Searching for Potential Semi-historical Steampunk Units

[Blue Monkey]

EDIT: Not so much a request thread as it is a plea for help finding units already made. One of the problems with creating an alternate history scenario is finding existing units without knowing the names. For example:



Where do you look to find an early gunpowder era unit for an African empire that never existed.



Anybody made something close to guy on the left? (Freedman in Rhode Island Regiment)



EDIT: Won't be the only unit in the search.

 

[ShiroKobbure]

Have a bigger picture?

 

[Blue Monkey]

Searching this morning ...

More pictures of the freedman from the Rhode Island Regiment

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[Blue Monkey]

Some other various units:

The guy in this video


Black Dragoon & Militia

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French Naval Infantry (1754)
Rogers' Rangers
1st Regiment Ohio militia 1812

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[ShiroKobbure]

If I made the units would you convert the bmp to flcs?

 

[Dumanios]

I found something rather old that could work for the Ohioan guy: An old Steph unit.

 

[Wotan49]

yes good old Steph Unit
I once prepared this unit for me!


Surprise from Sandris, to complement his civ specific packs.
http://forums.civfanatics.com/showthread.php?t=400016 z.b.


Wotan49

 

[T-mun]

If I made the units would you convert the bmp to flcs?

I hope BM will answer positively

 

[Ozymandias]

I've scoured my archives and the best I could find was:

imperator1961's "African Ethiopian Musketeer" pack & "Sirian Auxiliary 16th Century." Wyrmshadow's "WW1 Askari" might do in a pinch; ditto Dom Pedro II's "Zulu Musketman." I'd also have a look at Kinboat's "Zulu Cavalry."

You might also want to "cheat" and have a look at utahjazz7's "Aztec Mortar;" Sandris' "Huron Rifleman" & "Huron Flintlock."

Insofar as your "scruffy" ( ) units go, nothing ideal, but some possibilities:

Sandris' "Coureur de Bois;" CivArmy s 1994's "Voyageur ..."

... I'll keep digging.


Cheers,
z

 

[Plotinus]

If you really wanted African versions of units like those Sandris ones, I imagine it would always be possible (as a last resort) to do colour conversions of them. The results of such conversions can be variable, though if it's just a matter of the faces and hands, you could probably get away with it.

 

[Blue Monkey]

@ Shirou - I'd be willing. Except I've never done it (willing to learn). And the next 2-3 months are going to be so busy I can't commit to anything new.

Wouldn't mind doing a palette conversion. At some point in the nebulous future. See above.

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All the specific ones mentioned are already in the mix - but nothing like the Rhode Island Regiment - white uniform, black headgear with blue plume.

Sandris' generic light infantry might work for an African dragoon - except for the wig, which puts it right out.

Already got the various "mountain men". The difference with the Ohio Militia is the distinctive hat. Looking for that as an irregular/colonial/militia unit that will upgrade to units with similar headgear - such as imperator1961's Garibaldi Insurgent & Danish 18th c. light infantry.

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Another reason distinctive units are needed is to use as "heroes", as in EFZI.

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The general problem difficulty situation is not one of finding UUs. It's trying to set up specific unit lines with a distinctive yet consistent look. Civ from civ, as well as between culture groups. For example, Plotinus' Ethiopian Industrial Swordsman matches imperator1961's Ethiopian Musketeer perfectly. With 3-4 steam-era African civs' & the Creole States of America's unit lines to worry about ... The various zouaves & askari are already in place for the latter eras. There's still that middle range to pin down.

Asians aren't too difficult to find. Between Ottomans & others the Middle East is covered. ATM the search is primarily steam era uniformed African units for the Dark Continent scenario.

Just noticed a couple that could be recolored for the Black Militia. Intended for a Zulu (rather than Boer) Commando. Have to look through Sandris' & imperator1961's collections for more possibilities on recoloring.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Worth reposting something from the steampunk core team development forum:

In the midst of sifting the sands thought I'd post some thoughts on military units in general. For many scenarios I like the idea of keeping a unified look while emphasizing the unusual. Helps verisimilitude, imho. With 19th c. steampunk my faves are zouaves, foreign legion, & d'orsay/top hats. Then identifying units go for the look, rather than period or nationality. These units juxtapose 18th through WWI as well as ignoring national boundaries. There are surely many more in the db & threads that could be added. CivArmy has made quite a few uniformed Latin American units, for example.

So some examples of the

Standard Infantry

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Marines

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the broadest common element being loose bloused trousers ...

Non-Euros

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Late Era Infantry

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Mounted units

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Special Artillery

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Some of the most suitable units for use by multiple factions are lacking civ color.

 

[Blue Monkey]

If I made the units would you convert the bmp to flcs?

@ Shirou - I'd be willing. Except I've never done it (willing to learn). And the next 2-3 months are going to be so busy I can't commit to anything new.

Took a quick glance at some of the tools - SBB & Civ3FlcEdit. Got me to thinking about the units you've rendered but need flics for. What state are the bmps in? Are they in the folder/directory structure needed for SBB? Are they already storyboards that just need to be converted with Flicster or Civ3FlcEdit? Before I ask you to make something I'd like to learn how by helping out with the backlog you've already got.

... colour conversions of them. The results of such conversions can be variable, though if it's just a matter of the faces and hands, you could probably get away with it.

Wouldn't mind doing a palette conversion. At some point in the nebulous future. See above.

IIRC you've done some skin changes - when making the Indian worker for example. Is editing a unit palette radically different from one for a static pcx? I'm familiar with editing individual colors in a palette via GIMP. Gotten fairly patient with that process after doing so many pcxs. If it's "merely" a matter of changing the rgb values of some colors in an existing palette I could probably tackle that. As you say it would take some experimentation to find what works in game. But after the first one the rest should get progressively easier.

With 3-4 steam-era African civs' & the Creole States of America's unit lines to worry about ...
Have to look through Sandris' & imperator1961's collections for more possibilities on recoloring.

Anyone played enough with CivArmy's scenarios to know if there are any dark-skinned gunpowder units (South American?)? That's a lot to search through blindly. Now if someone told me they didn't know where it was but there definitely was a needle in the haystack ...

 

[Plotinus]

IIRC you've done some skin changes - when making the Indian worker for example. Is editing a unit palette radically different from one for a static pcx? I'm familiar with editing individual colors in a palette via GIMP. Gotten fairly patient with that process after doing so many pcxs. If it's "merely" a matter of changing the rgb values of some colors in an existing palette I could probably tackle that. As you say it would take some experimentation to find what works in game. But after the first one the rest should get progressively easier.

It was a long time ago - before I learned to make my own units and avoid the need for such tinkering - but as I recall it was basically like that, yes. I had great difficulty converting light-skinned units to dark-skinned ones when a lot of skin was on display - it never came out realistically - but as I say I should think where the unit is wearing a uniform that covers everything except the face and hands you could get away with it. As long as the colours used for the skin tones aren't used elsewhere on the unit, it should be OK.

 

[Jerry'sGoldfish]

there is this site antique prints, very impressive collection of images, maybe we can tempt some
of the unit creators to more exotic pictures

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[timerover51]

Deleted per Blue Monkey.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Which has what to do with a thread asking for help locating units already posted? Maybe it would be better off posted in a request thread or the general info thread in the steampunk subforum.

 

[dragonprobably]

I know Dom Pedro made a Zebra Raider, aaglo made an Empire Steam Tank, and Kindred made a Spy, I would recrommend using those units.

EDIT: I would also recrommend using Quinzy's Olai Robot.

EDIT 2: Kinboat's Horus and Anubis Knight would fit nicely as Egyptian Mythology units, if you want that.

 

[Dumanios]

Wyrmshadow made some really nice steampunk tanks, too.

 

[Blue Monkey]

Known, known, all known.

Anybody bother to read the thread title, op or my other posts with specific information? Try reading the steampunk units request thread or the steampunk scenarios subforum before cluttering up this thread with posts having nothing to do with the topic at hand.