ZWK TOT version.

[Catfish]

Yes, but I'm not prepared to finish them. I have those already, but thanks anyway. Only using the carrion crawler out of that lot. Using WK's orc rips for the goblins, though. Does anyone want this conversion, graphics unmodified? Attachments show the original FW version, the ToT conversion with the original graphics and then what I'm using (WK's orcs on display) for comparison.

BTW, there's no reason to be posting ToT graphics as BMP files. See here. I compressed that 483.5 kB BMP attachment of yours down to a 32 kB PNG file! Lossless compression! That's ridiculous. At least here at CFC they don't automatically display BMP attachments, unlike Apolyton.

 

[minipow01]

A simple, unmodified conversion would probably be fine, although there is nothing wrong with the filler graphics you're using.

BTW, there's no reason to be posting ToT graphics as BMP files. See here. I compressed that 483.5 kB BMP attachment of yours down to a 32 kB PNG file! Lossless compression! That's ridiculous. At least here at CFC they don't automatically display BMP attachments, unlike Apolyton.

Thanks for enlightening me on this. I never understood why folks (at Apolyton) would first post a PNG "preview" file, and then insist on sending a larger BMP attachment. If there is little loss in resolution, then we should only be using PNG files.

 

[Catfish]

OK, Underdark for ToT can be downloaded here.

If there is little loss in resolution, then we should only be using PNG files.

Zero loss. That's what lossless means. A 24-bit PNG is the same quality as a 24-bit BMP, without the bloat.

 

[McMonkey]

I blame high speed broadband for people posting bitmaps. On my screen bitmaps pop up in microseconds, for someone with dial up they must be a pain! I think it is more a case of forgetfulness than inconsideration.

 

[Catfish]

It's neither, but certainly most high-speed broadband users in countries with good network infrastructure aren't going to notice a huge difference unless they have a shaped account and exceed their download limit. Then again, it took me 25-55 seconds to download some sample pages (@ 75 posts/page) in those Civ2 unit threads at Apolyton, but that could be because Apolyton's server, with its clunky forum hacks, is as slow as buggery - and posting BMPs doesn't help there, either.

It's ignorance. Most people who are posting 'PNG previews' and 'downloadable BMPs' don't know why they're doing it, they're just copying others. It's a Scenario League meme. If asked, they'd probably give an answer similar to yours in that link I posted. The reason they're now posting just BMPs is because the staff at Apolyton forgot to disable them (as before) following the forum upgrade. 'Wow, now we can view BMPs, we don't need PNG previews any more!'

Moderator Action: changed inappropiate language

 

[McMonkey]

Ok then its ignorance They do say that ignorance is bliss. This is especially true for those with high speed broadband with no dl limits. That said I usually post PNGs anyway, but you are saying there is no need to include a zipped bitmap as well, correct?

 

[Catfish]

What would be the point? Unless you're including documentation. Just remember to remove the gAMA chunk before posting PNGs on the Internet - for the IE users, as per that link. PNGGauntlet (PNGOut) does batch processing, so all you need to do is drag your PNG files onto the program window (see attached), uncheck the 'Preserve Gamma Information' box (removes the gAMA chunk) and click 'Optimize!' I'd also recommend changing the 'Filter Type' (Advanced Options) from 'Default (Best)' to 'None'. It actually gives better compression than 'Mixed' (the default for 24-bit files), and is almost always better than PNGCrush (another popular PNG optimiser).