[Religion and Revolution]: Founding Fathers
- Thread starter Robert Surcouf
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colonialfan
Warlord
I'd be happy to help with bios and historical data.
I can start doing the bio's for these ff's this weekend.
I'll also keep looking around for appropriate pictures of other ff's needed.
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
I'd be happy to help with bios and historical data.
I can start doing the bio's for these ff's this weekend.
I'll also keep looking around for appropriate pictures of other ff's needed.
Great.
If you, Isabelxxx and myself work together on this, we should be able to create new FFs quite fast.
I have some doubts.
Just revised the files already done, and they have a size of 1 MB each!
I just want to let you know that those files can be reduced to 256 KB without reducing quality.
Also I have noticed alpha channels could be more accurate. Vanilla FFs have a sharp border except at bottom, where there is an alpha transition with the background.
The DDS created have that transition all over the image, without any sharp border.
That in my opinion gives poor results.
Should I fix/improve both?
Just revised the files already done, and they have a size of 1 MB each!
I just want to let you know that those files can be reduced to 256 KB without reducing quality.
Also I have noticed alpha channels could be more accurate. Vanilla FFs have a sharp border except at bottom, where there is an alpha transition with the background.
The DDS created have that transition all over the image, without any sharp border.
That in my opinion gives poor results.
Should I fix/improve both?
Also, I do save all the PSD files for future changes if neeeded. So if someone wants to change any art I modify, just ask me for the PSD resources and it will greatly simplify your work.
I will not be uploading those PSD files to the repository since their size is usually really big, and have no use for most users. But that's your decision. For these things I usually use a secondary repository with only art resources.
I will not be uploading those PSD files to the repository since their size is usually really big, and have no use for most users. But that's your decision. For these things I usually use a secondary repository with only art resources.
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
Well, I am no graphical modder.
Thus I simply trust your judgement.
Decreasing size without loss of quality and improving transitions sounds good to me.
Great! How do you do that? Could you give a short explanation (psd)?
I made the experience that ingame you don't see a difference (due to the background). But every improvement would be welcome!
Furtheore it would be nice, if you could give an explanation, how you make FF pictures or a short guideline how to make them in a acceptable time frame ? I'd like to learn more about psd Files.
Perfekt!
Ok, let me do a little tutorial in the subforum with the files of Paul Revere as example.
About your specific question:
I use the nvidia DDS plugin, just to be sure we are talking about the same.
When you export(save) files as dds, you have some options to play with. Most important: DDS type, Mip maps generation and Image options.
CIV only uses up to DXT5 dds mode, and that offers you a great variety of possibilities to reduce size according to the use of the image.
For instance, images with no alpha channe (or alpha channel really simple without transition l do not need DXT3 but DXT1. That greatly reduces its size!
Images with any alpha more complex than just an alpha pixel channel should use DXT3, interpolated alpha has no use at all for us....
Mip map generation is only used for Unit/building textures! You should disable that for buttons or textures which will be resized by the interface and not the graphic engine. That means almost anything used by game!
Disabling mip maps does increase image quality (!), and that's why buttons with mimaps in the dds files look blurry in game (!).
Also no mip maps --> Less size.
Finally Image options allow you to do some fine tuning to alpha channels and pixelation. I do like to use "premodulate color" which usually maintains the quality of the image as high as possible.
Compression quality affect image quality but I don't see any change in size at all. I suspect that it has to do something with the time used by engine while loading and decompressing the texture, that would be why the reason for "faster" options for ex...
For me this just takes some minutes. But I also have much experience with Photoshop....
I do think it's really easy, you just have to found the "golden steps" that work for you and that's all. But as I wrote, I will give details in a separate thread.
EDIT: Also, this will do all the optimization while showing you a direct comparison of both images (!) (i just prefer to do it manually)
http://developer.amd.com/archive/gpu/compressonator/Pages/default.aspx
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
@Isabelxxx:
The dds for the Fouding Fathers look really great.
@team:
This weekend I will try to implement these Founding Fathers:
Gabriel de Clieu --> +25% Production of Coffeeberries and +25% Production of Cocoafruits
William Barents --> +25% Production of Whaleoil + 1 Whalingship
Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada --> 1 Experienced Prospector + 1 Hardy Pioneer
Jacques Cartier --> Better Movement in Wind and Storm Features
Paul Revere --> +1 Movement for Rangers + 1 Ranger
The dds for the Fouding Fathers look really great.
@team:
This weekend I will try to implement these Founding Fathers:
Gabriel de Clieu --> +25% Production of Coffeeberries and +25% Production of Cocoafruits
William Barents --> +25% Production of Whaleoil + 1 Whalingship
Gonzalo Jimenez de Quesada --> 1 Experienced Prospector + 1 Hardy Pioneer
Jacques Cartier --> Better Movement in Wind and Storm Features
Paul Revere --> +1 Movement for Rangers + 1 Ranger
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
@team:
I have implemented the first 5 of the new Founding Fathers.
(It is uploaded to SVN.)
I have done many balancing changes and adjustments to our mod to the existing Founding Fathers as well.
I have also updated the "Founding Father Todo List" here.
Important to understand:
The order of Founding Fathers will change again, once the new ones are all implemented.
Currently I am simply attaching the new FFs at the end of the list.
@Isabelxxx:
I found some minor problems with the DDS.
(It is uploaded to SVN.)
The graphic already moved into:
...\Religion_and_Revolution\Assets\Art\interface\screens\founding_fathers
1. Paul Revere
Compared to most other FFs the picture of Paul Revere is quite small.
(It fills a smaller part of the portrait.)
Also, the dark part of the hair is hard to distinguish from background.
2. Jacques Cartier
The dark hat of Jacques Cartier cannot be distinguished from the background at all.
--------------
Maybe you can help ?
@colonialfan:
Could you please take care of the Colopedia ?
The entries are in this file:
...\Religion_and_Revolution\Assets\XML\Text\CIV4GameText_RaR_Founding_Fathers.xml
I have implemented the first 5 of the new Founding Fathers.
(It is uploaded to SVN.)
I have done many balancing changes and adjustments to our mod to the existing Founding Fathers as well.
I have also updated the "Founding Father Todo List" here.
Important to understand:
The order of Founding Fathers will change again, once the new ones are all implemented.
Currently I am simply attaching the new FFs at the end of the list.
@Isabelxxx:
I found some minor problems with the DDS.
(It is uploaded to SVN.)
The graphic already moved into:
...\Religion_and_Revolution\Assets\Art\interface\screens\founding_fathers
1. Paul Revere
Compared to most other FFs the picture of Paul Revere is quite small.
(It fills a smaller part of the portrait.)
Also, the dark part of the hair is hard to distinguish from background.
2. Jacques Cartier
The dark hat of Jacques Cartier cannot be distinguished from the background at all.
--------------
Maybe you can help ?
@colonialfan:
Could you please take care of the Colopedia ?
The entries are in this file:
...\Religion_and_Revolution\Assets\XML\Text\CIV4GameText_RaR_Founding_Fathers.xml
Attachments
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
I have uploaded several images of new Founding Fathers to /transfer.
(Meant as possible base to create dds. Maybe they are useful.
)
(Meant as possible base to create dds. Maybe they are useful.
)No problem, have in mind I don't tested them in game so I can not see how they look... just tell me any detail like those and I will improve it.
Also I just realized that I did them having in mind VANILLA FFs style, but your Colopedia page is modified. That's why it doesn't fit. I will have that detail in mind next time.
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
@Isabelxxx:
I have take a look at the temporal dds you have made for Paul Revere and Jacques Cartier in Colopedia.
Paul Revere feels now a little too big.
Somewhere in the middle between now and last time would probably fit.
Also I was thinking, that it might have looked better, if a little bit more of the the upper body would have been take from the picture.
(See the other founding fathers like Chief Powathan or Bartolome de la Casas.)
The hat of Jacques Cartier is still not visible.
(As long as it is pure black black background it will not be. It would need some slightly different shade or some surrounding.)
But I don't want to annoy you with perfectionism.
I am happy already, that I have graphics at all.
So this is really only if you want to do these changes yourself.
(Otherwise simply leave it as it is.)
I have take a look at the temporal dds you have made for Paul Revere and Jacques Cartier in Colopedia.
Paul Revere feels now a little too big.
Somewhere in the middle between now and last time would probably fit.
Also I was thinking, that it might have looked better, if a little bit more of the the upper body would have been take from the picture.
(See the other founding fathers like Chief Powathan or Bartolome de la Casas.)
The hat of Jacques Cartier is still not visible.
(As long as it is pure black black background it will not be. It would need some slightly different shade or some surrounding.)
But I don't want to annoy you with perfectionism.
I am happy already, that I have graphics at all.
So this is really only if you want to do these changes yourself.
(Otherwise simply leave it as it is.)
Attachments
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
Yes of course.
And I do also always check in game in the Founding Father Screen.
To create a good FF it is usually enough to look at Colopedia first.
Why should a FF look good in Colopedia and then bad in Founding Father Screen ?
(It is the same graphic displayed in the same size after all.)
I don't understand what you are worried about.
Because the display in the Colopedia often is (a little) different to the Display ingame.
Isn't it right that Background and size of ingame FF and Colopedia are different?
So I just wanted to make sure that we also consider ingame display when making a new FF graphic!
Isn't it right that Background and size of ingame FF and Colopedia are different?
So I just wanted to make sure that we also consider ingame display when making a new FF graphic!
raystuttgart
Civ4Col Modder
Background yes, but that is the only difference.
Otherwise it is exactly the same graphic displayed.
So getting a good look in Colopedia usually ensures a good look in Founding Father Screen.
(But as I already said: I always check both.)
Seriously, no problem. I didn't expected to make it right -without testing by myself-, so if you have to tell me 20 times to improve them, just do it!
jaja, ok.
I did that because of the tea pot... I thought it would be better without showing that, which has nothing to do with the FF itself.
I can do what you want, but have that in mind.
Ok, I can just give other color to the hat. I adjusted the luminosity of the hat and it's visible on my screen with black background, but I see what you mean... col background is not totally black.
That's what I considered. Paul Revere has a size similar to vanilla FFs, but then in Colopedia looks a bit smaller.
I will make something in between, and then you test/choose what you want.
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