Introducing Resource Packs: A new feature to manage and install texture packs

[Admentus]

That would be fantastic Bighead. I have been struggling to make a texture pack being properly recognizable by the Resource Packs tool. I don't really know why. For example the logo.png never seems to be recognizable. Dolphin just fails to install a texture pack being set up for the Resource Packs tool. I tried with 7-Zip of course using uncompressed .zip archives following the required folder hierarchy, but alas.

It would be great to bundle my next update for the Zelda Collector's Edition texture pack for the Resource Packs tool. I am still a bit in conflict through. The idea is great and it helps users to easily setup their texture packs... But demanding uncompressed .zip archives kinda defeats the purpose of having a compressed download. Upload space and download speed is always limited for the author and the users. The difference is really noticeable with DDS packs, which are considerable smaller when compressed.

I think for now I keep the old-fashioned way for users downloading texture packs for all my mirrors, but I should experiment on at least one mirror with these uncompressed .zip archives meant for the Resource Packs tool.

[Bighead]

The feature is ready to be tested:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ncexwnajhi....0.b01.zip

@Admentus: It would currently be possible to see if it appears in Dolphin correctly, but installing the resource pack currently seems to have a bug where textures go to the wrong folder.

Edit: Generated 2 test packs using my tool, seems to be working as far as the UI goes. The description part might be a good place to say whether or not its PNG or DDS version of a pack.

Spoiler:

[Admentus]

Either it is because of your tool or because I redownloaded the PR, but it works! Aside from being installed to the wrong folder.

Tip: don't use the ´ symbol but the ' symbol instead for folder or file names. Dolphin's Resource Packs tool can't handle the former and uses � instead. Which leads to issues...

EDIT: Yeah, the description part would work perfectly to specify the type of textures, but since every texture pack requires to use a type of textures it could just as well be in a separate line. Basically every description would read like: "DDS BC7 Textures". What if you really have a description? For example: "Contains textures for multiple games". I feel like description is meant as an unique value for each texture pack wherein the type of textures is a common trait being shared with every texture pack, where there are only a few options currently being available (PNG, DTX, BC7, Mixed and so on).

[JMC47]

Why don't we just have a "Format" section that has that info?

[Bighead]

@JMC47: Yeah that's a great idea that would free up the description area and keep things consistent between packs. There may still be some mixed format packs out there, but generally I think most of them stick to either full PNG for preservation/quality or DDS for speed.

As for those who are testing my script, I did a small write-up here since I don't have embedded tooltips just yet:
https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-cu...#pid483982

[spycrab]

I am adding a feature to my tool that should aid in creating these resource packs.

Looks great!

EDIT: Ahhh I see, it copied to:
C:\Users\Bighead\Documents\Dolphin Emulator\Textures

Instead of...
C:\Users\Bighead\Documents\Dolphin Emulator\Load\Textures

This may be a typo/bug?

Yep, my bad. Fixed in the latest build.

[Bighead]

Tool updated on the post below, the feature is pretty much complete.
https://forums.dolphin-emu.org/Thread-cu...#pid483982

@spycrab: Great! Any chance we can get one more optional field in the json file / column in the resource pack manager? As previously discussed above, a "Format" section would be convenient. Many times a pack is offered in two flavors: PNG and DDS. This would let the user know which version they currently have installed.

[qashto]

WOW! This is great! Did I inspire this development or was this in the works before I announced Bottlenose?
https://github.com/quinton-ashley/bottlenose

[Helios]

Most of us were unaware of your tool.

[spycrab]

I was unaware of it. JMC wanted me to look into resource packs though. Dunno *maybe* he was aware of it.