Hello,
Is it possible to swap out or edit some of the advertisements that we see around the tracks? If so can someone suggest where the images are so I can try to edit my own items in. My twelve year old twins love LFS and I would enjoy surprising them.

Thanks.

Hey there

I am sorry that I canot provide you with the info of what files the adds are located in, it's in DDS files but not sure of witch one it is.
However, there are people that has edited them before, so I am sure there is a way doing this. Best suggestion would be to take a look in the DDS folder, convert the files to JPEG and then open them in a suitable image editing program and see what is what.

They are JPG's and are located in pic/ folder. Those names are formed like AB_ADSx.JPG, where AB = short track name (e.g. FE for Fern Bay) and x = digit. There are XX_ADS1, XX_ADS2, and so counting files.

Ahh, good someone has the knowlege
Thanks for clearing that out, actually been wondering if I should give it a try myself to play around a little with those things.

Thanks for pointing out where the files are. It seems odd to see several "advertisements" layered in a single jpeg. LFS must strip them out and align them in a row along the track wall.

If I want to edit some billboard do I just fix up the layer I want and hope that LFS does the rest?

Thanks for the input.
Cheers

The majority of the ad files have 4 banners or signs in each file on top of eachother, so i would work on four 128x512 banners and you should be about right.

Best thing to do is make a backup of the files first, then edit each one for the track that you want to change. Add numbers, "1-1" - 1 for the first ad board, then 1 for the top one of that jpeg, then 2, etc, in say, pink writing so that you know exactly which one refers to which ad. Then reload the track (or change between low and high res textures in the options > graphics menu which does the same thing) and you can use the shift + u camera to see where the ads are!

Oh yeah, laying down rectangle instead of standing on end one.

I am so impressed with LFS. I layered in my own images in the JPEG files and up they went around the Kyoto Ring. Thank you to the posters for pointing out the way.

Take a piccy for us =)

With a bit of time and effort and experimenting as to which files do what, you can customise things very well indeed.

On this subject it would be quite nice if you could control adverts around a track server side rather than each individual LFS installation needing certain things. We spend time downloading skins so it shouldn't be too much of an effort to go to more personalised servers.

Some FM members have things like this when we are on the Oval, which lets face it, is quite a lot of the time lol.

Server side ads have been discussed at length.

The colnclusion most times is that it is too open to abuse, or that people will turn off the option to save bandwidth/disk space.

The bandwidth/disk space argument doesn't really come into it, as normal skins downloaded are 171kB, while any of the default sized ads (512*) I've done have been a maximum of 300kB, and on average they are in the mid to low 200kB+ range - and that's without any JPEG compression! So essentially, they are just like downloading an extra skin and a helmet (43kB).

Quote from Bean0 :

Server side ads have been discussed at length.

The colnclusion most times is that it is too open to abuse, or that people will turn off the option to save bandwidth/disk space.

I can definitely understand the abuse concerns. I don't see why that cannot be controlled, all it would take is for players to complain about a certain server because they had put porn up or something.

I believe at the moment you can complain about account names and skins if they are deemed inappropriate, why not the same thing for adverts.

It might also be an opportunity for additional revenue either for teams or LFS directly. Anyway if it has already been discussed to death, I'm sure I'm saying nothing which hasn't already been said.

Quote from Bean0 :

Server side ads have been discussed at length.

The colnclusion most times is that it is too open to abuse, or that people will turn off the option to save bandwidth/disk space.

what if they were controlled at the dev level? they sell them like real billboards, and only allow what ads they choose? (maybe they do already, i don't know, never looked into it)

the only thing i didn't like about when CS/etc started adding the ads, they would add ads for the orange box... while they are both valve products, i wasn't too keen on seeing gordon freeman's face pasted everywhere...

i imagine they could also be used to advertise teams and/or upcoming events... it would give an additional ad stream for users in combination with LFSW-news and the forums.

just tossing some stuff out there.

edit: almost forgot... and so what if people turn them off? if they do, maybe there could be a standard defacto image they can use in it's place... maybe the default ones currently in use?

Would it be possible for a 3rd party app to do it ?

Server/league admins could then put have their ads in a central location which could be self-regulated. Obviously it would be up to the users to run the app, but given time it could build up a following.

I have no idea about how possible it is, more tossing of stuff I suppose

Quote from Bean0 :

Would it be possible for a 3rd party app to do it?

probably, but that's a pita. imo if approved, an in-game method would be better.