Art Stuff

[achilleszero]

Merri, how does this look. The first pic is on 1280x720, which is as close as I can set it to 1440x900. Second pic is on 1024x768, which is what I run it on. I didnt realize how much of a the different resolutions effected the perspective.



Of course the pic is squeezed out of proportion for some reason. But the title will be in the same place for you as it is in the pic.

 

[Merri]

The actual resolution of the first picture is 1152 x 808, so if it is 1280 x 720 it is no wonder it is squeezed. The window can be resized and the contents follow the size. That is why I measured from a screenshot the actual size of the window and set a custom resolution to 1440 x 838 to get real pixel perfect screen for myself. Full screen 1440 x 900 would be a bit less cruel, I guess the original Civ4 and Warlords screen would then display the full title instead of getting cropped.

I just wonder why it isn't (easily) possible to set the title to 1) top never out of screen and 2) otherwise to halfway between the top of the screen and the menu. I guess I don't want to know how overly complex the screens have been made...

 

[achilleszero]

The actual resolution of the first picture is 1052 x 808, so if it is 1280 x 720 it is no wonder it is squeezed. The window can be resized and the contents follow the size. That is why I measured from a screenshot the actual size of the window and set a custom resolution to 1440 x 838 to get real pixel perfect screen for myself. Full screen 1440 x 900 would be a bit less cruel, I guess the original Civ4 and Warlords screen would then display the full title instead of getting cropped.

I just wonder why it isn't (easily) possible to set the title to 1) top never out of screen and 2) otherwise to halfway between the top of the screen and the menu. I guess I don't want to know how overly complex the screens have been made...

Merri: Here is the updated opening menu, you can try it out for your self. And let me know if the textures look any better on the landscape.

Not sure why Firaxis didnt make the screens work in all resolutions. But I do know from messing with this one, that everyone gets wildly different views on different res. And on the higher resolutions that stupid blue menu box takes up less of the screen, and that is what I built the whole thing around, but on low res. Now though I am making sure that everyone gets a good looking screen on every res possible.

 

[phungus420]

This model for the legionaire throws a pilum before closing into melee. I'd like to incorporate it into the art for the full version (light can keep the firaxis model, this is just a minor graphix improvement). Could you take a look at it achilleszero and see what you can do? I know there is some extranious stuff like the shovel to cut, and I'm sure you can optimize it in other ways:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=11919

 

[phungus420]

Major bug. Ataturk is busted, he doesn't display in the civilopedia as though the KFM is bad.

Edit: Figured it out, was pointing to the wrong background file.

Edit2: There is something wrong with Francis I's art stuff as well. Sometimes he displayes and other times the civilopedia fails to load. Need to fix this leaderhead, but it's "touchy" not compltely broken.

Same with Bolivar.


To replicate this touchiness, just click on them in the civilopedia a few times in a row, and the civilopedia will trip out. So something is wrong with them, but it's minor. Thing is this is probably bad and very noticeable on certain video cards.

 

[achilleszero]

This model for the legionaire throws a pilum before closing into melee. I'd like to incorporate it into the art for the full version (light can keep the firaxis model, this is just a minor graphix improvement). Could you take a look at it achilleszero and see what you can do? I know there is some extranious stuff like the shovel to cut, and I'm sure you can optimize it in other ways:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=11919

Yeah that shouldnt be too much of a problem.

Major bug. Ataturk is busted, he doesn't display in the civilopedia as though the KFM is bad.

Edit: Figured it out, was pointing to the wrong background file.

Edit2: There is something wrong with Francis I's art stuff as well. Sometimes he displayes and other times the civilopedia fails to load. Need to fix this leaderhead, but it's "touchy" not compltely broken.

Same with Bolivar.

Hmm this touchiness of thiers is strange. I know Ive looked at both of those and they seemed fine. I bet I didnt change Ataturk in Light's xml.

EDIT:

To replicate this touchiness, just click on them in the civilopedia a few times in a row, and the civilopedia will trip out. So something is wrong with them, but it's minor. Thing is this is probably bad and very noticeable on certain video cards.

While were on the subject of the pedia screen. I usually have tha gaem in window mode. I notice long ago that I could not control the pedia viewport like you can in full screen mode. Then while using either 0.95 or 0.96 test version, all the sudden I noticed the viewport was rotating and I could now control it. It was a huge boon for my work. But now with 0.96a I can no longer control it and the view port is back to static. Is there some setting in the options or config ini that I dont know about?

Also I cant change civs in game anymore. I used to do it with impunity, but now I only can find the one setting for change player in the Revolution ini. Ive set it to true but it still does not work. Is there another setting for that?

 

[JeffSteel]

Last I checked, the pedia viewscreen for units and such is only mobile when the graphics setting is set to high. Below that it is a static screen shot.

 

[achilleszero]

Last I checked, the pedia viewscreen for units and such is only mobile when the graphics setting is set to high. Below that it is a static screen shot.

I think you are absolutely right. Ive never heard of that, but I did just reinstall BtS before I noticed it. So it mustve been set on high by default and Ive changed it since then.

 

[phungus420]

Last I checked, the pedia viewscreen for units and such is only mobile when the graphics setting is set to high. Below that it is a static screen shot.

Yeah, pretty sure this is how it works.

As far as switching players is concerned, this is vital to me for debugging. Saw a report in the RevDCM forums where someone stated the same thing, they lost the ability to switch players even when player switching was set to true in the Revolution ini file. Try one more thing, set your BtS main ini file to cheatmode, to do this open up the main BtS ini file and changed cheatmode = 0 to cheatmode = chipotle

 

[achilleszero]

Try one more thing, set your BtS main ini file to cheatmode, to do this open up the main BtS ini file and changed cheatmode = 0 to cheatmode = chipotle

I love chipotle! Inability to switch players has been slowing me down for a week or two.

 

[achilleszero]

Long while ago you(phungus) mentioned you were unconvinced that Blue Marble actually improved graphics. I partially agree. Most of it is just better color, only a small part of the textures is actually more detailed. What I do think is an improvement is Most of Chuggi's Improved Graphics. It operates the same way as BM. But several of the graphics are actually more detailed with out increasing texture size. Also there are better and more diverse trees, and a slew of better resources (different colored sheep for example). So I am working on taking the best of both and combining them. In the end will probably only increase the size of the BM fpk to no more than 35-40mb.

I am undecided on some of the more frivolous graphics in there and will probably leave them out. Chuggi has added plateaus that randomly appear in deserts (with a little seguaro cactus), and even fields of flowers that appear in grasslands. Niether have any game effect, but I do fear that they do put an extra strain on performance. Also he has improved every vanilla LH, but most I dont see a difference in. I have already added Washington and Monty from there in 0.96.

 

[phungus420]

In my oppinion, performance is not a concern in the extended graphix add on (currently called blue marble). If people select that option when they install they are saying their priority is visual content, so long as adding in the new graphics is reasonable (not 10,000 poly units or something), feel free to add whatever you like. Because it is packaged along with the main install, it needs to be kept to a certain size, because the full install when packaged in the install exe needs to be under 500MB. Currently it's 374MB, so there is alot to work with there.

 

[achilleszero]

Even if I went whole hog and put in everything from Improved Graphics2.0 (all frivolous features and brightened LH textures), I dont even think it would more than double the total BM fpk. So maybe it would make the total exe 400mb.

 

[phungus420]

Yeah. My point was that with the extended add on you don't need to limit yourself to improved terrain graphics. You can add new models that are too high poly or texture size to conform to normal LoR standards. Basically you can add anything reasonable to ehanced graphics add on, so long as it doesn't push the size of the LoR download over 500MB.

 

[phungus420]

For ironclad battleships and protected cruisers you could use some of the pre dreadnought art available for ethnic units. For instance the Brenosettes pre-dread would make a perfect Ironclad Battleship ethnic unit graphic.


Also I plan on making 0.9.6 the "official release" tommarow, as no new major issues have been reported. So please try to get in the major fixes and any added content you think is easy to do sometime tomarrow. Here is my list in terms of priorities that need to be put in (already fixed Bolivar myself, just a bad path in the light version, easy fix in the art defines leaderhead file). For anyone who's not achilleszero, more playtesting to make sure there are no hidden graphix bugs would be apreciated in the 0.9.6a build. And thanks Wraith for reporting the art issues you've found.

Required
1) Upside down American Cuirassier
2) Touchiness in Francis I, and Bolivar leaderheads, so they don't blank out sometimes in the civilopedia
3) Updated Intro screen

Preffered:
4) check out Ho-Chi's leaderhead, it seems to wig out on some graphics cards (I have no problem with it, but I suspect nifskope or blender will find some minor issue that is causing a problem on some systems that are more touchy)
5) Put in new Legionaire model that throws a pilum

Optional:
6) Expand expanded graphics add on (blue marble)
7) More ethnic varients for Ironclad Battleship, such as the brenossettes, might find some good Protected cruiser varients as well while doing so



Anyway that's a big list, but really only the required stuff needs doing, as an upside down American curiassier, and glitchy leaderheads are major bugs, the rest of it is just flavor. So please get that top priority stuff done and uploaded sometime tommarrow.

 

[achilleszero]

Phungus you should check out the new legion and see if it is what you were thinking it was. It has to be set to ranged in artdefines to throw the pillum. So it only does it when facing another ranged. So enemy melee close in on it just like a ranged and it will fight with sword and pillum, switching spontaneously between the two. I was thinking it threw the pilum and then whipped out its gladius.

I did give it a super sweet, and more detailed shield though.


View attachment 224300

It needs the effects info for the pilum throw.

 

[phungus420]

Oh, nevermind then. I thought it would throw the pilum, then close and fight with a gladius. If it doesn't do that, then it's better to keep it as is. Too bad.

 

[achilleszero]

Oh, nevermind then. I thought it would throw the pilum, then close and fight with a gladius. If it doesn't do that, then it's better to keep it as is. Too bad.

Yeah thats what I figured. Although theres a possibility I may be able to get it to do that, but it will take time. I have no idea how to use a hex editor that is required to attatch original effects, but its already there so maybe I can wiggle around some things in the melee animation.

 

[phungus420]

Someone made an editor which changes the KFM into an XML document so you can merge in animations, and customize them. I'll go search for it.

 

[phungus420]

Here it is:

KFM Converter

I've seen people use this to make pretty in depth animations to spaceships, everything in the Star Trek mod used this to get their animations to work. Also it is used to add parachuting effects to units that aren't compatible with the paratrooper animation, as it can be used to cut and paste animations from one unit to another. So this might work for you, not sure though.