Is it just me or is the Civilization 4 icon ugly?

I copied some graphic resources from the game and quickly put together an icon that I think is slightly prettier.

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3520/civ4icon1ux.png (http://imageshack.us)

Is it just me or is the Civilization 4 icon ugly?

It's not just you - it looks like it's some sort of PC game! Makes me feel :rolleyes: (you know, like when you build your city on a floodplain or in the jungle).

Is it just me or is the Civilization 4 icon ugly?

I copied some graphic resources from the game and quickly put together an icon that I think is slightly prettier.

http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/3520/civ4icon1ux.png (http://imageshack.us)
Not bad! Stock bits but nice composition...

Thank you.

By the way if anybody can spot a higher resolution image of the helmet that appears in my icon please let me know. I'd much prefer an icon with just the helmet but I couldn't find any larger pic of it that would fill the 128 by 128 pixel dimension of a standard Mac OS X icon.

Nice! The first time I saw the Civ IV icon it made me cringe.

I'd actually kinda like a version that was just the globe.

I kinda thought about making a globe wearing the helmet...

What I'd like to know is where are the files that they use for the titles. I used the little one for the folder title but I'd like the big one, especially the one that starts out that stone color and fades to blue.

I'm guessing that's an animation somewhere (it does fade to blue on the splash screen) but I don't know where it is or what it would be called. I've thought about cropping a screengrab but you always lose resolution (...that and masking is a time-consuming drag when I'd rather be playing).

As for the globe, that can be arranged.

Quick question:
Is the icon file such that I can just paste it onto the application in its get info box? Or is there a more complicated procedure involved in applying it to Civ IV?

Yeah, just use get info.

What I'd like to know is where are the files that they use for the titles. I used the little one for the folder title but I'd like the big one, especially the one that starts out that stone color and fades to blue.

On the official Civ IV website you can download a "fansite kit" which includes decent sized logo images. I'm not sure if it has the exact title's your looking for but it has two different varieties. Here's (http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/downloads/civ4FansiteKit.zip) a direct link to the download (31.5 MB).

Nice! The first time I saw the Civ IV icon it made me cringe.

I'd actually kinda like a version that was just the globe.

Here's just the globe:

http://img139.imageshack.us/img139/8049/globe1st.png (http://imageshack.us)

Yeah, just use get info.
Well I tried that and it didn't really work properly for me because it didn't get the mask info when I copied it from Preview the obvious way. Maybe I missed something (detailed instructions welcome).

Anyway, it was easy enough to 'show package contents', navigate to the resources folder and replace the AppIcon.icns file there with the new one provided by ziutek. I logged out and back in to force the Finder to update - there may be a better way to do this - and I'm good to go.

Thanks ziutek - so much more Mac-like.

On the official Civ IV website you can download a "fansite kit" which includes decent sized logo images. I'm not sure if it has the exact title's your looking for but it has two different varieties. Here's (http://www.2kgames.com/civ4/downloads/civ4FansiteKit.zip) a direct link to the download (31.5 MB).
Cool. Thanks for the link, amigo.

Downloading now... Should be fun to play with.

Anyway, it was easy enough to 'show package contents', navigate to the resources folder and replace the AppIcon.icns file there with the new one provided by ziutek. I logged out and back in to force the Finder to update - there may be a better way to do this - and I'm good to go.



When I meant use get info––Get info on the AppIcon.icns file, select and copy the icon, Get info on your Civ IV app, paste said icon. You're done. :) Much easier.

When I meant use get info––Get info on the AppIcon.icns file, select and copy the icon, Get info on your Civ IV app, paste said icon. You're done. :) Much easier.
Well that makes a whole lot of sense - a lot more than my muddled thinking at any rate.

While you're complaining about the look of the Civ IV icon... the hard drive one looks kind of dumb to me too. And I don't like the fonts. Something about that opening screen just looks cheap.

While you're complaining about the look of the Civ IV icon... the hard drive one looks kind of dumb to me too. And I don't like the fonts. Something about that opening screen just looks cheap.
If you read the readme attached to the fonts which sets out their licensing terms you get the idea that the fonts were used because they were free.

I logged out and back in to force the Finder to update - there may be a better way to do this - and I'm good to go.

Couple options here:
1. Force quit the Finder (opt+cmd+esc or under the Apple menu) - it'll automatically relaunch
2. Open Terminal and type (without the quotes) "killall Finder". Again, Finder will automatically restart.

Oh, and thanks for the new app icon - much better than before.

Nice! The first time I saw the Civ IV icon it made me cringe.

I can't say it thrilled me either. I do like the submitted icon at the top of the thread though. It's very very nice.

When I meant use get info––Get info on the AppIcon.icns file, select and copy the icon, Get info on your Civ IV app, paste said icon. You're done. :) Much easier.

Ha! It took a wee bit of experimentation, but I changed the default Civ IV icon to the much more beautiful (and appropriate) globe. Heh. I was trying to copy the actual preview image, and it wasn't working. That's when I copied the actual "little" icon in the Get Info window, pasted it, and voila!

Gatekeeper :goodjob:

It does look nice, but I'm a little disappointed such minds haven't included a reference Macs. I just whipped this little baby up for you folks. ;)

Am I the only person who think the "CIV" icon is clever? (you know, the "IV" in "Civ" meaning 4?)

Hmm. Is there a freeware or shareware program of some sort that allows one to mess around with graphics and whatnot? I ask because eventually I'm going to attempt to add a civilization or two to the game and, from what I can tell, I'll need to craft the flag and leaderhead on my own.

Gatekeeper

Hmm. Is there a freeware or shareware program of some sort that allows one to mess around with graphics and whatnot? I ask because eventually I'm going to attempt to add a civilization or two to the game and, from what I can tell, I'll need to craft the flag and leaderhead on my own.

GatekeeperI like GraphicConverter (http://www.lemkesoft.com/en/graphdownld_en.htm) from Lemkesoft.

Ancestral:

OK, I downloaded GraphicConverter. Does this thing require registration in order to work properly? I got some curious windows when launching it for the first time; I aborted them halfway through and, while the program appears to work, it's listed as an unregistered version.

Gatekeeper

You have to buy it to avoid a delayed startup.

Delayed startup? What does that all entail? Sitting around for 15 minutes after the program launches before it will allow you to do anything? And if one has to buy it, doesn't that disqualify it as freeware or shareware?

Gatekeeper

Delayed startup? What does that all entail? Sitting around for 15 minutes after the program launches before it will allow you to do anything? And if one has to buy it, doesn't that disqualify it as freeware or shareware?

Gatekeeper

Last time I checked or used GraphicConverter, it had a 30 second delayed start. Freeware is just that, free, while shareware has a small charge if you really want to use it a lot. I periodically use GraphicConverter, but not enough to register it. For what you are thinking of doing, I would pay the money and have at it. It is a nice piece of independent software, and an awful lot cheaper and more capable than Photoshop Elements, and when it comes to handling odd graphic formats, superior to Photoshop CS, which I also have, as well.

Shareware normally has a charge for its license. The "Share" in shareware just means everyone can distribute it to other people. The fact that shareware allows you to run part or all of the program without paying doesn't mean it's "free" as in free beer. Read the licenses on your shareware. You'll generally find you owe the programmer a buck or three.

A 30-second startup delay isn't too bad, and neither is paying programmer(s) $1 to $3 (or a bit more) for their efforts.

The only problem with the latter is that I do not trust Paypal or other online payment services. I don't bank online, either, for that matter. So what would be a good way to get the funds to the programmer(s) in question?

Odds are, I'd only use GC a few times, i.e., such as creating/modifying a flag graphic and/or a still leaderhead graphic. I'm not so much into terrain and unit alterations. Heh. Probably because, well, I'm not that great of an artist, and will have a heckuva time getting my XML, Python and GC skills up to speed.

Gatekeeper

A 30-second startup delay isn't too bad, and neither is paying programmer(s) $1 to $3 (or a bit more) for their efforts.

The only problem with the latter is that I do not trust Paypal or other online payment services. I don't bank online, either, for that matter. So what would be a good way to get the funds to the programmer(s) in question?

Odds are, I'd only use GC a few times, i.e., such as creating/modifying a flag graphic and/or a still leaderhead graphic. I'm not so much into terrain and unit alterations. Heh. Probably because, well, I'm not that great of an artist, and will have a heckuva time getting my XML, Python and GC skills up to speed.

Gatekeeper
Graphic Converter is one of those Mac apps that has been around for ages. I have never used it intensively. But I keep using it for 'this and that'. That's why I registered my copy recently. It just keeps on being useful in little ways.