Alpha Centauri 2

Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri & Alien Crossfire => Modding => Topic started by: NewAgeOfPower on October 14, 2012, 08:07:07 AM

Title: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 14, 2012, 08:07:07 AM

How does one create the light/dark versions of one's logo? Can I get a demo?

Also, Bases8 bottom left is excellent for Demarchists. Will post up the finished Demarchist and Conjoiner files soon...

In fact, here is the conjoiners.pcx (may have posted before, but this is final version)

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 14, 2012, 01:33:58 PM

I've gone over logos at least three times in tutorials published in the Graphics thread in the last two weeks or so. 

In short, the lower Council and Report Logos should be reduced 30-40% in contrast.  The small report logos are a longer story.

Where did I work on those logos, as you credited me?  I've done upwards of a hundred custom factions, and who can remember?


-If you're asking how to do scan lines, really man, read the tutorials, especially Scanlines Made Simple, Fast & Easy.  Each is posted in Articles, too, and easy to find there.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 14, 2012, 02:52:37 PM

No clue. Diplomacy Landscape is from Blade Runner, I think.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 14, 2012, 03:13:57 PM

...Is that the SMAniC Genesis faction logo, maybe?  I don't think I had anything to do with the logo on that - just a new leaderhead, and surely did my standard set of tweeks to the small report logos.

Coincidentally, the tutorial that was next in line for today is about logos again, though it stops short of the stuff you're asking about.  It'll be up in an hour or two if nothing sidetracks me, before midnight even if something does.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 14, 2012, 09:28:09 PM

Thanks. My factions eagerly wait.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 14, 2012, 09:42:21 PM

Oh, it's been up for a couple of hours.  Again, you'll have the easiest time finding everything in Articles under modding - if you still have questions after reading all those, I'll talk you through whatever you need.

My 72 year-old mom started on GIMP today, and is picking it up quick, so I'm sure you'll have little trouble.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Kilkakon on October 15, 2012, 05:34:12 AM

Good luck. :) Nice portait and city choice!

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 15, 2012, 06:23:33 AM

Slaved away for a few hours, 30% done. Cleaning up logos (custom logo) is absurdly painstaking manual labor, done one pixel at a time... Dizzy now, and it didn't turn out perfectly. One set of bases looks crooked, will fix that tomorrow.

About to turn in. Requesting the following stock photos/images to work on;

-Futuristic Woman with glowing patterns on her skin; in the style of Peter Hamilton's OCTattoos (Organic Circuitry).

-Need a man in a robe with a hood concealing most of his face. As long as robe isn't green or violet (Red/Black/White/Blue preferred, epic patterns are a plus) it should be fine...

My biggest issue right now is a dude in a hooded robe, need that asap.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 15, 2012, 06:40:07 AM

I'm passing out right now, and no promises for tomorrow, but I wouldn't think those would be too hard to find - or make.  Trawling through DeviantArt might hook you up.

Title: Demarchists Complete
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 16, 2012, 09:06:02 AM

A bit dizzy, but as of 3:58 AM I have completed Demarchists.

Bases and Shields provided by BU.

Democratic Anarchy- Powered by Ubuntu!

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 16, 2012, 02:20:14 PM

Scanlines.  Leaderheads, diplomacy landscape and logos need them.  It's up to you, 'cause this is solid work and ought to look fine in-game, but skipping the scanlines hurts the consistency with the official stuff, and looks lazy and/or inept to other graphics modders.  You're already too accomplished to let that happen.  In the end, though, do what makes you happy.

Also, your at-rest (top) small report logo will be invisible, or close to it, in-game.  You want to take the middle one, darken it roughly 40% (I'm guessing - this takes a lot of looking in game, tweaking the file and resaving, then looking in-game again) use the color balance function to turn it a faint blue-green, and replace the at-rest with that.

Do those things, and I will get right on bragging that I taught you. :b:

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 16, 2012, 10:02:38 PM

Man, I am WAYYY too lazy. Proud? I'm an amateur looking for enjoyment, not an 'artiste'. BU can keep bragging about himself ;p

If some upstart player/artist wants to scanline my stuff, I will gladly write them into the credits.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 16, 2012, 10:12:49 PM

Sir, you have brass.  That is an unfair stipulation coming from someone adapting elements from my work - without my advance blessings, IIRC.

I can keep a secret, but think you ought to reconsider about asking me to promise not to repurpose, something I'm not that likely to do anyway.  Logos are important, and a good one is gold, but they're also the element I find by far easiest to generate, sometimes entirely from scratch.

And the fixes I suggested to the small report logo aren't optional - your playtesting should back me up.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 16, 2012, 10:36:39 PM

I won't get the chance to playtest till this weekend.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 16, 2012, 10:38:05 PM

Nossir, that's me.  AC2 is my Hive.

Now lift the insulting stipulation so I can help you like I want.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 16, 2012, 10:46:02 PM

I apologize and remove the question/stipulation.

Don't worry about it, I'll work this question out given enough time/or just Live With It.

I thought you were Polish. Didn't know you lived in the US.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 17, 2012, 12:40:58 AM

Oh man; that is just begging me to make a bigoted joke that I'd regret.

PM me the &^%$!#@ logo.  I wanted to help in the first place and now I'm curious, too.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 17, 2012, 12:44:41 AM

Hey! No fair with the post edits!  You ruined my Hive joke, and it was funny.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 17, 2012, 01:17:06 AM

We're all adults here, and my skin should be thick enough.

Bigot away!

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 17, 2012, 01:40:09 AM

Oh well - I call upon witnesses to observe that he made me do it.

Do I look that stupid?                                          or
At least you didn't think I was Belgian.                 or
Alas, I lack Polish as well as polish .                     or
No, but I'm mostly German and TOMORROW WE MOVE ON CGN!

We may have to call joke-off here....

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 17, 2012, 01:54:58 AM

POST EDITING YAY!!!

Lol. Polish vs polish ;p

Are you mostly German? What sort of campaign are we to wage against CGN? Do you think Civ Gaming Network should be targeted with heavy probe actions, or are we just going to drive some Singularity Hovertanks to the front door?

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 17, 2012, 02:37:25 AM

...I actually would like to have taken over CGN in February, rather than build AC2 - it had much more content and lurkers, and the job would have been easier and today it would be maybe twice as big as AC2 is now.  I said so in private.

Today, as my sig line says "Here I stand."  My interest in CGN is only hoping that scient finds time to get back to work on the scient-ifficPatch and the bug report crowd has a fine old time.  We'll really owe those guys if the project ever wraps.



I really am about 80% German ethically, including some german royalty.  The Southern Appalachians are supposed to be full of Scotch-Irish, but Momma's geneology research has turned up German after German - in Daddy's background, too.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 17, 2012, 04:29:17 AM

I'm pure Chinese, for at least 6 generations; the first to be born on American soil.

My last name is quite rare, and indicates about 1200 years ago one of our ancestors was a famous poet/womanizer. Another was a warrior/poet who fought in the Three Kingdoms War- got captured during a fiasco and executed by being quartered by 4 horses.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 17, 2012, 05:01:42 AM

You should start a Rec Commons thread - this topic gets a little traffic, in my experience.


-Also, I'm ethiNically German.  Typo.  I don't know how ethically German would go, and may have to call joke-off if anyone speculates.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 17, 2012, 05:06:59 AM

I <3 Nietzsche.

You are free to snip some of these posts to the Recreation Commons, probably under the headings 'Your Origins' or somthing.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 17, 2012, 05:09:07 AM

Also please try to break an unfortunate trend - I've been horribly betrayed by two different Chinese friends in the community.  Don't ask, because I don't like talking about these things, but do please break the trend before I go all German and racist.

I will split thread tomorrow, then, if sisko don't see this and beat me to it.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 18, 2012, 02:43:37 AM

I'm not planning to stab you in the back, BU.

*red dot appears one the back of BU's head*

There are no sleeper agents under your bed ;p

====

About the logo:


Its not coming out well. Perhaps I need to spend a few hours cleaning it up.

Or maybe the coloring scheme isn't good. Or... something.

Normally, I'd love to post PCXs etc on this forum, for it is CONTENT which builds community, more so than activity, but... doop de doop le shoop...

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Green1 on October 18, 2012, 02:48:33 AM

Hey... in other games, some of these "chinese/asian" folks have come to be good friends that I talk to regularly.

Let's be cool. I still enjoy my cup of coffee talking to my friend from singapore over vent off of another game. It is almost surreal.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 18, 2012, 03:11:05 AM

Tell me more about the problem with the logos - they look fine to me.

Actually, activity trumps everything.  Content is king, but still only bait.  Activity is what the community is, and is for - good friends that I talk to regularly.

Title: And Faction Graphics are complete.
Post by: NewAgeOfPower on October 18, 2012, 08:20:18 AM

You guys might get a kick out of this. I'm going to keep the rest secret ;p

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Green1 on October 18, 2012, 10:04:56 AM

Quote from: BUncle on October 18, 2012, 03:11:05 AM

Tell me more about the problem with the logos - they look fine to me.

Actually, activity trumps everything.  Content is king, but still only bait.  Activity is what the community is, and is for - good friends that I talk to regularly.

Content canot be ignored. You are now at the top as far as google searches even above old school contenders as Apolyton. Community,though,makes or breaks things. It is the reason I travel online between commuties unvieling a different mask with each. The Green1 is an anarchist gamer. Others, just a different aspect of the whole.

Title: Re: Resuming work on my mod
Post by: Buster's Uncle on October 18, 2012, 03:34:10 PM

Yeah.  The forum community is my number one hobby and that google thing is HUGE - but Moby Dick doesn't work as anything if he doesn't work as a whale, as the literary types would say as a metaphor.  We have to be a place people like being, or nothing else matters.  Bait is great, but good conversation is above all what we must have.  It's also my motivation for what I do - I just want good people to talk to.

Beardy Man, them's some interesting things you've tried with bases - obviously, the dome shield doesn't really work with the tower, but ought to with any of the other designs.

Title: Re: Demarchists Complete
Post by: Frederikii on September 12, 2023, 02:01:51 PM

Quote from: NewAgeOfPower on October 16, 2012, 09:06:02 AM

A bit dizzy, but as of 3:58 AM I have completed Demarchists.

Bases and Shields provided by BU.

Democratic Anarchy- Powered by Ubuntu!

I suppose that was the only faction finished. Thanks to the author.

I was searching custom factions and this one picked my interest.

It seems that some time ago this faction was lost for some reason. The attachment download doesn't work and the faction isn't  listed in the wiki.

Someone has a copy somewhere?