Help Me WIth Basics of ICE

[Mattimeeleo]

I'm not sure if there is already a thread dedicated to explaing how to use ICE and stuff. I would like to search for it, but I have no clue where (if there is one) the search button is.


Anways, I would like to know how to use ICE... I downloaded one to use, but it was all giberish to me. I'm don't really have experience with C++ or any other programming programs.

I noticed that there is a post for using ICE, but it was way too complicated for me to understand. I would like to know how to use ICE in general... Tell me to put some numbers and letters to ICE is not going to help...


Oh yeah, plz don't flame me for being a newbie... I'm pretty sure everyone was a newbie when they started to use ICE... I just want to be able to creat new things to Starcraft...

If there is another thread telling me how to use ICE in the most basic way, plz tell me the link to it. Thanks!

[MaxedOutBC]

ICE, or IceCC? ICE is the more user-friendly one (in my view). Well anyway, ill give you a little boost. First of all, there is a tut here (http://njsc.goodbb.net/ftopic25.basic-tutorial-for-Ice.htm). Second, if you decide to download IceXP here (http://cafe.naver.com/ArticleRead.nhn?clubid=12440426&menuid=8&boardtype=L&page=&articleid=5) (there is a little thing that says IceXP.zip in the top-right corner), then go read the compiled html help file.

Well, here's what to do.

1) Open ICE. Go to File > Load Default. This basically loads an unedited version of the iscript.bin file.

2) Let's go to a unit, shall we? In the Main Headers Tab, type "Terran Marine" in the header box and click Terran Marine from the list.

3) Now for fun, click the GRP Preview tab. See the picture of the marine? Thats one of its frames. It has many other frames for facing another drection, shooting its rifle, etc. Go and look through the frames and notice the numbers that correspond to the frames.

4) Okay. Now click Animation Scripts on the bottom tab and click the drop-down box. If you see only black, just hover over the black space and you will highlight certain animations. Click on Initial Ground Attack Animation. This is how it acts when attacking for the first shot at a unit. Notice the wait and play frame commands. "Wait" represents delat between orders, and 10 ticks= one game second at normal speed. Play frame simply displays that fram for marine. goto GRP preview, and goto frame 17. See the marine holding its gun up? that is it preparing to shoot. Now look at frame 34. now marine aims gun. These two frame are played int the animation to make marine looking like to prepare to attack, and the waits are to make it more "realistic" (no wait = you don't see the frames play separetely).

5) Now in the animation after those two play-frames, is a command called "begin unbrakable code section." This is so between the start of this unbrakeable code section and END of this unbreakable code section (YOU MUST HAVE AN "end unbreakable code section;" scroll down and you will see it) you CAN tell the marine an order, but the marine DOES NOT follow it until the code section ends.

6) Want to edit attack now? Okay. See the "attack with 1" command? That tells marine to attack with its FIRST WEAPON, which is actually its GROUND WEAPON. There's only one here, so marine only use guass rifle once. If you copy/pasted it once, then marine would attack twice. And so on. You can also add more of the "play frame 51, wait 1, play frame 34, wait 1"
sequence to make marine seems to shoot for a longer period of time.

7) There is also a "play sound." Go to wav preview. type the number that is on the play sound command (69 in this case). now play that wav. That is the rifle shooting. In attack animations, you usually want sound so your unit is more realistic.

8) There is also a "goto rpeat attack if still attacking" command. If the marine has not killed the target unit(s), then the marine will automatically jump to the "repeat ground attack animation." You can find that in you animation list. If marine stops attacking, then it ignores this command.

9) At the end of the animation, you see this thing that says "go to offset xxxx." this is used to tell whhich animation to goto next. I'll talk about his later.

10) Now you edited the ground attack animation, BUT you have not edited its air attack or repeat attack animations! LUCKILY, there is an easy way out. Goto the header entry tab, and highlight the black space next to the "initial Ground Animation." There is a number. I'll talk about that later. For now, copy that number and paste it in all the boxes next to the "air attack animation" and "repeat ground/air attack animation".

11) Now, what do the numbers mean? They represent offsets. Check what the number in the goto offset xxxx is in the ground attack animation. Double click that. POOF! New list! This is the animation the marine goes to after the attack animation! In this case, the marine returns to an "idle" state. The numbers can be confusing, but you will get the hang of it.

12) You probably saw the "randimizor" thing after going to the new "list." Don't worry about it, because in ICE you can't get it to work properly... the oones already in the aniamtion work, yes, but not ones you amke. Bummer, because this is the way for random attacks...

13) BONUS: Goto "walking animation." You found what the marines does when walking. See the "move graphic...units forward?" Change all the 4 in the animation into a 16. Now your marine runs 4 times fast as it normally would. Its faster than even a stimmed marine!

Hope that helped a little. It doesn't explain EVERYTHING, but i hope it helps you get the hang of things. :)

Man.. this took me 20 minutes to type!

12

[Mattimeeleo]

Man! Thanks for the effort! :D

Now I think I kinda get the point..

[MaxedOutBC]

Don't worry, if you have questions, don't be afraid to ask. Be sure to check the tuts i linked to, too. :)

Good luck and Happy Modding!

[bobboy]

Great. Now i find some tutorials and Vista wont let me run sc modding stuff. Poo.

[nirvanajung]

Vista wont let me run sc modding stuff. Poo.
oh... that's kinda modder's dilemma
which tools are problem to run exactly on vista ?
i heard about Vista issue that since Vista realsed as beta stabilization and compatible are still unstable

[nirvanajung]

that sound like a 'memory initialization error'
just try and try till let u drive :P
infact, i've came out over ice like that as same like u
but that was just running cleary after someday though
i couldn't get what is the resaon why doesnt running xP

[bobboy]

It ran on xp for me. Kinda odd how vista is supposed to let u run super advanced stuff, but has issues with old stuff. Actually, it is probably because the modding stuff is unofficial software and has no patches or anything :P. Made for that generation of computers. Im sure someday people will fix all the stuff. And i really dont wanna switch back because of HALO 2 VISTA!!!!!
Lol

[TheNomad]

Vista is on my blacklist, but that is subjective, so I wont' go into "what I hate and I think you shouldn't use" issues :P
I don't have Vista, but try running in Win2k compatibility mode. Dunno if it fixes it.

[bobboy]

Duh. Im pretty sure thatll work. I dunno why i didnt think of it b4.
Btw, i dont get base16 of ur sig. howd it get 17? I got base10 and base2. Maybe im just stupid O.o

[Ktan]

PM him with any questions about his signiture since the origninal question seems to have been answered.