Button thread

[Pfeffersack]

Nice buttons, as always

By the way, the current recycling tanks... are very late in the tech tree and effect-wise, I don't think they fit very well. Perhaps you could rename them to "Sky Hydroponics Lab" - fits the effect and the enclosed theme very well, in my opinion.

That was my reaction as well, when I discovered how late they enter the game now. It just does not feel right - Recycling Tanks feel like something I should get when researching the Recycling tech I wonder, if it would be possible to bring back the old SMAC effect of increasing the base tile output (was 1/1/1) or maybe something related to the size of a base? 0,1 of each tile yield per citizien? Or give the Recycling Tank a special use when running EB...

 

[Maniac]

I thought hovertanks could fit nicely together with rovers in one single unit line (both are fast ground units - these would be the vanguard units)

The strength gap between rovers and hovertanks is too big.

Anyway, I just had some free time and worked through the button list

Thanks!

That was my reaction as well, when I discovered how late they enter the game now. It just does not feel right - Recycling Tanks feel like something I should get when researching the Recycling tech I wonder, if it would be possible to bring back the old SMAC effect of increasing the base tile output (was 1/1/1) or maybe something related to the size of a base? 0,1 of each tile yield per citizien? Or give the Recycling Tank a special use when running EB...

Do you mean the name doesn't fit for that tech level (which I agree with), or do you think that the building effects don't fit for a Recycling Tanks (which I don't understand why you would feel that way )? I was thinking Arcology would be a good name. It isn't SMACish, but it's less bland than Hab Complex.

 

[Lord Tirian]

The strength gap between rovers and hovertanks is too big.

Ah, I see. Perhaps inserting another unit in between? I could see something more militarised than the rover in between, something a bit like the Tumbler (just less... batmobile-ish) as more robust, more weaponised version of the early rovers that were made for exploration.

Do you mean the name doesn't fit for that tech level (which I agree with), or do you think that the building effects don't fit for a Recycling Tanks (which I don't understand why you would feel that way )? I was thinking Arcology would be a good name. It isn't SMACish, but it's less bland than Hab Complex.

For me, both. Recycling tanks are really something that should come early. And the effect of getting extra health from algae? Sounds more like some farm or cultivation than something you get from a recycling tank.

The Sky Hydroponics Lab (gosh, it's long, perhaps it should be shorter - in its blurb, Deirdre is talking about "Sky Farms"), however, would fit the line (enclosed and comes after orbital engineering), feels high-tech, is a nice throwback and fits the effects very well (extra food from the farms, more algae gives you more strains to cultivate in the hydroponics => more variety and health).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Pfeffersack]

Do you mean the name doesn't fit for that tech level (which I agree with), or do you think that the building effects don't fit for a Recycling Tanks (which I don't understand why you would feel that way )? I was thinking Arcology would be a good name. It isn't SMACish, but it's less bland than Hab Complex.

Mainly the former (a Recycling Tank doesn't sound so advanced). I'm fine with the health bonus for algae ressources; I just remembered that SMAC had a more spread out bonus on the various tile yields - recycling things would give you a small bit of everything instead of just food. A 20% nutrient boost for a Recycling Tank sounds a lot.But Arcology is a fine idea - it creates the vision of a something inside a base, which is at least partly autonom and a strong nutrient boost is more credible (I first came in contact with the word "Arcology" in Sim City 2000, where they had 4 different ones, including a green one, where I could imagine gardens and greenhouses inside and on top)

 

[Maniac]

Ah, I see. Perhaps inserting another unit in between? I could see something more militarised than the rover in between, something a bit like the Tumbler (just less... batmobile-ish) as more robust, more weaponised version of the early rovers that were made for exploration.

I think 2 units would be needed, of strength and tech levels 3 and 5. However I can't think f fitting techs to place them.

 

[Lord Tirian]

Made some new buttons - the Centauri Ecology uses the Gaian flower, seems fitting, I think. Green Nanonics is all about using nanotech to terraform things, so I assume the orange colour fits best. The Longevity Vaccine is a straightforward conversion - and of course the SA version of woodsland camouflage.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Maniac]

Thanks!

 

[GeoModder]

Beautiful detail on the first three, LT. Especially the first button.

 

[Lord Tirian]

Just noticed the Skirmisher spec ab needs a button fitting the follow-ups, flanking I + II. Also - I finally could think of something for the ECM spec ab.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Maniac]

Cool thanks!

 

[Lord Tirian]

Done some buttons I started a while ago and never got around to finish (going from left to right, from top to bottom):

Academy: The GP special buildings irked me a bit, because they break the consistent use of symbols in the datalinks for buildings, so this is one of the academy. Rather straightforward (I used the infirmary as inspiration). Makes me think a bit of a library, though.
Arcology: Pretty simple use of the original SMAC icon with the enclosed theme.
Basic Technologies: I used the big square shape to show that it's basic and used the civic theme to show that's more of a fundamental thing that encompasses the entire faction (just like civics). It only shows up on the Dawn of Man and Datalinks screens anyway... again, mainly done to make the use of symbols more consistent.
Living Factory: The industry shape with the genetics symbol (and theme) - I think it pretty much makes clear that it is some kind of bio-engineered thing.
Mass Driver: The current icon... rubinised.
Military Academy: As academy above, just different theme.
Bloom Promotion: I think the Gaian flower is the right thing for something blooming!
Longevity Vaccine button + gamefont icon: IIRC, it was yellow in the secret project video. This should look a bit better than the hollywood movie-resource.

As usual, if you dislike something or want something changed, just ask.

 

[Maniac]

Thanks I love them! Included for the next patch.

 

[Maniac]

Lord Tirian, IIRC you sometimes like to modify secret projects a little. Do you think the Citizens' Defense Force, Planetary Datalinks, Neural Amplifier and Telepathic Matrix icons can be converted like they are, or do you think they need some modifications?

 

[Lord Tirian]

Lord Tirian, IIRC you sometimes like to modify secret projects a little. Do you think the Citizens' Defense Force, Planetary Datalinks, Neural Amplifier and Telepathic Matrix icons can be converted like they are, or do you think they need some modifications?

I think they should all come through fine, except for the Planetary Datalinks - the thin extra transparent/purple ring between the inner circle and the outer frame might look off. I'll have a try - if you tell me what colour you want the other icons, I can do them as well. Straightforward conversions are usually rather fast.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Maniac]

CDF Conquer red
PD Discover whitish
NA Terraform orange
TM Centauri green

 

[Lord Tirian]

Done! You'll see that the PD aren't 100% sharp - it's because the book icon is one of the fiddlier ones (the straight PD icon, with an even smaller book, came out way worse) - I edited the alpha channel a bit (you can't see it in the attached preview), in-game it should look a bit better.

I know that the icon with the inverted book looks a lot like the Network Backbone - but they're too similar (I'd rather try to come up with a better one for the backbone, if it's required at some point) and the small lines from the grid from the backbone wouldn't be visible in Civ4 size anyway. Plus, having the cut-out book distinguishes it more from the Unity Library, which uses the normal book (though the laurels are more than enough distinction).

Cheers, LT.

 

[Maniac]

Thanks!

 

[Deon]

LT, awesome icons. Thank you . I really enjoy Maniac's mod and with all your great art in it it looks really professional, consistent and simply nice!

 

[Maniac]

I'm afraid I hadn't linked the new secret project buttons to the game yet when compiling the patch. They'll be in the next version/patch.

Any ideas what button could work for the Naval Fortress spec ab?

 

[Maniac]

Perhaps that Range2 button with a couple waves at the bottom of the button?