At least i seem to be getting a bit better in modelling..

The key is to have a good number of different buildings though, which needs some work.

Anyway here is a fantasy set i am trying to create:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/anothera.PNG

Could someone tell me how i could make the shadows softer?

I am surprised that this actually looks like a town, even without reworking it in the Gimp.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/marguisdeshad.PNG

Oh that looksvery nice :)

Looks nice (if not a bit small as usual ;)).

If you could recolour the shadows to be a dark green or dark sand colour then they would probably fit better. :)

I could also make a building out of it, a sort of colony:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/colony.png

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/colonysplash.png

Hey, the kind of shadow the tower has in that icon is really good. :)

That shadow is produced by the green terrain. In other words it would not help at all since then i would have to remove the terrain pixel by pixel by pixel by hellish pixel!!!!

I will experiment with other single colour backgrounds though.

Couldn't you just cut and paste the shadow from the icon???

Cut & paste by what method?
I only know how to do that in paint, and it is done by painting over all the pixels around it.
This takes time. I would rather find a way to do it faster if possible.

You can cut and paste in both Paint Shop Pro, Photoshop and Gimp using the cut feature. You never used that before? :confused:

I do not see what you mean. The only way to cut and paste while keeping the outline is to go through the boring process of editing out everything around the object. Otherwise you end up with pixels which are part of what you do not want to have.

What i do is copy/paste parts of the object into a pic which i later on create a 256 colour image from. Then i copy/paste the entire old image into it, and end up with having everything outside the object being shown as just one colour or two. Then i can just erase them.

That shadow is produced by the green terrain. In other words it would not help at all since then i would have to remove the terrain pixel by pixel by pixel by hellish pixel!!!!
.

That's how I do all my mods:lol:

I have no 3d programs or Paint shop pro or Photoshop.

I do all my mods with: MS Paint, MS PhotoEditor, idraw and flicster.

All free 2d programs.

Well in the information era most things are free...

Pick one of the two walled:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/goneawall.PNG

:)

ooonnneee!

Varwnos, this city graphic looks fantastic! I've used a lot of your work before but I really think this is one of your best yet. I'm looking forward to using these graphics. As for the walled city, I have to say two. I really like the towers in the walls, and in #2 you can see both of them. However if you replace the tree on the right hand side with another tower, i would go with number 1, because then you can still see the little house on the left. Again, good work!

Edit: I was just wondering... what are the pointy parts coming out of the walls? It occurs to me that anyone trying to invade the city could use them as ramps to get over the wall...

I would prefere the second one which looks really good.
I am not sure what the building in the middle ist but I thin moving it a bit backwards an adding a fountain or a well would be even better ;)

I do not see what you mean. The only way to cut and paste while keeping the outline is to go through the boring process of editing out everything around the object. Otherwise you end up with pixels which are part of what you do not want to have.

What i do is copy/paste parts of the object into a pic which i later on create a 256 colour image from. Then i copy/paste the entire old image into it, and end up with having everything outside the object being shown as just one colour or two. Then i can just erase them.

Do you have any of the programs I mentioned before?

In any of those there is an option to mark an area that you can draw out by hand. I can't remember what it's called though, and I don't have any of the programs installed right now. :sad:

It's basicly does the same thing as the marker that lets you do squares and the magic wand, but here you can decide the exact area you want, you just have to draw it. The choose icon should be placed close to the two other icons.

I've always used this feature possibly every single graphic I ever did, so it beats how you made anything without it, but somehow you made did that quite well! :)

In the graphics program I use (on a Mac), there's a magic wand that selects a whole area, and its sensitivity to colors can be changed (1-255) so that it can grab a range of colors. I use it to grab multicolored thingies by selecting the single-colored background with it and then choosing "invert selection" from a menu. I only have to easily grab a big area of one color, and I end up with a complexly shaped object that may use a wide swathe of the palette selected.

Wow, that look good. Where's the download link :lol: ?

Now those are some impressive cities....
I have to ask why there's the sticky-out bits on the walls. What are they?

Now those are some impressive cities....
I have to ask why there's the sticky-out bits on the walls. What are they?

uh...possibly support structures, but then why make supports on the outside of the walls :crazyeye:

It looks amazing.

IMHO, 3D cities that aren't actually edited in 2D after show a greater quality and a better development of the model. :)

In the graphics program I use (on a Mac), there's a magic wand that selects a whole area, and its sensitivity to colors can be changed (1-255) so that it can grab a range of colors. I use it to grab multicolored thingies by selecting the single-colored background with it and then choosing "invert selection" from a menu. I only have to easily grab a big area of one color, and I end up with a complexly shaped object that may use a wide swathe of the palette selected.
There's a magic wand in GIMP too, called 'select contiguous regions', and you can get a similar effect using 'Select regions by colour'. The key is to set the sensitivity ('Threshold' in GIMP speak) carefully.

Here is another pic, with softer shadows:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/exa.PNG

Woohooo softer shadows!!! :woohoo:

It's great!

An in-game preview:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/ingeim.PNG

Man your such a visionary, this look is dope.
Imagine combining what you got here with a terrain set all redone in complimentary 3d'ish style?.

What you get is an idea of how civ4 could have evolved 2d instead of metamorph into garbage in 3d

What you get is an idea of how civ4 could have evolved 2d instead of metamorph into garbage in 3d


:lol: :lol: :lol:

The colours may still change.

I could even use the Bryce original, which is this:


http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/bryce.PNG

Varwnos, your new cities are reaching breathtaking dimensions. :goodjob: Each time when I think, this city you are doing now, is one of the best cities ever done for Civ 3, you top it with something better. :)

But I´m somewhat confused with these "pseudopodia" around the city. Support structures don´t explain this enough. What was your inspiration for these fingers around the city? At first I thought these could be commercial docks, but when the city is placed not on a coast?

Each way, your work is great. :thumbsup:


@ T.A JONES: Very nice formulation, about the Civ 4 graphics. :agree:
But the people, who should read this (FIRAXIS) won´t read it, and if they would read it, it seems, they can´t understand it.

They are support structures. If they were on the inside they would not show at all, struggling with the rest of the gfx. They are a bit out of scale, of course, with the rest of the wall, but again if they were in scale nothing much would be seen of them :)

Thank you for the explanation. :)

This is how it would look without them:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/nosupport.PNG

In my eyes, that would look even better. :)

that looks really nice Varwnos. I think it looks better w/o the support structures. Like Civinator, it looked like commercial docks to me as well. This is really awesome though. Great work.

I changed the centerpiece a bit, with a little 2-d work:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/a12.PNG

I think it's a little bit better before. Also that cross makes them a little non generic. Before they could be used easily for fantasy mods. They are still the best though.

What was better before? The central building, or the colours?

Since i still have the metropolis to make, i can change the colours again.

Anyway here are 1 and 2 with and without the cross:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/crisscross.PNG

The cross really doesn't go with the rest of the city. The rest of the city is rather fantasy but the cross is rather historicl. This new one seems more mediteranean. Without the cross the new one is better.

I also think they were a bit better before. :)

My favorites are:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/ingeim.PNG

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/bryce.PNG

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/nosupport.PNG

Though the last one is good too, IMO, the cross doesn't really fit. :) I can't really decide which I like most. Release them all :D

If possible release them all. Also in the orage tin one. Shouldn't the trees still be green.

...

I will first create the final city, and then try some more different colourings.

In my eyes the best (not grey version) is the colour versoin of post 23 with the houses inside the city along the citywall are coloured like in post 25 and a "no-fingers-wall" :) around the city.

The cross in the center is something for a victory point. But it´s much too big in comparison to the rest of the city, especially the church-towers. In my eyes, it shouldn´t be included in the city graphic.

Thoughts on the metro?

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/compl.PNG

I might rework the wall, or upload two versions of it anyway.

You mean, apart from the fact that it's great? ;)

Maybe add some more buildings to the city and metro? :)

The metro, unfortunately, was lost in a save (i saved size #2 over it...).

But perhaps it is for the best, anyway, since now i can move on to finishing them.

Here they are with a few colour changes. I decided to finish the colours in Bryce, so as to abandon the other step of massively reworking them in the gimp.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/mprai.png

I have also thought of taking out the two upper parts of the towers, in #1 and walled, and leaving just the rest of the building, while keeping them in #2 and #3. Since anyway the centerpiece is not them, it could enhance the sense that the city is expanding.

I like that idea. It would make #1 have just houses pretty much. #2 would get the towers, and #3 gets the cool little castle or fort that you added in to go with it.

I have also thought of taking out the two upper parts of the towers, in #1 and walled, and leaving just the rest of the building, while keeping them in #2 and #3. Since anyway the centerpiece is not them, it could enhance the sense that the city is expanding.

I really like this idea as well. Also, I think the Bryce colors look the best so good call on using them. I think I too would prefer the walls without the support structures though. But hey, you're the artist ;)

This is yet another version.....

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/1fin.PNG

it looks very red compared to the other versions, so i prefere the others...

I would suggest softer colors and softer shadows.
Specifically, reduce the color intensity. reduce specularity. Slightly increase ambient colors.
As is, it seems overly contrasty.

True. Anyway i am making more changes:


http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/awraia.PNG

Can you suggest colour changes i could do in Bryce?

For example: pale cyan upper tower walls, or white?

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/tow.PNG

The graphics remind me of Anno 1602. You should try upper tower walls white with the red spire roof pale cyan. :D

What would you think of a different perspective?

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/megapolisbk.PNG

Not in this size (this is a civ2 megastructure) but from that angle.

that would definitely be interesting!! I'd like to see a preview in game though :)

I'd think you were on crack. But they're still cool!

Here is a warcraft-looking one as well :)

http://forums.civfanatics.com/uploads/36763/warcraft.PNG

That's great, a whole new way to look at things... literally! :D

Can you suggest colour changes i could do in Bryce?

I think the actual colors used are a matter of just taste. My comments had only to do with color and shadow intensity.

For example, in the skylab you can adjust the shadow color. Do this first. Play with it until your shadow on the ground is a softer more appealing (semi-transparent) shade. See the shadows on the hills in your post.

Next, in the material room for the buildings, you can adjust the diffuse and ambient colors and the color saturation.

http://img263.imageshack.us/img263/3673/blueshadowsvu2.gif
The first square is sorta what you did. High saturation colors, with overly dark shadows. In the 2nd image, the shadows are reduced by increasing ambience and decreasing the diffuse color. In the final square, the saturation of the actual color used is reduced.

But, since you asked about the colors. I suggest you keep to the colors of the materials they used to build with. tan mud, Red brick, gray stone, dakr and light brown stone, and so on. With occasionally a painted or guilded building or two. And, as you get more modern, add more color.... but again subdued.

Finally, consider using a little bit of bump map and or texturing on your buildings. Easy way to make them look like brick and stone is to add just a little texture detail.

ps: I prefer the standard perspective. And my comments on the colors seem to apply less to your current batch.

I finished it.
It can be found here: http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?p=5808955#post5808955

Man, they are great!

Can U make this two-towered building bigger, so I could use it for WC3?

And I wish that there was a white colour variation