at the release section (link will be at bottom of this thread).

Thing you might need to completely follow this tutorial:

• MRS unpacker/packer
• Photoshop CS3 / CS4 (I will use CS4)
• .DDS Plugin for Photoshop.
• .DDS Converter 2.0
• [optional] .DDS thumbnail Viewer

[If you don't have these or don't have one of these, Start Searching Google. Asking here for Software will be Ignored.]

I personaly find it stupid when people ask me for some Ijji files. I think, that you can only be professional when you have your own stash of files you will ever need. So first download your own Ijji files so that you're always up to date for new files. http://gunz.ijji.com


Part I
Now First you go to your sfx.mrs (in your gunz folder) and you open it or you copy it to your MRS folder. (C:/MRS)
If you still use the old way of unpacking .mrs files, do the following:

1. go to "Start"
2. press "Run"
3. type in the box "cmd" and press "ok"
4. a DOS window will pop up. type in the window "cd \"
5. after that type in "cd mrs"
6. then "mrs d sfx.mrs"
7. wait untill it's done unpacking, then close the window

Go to your MRS Folder and open the folder named "sfx"
In this "sfx" folder you see several file types.
Don't touch any of them if they aren't mentioned in this Tutorial and if you don't know what the file does or how to work with them.
Oke, I will explain how to work what these 2 file types :

• .tga.dds
• .bmp.dds

(these are acutaly the same filetypes but with an other name befor ".dds")

NO APLHA EDIT
To start with I'll explain how to edit for example the level up wings. These do not include any Alpha.
http://img101.imageshack.us/img101/5515/86625734up0.png

Double click this file, If you installed .DDS plugin for Photoshop? It should open photoshop.

When Photoshop finished loading, it will ask you if you want to load the MIP maps which the file contains.
Press "NO"
http://img384.imageshack.us/img384/9587/98097701bm1.png

Now you will see you file opened.
http://img399.imageshack.us/img399/5162/57828163cz6.png

First of all you will need to duplicate your layer (as backup). Press right button on the only layer you see on the right and press "duplicate layer" then press "ok".
http://img241.imageshack.us/img241/6746/15057420se0.png

Now If you don't want a shitty recoloring, Go to google and search for Stretched wings which you like and can use.
View the image in full size and drag it into photoshop. Make sure it get's in the file as a new layer.
I'm Using this one for this tut.
http://www.istockphoto.com/file_thum...background.jpg

Transform the wings so that they are positioned and match the original ones.
Here is how it should look (without the red lines, I did that to make it more visable)
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/8195/56054963eo2.png

Now Make the original wing on the layer underneed it black. Like I said, This file does not contain Alpha, All what is black will be transparent/invisable in-game. you can make see through edits by making them darker.
So If you want Dark Wings, They will become transparent wings.
http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/3213/47362612vb9.png

Oke now we will do the feather on the right side of the wing.
I will change it to Ice since my Wings look like Ice Wings (will also be the name).
Just Google an element that suites your wings. I'll use this one.
http://www.wonderwereldweb.com/websi...sneeuwvlok.gif

Drag the image from Google into you file and place it on to your feather.
Paint the feather black on the original layer. Like I did:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3436/30421861os4.png

Now you only have one thing to do and that is recolor the stuff you like or want.
Because my "glow ball" on the top right of my image is the color I need already, I will adjust it so you can see the effect that it has when it get's edited.
Here is my adjustment:
http://img205.imageshack.us/img205/3316/72517662qt8.png

Now You're practicly done and you've made your own Level Up wings without Alpha.

Now I'll explain how to save the file
Merge all layers to one layer.
[-- I can't display more then 10 images so from now these are links sorry --]
http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/1899/78649072je9.png

then go to "File"
Then "Save"
Then select ".dds" as file format
After that press save and make sure that the pop-up of the .dds plugin has all options like on this screenshot:
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/5773/76393110ub0.png

Now make sure your level up wings or other edit you may have made are named with the original name.
Else it won't show in-game.

Compile the folder sfx.mrs
If you use the old way, do as following:

1. go to "Start"
2. press "Run"
3. type in the box "cmd" and press "ok"
4. a DOS window will pop up. type in the window "cd \"
5. after that type in "cd mrs"
6. then "mrs c sfx" <- without .mrs
7. wait untill it's done packing, then close the window

then go to your MRS folder and copy/cut the sfx.mrs who you compiled and past it in your gunz folder where the original was befor you unpacked it.
Run your gunz server and do some quest or what ever so that your char levels up.
Take screenshots and post here if you want

Here is mine:
http://img390.imageshack.us/img390/8995/gunz035dq1.jpg
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/5742/gunz033jz4.jpg

Download links:
Click Here
______________________________________________________________________________________
Part II
EDIT WHICH INCLUDES EDITING ALHPA

Here I will learn you how to Edit the text Balloon (chat bubble) which includes alpha.
Open your sfx.mrs like I explained in part 1 of this tut.

Quote:

---

First you go to your sfx.mrs (in your gunz folder) and you open it or you copy it to your MRS folder. (C:/MRS)
If you still use the old way of unpacking .mrs files, do the following:

1. go to "Start"
2. press "Run"
3. type in the box "cmd" and press "ok"
4. a DOS window will pop up. type in the window "cd \"
5. after that type in "cd mrs"
6. then "mrs d sfx.mrs"
7. wait untill it's done unpacking, then close the window

Go to your MRS Folder and open the folder named "sfx"

---

Open the Chat Bubble / text balloon by double clicking it.
Photoshop will open up if you installed .DDS plugin.

When Photoshop finished loading, it will ask you if you want to load the MIP maps which the file contains.
Press "NO"

You'll now see the file opened. It might look diffrent then in the thumbnail, but that's no problem.
So Make a duplication of your layer as backup.

Zoom in because the picture is a bit small to work on.
We will first start on making the Bubble look diffrent but not ugly ;)
So just make a new layer and paint what you want as new bubble in white.
Like this:
http://img57.imageshack.us/img57/4762/23521861vn7.png

to Not make your Bubble just plain white make a border around it in black. 1 or 2 pixels should be fine.
Then do some stuff you like your bubble to have.
Here is what I did (I made the original layers invisable so you guys can see it better):
http://img395.imageshack.us/img395/4049/29571874ii9.png

Now If you think your bubble is looking good, Make you orginal layer visable again.
Paint it all black or any color you want your dots to be in your bubble.
I'll use black cause I like to edit things not to far from the original stuff ;D
If you did that, Press on "Channels" Located right of the "Layers"
And you'll see this:
http://img511.imageshack.us/img511/8053/23034083xo8.png

Now you will need to select the Alpha 1 Layer and Edit that.
You can't work on colors when working in alpha.
Or you work with black and make things invisable in-game.
Or you use White and make things visable in-game.
Or gray which will make things transparent.
I will show you the 3 in this tut.

Make your "Channels" Look like this. (Make Alpha visable and Red, Blue, Green and RBG not visable)
http://img530.imageshack.us/img530/5186/68760642re9.png

You'll notice that your image has gone black and white and back to the original image.
Now what you do is go to "layers" and select the pixels of the bubble you made befor.
You'll see that your image will get a transparent red color over it.
Don't worry you won't see this in-game.
Just paint everything you want to see in-game White and everything you don't want to see Black on your alpha 1 layer.
This is how it looks at my bubble. I also Made the square at the bottom a circle, You'll see what result it will give you. But. This is only made with black and white Alpha.
http://img167.imageshack.us/img167/7548/21387093rb8.png

then go to "File"
Then "Save"
Then select ".dds" as file format
After that press save and make sure that the pop-up of the .dds plugin has all options like on this screenshot:
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/5773/76393110ub0.png

compile your sfx.mrs and test it in-game.
Screenshot of mine:
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/1876/gunz038ys0.jpg
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/4365/gunz037is4.jpg


Now I will add Gray alpha by putting a gradient on my bubble (black and white)
You may try this aswell but I recommend Beginners to leave it with Black and White and use the gray alpha when you get more advanced.
Now it looks like this:
http://img247.imageshack.us/img247/483/58181240wz7.png

This is how my bubble looks with gray alpha in-game:
http://img404.imageshack.us/img404/6882/gunz039xm5.jpg
http://i44.tinypic.com/qyuvr4.jpg

Download Link (for both the text bubbles):
Click Here

nice, though your still writing it xD
going to be a pro tutorial man :D

Wahaha Wesman <3
Ty I'm still typing :P

:P I know, its still a pro tutorial just by looking at it.

Why so noob.. I need to be able to post more images ;'(
This is lame..

Nice. Thanks Aimed very much.

lawl it's not finished yet =/
I need to wait untill tomorrow to test it X_X
Then I can continiue..

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Aimed

lawl it's not finished yet =/
I need to wait untill tomorrow to test it X_X
Then I can continiue..

---

I can test it if you want I have nothing else to do =(

okies =D I need a screenshot of the start of the lvl up, the middle and the end of the level up ty ^^
Add me on msn then I'll pass it on to you
millennium@live.be

thnx xD needed it.

Yea I actualy did this cause you needed it. But the part with the smoke is what I'll add to the tut Tomorrow

ok i will be waiting for that cause i still get the ghey squares when i even save it with the explicit alpha. But thnx for making those great tuts.

great tut aimed =D

First edit Is Screenshotted Now working on Second Part of the tutorial.
Download link of first tut will be there soon.

Nice tut mate... can learn much from it