What would any of you think about a Nova plug in with all hand drawn art (maybe except for a few planets created with lunarcell) with no rendered 3d sprites. I came up with this after I played a game called shellcore command which is similar to escape velocity in that you fly around 'space' and upgrade your ship as you progress through the game. I think it would have a classic feel like the first escape velocity or evo. I've already drawn some ships made rotation animations for them and I'll upload them here if anyone's interested.
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Ha! After looking up "shellcore," that's almost exactly like what I was thinking when I said something about 2d-only sprites. Now, are you think 2d like classic EV, in which case there are some very easy modeling programs I can introduce you to, or 2d lines like AutoCAD, in which case it's really faster just for you to draw by hand and have someone with a drafting program draft them up (sketchup can work, but usually isn't ideal)?
I was thinking some more 2d-line-type explosions, asteroids, and etc., but the "expanding sphere" type explosions that I saw in the game's startup window might be an easy way to introduce more color.
Post 'em up.
This post has been edited by Meaker VI : 05 August 2010 - 10:09 AM
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Sure thing! I'm glad to that someone is interested! I have a lot more drawn than the ones I uploaded and I may change some of the names I come up with better ones. I was also going to use that 'expanding circle' type of explosion, maybe some detailed ones for specific types of weapons and ships.
Attached File(s)
Excalibur.PNG (1.96K)
Number of downloads: 20- Scoutship.PNG (1.21K)
Number of downloads: 16 - Titan.PNG (3K)
Number of downloads: 15
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Wow, those are actually pretty detailed for their size. What are you using to make them?
I've been toying around in CAD, and was considering making a vector-style image set with almost no color. (Think old-school line graphics in monochrome bright colors- like the EV classic scan images). And I was planning on making it more or less to-scale. Which would make fighters pretty small, and so I was only going to make one fighter that was used for every race since they'd be insignificant. We'll see though, I could just as easily make 3d graphics too, and I might not have enough time to do anything at all.
Like this Actually:
Image is my conceptual fighter with engine going and shields up. I might remove the cockpit, and possibly add a "Warning-Fighter" or some such text to it as well. Although, since fighters are insignificant, that might make their sprite unnecessarily large.
This post has been edited by Meaker VI : 05 August 2010 - 11:30 AM
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QUOTE (Meaker VI @ Aug 5 2010, 11:09 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Wow, those are actually pretty detailed for their size. What are you using to make them?
In all honesty I used MS Paint along with some concept sketches. I think that monochrome idea is pretty good but how big were you planning on making the fighters if everything is going to be to scale. Nothing is worse than a hostile ship that's impossible to hit because it's so tiny.
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QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 5 2010, 08:45 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
In all honesty I used MS Paint along with some concept sketches. I think that monochrome idea is pretty good but how big were you planning on making the fighters if everything is going to be to scale. Nothing is worse than a hostile ship that's impossible to hit because it's so tiny.
You'll need to use another program to get the layouts correct then- nothing worse than having to manually redraw 36 frames per ship.
I was looking at it again, and I may need to re-evaluate that plan, though my scale goes from 10,000-unit long Super-cruisers, to (more regular) 6,000-unit long Cruisers, 3000 unit destroyers, down to 100-200 unit fighters, so they're 1/100th the size of the ridiculously large ships. But also, this graphic style would be able to indicate them larger because the computer is highlighting them and showing them as a triangle. The current concept is that fighters are tiny because A.) You can't pilot them, B.) They aren't exceptionally useful and wouldn't be a tremendous plot device, and C.) They can only be shot at by PD weapons anyway. Maybe a huge lazer or something would destroy one or two if they're in the way, but otherwise you're not shooting at them. Now, the awesome part would be seeing if I can make a ship that shows up as just that tiny triangle, but has text pointing to it that is not part of the ship.
Edit: Stupid sunglasses-wearing smiley showing up in my lists...
This post has been edited by Meaker VI : 05 August 2010 - 12:37 PM
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QUOTE (Meaker VI @ Aug 5 2010, 01:36 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
You'll need to use another program to get the layouts correct then- nothing worse than having to manually redraw 36 frames per ship.
Yes, it'll save a lot of trouble if you do it in a vector graphics programme like Inkscape.
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QUOTE (David Arthur @ Aug 5 2010, 02:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Yes, it'll save a lot of trouble if you do it in a vector graphics programme like Inkscape.
Oh no getting rotation frames is easy I don't have to redraw it 36 times. Here's a .gif of the scoutship spinning.
Attached File(s)
Scoutship.gif (80.67K)
Number of downloads: 28
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Vector rotation is smoother than bitmap, though, and it's easier to clone elements or change ones that you decide you don't want.
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QUOTE (David Arthur @ Aug 5 2010, 02:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Vector rotation is smoother than bitmap, though, and it's easier to clone elements or change ones that you decide you don't want.
I know that vectors are smoother than bitmaps, but what programs do you recommend? You brought up something called inkscape where can I get it?
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Inkscape is freeware - I'd recommend Adobe Illustrator though it costs a pretty penny. Alternatively you can search for any number of freeware or shareware drafting programs and use one of those - I've been considering using sketchup and then exporting to .dwg (AutoCAD drawing format understood by nearly all vector programs). The Issue I have with straight drawing in illustrator or inkscape is that there isn't much in the way of control over where your lines go as opposed to a drafting program, where you can type in exact coordinates if you so choose.
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QUOTE (Meaker VI @ Aug 5 2010, 04:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Inkscape is freeware - I'd recommend Adobe Illustrator though it costs a pretty penny. Alternatively you can search for any number of freeware or shareware drafting programs and use one of those - I've been considering using sketchup and then exporting to .dwg (AutoCAD drawing format understood by nearly all vector programs). The Issue I have with straight drawing in illustrator or inkscape is that there isn't much in the way of control over where your lines go as opposed to a drafting program, where you can type in exact coordinates if you so choose.
Thanks. Which one do you prefer because if inkscape is free then I can use either one.
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Inkscape is freeware; Adobe Illustrator is the superior product and costs money. AutoCAD or similar can be used for drafting and exporting to either - though you may need to export or print to .PDF (a format that handles vectors well and is very universal) in order to import in some programs.
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QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 5 2010, 03:25 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
Oh no getting rotation frames is easy I don't have to redraw it 36 times. Here's a .gif of the scoutship spinning.
No offense, but it seems a little jittery to me. Not quite as smooth as rendered sprites. Pretty nice artwork, though.
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QUOTE (StarSword @ Aug 6 2010, 10:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>
No offense, but it seems a little jittery to me. Not quite as smooth as rendered sprites. Pretty nice artwork, though.
None taken, some ships look nice without anything done other than the initial rotation, others just need to have some frames adjusted a little bit like this one