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Step 01 |
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So, you've decided to create your own insignia from an external file. The process begins much like it would if you were drawing an insignia from within the game. First, you must create a blank "template" insignia save to use for your new insignia. From the Maintenance Bin, click Edit Insignia. |
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Step 02 |
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To create a new insignia, you must start with an existing insignia and "blank" it for our purposes. As long as you save the new "blank" insignia under a differnt file slot number, the original insignia you started will with not be changed. The Clear Canvas tool makes quick work of any existing insignia drawing.
While we are here, take a look at the image to the left. The blue-green background colour is the "transparent" colour that the game uses to determine where the default VT paint/colour shows through. This is ALWAYS the colour in the scroll palette furthest to the left. You can change this if you like but leaving it the blue-green will create the least confusion.
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Step 03 |
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After you have created your blank insignia, save it to an empty file location in the Insignia File management section. Make a note of the Number of the Insignia File save, in the example to the left, it is 16. |
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Step 04 |
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Close out of Steel Battalion: Line of Contact and eject the disc to bring up the XBox firmware console. Access the Memory option. |
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Step 05 |
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The first task is to find the Insignia File save we just created. It will be on the XBox hard drive (there is no way to save or access memory cards in LOC). |
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Step 06 |
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Scroll down to the Steel Battalion: Line of Contact save folder and locate the Insignia Save file of the same number we just created. The name will show as INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM where (xx) is the number of the save file, in this case, INSIGNIA16(EMBLEM). |
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Step 07 |
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Copy the Insignia Save file to an XBox memory card module. |
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Step 08 |
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Verify that the file has been successfully transfered over to the XBox memory card module. Note the time/datestamp. |
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Step 09 |
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Verify that the file has been successfully transfered over to the XBox memory card module. Note the time/datestamp. |
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Step 10 |
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Back to the PC. Bring up the ActionReplay interface and insert the memory card into the ActionReplay USB card reader. The Memory Card view folder should automatically refresh with the gamesave folder and can be double clicked to show the individual save contents. |
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Step 11 |
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Drag the Insignia File save over to the PC Database folder to make a copy. |
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Step 12 |
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Choosing an image to create an insignia from is a trial and error process. General tips are to choose logos or emblems that can be rendered well in 16 colours or less, and can be framed in a perfect square easily.
I use Photoshop for my image editing purposes but any image editor that lets you crop and resize images will work.
The first step in creating the source image for the insignia is to create a square marquee around the image. Try to make the marquee as close to the "subject" image as possible to maximise the size of the resulting insignia and avoid wasted space.
TIP: To pull a perfect square marquee in Photoshop (and many other image editors), hold the SHIFT key while pulling the rectangular marquee.
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Step 13 |
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After the marquee is drawn, crop the image to a perfect square and resize it to 64x64 pixels. This is the native resolution that LOC uses for its Insignia Files. |
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Step 14 |
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To save a step later, and if your image editor allows, save the image a a 16 colour .GIF without transparency. |
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Step 15 |
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Make a note of the save location and the name of the file for future reference for the next step. |
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Step 16 |
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Depending on where you unzipped the Insignia Tool, the location of the executables may vary. I find it is easiest to use a single folder for all insignia work, in this case My Documents.
Either sbtool_BGRA.exe or sbtool_RBGA.exe may be used. I've never understood why there are two in the zipped file... so I just the first one.
Before starting the tool, we need to access the zipped save file (copied over to the PC via Action Replay) and extract the binary INSIGNIA file in the next step.
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Step 17 |
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Locate the folder where SAVES are stored on your PC by Action Replay. On my computer, they are stored under:
C:\Program Files\Datel\Action Replay XBOX\Saves
Find the Insignia save file, it will be named STEELBATTA_INSIGNIAxx.zip where xx is the number of the Insignia save slot/file, in this case 16, so STEELBATTA_INSIGNIA16.zip
You will need a zip file handling programme like WinZIP or PK-Unzip to access the compressed archive for the next step.
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Step 18 |
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Right-click > Extract or Double-Click to extract the contents of the file. I find it best to unzip the file to same working folder as my previously created Insignia source image (from above). |
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Step 19 |
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The ActionReplay zip fill will extract as a folder named UDATA which will contain several sub-folders and files. |
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Step 20 |
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Explore into the extracted save file folder. There will be a folder named with a long string of numbers that contains a file named INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM, where (xx) is the number of the save file, in this case 16, so INSIGNIA(16)EMBLEM.
Note that this file has no "extension" to it and shows with the default Windows generic file icon and no programme association.
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Step 21 |
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We need to make a copy of the INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file to be the target for our created insignia. |
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Step 22 |
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Paste the INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file copy in the working folder, the same as that already used for the source image file. |
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Step 23 |
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Start the SB Tool application using the sbtool_BGRA.exe executable. |
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Step 24 |
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Using the file menu, open the source image file created earlier from your image editor programme. |
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Step 25 |
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Browse to find the image file created. By default, the first folder opened is the same one that the SBTool executable sits in. |
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Step 26 |
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A preview image is shown when the file is opened. |
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Step 27 |
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SB:LOC insignias may only have 16 colours maximum, including the colour used for "transparency." The SB Tool has a colour-count option under the Edit menu. |
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Step 28 |
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If there are more than 100 colours the tool will show "100+" which is far too many. If necessary, the option to "reduce colours" can be used to help remove colour elements from your image. I never have to do this because I have my image editing programme do this for me during the 16-colour GIF save step (above). |
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Step 29 |
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If everything checks out (size 64x64 pixels and 16 colours, choos the Save > Make Insignia option from the File Menu. |
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Step 30 |
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Browse and find the copy of the INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file you made a few steps back in the working folder. |
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Step 31 |
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Windows will give you a warning about replacing the file. Go ahead and agree. |
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Step 32 |
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We are done with the SBTool at this point, close the application. |
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Step 33 |
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The same folder that the SBTool executables unzipped into will contain a folder named XSaveSig. This folder contains the re-signer application will will apply the necessary digital "signature" to the EMBLEM file.
The "signature" will allow the emblem to be accepted by XBox file management/security. This is a crucial step, and if it is not done properly, the XBox will reject the save file as "non-XBox" or "damaged" and not allow it to be copied to the hard drive. |
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Step 34 |
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Start the Re-Signer application from the XSavSig.exe executable. |
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Step 35 |
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A brief Terms & Conditions statement and some Legal Information is shown with an AGREE option already prefilled. Read the advisory and then click OK to proceed. |
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Step 36 |
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The default options here are all you need for this to work properly. Click the button with the elipsis (...) to browse for the INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file you just created with the SBTool. |
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Step 37 |
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The XSavSig.exe looks in the TEMP folder by default and shows a sample filename INSIGNIA(00)EMBLEM as example.
Browse to the appropriate working folder to find the INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file. |
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Step 38 |
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Select the INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file that needs to be re-signed. |
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Step 39 |
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Once the file is selected, the XSavSig application will show the current and expected digital signature strings. To apply the digital signature to the INSGINIA(xx)EMBLEM file click APPLY. |
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Step 40 |
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You will receive a confirmation message after the signature is applied. Click OK to close the dialogue. |
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Step 41 |
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Note that the expected and applied digital signatures are now the same. Click OK to exit the XSavSig application. |
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Step 42 |
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At this point we have created an INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file which contains the new source image and has been successfully digitally signed. The next steps involve "injecting" the newly created INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file back into the ActionReplay save zip file.
Copy the newly created INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file.
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Step 43 |
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Navigate back the extracted save file folder (UDATA) and the numbered folder that contains the "original" INSIGNIA(xx)EMBLEM file. Paste the new file into the folder. |
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Step 44 |
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You will receive a message box asking you to confirm the file replacement. Note the difference in the file/timestamps. |
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Step 45 |
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The UDATA folder must be recompressed back into an ActionReplay zip file format. Right-click on the UDATA folder and choose the option that allows you to select a destination folder and file name. |
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Step 46 |
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Find the original STEELBATTA_INSIGNIAxx.zip file and select it as the target for the UDATA compression/zip process. |
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Step 47 |
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Add the contents of the UDATA folder back to the original zip file. |
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Step 48 |
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The STEELBATTA_INSIGNIAxx.zip file timestamp will change to reflect the new content. |
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Step 49 |
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Start the ActionReplay console again and select the INSIGNIAxx(EMBLEM) save on the PC Database. Note that the timestamp will have changed from the first time. |
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Step 50 |
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Copy the PC Database save file back to the Memory Card location. If the original save file is still on the Memory Card (likely) you will get a confirmation/warning message about overwriting and existing file. Confirm this overwrite.
If you get an error at this point about "Invalid XBox Save File Format" then something has gone wrong with the digital resigning of the file (or it was not done at all). Go back and redo the file re-sign steps.
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Step 51 |
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Hover the mouse over the new save on the Memory Card folder. It will show the new date/timestamp. |
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Step 52 |
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Back to the XBox console Memory Management interface. Insert the XBox Memory Card module in a controller slot and browse to find the INSIGNIAxx(EMBLEM) file. |
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Step 53 |
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Copy the INSIGNIAxx(EMBLEM) file to the XBox hard drive.
NOTE: If this step fails or you get an error message about "Invalid XBox File Format" the digital signature applied during the signing process didn't take properly and may need to be redone.
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Step 54 |
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You will get a dialogue message about the Save already existing on the XBox hard drive. Confirm the overwrite process. |
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Step 55 |
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Navigate to the XBox hard drive memory management console to confirm the new file has been accepted. The preview will NOT display your new insignia (sometimes it will though, but usually not). Just check the save date/timestamp, which should now have a more recent timestamp that when the save was originally created. |
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Step 56 |
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Close the disc tray and load Steel Battalion: Line of Contact up again. Navigate to the Edit Insignia option. By default, the last insignia applied/edited is shown. In this case, the Number 16 insignia was the last I worked with, but now it shows as my new Insignia design!
NOTE: My image capture device did not do this justice due to the large amount of bright white content against the dark background.
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Step 57 |
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You can then preview your insignia applied to a VT! |
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Step 58 |
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Going to the Insignia File management section, the insignia shows in the file preview browse view properly (and the next time the XBox memory management console view is used it will show there also). |
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Step 58 |
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If for some reason the file becomes corrupted or some other unknown error happens that doesn't get caught at the ActionReplay transfer or XBox file-copy steps, corrupted insignia files will show as DAMAGED INSIGNIA and cannot be applied to VTs. |
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