Creating DF Components - FME

What is an FME?
An FME is a character or object that is single-celled and does not move. Ammo, weapons, some scenery, and even some characters are FMEs. FMEs are much easier to compile than WAXes, since they only use one bitmap cell.

What program(s) do I need?
To edit an FME, you'll be using Wedit 3.20 and Microsoft Paint (or any bitmap editor).

How do I get started?
Open up Wedit and click 'File' then 'New'. Once the new window has opened, click the 'GOB' button in the taskbar. Now click 'Open' and find 'Sprites.gob' either in your DF directory (c:/dark) or on the CD itself (d:/). After you double-click and open Sprites.gob, you should see a list of all the files compiled into that directory.

Now click once on each file to find the FME you want to edit. The example I'm going to use is Jan.fme (the image of prisoner Jan from the Jabba Ship level).
Sample pic: Jan FME
If you've found your FME, click once on it and then hit 'Save As' and save it to your 'c:/dark' folder. Now close that window and click the 'AUX' button on the taskbar. Hit 'Open' and find your FME in the 'c:/dark' directory and double-click it.

Sample pic: Jan in the Auxiliary Item Editor window

You should now see your character appear in the 'sneak-peek' window on the right. Now click on the file at the very top of the list shown on the left and hit the 'Export' button and save it. Next I'm going to give you some info on how Wedit treats component files.

After you Export your component in Wedit, the file (FME in this case) is separated into one single bitmap saved in a folder in the 'c:/dark' directory that's named after whatever your file was named (jan in this case). Wedit also creates a blank template bitmap file named after the original file name (jan.bmp in this case). I'll explain that file when we're ready to put our finished FME together.

How do I edit the bitmap?

Go open your FME folder (ex: jan) and open up the first bitmap in your bitmap editor. Open up 'cell0000.bmp' and start crackin'. From here on it's really up to your artistic abilities to design a successful and good-looking bitmap.

Some things to remember while creating your FME are:

  • Make it original or inspirational
  • Try to avoid solid color characters
  • Using shading makes a great FME
  • Don't adjust/change the bitmap size!

    Adjusting or changing the bitmap size will cause the FME to be compiled oddly and the character will 'float on air'. You should not adjust the size unless you know what you are doing, or else the FME will be off-centered and just plain crap. Once you finish editing your bitmap, proceed to this next question...

    How do I compile my bitmap into an FME?

    Pay close attention now:

  • Open up the template bitmap (ex: jan.bmp) and open up your 'jan' folder in another window.
  • Select the 'cell0000.bmp' file and drag and drop it into your template bitmap (jan.bmp). Now save the compilation as 'jan.bmp' in your 'c:/dark' directory.

    Finally! Now go back to Wedit and open that Auxiliary Item Editor again. But this time, click 'Import' before anything else. Now find and double-click that template bitmap again (jan.bmp).
    Sample pic: New Jan FME
    Now you should see the bitmaps you edited and saved in the 'sneak-peek' window on the right. Click once on that top file in the list at left again and then hit the 'Save' button once it becomes available.

    FMEs have no 'schema.map' file as WAXes do, so don't even worry about anything like that. After you've hit 'Save' your FME should be completed immediately.

    Congratulations! Your FME is now complete. Keep in mind that the first one is never the best, though. Experiment and fool around more before you release anything on the internet. As they say, practice makes perfect.

    I have some FME packages available and some FMEs included in my WAX packs that you can download at www.df-21.net, and on my website too: www.angelfire.com/biz3/TJ13.

    Why is my FME this way?

    If you have any problems with your FME, there can be a huge number of possibilities and reasons. My suggestion is to go back and start over again untill it comes out right like you wanted. Sometimes weird things go wrong when compiling FMEs, so you should just keep trying.

    For questions, help, or comments simply e-mail me at: tj13x@yahoo.com.

    It may take several days or weeks for me to reply to you. If I don't answer you within a month, mail me again. Questions, no matter how stupid or ignorant, will not be turned down by me. Good luck and may editing the Force be with you!