The "ICON" code is by the game to display smaller pictures of items and ships. The icon code in the .ini files of ships and items tells the game where to look for smaller versions of the pictures.
ICON in items
The "ICON" code is a required part of all (item).ini files.
- The ICON code tells the game where to look for the small graphic to go with a particular item. * This is the graphic that is used for when the item is in your cargo hold, or installed in one of your ships.
- It's also the graphic used when the item is on a planet, provided it's not a single item on it's own and the first time you found it - then the game will instead load the picture from the GFXP line.
- The image shown by the ICON graphic will be of a particular shape, depending on what type of item it is.
A typical ICON code line looks like this:
ICON items/s_system1.jpg 16
- The word ICON is followed by the name of the folder the picture file is in (always a sub-folder of the graphics folder, and in this case it's the "items" folder)
- Then there's a slash, and then the name of the file.
- There's a space after the file name, and then a number.
- The number corresponds to the frame of the graphics file that correct the picture is in.
- Frame numbering starts at 0 and increases to the left.
- In most files, this means the second row starts with frame #8.
ICON in ships
ICON is a required code in (hull).ini files. If you don't have an ICON entry, the game may crash when trying to display the ship across the top of your ship window. Skipping the ICON entry can also cause the game to crash when when summarizing the results of a battle in the simulator.
ICON codes in ships follow the same format and protocols for ICON codes in items. However, ship graphics files are less standardized than the s_system files, so you may have to experiment to figure out what the proper frame is. If you follow the example from the Modmaker's Guide to the Galaxy, you'll end up with your ICON pointed at frame 6, which is as good a place to put it as any.
ICON-related crashes and bugs
ICON, like GFXP, can be a little tempermental. The game doesn't like being told to look in the wrong place for a graphic, or being told to look for a file that doesn't exist.
- If you find your game crashes up arriving at random unexplored planets, finding certain items, or when meeting the Klakar, there's a chance the problem might be one of your ICON or GFXP entries in an item.
- If you find the game crashes when you add a particular ally to your fleet, or at the after-battle summary screen in the combat simulator, the problem is likely to be with the ICON entry in one of your hulls.