Well, it sounds like you've somehow ended up with the wrong gui_master.dds - the file that has all the pictures for the HUD. Are you running a hud mod? The gun thing is a known issue with lifeform class - for some reason, EGO hardcoded the lifeform class to the active AHEPT icon... So the XTM guys included their own gui_master to bypass the issue (and moved AHEPT to a different spot).
Here's the guts of what I just sent someone else about doing hud modding... I figure I'll just throw it in the thread rather than more PMs:
You need to be using a good image editor. I use Photoshop Elements (I tend to use 4.0, but have 3.0 as well as Photoshop CS2). You'll also (as fud points out) need a tool to open the .dds files -
Here's a link to the nvidia tools page (has links to the photoshop and 3ds max plugins). You can also use the converter that fud mentions in his tutorial (link below), but it isn't as good as a plugin - quality-wise.
You'll also need at least X3 Mod manager by Doubleshadow - if you get X3 Editor, it's included...
link
Here's a link to a tutorial that the guy (fud) who "taught" me wrote a long time ago. Unfortunately, his pictures are all gone now, but the text is pretty good.
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=
My recommendation is to open up my mod and any others out there (LH's, fud's, some on German forums) and just take a look at what we did - as well as finding gui_master.dds in the cat/dats by ego (I think the newest is in 08 or 09.cat) - and for XTM stuff, the most important one is the one in the XTM cat/dat. You'll need Doubleshadow's exceptional X3 Mod manager here. To be able to make the mod. I recommend setting it up as a false patch (create your cat file with X3MM in your main X3 directory giving it a number one higher than the highest existing one) - don't overwrite into an existing file (except your own), you may break your install.
One key to success: Use the alpha channel (fud talks about how to open this). You can make a square of a color and then just draw the alpha over it - X3 will only display what is highlighted in the alpha.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Here's some other links that will help:
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=
http://forum.egosoft.com/viewtopic.php? ... highlight=