Dune Wars Art Thread

[Deon]

Hovertank sketch:

Spoiler :

Is this design ok?

 

[Slvynn]

Awesome, just need good texture.

 

[davidlallen]

A while ago, deliverator made some cool art for sandriders, basically a small fedaykin unit standing on a modified worm unit. The idea is that Fremen standing on land look normal, but the same Fremen unit standing on desert should look like it's riding a worm. I tried a few things to make this work but my first 2-3 attempts failed.

I now have it working! There was a magic line of code buried inside FFH, and deliverator made several suggestions to make it easier. The sdk code required is 7 lines long. See this thread for some details. It uses the late art tag, so we cannot use that for anything else, and it also hard-codes the name of the sandrider promotion into the sdk. (This is generally considered bad programming practice, but Revolutions does it for some technologies, so I feel somewhat justified.)

Attached is a screenshot. At the left, we see a number of Fremen units standing on land. Then they all take a step into the desert and bang! They turn into sandriders. There is no transitional animation, but it all works.

I have also attached a zip of the changed files you need to see it. So, if you are interested, please download the zip over 1.5.5 and see what you think.

(EDIT: added empty.nif to zip, thanks deliverator for pointing it out.)

 

[Deliverator]

Works great david.

Only thing is the empty NIF is missing from the empty folder... it's errr.. empty. This means that I get three red blobs for the Settler. I have the file so I can fix locally, but other people will need it.

Now we've got this working, I can look at improving the worm riding graphics. I'd like to follow your suggestion and have proper maker hooks rather than ropes, and create variants that match the unit graphics for Settler, etc.

 

[Deon]

It would be awesome for different units to show up. However don't hurry with it, because currently fremen are too generic, I think they need a bit different and better art for foot units.

 

[davidlallen]

Only thing is the empty NIF is missing from the empty folder...

Thanks, re-uploaded zip with file added.

 

[Deliverator]

You should set the shadow of ART_DEF_UNIT_EMPTY to also be the empty.nif like so. Without this you get blobs of shadow beneath the otherwise invisible units.

<ShadowDef>
	<ShadowNIF>Art/Units/empty/empty.nif</ShadowNIF>
	<ShadowAttachNode>MD NonAccum</ShadowAttachNode>
	<fShadowScale>1.0</fShadowScale>
</ShadowDef>

I'm really pleased this is working. I think people will love it.

Edit: Anyone got any idea what controls the blurred movement? It really looks stupid on the Fremen Scout - in fact I'm not sure I really like it on any unit.

Edit Edit: I think it may be because it's using fewer movement points or something. In vanilla units moving on railroad will blur like this. Perhaps it can't be changed.

 

[Ahriman]

Pretty cool.
Some issues:
i) The rider just looks too tiny, particularly compared to the normal infantry units. It also makes it hard to identify what the unit is.
ii) Any chance we could have a troop of infantry on the back of the worm behind the steersman?
iii) It seems to interrupt the unit selection mechanism somehow. When you run out of moves (or issue an end turn order), the cursor doesn't automatically move on to your next unit.
iv) Workers also adopt worm form. It looks weird for them to be sitting there building a spice harvester, but still in wormrider graphic.

 

[Psychic_Llamas]

Edit Edit: I think it may be because it's using fewer movement points or something. In vanilla units moving on railroad will blur like this. Perhaps it can't be changed.

you can change that under Options. i think its something like 'fast movement' on

 

[Ahriman]

Some other weird issues with sandrider; somehow (because I had one selected at the end of the turn, or in between turns somehhow?) the build icons for my sandrider units in the construction menu in cities changed into the sandrider icon, and my on land sandriders changed into worm graphic form.

 

[koma13]

Some other weird issues with sandrider; somehow (because I had one selected at the end of the turn, or in between turns somehhow?) the build icons for my sandrider units in the construction menu in cities changed into the sandrider icon, and my on land sandriders changed into worm graphic form.

City plots are coastal land plots (allowing domain sea units to enter the city)...

 

[Slvynn]

Ok folks, its Complete!
Quite nice chunk of job and learning and i am happy and satisfied, liking result My 1st serious buisness modding

1. Rechecked icons, lots of fixes and adjustments to make all compositions distinguishable in smaller size. (Its good, works for me, all pretty clear). Removed gradient for some of chevrons, changed and removed them in some other promos.
Looks clear.
2. Entered to XML new entries, used Atlas method (it fit well with My Corel work)
3. All promotions active in game for the moment are done and working in game.
4. Added icon for ballistic missile (it was using same type of yellow graphics from atlas).
5. Made screenshots.
6. Attached zip :
release_pak dir = buttons dir should overvrite one in packed art folder (fpk)
release_art dir = mentat icons, should overwrite buttons dit in DW mod art folder.
xml = updated xml promo file

Next step - UI

 

[davidlallen]

Some other weird issues with sandrider; somehow (because I had one selected at the end of the turn, or in between turns somehhow?) the build icons for my sandrider units in the construction menu in cities changed into the sandrider icon, and my on land sandriders changed into worm graphic form.

The second one *may* be due to overloading the "late era" art tag. I did not think about how the buttons get loaded, but I suppose the game recognizes that the late part has started, and begins to use the art associated with the late units, including the buttons. It is possible that is causing the first problem as well: do you see that suddenly, on some turn, *all* your melee build buttons and units turn to worms?

 

[koma13]

Next step - UI

Cool. We can work together in that. I would like to replace the current blue surfaces with some custom graphics. Maybe you can do some brain storming inside corel and I can rebuild it in civ4.

 

[Slvynn]

Cool. We can work together in that. I would like to replace the current blue surfaces with some custom graphics. Maybe you can do some brain storming inside corel and I can rebuild it in civ4.

I have some good idea already..... It will be awesome if you will just accept my corel graphics.

The ideas:
1. Turn red/green button - Should be replaced with sandworm, made by me in vector graphics, but look a-la vitrage (glass thingies you know). When turn in "green" it opens its mouth and there is a orange light.
When turn finished , it closes its mouth (with/without animation) - no strict need in clothing mouth animation)
2.For ui there are 2 ideas:
a. Sandy, dune like ,something like city screen ytyou make already - 2 dunes.
b. Monolitish, resemble human life on Arrakis - warm grey (quite dark) with some places with semi visible ancient freeman scriblings/engravings (somethink like arabic writing combined with primite drawings from prohestoric caves ), perhaps in orange color. All semi-transparent, combined with some quite futiristic shapes. Some art fiction i imagined. Mix of landsraad and freeman atmosphere.
in the center - semi visible orange outline drawing (ancient) of the Great Maker.

 

[davidlallen]

Ok folks, its Complete!

Looks awesome. I have put it into the game and taken another screenshot. I think you may have missed sandrider and atreides loyalty. "Led by Warlord" looks odd in the orange color. Mercenary appears to be "inverse" in color, it has a large yellow background and the highlights in brown. Tleilaxu plague is the only one in grey color, which also looks a little odd.

I am not sure the mentat ones need to be in their own color, they are just promotions. But since the mentat powers are not yet implemented and they may completely change, let's not worry about them for now. The ones you made are definitely better than the ones I made.

In your zip file, you kept two directories, one for the files from the pak, and one for the other files. You don't need to worry about that. If there is a file in the pak, and a file with the same path/name that is outside the pak, the game automatically ignores the one in the pak. So just one directory is fine.

Let us see what other people have to say about the visibility when the icons are in the smallest size.

 

[Slvynn]

Looks awesome. I have put it into the game and taken another screenshot. I think you may have missed sandrider and atreides loyalty. "Led by Warlord" looks odd in the orange color. Mercenary appears to be "inverse" in color, it has a large yellow background and the highlights in brown. Tleilaxu plague is the only one in grey color, which also looks a little odd.

I am not sure the mentat ones need to be in their own color, they are just promotions. But since the mentat powers are not yet implemented and they may completely change, let's not worry about them for now. The ones you made are definitely better than the ones I made.

In your zip file, you kept two directories, one for the files from the pak, and one for the other files. You don't need to worry about that. If there is a file in the pak, and a file with the same path/name that is outside the pak, the game automatically ignores the one in the pak. So just one directory is fine.

Let us see what other people have to say about the visibility when the icons are in the smallest size.

thanks
i wanted to destinct Civ-specific promos. So atreides got their own background, theilaxu their own, and mercenary - i wanted to show that unit "not from arrakis". Its quite interesting in game when you see unit that have distinction - from your HW. Fit well plot wise.....

led by warlors is also distinct in vanilla. Its good to have warlord distinction. Makes you not attacking with him by coincidence when operating big stack. (most of people look on medium size icons which apear near unit graphics.)

 

[koma13]

1. Turn red/green button - Should be replaced with sandworm, made by me in vector graphics, but look a-la vitrage (glass thingies you know). When turn in "green" it opens its mouth and there is a orange light.
When turn finished , it closes its mouth (with/without animation) - no strict need in clothing mouth animation)

We can try that. Not sure about the animation. But opened/closed mouth and that orange light should be fine...

2.For ui there are 2 ideas:
a. Sandy, dune like ,something like city screen ytyou make already - 2 dunes.
b. Monolitish, resemble human life on Arrakis - warm grey (quite dark) with some places with semi visible ancient freeman scriblings/engravings (somethink like arabic writing combined with primite drawings from prohestoric caves ), perhaps in orange color. All semi-transparent, combined with some quite futiristic shapes. Some art fiction i imagined. Mix of landsraad and freeman atmosphere.
in the center - semi visible orange outline drawing (ancient) of the Great Maker.

Make both. I can show interface depending on the house/civilization you are playing...

It will be awesome if you will just accept my corel graphics.

Hmm, I don't have corel. But maybe you can convert it to some file format readable by gimp or photoshop...

 

[Slvynn]

We can try that. Not sure about the animation. But opened/closed mouth and that orange light should be fine...



Make both. I can show interface depending on the house/civilization you are playing...


Hmm, I don't have corel. But maybe you can convert it to some file format readable by gimp or photoshop...

Sure about converting.
And wow about civs. In Dune , having limited amount of civs it will be just amazing to have separate civ-specific UIs. Mhmhmhmhm i like it !

 

[Ahriman]

City plots are coastal land plots (allowing domain sea units to enter the city)...

I don't think thats it. All my on-land sandriders are worms too now.

Spoiler :

do you see that suddenly, on some turn, *all* your melee build buttons and units turn to worms?

Yes. I am in Ijaz era if that makes any difference (I'm not sure if entering this era triggered the issue, it could have).

i wanted to destinct Civ-specific promos.

Civ specific promotion icons are likely to just add confusion. Promotion icons need to be instantly recognizable, if you start varying them across civs then it just starts getting harder. I vote no.