SturmBot.org

Notice: This article has been edited in January 2024.

MS Paint in windows 10 and 11 is no longer recommended for editing .BMP files!!!!

• With this method, you can choose 16 modified crosshairs and still have the standard DoD Steam version.

• ALL crosshairs can be chosen by typing in a command in the console or using binds.

• Read on, just doing this may help you understand how to modify your Steam DoD 1.3 custom files of any type.

Index

You will need Tools.

1. HLTextureTools - to view .spr files and extract the BMP image from them.

2. Wavelength Sprite Wizard v1.1 3.

3. An image editor - I strongly advise you use Wally as old methods (like using windows paint past windows XP) can corrupt the .BMP files. 

For everything you need mentioned in this tutorial, I have a package for you... Go Here.

In the package you will find folders...

• 1_HLTextureTools - A program for viewing and extracting BMP images from sprite files. The crosshair final file is a .spr (sprite file) called "customxhair.spr" 
• 2_Wally - Wally is used for many things, in this case we are using it as a reliable .BMP image editor.
• 3_SprWiz - This program takes a .BMP image and converts it to a .spr file type.
• 4_template files - This folder has template files that you can use. 
• INsanes released X Hair sample - it's my release of crosshairs, made with the below method.

 The base image.

1. Start up Wally (see the "2_Wally" folder) and use the Open folder icon (top left) and navigate to the folder "4_template files" in the "xhair - small - med dots and larger cross WRGB" folder you will find a file called "Template - xhair - small - med dots and larger cross WRGB.BMP"

Do look at the image below to understand where things are in Wally.

It is a 256 X 256 Bitmap that has crosshairs that have a centre position. It is very important not to change that centre pixel. Your crosshair will be off centre.

There is a grid option that you can toggle on and off below the scissors (cut) icon. That shows screen pixels.

2. Note there are 16 "different" types. Starting from the top left this is number 1, these are numbered from left to right (as you would read a page). Number 16 is on the bottom right corner.

3. Click on View, Zoom, Custom and select 800%, press OK.

4. Click on View, Zoom, click on Show Grid.

NOTE>>>> TAKE NOTE OF THE CENTRE OF THE CROSS ON EACH ONE…NEVER CHANGE THIS …ALL YOUR SHOTS WILL BE OFF TARGET IF YOU DO : )

5. Select the pencil tool.

6. Click on the color you want in the Color Box (click View, "Color Box" if it is not visible on the right panel).

7. Using the pencil add more or change the shape and color to your liking.

8. To make a part of the cross invisible just select Black (last color) as the color. (None the Black surrounding the crosshair will not show up in the game.)

This is important as the "last colour" in the in the color Pallett (the colours in the upper right in Wally) is the one selected to be transparent.

What is the "last color"? Its in the color in the palette grid and dead last. That colour is what the next process using Wavelength Sprite Wizard will look at and make transparent.

You can select colors from the image grid or the color palette area.

Just a note, there is a black in the upper area of the palette... don't confuse that with "last color" as it is a different shade (RGB) of black.

See the image below for the location of the "last color" that matches the black on the image grid.

Wally - "last color" location (and other tools)

Using the eye dropper and pencil tool make your edits.

9. Once you have all 16 right, click "Save as" and save it as "customxhair".............. and make sure it is a "256 Color Bitmap" [.bmp] file if using paint or other editors other than Wally.

The conversion from Image to a sprite file.

10. Open "SprWiz" (Wavelength Sprite Wizard v1.1) from the folder "3_SprWiz".

11. Press "Next" then "Browse" and find the Bitmap you made called "customxhair", double click on the file.

12. Press "Next", a confirmation screen comes up to tell you the .spr file will be placed in the same folder as the Bitmap, click on "Next".

13. Select "Alphatest- 255 colors; last color is transparency." and click on "Next".

14. Click on "Finish" select the folder you made and choose "customxhair" as the file name and it will be saved as a Sprites ".spr" type file.

15. Press "OK" and "Close".

16. You now have your own set of 16 custom crosshairs ready to add to Steam DoD. See Installation Section next.

Installation Section.

The Sprites folder....

1. In the past these files go in a folder called "sprites" to add the custom crosshairs.

I recommend you use the "dod_addon" method instead like I have in my release in the folder "INsanes released X Hair sample"

2. Use that as a guide to placing in custom crosshairs, the file goes in Your Drive:\Your folders\steamapps\common\Half-Life\dod_addon\sprites

You will need a script to make it work?

It depends, there are 16 custom crosshairs and one standard crosshair after making this file.

You could just use one of them via the command "cl_xhair_style <number>" 

The other method is to use a script and a bind that cycles though all 17 types.

Want to bind all these 17 crosshairs to toggle on one key?

Add the below script to your userconfig.cfg file… (if you don't have a "userconfig.cfg" there is one included in the download)

But there is something you have to know about crosshairs and the command gl_spriteblend.

The "gl_spriteblend" issue.

The command "gl_spriteblend" alters the display of the crosshairs.

This was known a long time ago but... it looks like some have forgotten. See this achieved forum post as Cpt Darling explains the issue..

If "1" the default, the shape you made in the file will blur and look smaller and lighter.

If "0" the blurring will not occur. You can see that in the template that has a single dot.

If you want a single dot crosshair you need to have "gl_spriteblend" set a "0" (don't blur) or it will be almost invisible in game.

To see this issue, load your crosshairs and open a game.

Now look at them (use the script and bind below to cycle them)

Change the command gl_spriteblend "1" (default) to gl_spriteblend "0" 

You will note if set to "0" the crosshairs don't blur, they are sharp and look like what you have in the file you edited.

Setting back to the default you will notice it blurs.

There is another script type to solve this problem below the standard script.

The standard script

 
alias customdot "style0"

alias style0 "cl_xhair_style 0; alias customdot style1"

alias style1 "cl_xhair_style 1; alias customdot style2"

alias style2 "cl_xhair_style 2; alias customdot style3"

alias style3 "cl_xhair_style 3; alias customdot style4"

alias style4 "cl_xhair_style 4; alias customdot style5"

alias style5 "cl_xhair_style 5; alias customdot style6"

alias style6 "cl_xhair_style 6; alias customdot style7"

alias style7 "cl_xhair_style 7; alias customdot style8"

alias style8 "cl_xhair_style 8; alias customdot style9"

alias style9 "cl_xhair_style 9; alias customdot style10"

alias style10 "cl_xhair_style 10; alias customdot style11"

alias style11 "cl_xhair_style 11; alias customdot style12"

alias style12 "cl_xhair_style 12; alias customdot style13"

alias style13 "cl_xhair_style 13; alias customdot style14"

alias style14 "cl_xhair_style 14; alias customdot style15"

alias style15 "cl_xhair_style 15; alias customdot style16"

alias style16 "cl_xhair_style 16; alias customdot style0"

bind "p" "customdot"

//Favorite xhair, change the number to YOUR Favorite one cl_xhair_style 8
cl_xhair_style 8

 Script explanation....

The command you see in the script is ... cl_xhair_style "number" (from 0 to 16.) The standard DoD crosshair is "0" .... 1 - 16 are the ones you made.

That command will load the crosshair (number 1-16) from the customxhair.spr file located in your.... \sprites folder.

Note: Only the standard cross hair cl_xhair_style "0" has a dynamic action, the rest 1-16 do not have moving parts.

After you do all this.... Press "p" in the game and keep pressing it one by one to select the crosshair that is correct for the type of gun or map.

A special script - Blurred and Sharp crosshairs

The code below has the gl_spriteblend command on each line.

It alters depending on what works best for the crosshair we are changing to.

Look at this image that matches the script below that.

INsane's crosshair - copy of the BMP image numbered for the ID .

The first line is the official file, the animated cross. Commands are ... "cl_xhair_style 0; gl_spriteblend 1"

The second line is the square shape top left "1" its commands are "cl_xhair_style 1; gl_spriteblend 1;"

So the default "gl_spriteblend 1" is used on those two. It will blur that shape of the square and make a small dot on the screen.

Crosshair #2 is a single pixel, now if we left "gl_spriteblend 1" you would only see a faint small dot. 

But we do this in the script... "cl_xhair_style 2; gl_spriteblend 0;" now the blur will not occur and you will see... a single pixel dot.

That's the difference here, gl_spriteblend "blends" (blurs) sprite files.

We change that to suit in this more advanced script. However, other sprites are affected too. That's why there are two dot crosshair choices in my set.

If the user does not like the effect on other sprites... they can select #1, persons who love the laser dot ...select #2.

In the script below you can see the comments on each line of what crosshair blends or does not blend.

This is why when making your file and you see blurring, gl_spriteblend is affecting the image.

The method in the script below offers a mix of blurred types and no-blurred types.

You can use that script below or the one above, just be sure you pick a script to match the file to suit what you are trying to achieve.

 
//INsanes Crosshair and Sturmbot binds
//gl_spriteblend 0 applied to some X hairs for sharpen smaller X-Hairs set "gl_spriteblend 1" as the default (it blurs to surrounding pixles).


//crosshair cycle script
alias customdot "style1" 
alias style0 "cl_xhair_style 0; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style1"    //default X Hair - best with gl_spriteblend 1
alias style1 "cl_xhair_style 1; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style2"    //Line 1/1 White 6 dot cross - blur with gl_spriteblend 1
alias style2 "cl_xhair_style 2; gl_spriteblend 0; alias customdot style3"    //Line 1/2 White single dot (laser) - second in Line 1 Best at gl_spriteblend 0
alias style3 "cl_xhair_style 3; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style4"    //Line 1/3 White Small cross - Best at gl_spriteblend 1
alias style4 "cl_xhair_style 4; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style5"    //Line 1/4 White Large cross - Best at gl_spriteblend 1
alias style5 "cl_xhair_style 5; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style6"    //Line 2/1 Red 6 dot cross - blur with gl_spriteblend 1
alias style6 "cl_xhair_style 6; gl_spriteblend 0; alias customdot style7"    //Line 2/2 Red single dot (laser) - second in Line 2 Best at gl_spriteblend 0
alias style7 "cl_xhair_style 7; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style8"    //Line 2/3 Red Large cross - Best at gl_spriteblend 1
alias style8 "cl_xhair_style 8; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style9"    //Line 2/4 Red Small cross - Best at gl_spriteblend 1
alias style9 "cl_xhair_style 9; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style10"   //Line 3/1 Green 6 dot cross - blur with gl_spriteblend 1
alias style10 "cl_xhair_style 10; gl_spriteblend 0; alias customdot style11" //Line 3/2 Green single dot (laser) Best at gl_spriteblend 0
alias style11 "cl_xhair_style 11; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style12" //line 3/3 Green Small cross - Best at gl_spriteblend 1
alias style12 "cl_xhair_style 12; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style13" //Line 3/4 Green Large cross - Best at gl_spriteblend 1
alias style13 "cl_xhair_style 13; gl_spriteblend 0; alias customdot style14" //Line 4/1 Blue and White 6 dot cross - blur with gl_spriteblend 1
alias style14 "cl_xhair_style 14; gl_spriteblend 0; alias customdot style15" //Line 4/2 Green and white 6 dot cross - blur with gl_spriteblend 1
alias style15 "cl_xhair_style 14; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style16" //Line 4/3 Blue and White Thin cross Best at gl_spriteblend 0
alias style16 "cl_xhair_style 16; gl_spriteblend 1; alias customdot style0"  //line 4/4 Blue and thick cross  - Best at gl_spriteblend 1

bind "p" "customdot"


//Favorite xhair, change the number to YOUR Favorite one
cl_xhair_style "1"

//Sprite blend - default is gl_spriteblend "0" but "1" stops X Hair blur 
gl_spriteblend "1"

Links to other crosshair tutorials (older sites archived now)

The BullsEyE ... Info on all older Half life mods. Scroll down to the day of defeat section.

[TiC] 'TALK is CHEAP' Clan... General info on crosshairs all older Half life mods.

Animated crosshairs - the "Bring back the old one" requests.

There are other items like a trick editing the animations of the default Crosshair.

It is possible but ends up ... quite strange. The animation can be changed in the dod\sprites\hud.txt

This was done ages ago and if you want to explore fooling with the animated crosshair, read this old post.

This was a request in the old dod forums where persons were constantly asking to have the old dod crosshair from beta 3.1 and Version 1 be made as a custom crosshair.

It cannot be done as the engine was changed. 

So in that old post we see this edit to hud.txt...

here a little Tutorial : CHANGE CROSSHAIR STYLE ! ::

1. open the hud.txt ( in dod/sprites)
2. go to the cross_style_2 lines
3. change the crosshair positions

Example: (Its the Attached Crosshair ) !!

cross_style_2_horiz 640 dodcross 3 7 7 12
cross_style_2_vert 640 dodcross 1 1 1 1
cross_style_2_dot 640 dodcross 10 34 3 7

Try it, edit the hud.txt file like [SoS]Schlex says... open the game ensure you have dynamic crosshairs.

It just animates the two outside bars. They expand out when running...return when stopped.

That is about as close as persons came to making a custom 3.1 crosshair that when running the centre "dod" sways and recentres when stopped.

Can you alter the animation in the default Crosshair?  Yes!

Will it look like the 3.1 crosshair? No the engine changed what is animated.

I hope I didn't hurt your brain ?

Making crosshairs in dod is a little different than other Hal-Life mods and most older guides don't cover it well...so I made one that does.

INsane.

Webmaster sturmbot.org and dodbits.com