How Can I Create a custom CGA-SPEC file

[SPIDER-LEM]

It's nice to finally be registered with this awesome forum!

Just to quickly give some background, I have for the last two-three yrs have been a great fan of the lemmings archive, due to the very useful apps and info concerning customized level editing, like myvgaspec by ccexplore

I now want to know if, like myvgaspec, ccexplore could make me like a mycgaspec.exe or something so I can create custom cgaspec-x's, as well for the dos orig. lemms, please?

[ccexplore]

Request noted, however, the CGA/TGA version of Lemmings is actually a completely separate program from the EGA/VGA version, so it'd take a bit of work for me to work out how the CGA version stores its SPEC graphics.  With my real-life workload nowadays, plus numerous other distractions, I can't really promise I'll work on this anytime soon.

[SPIDER-LEM]

Well, ccexplore, I can pretty much say the same for myself, being busy and all with my own career :/

So let's do this: If you'll attach mycgaspec.exe when you've finished it, I'll try to continue to check this topic for it whenever I have the chance until then

 

[SPIDER-LEM]

@ccexplore:
oops! Sorry, but I do need to address a few more important things in question! First of all, do you by chance have any clue at this point what would be needed before using this mycgaspec? (i.e. how many colors, image size, other image specifics, or maybe even just the VGA-Spec file you want to be in Cga-form) Also, do you have a guess of when I should be able to expect mycgaspec.exe to be attached here, when finished? (like maybe this November)

[SPIDER-LEM]

You probably haven't read the second, bump/message, or maybe you have, I don't know, but regardless,  I'm sorry to bump this now-seemingly pointless topic a third time.   

The reason for all this being, is I need to know if it would be required for me at this point to create back-ups of the BMP images or the VGASPECx.dat files themselves, for I'll have to admit, I'd be pretty sore to come find out that I DO need back-ups, after all my hope with CGA-spec customizing!

Why all with the CGA-stuff? Why not just be content with VGA-spec? The answer is simple: I've been strongly debating as to wether-or-not I should rid of my old CGA-DOS machine, which would be still of use for a dedicated REAL Old-school sweet-age CGA-DOS computer with all my levels I'm hoping to design some day, despite DOSBox's capability to emulate CGA............ (I have not already made hardly any 'levels' yet due to my career's heavy work-load at the moment)

[ccexplore]

The reason for all this being, is I need to know if it would be required for me at this point to create back-ups of the BMP images or the VGASPECx.dat files themselves, for I'll have to admit, I'd be pretty sore to come find out that I DO need back-ups, after all my hope with CGA-spec customizing!

Such back-ups are not needed, but all the same, I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to just backup everything?  The total size of all files in DOS Lemmings is smaller than your average MP3 file for a typical pop song I think.  Another possible option is to re-download the game and files from such sites as abandonia.com.

Why all with the CGA-stuff? Why not just be content with VGA-spec? The answer is simple: I've been strongly debating as to wether-or-not I should rid of my old CGA-DOS machine, which would be still of use for a dedicated REAL Old-school sweet-age CGA-DOS computer with all my levels I'm hoping to design some day, despite DOSBox's capability to emulate CGA............ (I have not already made hardly any 'levels' yet due to my career's heavy work-load at the moment)

Well, I do have to commend you for being able to keep such an old machine still functional.

Just keep in mind that most people play in VGA mode, so a level that is only available in CGASpec form will be of little interest to almost everyone else.  Also, custom special graphics levels in general haven't seem to take off much, perhaps partly due to the need to manage the additional xxxSPECx.dat files on top of the levelpak DAT file.

The point being that this seems a very niche thing even for this niche-ish community, and thus will have to be prioritized accordingly.  You may note for example that I've only given a promise of July for someone else's request on applying music fixes to CGA lemmings, and that request is technically simpler to complete than yours.  So patience please.

[SPIDER-LEM]

Just keep in mind that most people play in VGA mode, so a level that is only available in CGASpec form will be of little interest to almost everyone else.  Also, custom special graphics levels in general haven't seem to take off much, perhaps partly due to the need to manage the additional xxxSPECx.dat files on top of the levelpak DAT file.

The point being that this seems a very niche thing even for this niche-ish community, and thus will have to be prioritized accordingly.  You may note for example that I've only given a promise of July for someone else's request on applying music fixes to CGA lemmings, and that request is technically simpler to complete than yours.  So patience please.

Well, that is all true! Both facts being that cga is less popular--and that this is a large request, so I will be patient for mycgaspec.exe (or whatever-it-would-be-named) to be finished and attached to this topic (Alternatively, sent via Email, with my address being stevehow113@gmail.com)

Go ccexplore!