ARCHIVED: WIPs - Interfaces & Static PCXs

[Blue Monkey]

Hope you don't mind that I started a new thread. It made sense to me to get one going for the 2D work that Balthasar & I are doing, and I'm sure others will eventually contribute as well.

Here's where I'm at with the era splashes -

I came up with five images I really liked. So eventually there will be five in the set. Because of the pictures I chose for now I'm calling them:

• Age of Clockwork
• Age of Steam
• Age of Analysis (Babbage or Freud or both)
• Age of Electricity
• Age of Automata

I've got versions saved with & without titles in case you want different labels or none. Era 1 (Clockwork) is shown in a finished (unless there's an oops) state. The preview of the others shows versions without titles and without palette reduction. I hope it's obvious which is which.

Era 1


Eras Preview Thumbnail

 

[Blue Monkey]

Here's Era 2. It's a slow process to finish these because a large amount of pixel-by-pixel cleanup is needed around the title.

 

[Moosezilla]

Go Blue! ...and I don't mean Michigan!

 

[Balthasar]

Sorry it took me so long to spot the new thread! These are absolutely beautiful Blue. I've spent some time trying to come up with constructive suggestions, but these are so perfect that there's almost nothing that I can suggest, save for this: I understand (and vigorously support!) the breakdown of the ages into clockwork, steam, electricity and automata, and I am intrigued by the possibilities of each, but (you can see this coming) why have an Age of Analysis? It doesn't seem to fit. Explain, please.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Sorry it took me so long to spot the new thread! These are absolutely beautiful Blue. I've spent some time trying to come up with constructive suggestions, but these are so perfect that there's almost nothing that I can suggest, save for this: I understand (and vigorously support!) the breakdown of the ages into clockwork, steam, electricity and automata, and I am intrigued by the possibilities of each, but (you can see this coming) why have an Age of Analysis? It doesn't seem to fit. Explain, please.

There are only four eras but I had five really nice pictures.

Then I had to come up with & justify the specific name. I told myself - how could you have a SteamPunk world without some analog to Babbage's engines? (Gibson & Sterling, anyone?). Turing machines (general purpose computational devices) would have to precede true automata in a logical progression of technology. The Analytic Engine was more general purpose than the Difference Engine; and also it allowed the word play connecting in psychiatry, which was at least in proto form by the late Victorian Era (conscious machines & man's unconscious).

I'm finishing the pixel clean up on the last of the eras that remained to do. I hope to post the set by the end of the week.

And speaking of difference engines - here's a little sneak peek at my other major project (well more of just a tease) - the one I've been working on for a few months now:



Let's just say that it's got about eight bits' worth of brothers & sisters. But keep that under your hat.

 

[Balthasar]

YESYes! You are cookin' some good stew there, brother. I'm working on some terrain ideas I can preview soon.

Edit: I wanted to mention that I like the type fonts you're using.

 

[Virote_Considon]

Nice work, Blue!

 

[Blue Monkey]

Thanks, guys.

Edit: The fonts used are "Percival" in the era splashes & "Folkard" for the tech icon.

 

[Blue Monkey]

"Do you dare, Sir, to accept the challenge that faces you?" - Professor Symian Azure

Spoiler :

 

[Balthasar]

"Nothing would please me more; I must warn you though, I am confident of my success" - Phileas Fogg

Great work Blue!

 

[Blue Monkey]

Thank you. I'm still working on the other little project; now it looks like it won't be finished until sometime next week.

 

[Blue Monkey]

.

​

 

[Balthasar]

Reposted in the map creation thread. Look there.

 

[Blue Monkey]

BM- did you miss the Tsuga graphics I uploaded on post 25? - 0 views since I posted them.

Mentally bookmarked - just not at stage where I'm ready to put them to use yet.

 

[Balthasar]

Did you say you were looking for Victorian Leaderheads?
Here's a sample of what you can find in our own database:



Couldn't fit it all into one file, so here's part 2:



To comment on your favorites, imagine them numbered by rows, left to right.
For instance, my picks would be:

Fogg = 1(5), 2(5) Mina Harkin = 1(3)
Moriarty = 2(1) Dracula = 2(3)
Victor Frankenstein = 1(7)

I think that it's pretty obvious that the Tharks are Orks with extra arms, so we can decide, for their Leaderhead between This guy and this guy.

I was thinking that any of these we don't use for leaderheads (we only need two of these for that), I could turn into advisors, so your opinion of which would be best for domestic advisor, etc., etc. would also be helpful. In fact, we could probably get a set of "Evil" advisors together as well.

Unfortunately GI Dustin's site went down before I could check out "heads" there, so if that comes back online, we have more options!

And so Gentlemen,the floor is open!

 

[Blue Monkey]

The second "guy", upper left, has a very Barsoom looking background. The Slann LH from WH is another possibility.


"More" 3(1) looks like a passable Ming. There's got to be an Asian LH out there that would work for Fu Manchu.

Maybe one of the LH makers (R8XFT ?) that has made some Indians could be persuaded to make a Nemo with a more SPish background.

 

[Balthasar]

R8XFT did most of the best of these. He's really good with Victorians. King Arthur has said that he's thinking of Moriarty as leader of the Evils, and Phineas Fogg leader of the Gentlemen. The LOEG stories suggest Mina Harkin or Allan Quartermain. We could mix it up in future Steampunk scenarios (there will be more! mwahahahaha!), such as your Other Worlds Map. That one you suggested for Ming (actually at 2(7) as I count it) would be good for that. He's wonderfully evil looking, that's why I couldn't resist having him in here. I'm actually more interested in which of these would go with which advisor? Don't forget there will be units for all these guys as well, if all goes as planned. You know which Indian units are available (and some that aren't, I'm sure) around here, so I'm interested in which unit you'd pick to be Nemo.

 

[Blue Monkey]

I'm actually more interested in which of these would go with which advisor? Don't forget there will be units for all these guys as well, if all goes as planned. You know which Indian units are available (and some that aren't, I'm sure) around here, so I'm interested in which unit you'd pick to be Nemo.

Actually I'm not aware of a good Nemo unit. I would think he ought to be turbaned, sort of a nehru-collared jacket, loose trousers with boots, a pistol (tesla/volta*) in one hand and a mameluke sword in the other. Something like:



*




As to a science advisor - (personally I prefer Dr. X, second from last):

 

[KingArthur]

I like 2 (6) as Fogg but I also had in mind the Industrial Era Hannibal from PTW. I quite like the 2(1) Moriarty too and agree with BM about the Martian background.

The Slann I see as being Venusian since it conjurs up hot, steamy, jungle type planet; besides the orcs have those tusks that are a prominent feature of Tharks.

For Nemo, I like the top left pic- with a tesla pistol and mameluke sword that would be a really cool look.

Good idea for turning the others into Advisors Balthasar. I have no real preference for who is who but a few females in there might be a nice touch.

 

[Balthasar]

I like 2 (6) as Fogg but I also had in mind the Industrial Era Hannibal from PTW. I quite like the 2(1) Moriarty too and agree with BM about the Martian background.

Oop! I had forgotten to scan my own files for leaderheads. I have to respectfully disagree about the Hannibal as Fogg, though. He has bad teeth.

For Nemo, I like the top left pic- with a tesla pistol and mameluke sword that would be a really cool look.

I strongly agree!

I'm gonna start on those advisors, then. I think I have a good handle on which ones we won't be using as leaderheads, at least in this scenario.