**WARNING** Wall of text coming.....
First, responses to some questions....
"May I ask what problem it is that this workflow is designed to get around?"
The blank tile problem. I will agree that we disagree if this is a problem or not, but there are reasons for removing that blank tile.
"If you want to import a splash screen, and not a tileset, then just load it up as a bitmap image, and convert that image into a tilemap inside ProMotion. Problem solved."
Never said there weren't other ways to do it. I'm by no means an expert in ProMotion. But does the tileset still have a blank tile? (see above).
" just an issue of you trying to force it into working in a way that you're used to, rather than using its capabilities in the way that they've been designed."
Good to know that you understand how the program was designed to work. Any program that forces you to do thing in a specific way is suspect to me, though.
I'm not forcing it to do anything. I just want things a specific way. If it can't do it the way -I- want, it's not worth $40 to me.
"Also ... why on earth would you want to save out a splash screen as a HuC tileset and tilemap?
Doesn't HuC already have functions to convert a bitmapped image into a character set and BAT?"
Yes, HuC has a way to load a splash screen, easily.
Unless I want a 320x240 splash screen, or one that scrolls.
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Okay gredler, here's the brain dump. It isn't a pretty way to do it; I suspect it would be an interruption in the work flow.
Depending on what you are doing, it might/might no be worth it.
Start with:
File->New Project->Create
Tiles, tg16 (generic)
16x16, 256
16x16,1
rainbow333
(call it tiles, so you can follow this)
Tile Mapping-> ShowTileIndexes (on)
In magnify window, I drew 4 line characters, in white.
Nothing fancy, this is just a test.
Save Project (thanks Al Lowe)
Save Image As (The Tiles.PCX)
1,1
Visibe Layers
Flatten
NO effects
Flatten to BG
Tile Mapping-> Export
Library file type: PNG (so we can tell the graphics apart)
All Tiles as single image
No save color palette
Tile Map Type: GBA (any would probably do)
Destination : point it to your directory)
Because I'm using the trial version, I closed the project.
.............................................................
Now, if you look in your directory, you should see (at least)
The Tiles.pcx and Tiles#tiles.png. If you look at them in
Photoshop or something, the PCX file should have your tiles,
-without- the blank tile. (More About that later)
The PNG file (the library) should have the tiles, -with- the
blank tile.
.............................................................
Now we can go create our actual tile map.
File->New Project->Create
Tilemap, etc
Call it TheMap
Tile Mapping->Import
Tiles#Tiles.PNG
(If you use the PCX, the first tile gets ignored (ie, not loaded)!! )
Now you can go ahead and drop the tiles into the map.
When you're happy,
File->Save Project
Call it TheMap
Tile Mapping->Export
Library Type: PNG (thats what we loaded)
All Tiles as single image
Tile Map File Type : STM - simple tile map
Point it to your directory, and export.
...............................................................
At this point, we have 2 projects; TheTiles and TheMap.
We have several graphics files. TheTiles.pcx is our (HuC compatible)
tile set; the PNG files are our tile libraries.
That's why I used different extensions!
99% of your work is going to be with the TheTiles project.
Open it up. We're going to add some tiles to it.
Go ahead, make 4 or 5. I went ahead and fixed/finished the line-drawing
characters. I ended up with tiles through #16, including 1 that I
put a grey X in, to indicate it should not be used.
Save the project, and EXPORT THE TILES. We will need them in a minute.
Now Re-open the TheMap project. This is where you have to pay attention!
The Tile Library will -not- have any new tiles. So, first we fix it...
Go ahead, and import Tiles#TheTiles.PNG. Now I have 17 tiles
in the library; any new/changed tiles have been -appended- to the library.
You might want to delete all the tiles in the old library, you might not.
In either case, You need to check the library, and make sure it has the
right tiles, in the order you want them in.
Now put the tiles into TheMap. Put them in in order; tile 1, then tile 2,
then tile 3, etc. This is why I turned Tile Indexes on
It's important to the next step that they are in order! And, as I found out when I
checked the pcx file, you need to fill across the screen.
Otherwise, your tile set will be off. Also, take the time to clean out
any 'extra' tiles. Anything in the map will end up in the PCX, so don't
leave extra crud in it. Please.
Now you can File->Save Image (preferably as PCX). Remeber the name you used;
it's the file that HuC will need in the #inctile(). Do double-check it in
photoshop or something. Make sure its right, and has the correct tiles -
and no (unexpected) blanks!
Assuming things are Okay, and that the project can use an .stm map,
you will have to get with elmer for the next part. The STM file has the
map set up with (actual) tiles starting at #1. That needs a -1 during the
conversion, so tile 1 becomes 0, tile 2 becomes 1, etc.
You send the stm and the pcx, and it should work. I'll check that part of
it tomorrow.
..........................................................................
And when elmer asks, yes it matters. Yuki had a problem with not enough
tile space. There is no reason to sacrifice VRAM for a blank tile. IMHO.
**End wall of text**
summary: a painful way to eliminate the blank tile Promotion adds.
May or may not be worth it.