[Religion and Revolution]: Starting Screen

KJ Jansson is back !

That really is fantastic news !

Sure, take your time to read.
But man, the two of us should talk afterwards.

We have done and will do some interesting things in this project.

@KJ:

About your background image for the Starting Screen:

The middle part is ok but the parts on the right and on the left do not really fit to the theme of "Colonization of the New World".

However thanks a lot for your efforts.

Hi Ray!

raystuttgart said:

About your background image for the Starting Screen:

The middle part is ok but the parts on the right and on the left do not really fit to the theme of "Colonization of the New World".

Click to expand...

I know, but a part of background screen should be somehow related to Religion. Moreover, to religion of XV-XVI century. This is a main problem: to find a correct painting. Maybe you have something?

raystuttgart said:

However thanks a lot for your efforts.

Click to expand...

"Efforts"! You are joking. Just few minutes of work.

KJ Jansson said:

Maybe you have something?

Click to expand...

Yes, I have collected a few images.

Did you see the screen I created here ?
(I am still a beginner with things like that. )

agaro is also currently creating a screen for us.
(He had some interesting ideas how to improve the screen I made.)

I would first like to wait a little and see his suggestion / creation.

agaro said:

However, if the Col screen graphics files are just normal image files such as jpegs/gifs/bmps (or can be created from just normal image files) then perhaps I can help.

I should be able to create a basic collage in photoshop and then send it back to you as a single image in whatever size you want. If this is something you are interested in (and you were interested in my suggestions) post your original images somewhere I can get them (for some reason I couldn't open the images in the 7z files above).

Click to expand...

Hi agaro!

Could you, please, download here your basic collage when it will be ready. Any format (jpg, bmp, etc.) is OK for me. I could convert your image in a background of required size/dimensions/format.

KJ Jansson said:

Hi agaro!

Could you, please, download here your basic collage when it will be ready. Any format (jpg, bmp, etc.) is OK for me. I could convert your image in a background of required size/dimensions/format.

Click to expand...

KJ, I was really missing you.
I will surely be a great step forward for this project to have you around again.

Hi Guys,

Here is a draft version. I need to redo the gun cutout, but this should give you an idea of how it looks.

At the moment the bottom picture looks a bit more dominant, but I think it will be OK when the menu is over the top of it. I can also make the bottom picture darker or less clear if you want.

Happy to hear suggestons. If it was easy for someone to post a version with the menu and exit bar added that would be handy.

First of all:
Thanks agaro for your willingness to help and for your efforts.

Some feedback (positive and negative):

Please excuse some critcs.
They are really not meant unfriendly.
I could not do it better myself.

1. I like the general assembly of the picture.
The way the two halves of the screen are divided, looks good.
Also mirroring the upper image so that the chapel is on the left looks good.

2. The gun generally fits very well into the overall assembly.
However, the borderline around the gun is very dotted and there are several white fragments around, which do not look very pretty.
(You already said yourself that it should be redone. )

3. The title "Religion and Revolution" in the right upper corner is ok.
However, I do not like the fontstyle. There are much nicer fonts out there.
The box as background of the title is not really necessary.
I would prefer having no box in the background of it or if anything at all something that looks like pergament or anything like that.

4. The lower image I do not like.
It is too light, too realistic and not atmospheric.
It looks like a picture from some festival from the United States where some people were playing one of the famous fights.

But that is only my opinion, let us see, what the others think about it.
(I will wait for feedback of the others, but I can create an ingame screenshot then of course.)

Hi everybody!

First of all, thank you, agaro, for your work and your variant. I like your idea of the background image a transition from religion to revolution.

However, I don't like both images on the screen. To my opinion, top one is too dark, bottom one is too realistic.

Based on your composition I prepare an alternative variant.

Here both parts are
1. related to the period of colonization and revolution,
2. are painted.

Hi KJ,

some feedback about your variant:
(Also please excuse any critcs. )

1. The gun itself looks very good.

But would it be possible to have the gun form the border between the two parts from left to right ?
(To my opinion the small parts at the left side and on the right side where the two images come together would look better then.)

2. The upper image of the Screen fits quite well to the theme of the game.

3. I somehow do not like the lower part of the Screen.
It reminds me of some scene from Russia or eastern Europe.
(Also I can see knights with metal helmets.)
It simply does not feel like "New World" to me ...

4. In general you variant is totally different atmosphere than what I had tried to create in my variant.
(Which is not necessarily negative, it is just an observation at this point. )

Your variant is a lot "brighter" and much more detailled than mine.
I had tried to create a "darker" atmosphere on purpose.
But that is simply a matter of taste.

5. Generally the arrangement and the style of the two images really fit together.

Summary:

My main "negative" point with your variant is, that I somehow do not feel like the lower images itself fits.
Otherwise I think that you are going into a good direction. (The overall assembly is good.)
Although I would have personally preferred a "darker" atmosphere I think that that is simply my personal taste and
maybe we should really go with your style.

But before you start to change anything let us see, what the others think about it.

raystuttgart said:

3. I somehow do not like the lower part of the Screen.
It reminds me of some scene from Russia or eastern Europe.
(Also I can see knights with metal helmets.)
It simply does not feel like "New World" to me ...

Click to expand...

Hi Ray!

You are real specialist in Russian and eastern Europe painting! The lower part of image is a part of "Die Belagerung von Czestochowa (1843) by Polish painter January Suchodolski.

OK, I will read your critics more carefully and prepare next variant.

KJ Jansson said:

You are real specialist in Russian and eastern Europe painting!

Click to expand...

KJ Jansson said:

OK, I will read your critics more carefully and prepare next variant.

Click to expand...

No need to hurry.
(The others might have totally different opinion than I do. )

Variants 4 & 5

1. Top part without changes
2. Gun is oriented by the same way because all actions on this collage are from Left to Right.
3. Lower image is "Battle of Bunker Hill" painting.

All three parts are historically correct, however, the lower part is too bright even for me.

Variant 4 here:
http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/3466/variant4.jpg

Variant 5:

I found a new painting from the same battle. Probably, the best up to now.

1. About the gun / borderline between the two images:

I would like the gun to form the complete borderline between the two images.
Is that possible ?

2. The lower image now fits to the theme of the game.

However it really is very bright.

It also is much more realistic than the upper part.
(Which now forms quite a contrast between upper and lower part.)

I know I am very critical, please forgive.

By the way:
It is not necessary to have a Starting Screen composed of two parts ...
(That was simply my idea, when I created my variant.)

Simply trying to explain something:
(It is pretty strange to do critics about my own work, but if you take a look at my variant here.
Simply as an example.)

I know that it is not detailled or informative but:

1. Both parts have similar style.
2. Coloration / brightness somehow fits to each other.

--> It does not feel like two images would have been assembled "randomly".
--> It creates a certain atmosphere.

See, if I see my background image, it simply creates a feeling / an atmosphere.
If I take a look at your background image, I start examining all the details and try to understand the "story" behind.

These are 2 very different things.

I would really like to clarify which way we might want to procede.
(Not necessary meaning, that we should take my variant.
You could probably make an "Atmosphere Variant" much better. )

Atmosphere vs. Story

I updated my previous post

KJ Jansson said:

I updated my previous post

Click to expand...

Yes, I personally think the current lower part is better than the one before.

But I must ask:
What is the flag on the right of the lower part ?
(It is very unfamiliar to me. )

By the way:
Please excuse my "perfectionism", especially because I couldn't do better.

raystuttgart said:

1. About the gun / borderline between the two images:

I would like the gun to form the complete borderline between the two images.
Is that possible ?

Click to expand...

Of course, but it looks worse. The gun was in full screen on my draft versions.

raystuttgart said:

2. The lower image now fits to the theme of the game.

However it really is very bright.

It also is much more realistic than the upper part.
(Which now forms quite a contrast between upper and lower part.)

Click to expand...

It was the main reason why I updated lower part. I tried to edit color/brightness etc. but results was rather bad. Thus, variant 4 was removed.

raystuttgart said:

I know I am very critical, please forgive.

Click to expand...

This is OK! I'm looking the optimal variant. The editing is required couple minutes for me. Much more time I spend uploading the image on the server.

raystuttgart said:

By the way:
It is not necessary to have a Starting Screen composed of two parts ...
(That was simply my idea, when I created my variant.)

Click to expand...

No, this is a very good idea. Both parts of the mod "Religion" and "Revolution" should be on the image. This, the screen should be divided on two parts, as proposed agaro.

raystuttgart said:

1. Both parts have similar style.
2. Coloration / brightness somehow fits to each other.

--> It does not feel like two images would have been assembled "randomly".
--> It creates a certain atmosphere.

Click to expand...

I'm looking exactly such variant.

raystuttgart said:

Yes, I personally think the current lower part is better than the one before.

But I must ask:
What is the flag on the right of the lower part ?
(It is very unfamiliar to me. )

Click to expand...

For me, too. Sorry.
I used this version: http://shs.westport.k12.ct.us/jwb/honorsus/images/BunkHill.jpg

However, there is a better version of "The death of general Warren at the battle of Bunker Hill"

Original image here: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...neral_warren_at_the_battle_of_bunker_hill.jpg

Please, see the colors of the flags.

KJ Jansson said:

Of course, but it looks worse. The gun was in full screen on my draft versions.

Click to expand...

Ok.

KJ Jansson said:

No, this is a very good idea. Both parts of the mod "Religion" and "Revolution" should be on the image. This, the screen should be divided on two parts, as proposed arago.

Click to expand...

Good, I just did not want to limit your "freedom" for designing a screen.

KJ Jansson said:

I'm looking exactly such variant.

Click to expand...

And each version became better.

Next attempt with the same images.

Here:

1. Gun is a little bit larger
2. Lower image is updated on better quality



P.S. Maybe there is a reason the create a SPECIAL contrast between brighter Religion and darker Revolution?

Let's wait some feedback from our colleagues and the visitors.