Hi nfsfan83, sorry for not having answered you in PMs about this, but at this point it is useful to tell these guidelines to the whole community:
0 - HRP will always use its models for weapons, indipendently from which 2d sprites you are using. To remove models and show 2d pictures like what you want, it is needed to remove some lines from one of the ".def" files in the HRP. We will eventually see this in future.
1 - Duke3d screen area is thought as a 320x200 space, for an old 4:3 monitor , indipendently from which resolution you are using. So you can use a 320x200 pixel rectangle for scaling and positioning the weapon sprites as you want.
A 5:4 monitor will use this 4:3 formula anyway, but not widescreen like 16:9 and 16:10. So if you are making these modifies not just for yourself, you HAVE to think it widescreen and work on something like 400x200 rectangle instead.
(It is important that 320/200 is not 4/3 indeed by math, but don't make questions because Duke3D works with that

)
2 - Don't touch the code at the moment (i mean CON code), so you can only
replace single arts slot you have in ART files.
You are right about 256 colors, but you need them only if you want the same Duke palette which has
specified 256 colors. To make that, put your image in a software like ImageAnalyzer and import the palette from a proper
.pal file.
Now you have two options:
2A- PNG method
Put a transparent background on your PNG. Then you use two methods: as a general "high-res" texture, with whatever size and colors you want, or if is exactly as an original sprite in the ART files, for which you need 256 colors in duke palette and NO semitransparent pixels at all (or Eduke will render bad colors and alpha channel).
For these two methods, there are two different .def commands:
texture (with eventually
dummytile for creating a blank space) and
tilefromtexture. We will eventually see this in future, but
https://wiki.eduke32...ry:DEF_commands you can start read from this.
Also off-centering PNGs as it's done in ART files can be done in def files.
2B- ART method
There are a bunch of software to work on ART files: EDITART (dos, to be used with DosBox eventually), DukeRes, BastART, and maybe i'm forgetting some other.
I use this method, but sure there are better: i put a solid color for background (not the purple), then i change the palette in ImageAnalyzer (it is
mandatory in this case), then i copy the picture in the clipboard and paste on DukeRes in the proper ART file slot. Then i open in EDITART and make that solid color "transparent" by filling that area with the 252-0-252 purple you call in EDITART with backspace.
To offset the sprite, I press \ under escape key to offset the sprite in EDITART or use the arrow buttons in DukeRes.
Job done (IIRC

)
Important:
me and other people surely saw you have a bad english, that you are approaching duke "modding" now , and that there is a sort of over-enthusiasm (great, but not so much).
But all these are not an excuse to behave like rude/asshole/kid as someone can percept, and be offended or bothered, misunderstandings apart. Good stay

:thumbup: