In Your Face 2
		  Player Pics for Descent 3 Audio Taunts FAQ
		     Author: Charles "Stormcrow" Featherer


Version 1.2

1. Intro
   1.1 Statement
   1.2 Organizations
   1.3 Original Pics

2. Requirements
   2.1 Detailed file requirements

3. Submission Guidelines
   3.1 Timeframe, where to send...

4. Answered Questions
   4.01 Explanation
   4.02 Multiple submissions
   4.03 Updating your ppics.hog
   4.04 How to make a .tga
   4.05 Converting .bmp to .tga
   4.06 How to send multiple images/same name
   4.07 Underscores
   4.08 Illegal characters
   4.09 Extra periods
   4.10 Capitalization
   4.11 32-bit .tga
   4.12 Need access to a scanner
   4.13 Seeing your pic in game
   4.14 Seeing what's been submitted
   4.15 Loss in displaying .tga's as .jpg's
   4.16 Different name than file on website
   4.17 Submitting pic as .ogf
   4.18 Suggestions
   4.19 Info on transparency
   4.20 Can't find a .plt file
   4.21 Other pilots stealing your pic

5. More Help
   5.1 Explanation
   5.2 E-mail
   5.3 DBB Discussion
   5.4 Zappa's Web Site
   5.5 Newsgroup
   5.6 Downloading ppic.hog
   5.7 Software help

6. Version Update History


++++++++
1.1 INTRO-The IYF2 is an attempt by Heiko Herrmann, Jeff "Zappafan" Guynn, and Charles
"Stormcrow" Featherer to offer an update player pics file for download by pilots of
Descent 3.   The first IYF was run before the release of Descent 3.   Because of the 
nature of the ppics file, it can not be easily updated to take into account new 
pilots.   With the programming assistance of Heiko Herrmann and the permission of 
Outrage (makers of Descent3), pilots are being given a second chance to submit their
pictures to be seen in game when an audio taunt is played.

1.2 Organizations that make IYF2 possible:
www.outrage.com
www.descent-network.com
www.wildcards.org

1.3 The original pilot pictures submitted to the first promotion can be found here:
http://www.interplay.com/descent3/iyf.html


++++++++
2.1 REQUIREMENTS-Image files must be:
	
	-In .tga format
	-64x64 pixels in size
	-24bit
	-Uncompressed
	-Named EXACTLY the same way your pilot is named
		ie, My pilot {WC}Stormcrow would require a picture named
		{WC}Stormcrow.tga
	-From Zappa--What works well is a scanned image cropped to 64x64, either a 
	 shot of your face or even an icon that you use on the DBB.
	-Please limit yourself to no more than 5 images.
	-Please do not submit pictures that you would not want a 5 year old to see,
	 ie material that contains nudity or obscene gestures, we have to maintain
	 the Teen rating of the game.


++++++++
3.1 GUIDELINES-Submissions must be made before June 1st, 2001 to be considered.
Mail your completed images to d3pilotpics@wildcards.org.   You may submit updated
images if you participated in the original IYF.   If you do, please make sure in
your email that you tell Zappafan and myself that you are updating your previously
submitted images. You may also add new images if you participated in the original
IYF.


++++++++
4.01 ANSWERED QUESTIONS-Here are some questions Zappa and I have already answered
in forums and the newsgroup at alt.games.descent.   If you have any questions that
we don't have covered in this FAQ, please read the last section about submitting
questions to us about the process.

_______
4.02
Q: Can we submit more than one?

A: As stated above, yes you may.   Please remember though, that for every pic you
submit, our collective work load increases.   With that in mind, try to limit
yourself to 5 pictures.

_______
4.03
Q: How will I update my ppics.hog file?

A: After we reach the submission deadline, Zappafan and Heiko will work to compile
the new ppics.hog file.   The original file with just over 600 pics is about 5MB in
size.   With the new additions, we expect this to double.   In able to download this
large of a file, we'll have it posted at several mirrors.   Two of those will be
www.fileplanet.com and www.wildcards.org/zappafan.   Everyone that submits (and even
those that don't) should download the new file once it's posted.

We understand that some people may be at a disadvantage here.   On the whole however,
between auto-resume utilites and other tools, even modem users should be able to 
download the file.

_______
4.04
Q: How do I create a .tga file?

A: If you don't have a simple image editting program, we recommend downloading the
shareware version of Paint Shop Pro, available at major shareware sites:
	www.filemine.com
	www.tucows.com

Also, you can use a program called ACDSee if you need to only change the format of
an existing 64x64 image file.   Once you have an image to save, select to save it
as a .tga file, using the specifications listed in section 2.

_______
4.05
Q: When I go from a .bmp file to a .tga file, it has a weird option I'm not familiar
with...

A: Converting from Bitmap to Targa is fine, just don't select 'bottom-up' orientation.
Double check the image after you've saved it to make sure that the image looks fine.
If it's upside down, try saving it again using the 'bottom-up' orientation and check 
your file again.   This only happens when using some of the image programs out there.

_______
4.06
Q: This next question was found on the DBB, take a look at Zappa's response to the 
question posted by Zapped:

My next question is about the existing Ppics.hog file. I used HOGVIEW32 to extract
the .ogf's, converted them to .tga, and noticed that most of the pilots filename's
were PILOT_0. But some pilots also have a PILOT_1. Berzerk, for example, has a
Berzerk_0 and Berzerk_1 pic. Same with Axel. Any idea what these extra PILOT_1
pics are for?

A: From Zappafan:

That other business _0 or _1 is to differentiate between pilots who choose the
same pilot name. They didn't want to have to make it where pilots HAD to choose a
totally unique pilot name if they didn't want to. Can you imagine the squabbling
over pilots wanting the same nick? Anyway, you have to "choose pilot picture" from
the configuration menu in D3 or it won't show any pic. At that point, someobody
who submitted a duplicate pic could choose which one was the one that they wanted
to use, and everybody else would see the right one, too.

_______
4.07
Q: Posted by Buck on the DBB.

If you have a pilot name with 2 words do you need the little underscore connecting
them when naming the picture file? D3 can handle 2 word names without underscores
but I don't know about naming the picture files. 

A: From Zappafan:

The name of the pic needs to match the name of your pilot EXACTLY. If you're
unsure, just look at your pilot file in your descent 3 directory. It should be
*.plt = *.tga for your pilot pic. D3 does allow spaces in pilot names. So if your
pilot name has a space in it, our pic name should have the same space.

_______
4.08
Q: I used what are apparently illegal characters for filenames in Windows for my
pilot name in Descent 3.   How can I save a .tga file to match my D3 Pilot name?

A: Yes, it is possible to have a pilot name that will NOT work as a file name
for a picture.tga. I'm not sure of the specifics, but take for example a pilot
name allowed by D3: -|FreAker|-

If you attempt to make a .tga file for this, you'd name it: -|FreAker|-.tga.
Unfortunately, you can't save a .tga file using the pipe character to the best
of my knowledge. In fact, you can't use any of the following characters to save
a file in Windows: / \ : * ? " ' < > | . That's foward and back slashes, colon,
asterick, question mark, single and double quotes, greater than and less than,
and the pipe symbol on your keyboard.

If you have one of these symbols in your pilot name, you'll have to create a
new pilot or maybe rename the pilot in Windows (I think you can do this,
haven't tested it though) to match file saving guidelines. 

>From Zappafan on this subject:
...also, to expand a bit on what Storm is saying. D3 WILL let you name your
pilot using characters that windows will not allow in a file name. I tried
this with his example above. I made a new pilot and named it "-|freak|-". I
then quit the game and looked in my D3 directory and saw a pilot file named
"-_freak_-". Obviously, D3 is smart enough to name the pilot file with legal
characters. I then made a pilot pic named "-_freak_-" and made a little test
hog to see if that pic would be recognized as the one for "-|freak|-". D3
did NOT let me choose the pic named "-_freak_-" for the pilot "-|freak|-".

So the moral of the story is, if your pilot name has characters in it that
windows will not allow in a normal file name, then you're out of luck. The
best way to check that is to see if your *.plt actually matches exactly
the pilot name you see in the game. If D3 has had to change any characters
in your pilot name when it makes you pilot FILE (*.plt in your D3 
irectory), then you have a case where you're not going to be able to have a
pic for that pilot.

_______
4.09
Q: My pilot name contains a period at the end.  Is this a problem?

A: No, just make sure you name your targa file ..tga instead of .tga.   This
should take care of it for you.   ie: If my pilot were named stormcrow. in 
D3, my .tga file would be stormcrow..tga .

_______
4.10
Q: How does D3 handle two different files when the only difference is 
capitalization?  ie: Stormcrow.tga and STORMCROW.tga

A: You'll have to name one Stormcrow_0.tga and the other STORMCROW_1.tga.
As is the rule in windows, files named the same with different
capitalization can not coexist in the same directory.   The explanation
may be overly simplified, but if you're saving images under what you 
assume to be different names, put them all in the same directory before 
sending them to us.   That's the best way to make sure the images will 
be treated uniquely.

_______
4.11
Q: Can we use a 32-Bit Uncompressed .tga to take advantage of transparency?

A: No.   We are limited to the original coding process allowing only 24-Bit,
uncompressed .tga files.

_______
4.12
Q: I don't have access to a scanner, what can I do about that?

A: Buy one ;-).   Seriously, you still have some very good options.   You
can create an original image to use, something like the icons some pilots
use at the DBB.   Or, you can pilfer an image to use from a piece of art-
work posted on the Web (not that we condone pilfering, but we've seen some
very nice pics for pilots that have obviously been of 'borrowed' images).
Your last option, if you must use a picture of yourself, is to find your
local Copy place.   Within 20 minutes of where I live I have three or four
of them.   Kinko's, Sir Speedy...whatever.   Most have desktop publishing
software and scanners you can use for a reasonable fee.   Just go in there
and scan in a few pictures, save them to disk, and take them home to work
on at your convenience.   (Or if you live at home with a parental unit, 
ask them to do you a favor and scan the pics in at work if they have access
to a scanner machine).

_______
4.13
Q: How will other pilots be able to see my Player Picture in a game?

A: Once you've download the updated ppic.hog file and overwritten your old
one, go into Descent 3.   Select your pilot and click on CONFIGURE.   Then
click on Choose Pilot Picture.   Now you're ready to rock!   Your picture
will be displayed in the mid-lower left hand corner of your screen and
everyone else's (that have downloaded the update as well) whenever you
play an audio taunt.

_______
4.14
Q: Can I see what other pilots have submitted as pictures?

A: Yes!   Zappafan is posting pictures as he receives them.   Point your 
browser to: http://www.wildcards.org/zappafan/iyf2.html to get a look at 
all of the submissions.

_______
4.15
Q: Hey, I just checked out my submission on Zappa's page, and it doesn't
look as nice as what I submitted.   What's going on?

A: First off, no angry letters need be sent.   The image you sent has had
a copy made an changed to .jpg format just for displaying it on the web.
Since the .jpg format Zappafan is using is of lower quality than the .tga
file you submited, there will naturally be some loss/distortion.   So long
as he has displayed the correct image with the correct name, don't worry.

_______
4.16
Q: I submitted two different pics for the same pilot, using the format 
described above: pilot_0.tga and pilot_1.tga.   Yet, when I went to see 
my submissions, the _# notation was gone.   Did someone make a mistake?

A: No.   Zappafan does not include the _# portion of the file name on the
web site.   Just as the _# won't be seen in game, Zappafan wants you to
see how it will actually be seen by other players.   If you see any other
problem than described, make sure to contact Zappafan immediately!

_______
4.17
Q: Can I submit my picture as an .ogf file?

A: The preferred format is .tga. The IYF program originally created by
Outrage and modified by Heiko Herrmann automatically converts .tga's to
.ogf and creates the ppics.hog.   It is actually less work for us if you 
don't take that last step and convert the .tga to .ogf, because we'll
only convert it back.

_______
4.18
Q: Do you have any other suggestions?

A: If you are currently a member of a league or clan, make sure you
submit an alternative .tga file, just in case you eventually leave your
the group your associated with.   ie: in my case, I'll submit a file
for {WC}Stormcrow and for Stormcrow.   It's better to be safe than sorry, 
since this is will likely be a one time opportunity.

_______
4.19
Q: More on .tga files, transparency, and 32-Bit...Can I create an image
in 24-bit (or even 32-bit) with alpha channel turned on to allow 
the background to be transparent?

A: Sure.  BUT (and there is a big BUT to this), when the IYF program
converts it from .tga format to a .ogf format, two problems occur.
The first being, any transparency you had in your image is made fully
opaque and the transparency is removed.   D3 evidently only supports
transparancy in .ogf's for ship logos.  Second, a fair amount of image
degradation occurs to your beautiful image.  It's not unlike the result 
you see on the web page when Zappa converts the .tga to .jpg for
display there.   Do yourself, and everyone else a favor.   Submit your
pilot pic using the guidelines listed in section 2.   We promise, the
finished product will look as you expected and will make you a great 
deal happier.

BTW...Thanks to Zappa for creating a few test files and incorporating 
them into a test build to figure out this answer.   When we first 
heard the question, neither of us was sure what would happen until we
had a chance to actually see it in game.

_______
4.20
Q: I play as a pilot named Player1.   I looked in my Descent directory
and can't find that pilot name listed though.   What do I do if I 
can't find the .plt file to make sure my pic matches the player file
I have?

A: First, I think you should double check for the file name.   If you
don't see it in your D3 directory, try running a search (from start,
select Find and then Files and Folders).   Look for all files using
*.plt as your search parameter for file names.   If you don't find it
that way, go ahead and submit your pic for 'Player1.plt' as 
'Player1.tga'.   Since you can submit up to five pics, it shouldn't
be a big deal to send in one that way, and hopefully once you get
the updated ppics.hog file you'll be able to pick apicture for that
pilot.

_______
4.21
Q: Will anybody who had my pilot's name be able to have these pics
appear during the audio taunt? Or will that somehow be tied to our
PXO login or something?

A: There is no way to prevent someone else using the same pilot
name (for instance, Player1.plt) and selecting the pilot picture
to match.   That was the way it was with the original promotion,
and that's the way it is now.   While I wish there was some way to
prevent it from happening, it's basically on the honor system. The
best way to prevent someone from borrowing a pic (IMO) is to use a
picture of yourself as opposed to an icon.   I think people would
be less likely to borrow your picture if that were the case.


++++++++
5.1 MORE HELP-Can be found several ways.   First off and your best bet,
is simply to email any questions you have to: 

5.2
Send email to the author: stormcrow@wildcards.org
Send email to Zappafan: zappafan@wildcards.org 

5.3
Second option is to check out the Descent DBB Multiplayer discussion at:
  http://209.61.153.136/ubb/Forum1/HTML/003425.html

5.4
A third option is to look at Zappafan's IYF2 promotion page:
  http://www.wildcards.org/zappafan/iyf2.html

5.5
Or, check the newsgroup:
  alt.games.descent

5.6
DOWNLOAD-You'll be able to find the new ppic.hog from Zappafan's website and
at www.fileplanet.com.   Other locations will be revealed as they become
available.

5.7
SOFTWARE-Can be found for editting images at:
www.tucows.com
www.filemine.com
www.zdnet.com

5.8
Thank you to those that have submitted questions:
Flak, Max, Buzz, Do_Checkor, Tricord.   I know there are others, and I'll 
add them as soon as the DBB goes back up.   Zappa and I would also like
to thank Todd Miller at PXO.Net!

If you have any questions that aren't answered here, email Zappa or myself:
Zappafan - zappafan@wildcards.org
Stormcrow - stormcrow@wildcards.org


++++++++
6. UPDATES

1.2
Bumped it up a decimal place, due to having added the decimal coding to the
TOC
Added 2 new questions
Added the original IYF website link
Added a list of contributing pilots (to my recollection, some I can't 
include because the DBB being down and no way to double check questions
from then).

1.15
Minor clarification regarding transparent backgrounds

1.14
Added several new questions
Added section on updates for the FAQ
Added decimal coding to TOC and questions

1.13
Added several new questions
Cleaned up additional help section

1.12
Corrected spelling error
Added Question