===============
CREATING FLAGS
===============

In order to make custom flags, you need to have some software to do it.
You will need some sort of image editing program that can save as 8 bit
(256 color) PCX files. MSPaint won't cut it here, you will need
something more powerful. Programs such as Adobe Photoshop and
Jasc Paintshop Pro work, and the most recent versions of Corell
Draw and Painter will do the job well. You will also need UnrealEd
(sorry Mac users, no UnrealEd for you!), find a friend with UT and
a PC and you will have UnrealEd) and some sort of text editor
(Notepad, WordPad, BBEdit, Simpletext, etc.). This tutorial will use
Adobe Photoshop, but most things should transfer to other programs.



=================
Design your flag
=================

Above all things, know what you want to do. If you have a secure idea
of what you want your flag to look like, the process will move much faster.
Random-working is ok too... but the results are quite... random.
 


Starting


First, find the 2 flag template files.  They are included inside this ZIP
file, and their names are:

redflag.gif
blueflag.gif


Open these files up now in your image editing program. Select all on
the red flag(control / command - a in most apps) and copy. Make a new
file with dimensions of 256 width and 256 height, at 72 dpi (if it asks
for it). Paste into this new doc, and select all, copy, and paste the
blue flag now - into the new file you created. In Photoshop(PS),
pasting will create a new layer for the info pasted. You should have
3 layers now, a background layer, a red flag layer and a blue
flag layer. Rename these layers for your convienience, but it isnt
necessary (double click layer (< v5 in PS, option/alt double click
in 6+ versions of PS). 


=================
Doing your flag
=================

Create a new layer for your flag design, and head to town. You can either
use the blue and red flag layers as a template and design from there, or
you can start painting/designing a fresh flag from scratch.
 

***NOTE***
What ever you paint/design as white (RGB value, 255,255,255) will be
transparent and will make your flag look 'not good.' Stay away from white
and you will be great. To get around this, use 254,254,254 for white. It
is just as close while not borking your flag. The RGB values can be found
when you choose a color in the program you are using.

Try not to change the red color of the flag, because if it is off by much
it will look orange in game instead of red. If you do change the red, make
sure that the red RGB value is 255,0,0. You can alter the HSB
(hue, saturation and brightness), if you do so make sure the H = 0 (red).
You can alter the saturation (ammount of gray in color) and the brightness
(how much white or black is in a color). Here is a quick reference for
color and their values:

Color RGB HSB 
red 255,0,0 0,100,100 
blue 0,0,255 240,100,100 
yellow 255,255,0 60,100,100 
green 0,255,0 120,100,100 

  
==================
Saving your flag
==================

***NOTE***
If you are using Photoshop you can skip to method B.  Otherwise read below.


== METHOD A ==
So the flag is done, and What now? You must save the flags (blue and red) as a
256 color, 8 bit PCX file. I have found that the best way to do this is by saving
first as a GIF image with 256 colors, then a PCX. Its kind of a round-a-bout
way, but it is basically fail safe. 

Save red flag as a GIF with 256 colors, do the same with the blue flag, while
naming your flag "<name>_x" The x part represents the team the flag is for.
Name the blue flag 'blue' and the red flag 'red'.

Example:
myflags_red
myflags_blue

Please skip over 'Method B' to the section 'IMPORTING YOUR FLAGS'.

Close all files 
Reopen the GIF's you just saved. Save As... PCX files now. Keep the
file names the same, just so it is <name>_x.pcx now.

Close all open files.


== METHOD B ==
So the flag is done, and What now? You must save the flags (blue and red) as a
256 color, 8 bit PCX file.  In Photoshop, go up to "IMAGE", then select "MODE",
then click "INDEXED COLOR..."

I've found that these settings are optimal for UT.

===========================================
Palette:  Local (Selected)
Colors:   256
Forced:   None
No Transparency

Dither:   Diffusion
Amount:   75%
Preserve Exact Colors Unchecked
===========================================

Now hit OK and 'Save As', and select as a PCX file.

Name your flag "<name>_x" The x part represents the team the flag is for.
Name the blue flag 'blue' and the red flag 'red'.

Example:
myflags_red
myflags_blue


Close all open files.


== IMPORTING YOUR FLAGS ==

UnrealEd

The final stage is almost here! w00t! Many people that are using UT
Version 451 cannot start UnrealEd.  But if you are using 436 you should
be absolutly fine! So fire up UnrealEd (located in \System of your UT folder) and lets go!

All you need to do is import textures, so don't worry about all those
buttons. Look at the top under the menu (where file and edit are) and
you should see a small icon that has a landscape on it about in the
middle of your screen. Click it! This will open the Texture Browswer,
and will be the only part of UnrealEd you use. The the Texture Browser,
go to File, and choose Import. Find the PCX files you saved and import them
both. Click ok to all for the window that pops up. Save the utx file now (click the little disk icon, or File >Save) in the \Textures folder of UT.

Now here is the important part!  Save this file as something you can remember!
For example:
myownflags.utx

If by chance the icons looks all fruity and stupid instead of like flags,
you may have screwed up somewhere in saving the files to PCX. Go back and
make sure you save as a 256 color gif first, then a 256 color PCX. 


Thats it for UnrealEd



=============
Postprocess
=============

So now you have saved the pcx's, made and saved a UTX... um so how does it work
on my server you ask?

Well now head back over to the 'README' and find the installation instructions!