LUIS GUZMAN - PeG MapTool

Panzer General II Shp & Dat Tool

PG2 ShpTool, is a windows tool for SSI Panzer General II's SHP & DAT files.

This tool is intended for licensed owners of Peoples General copyright from SSI strategic games.
If you found any bug or want to make any suggestion, please e-mail me

FEATURES:

Requires Windows 95 or higher and a minimal screen resolution of 800x600
To install simple unzip the executable file wherever you prefer, that's the only installation needed

DAT Tool features:

Can create new DAT files by repacking all files on a folder or just all SHP files on a folder
Can unpack any DAT file (not need to called be Panzer2.dat)
Can extract any item file from inside DAT to disk.
Can remove any item file from DAT.
Can replace any SHP file within DAT using another external file (same name) to update.
Can add external SHP files into DAT file (one or several files at a time)

All those features without needing to unpacking / repacking

Additional DAT features:
Save single icon or collagea as BMP
Save All icons as BMP
Can load an external Palette file
Can Save current Palette to a file
Can report all SHP files to a text file
Can compare differences with another DAT file to a text file.
As usual, folder and files will be remembered next time you use the tool.

SHP Tool features:

Allows browsing any folder to see or edit SHP files with this options

Insert icon on a specific position inside Shp file
Append icon at the end of Shp file

For new icon image, you can pick a BMP file (no restrictions on bitmap file name - just pick it).
Remove icon from Shp file
Icons can be shown as single, collage, zoomed or mirrored.
Can save single icons, all icons or collage view as BMP.

Requires 8 bits 256 colors (PG2 palette) bitmaps to work properly.
If 24/32 bits bitmap are used an internal palette adjustment will be made, but it's highly recomended to use PSP or PhotShop to convert.

SHP Maker

Can create a new SHP file picking Bitmap icons.

Select any bitmap icon to a Shp list..
Add remove any item just by double clicking
Change order moving items up/down
... and Make the SHP with a simple click
Includes also an Special Express mode
Allows selecting multiples bitmap icons to create a new Shp file for each bitmap on a single click. Each Shp file will hold 9 icons all with same picture than bitmap.

Download

To see on line

Download 2.xx	PG2 Shp Tool	Readme

Remember !

You have to create a MAP folder under your main game folder and copy all SHP files into that MAP folder
Check and remove the "Read-Only" attribute to all the SHP files
CAM, SCN and MAP files should be located on SCENARIO folder
SSI built-in editor (but not the game) will surely crash if you have more than 200 MAP files into the SCENARIO folder.
To avoid this, use the Suite or create GameSets.

Changes & fixes summary
2.4 Dec 2010	New option to convert all shp files (having 9 icons) found in a folder you pick, to bmp either 3x3 or 1x9 layout
2.3 Ago 2010	Option to create Open's graphics files from flags/dossier shp files updated
2.22 Apr 2010	When line had 1 pixel after a serie of 3 or more transparent pixels, that last pixel was moved backward
2.21 Apr 2009	Palette inded 255 is not used by game and replaced with white color (index 232). This version replaces any entry 255 with 232 while packing a bipmap into shp file
2.20 Jul 2009	New option to dump unit's icons to a bitmap, similar to Medelyan's IconViewer tool. It can be used to dump all icons within panzer2.dat but you can also dump all shp files in a folder, to allow getting an image catalog all new icons ... It is on SaveAs BMP menu and if you run from DAT view it will dump all icons (those having 9 images) from Dat file loaded, but if you run from start SHP view you will only those included on the shp files found in the folder. You can select output folder, catalog name, size of bipmap and which "face" you want to include New option to create OpenPG2 compatible pictures from Dossier and Flags shp files, either within panzer2.dat or from standalone shp files (as those provided with GraphicsSwitchers Fixed a bug on Shp Maker tool. Replace color button was not handling bitmap row padding properly
2.11 Sep 2008	I've made the main SHP/DAT windows resizables so you can see more icons at a glance. Alse the new Save Range tool has been improved
2.10 Sep 2008	In addition to Peg's s16 format, unit icons can be added (and showed) as PNG. But be aware this png format will only work with the new OpenPG2 executable though. When removing files from panzer2.dat now the tool ask for confirmation. When appending or removing files from the Dat file now you can abort before complete by hitting ESC keyboard or clicking Cancel button Dat file index is now statically allocated to avoid getting corrupt when many insertions/deletions are made. This means there is now an upper limit to the number of files the Dat file can hold. This limit is 15.000 icons what I think it should be enough by now There is a new option to output a range of icons as a bitmap. User can define how many icons to include - starting with the one selected - and how to arrange them (rows & columns). All icons will be same sized (the tool figure it out scanning the icons to include). You can also define if a thin blue line separator is wanted.
2.01 Aug 2007	Although actual game executable cannot use it, the tool allow to include within panzer2.dat, icons as .S16 format (better resolution no palette restricted) - same than those used by PeG - as the new OpenPG2 will allow to use them. They can be added and show up within the tool with a different bacground color.
1.13 May 2007	Fixed the internal palette used, which was the same as Fred Schlanda set for his tool, but Game uses a slightly different one. Now it uses the same paletta than the game. To check easier palettes I've included a new Compare Palette tool, which shows two palettes both as a color table and as a rgb colors list. At start, it shows the current palette and the default game palette, but you can load any other palette to compare
1.12 Apr 2007	Fixed a bug when packing/repacking as now it prevents including an empty panzer2.dat (you cannot include any file starting by "panzer2") No floppy disks will be searched when selecting folders.
1.11 Jan 2007	When repacking a new panzer2.dat, BR_*.shp were excluded as unit icons should not include the underscore. It is fixed.
1.10 Oct 2006	Descriptions for icons are automatic loaded on Dat view now. Panzer2_v2.txt loads the first time you load a .dat file and it doesn'tt reload again when you load another .dat file. But you can load a different txt or csv file manually. The last one loaded is remembered and loaded next time. In addition filter feature has been enhanced, doing almost the same it does on the Suite (though text descriptions are only shown for the highlighted item and you cannot edit any desciption). You can filter files having the text you type either if found on icon name or found on icon description, according the checkboxes you set. The combo quick filter to isolate all units icons (files having 9 icons) or interface files (those having anything different to 9 icons) work the same than before. At this time you cannot type a former $ to make it match at the begining of the filename, as you could on previous release, but you can concatenate texts using $ (same as within the Suite)
1.09 Dec 2005	It was not possible to create a SHP with more than 99 icons using Shp Maker tool, it is fixed. On Shp Maker tool now is possible to filter the files to show (and select) to allow selecting several files easier. It is also possible, when using 3rd option, to select multiples bitmaps to add to the Shp icons list on just one bouble click, avoiding to click on each one - which is somehow tedious for Shps with many icons like dossier. When extracting all icons as singles bitmaps, they are named using 3 digits names so the icon sort index into the Shp is preserved.
1.08 Oct 2005	Internal browser is reworked to give a common interface. Now it is possible to create new folders also when selecting folders.
1.07 Aug 2005	Enhanced filter feature for icons within a Dat file, allows to type some text in order to filter icons having that text (if started with a $) or starting with the text you type.
1.06	New option to create a 9 icon SHP from a 9 icons bitmap. Bitmap can be arranged as 3x3 icons ordered top-letf to bottom-right or as an horizontal array of 9 tiles. Of course all icons must have same size, but it allows batch creating as you can select several bitmaps
1.05	New color replacements option. It allows on 256 color bitmap to replace an index color with another one. By default pixel 0 color is selected to replace with index color 159 which is transparent color on PG2 palette. Changed bitmap can be saved also Though not recomended you can use a 24 bits bitmap. Bitmap will be converted to PG2 palette before packing as SHP. There is also a checbox to preview that converted before proceeding.
1.04 Jul 2005	First working release.