Here is the not so short and oh so very sweet.
So far with all my sifting through several programs I found that the very one I started out with does most everything I was trying to do. Chasing wild geese again. This is also the same program BoogieBac mentioned in his 1st Tutorial. Turns out it is even more useful than some of us thought.
The program: Rad Tools
Where to get it: Link
Cost: Free. No I'm not stutering again. Free I tell you. Read the liscence.
What it will do:
Display various movie files including GalCiv's BIK also known as bink files.
(Hit space to pause.)
Convert movie formats. BIK, AVI, etc.
Convert back to BIK GalCiv format.
Resize (scale) movies to match what the game is expecting to see.
Play a BIK etc, and hit "File Info" in RadTools while its playing and you'll get the low down.
Crop away frames (sections) from where-ever you want from movie.
Extract any or all still images from inside of the movie file.
Re-compile it back into a BIK.
Strip the sound from the file.
Add sound to the file.
Mix sound to the file.
Convert sound formats.
Convert still image formats like pcx, jpg, tga, bmp, etc.
Very important, it can save files in 8 Bit 256 color PCXs for GalCiv use.
Read BoogieBacs tutorial if you want to put your mother inlaw in the game in place of those most pleasent Drengin. Easily done.
Crop precisely sections you want from image files.
Wash the dinner dishes.
Tip the gardner.
And oh so very much else.
Odds are your computer has a ton of BIK video files on it already cluttering up your game directories. A lot of which will be publisher logos, not all but many. Be careful not to rename those logo files to something else or the game will most likely load without the pleasure of seeing them!
Something could be done with all those MP3 you have. Do something beside scratch yourself with that dusty old microphone.
So go get the Rad Tools and load up some BIKs, and do some swapping and scaling (resizing) some deleting, some editing, some recording, get out that digital camera thats gathering dust and do something with it.
In another words go mod something. Theres an evil man living in my house named Stephen that plans on using the BIKs inside Stronghold Crusader for his own evil purposes. We have been trying to get him to take his medicine, but all he does is rant about Angelina Jolie. Go figure?
theres more than one. I got the Bink Video one that plays em all but I havent see any options or editors it jsut plays the movie and goes away.At least I get to see all the movies I havent seen yet.
Great, thanks for the info. I'm downloading it now, and I'm hopeful that I can play some of the vidoes smoothly on my 450K62. Wouldn't it be strange if I could? Anyway, thanks again.
