for that 2d TC...

In case the title of this topic didn't tip you off I have a 'playable' version of this TC. Right now it's a very simple add on to absolute minimum and took between one and two hours to make :D. It also lacks any major form of balancing and major combat in the one system almost always exceeds the projectile limit. I have even included some fancy screen shots (I had to crop the interface to make the stupid PNG files Small enough to upload! But fear not! They're just the standard civvie graphic from nova). Screen shots one and two present. Number three's on his way in another post.

QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 27 2010, 09:06 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In case the title of this topic didn't tip you off I have a 'playable' version of this TC. Right now it's a very simple add on to absolute minimum and took between one and two hours to make :D. It also lacks any major form of balancing and major combat in the one system almost always exceeds the projectile limit. I have even included some fancy screen shots (I had to crop the interface to make the stupid PNG files Small enough to upload! But fear not! They're just the standard civvie graphic from nova). Screen shots one and two present. Number three's on his way in another post.

Number three is here!

Attached File(s)

• Screenshot_1a.PNG (49.9K)
  Number of downloads: 47
• Screenshot_3a.PNG (31.05K)
  Number of downloads: 39
• Screenshot_2a.PNG (54.3K)
  Number of downloads: 38

Now that is awesome. Just a question, when is the playable beta going to be out? I'd love to try it. The leviathan remake (second image) looks like it could be a warship, and kick the crap out of a fleet single handed. That space combat looks intense. I congratulate you, ReclusiveOne. This is incredible.

QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Aug 27 2010, 09:24 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Now that is awesome. Just a question, when is the playable beta going to be out? I'd love to try it. The leviathan remake (second image) looks like it could be a warship, and kick the crap out of a fleet single handed. That space combat looks intense. I congratulate you, ReclusiveOne. This is incredible.

Thank you! A playable beta should be out soon and you're right the ship in the middle is a Warship/Freighter combination called the Titan. It's more of a remake of the bulk freighter from evc than it is a remake of the leviathan, but it does have the extreme amount of cargo space. Time for a foreboding message: just wait until you see the pirate version

That looks great to me. I was developing a TC with the same look but then I decided to try to convert them to 3d using the spore editor and for a time it worked. You had to position the camera just right which is sometimes a problem with the editor but I was managing. I had a couple of systems and some back-story as well as the graphics almost done when I got distracted and shelved the project until further notice. Every once in a while I come here and get inspired to continue and do a little more. Lately the gorgeousity of Delphi's plugin has been giving me the urge to dust off my modding gloves and get back to work. This plugin is making me rethink my jump to the third dimension.

This post has been edited by rafy23 : 27 August 2010 - 08:32 PM

You're very welcome! However, I have a request. Please don't post a picture of the pirate variant. I want to be left in suspense! Question. Do you use a renderer to make your masks, or do you have an application/utility that you use?

QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Aug 27 2010, 09:59 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You're very welcome! However, I have a request. Please don't post a picture of the pirate variant. I want to be left in suspense! Question. Do you use a renderer to make your masks, or do you have an application/utility that you use?

I use a PC so my options are very limited when it comes to plug in editors. EVNEW is the only one so far that works well with windows and automatically makes a mask out of sprites imported into an rled resource. Unfortunately it does not let you tell which color is the background so it chooses the rgb value 0 0 0.

Ah. I'm a mac user, armed with missioncomputer and sketchup, so... I really don't have an efficient way to make a mask. Fortunately for you, being a PC user, your options are much more un limited when it comes to gaming. Especially FPS games. My favorite kind. Anyway, keep up the good work. Looks great.

That looks epic, Reclusive! Major fleet battles always look best from a 2D top-down view, IMO. I can't wait to try it!

QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Aug 27 2010, 10:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah. I'm a mac user, armed with missioncomputer and sketchup, so... I really don't have an efficient way to make a mask. Fortunately for you, being a PC user, your options are much more un limited when it comes to gaming. Especially FPS games. My favorite kind. Anyway, keep up the good work. Looks great.

Yeah, except we can't use Mission Computer, which beats EVNEW all to hell.

Sorry to get a little off topic, but isn't David thinking about making a PC MissionComputer. And as I mentioned, you guys get a lot more in the way of games. Not that if you're 45 and working you need/have time to play games. Of course, I'm not 45.

QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Aug 29 2010, 06:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry to get a little off topic, but isn't David thinking about making a PC MissionComputer. And as I mentioned, you guys get a lot more in the way of games. Not that if you're 45 and working you need/have time to play games. Of course, I'm not 45.

Neither am I, SJ. I'm 21.

Yeah, but you get my point. I'm even younger than you. BACK ON TRACK!!! I noticed that some of the fighters accompanying the Leviathan/Bulk freighter remake look kind of like Star Wars E-wings.

QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 27 2010, 06:08 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In case the title of this topic didn't tip you off I have a 'playable' version of this TC.

That looks awesome! Just like I'd expect it would, now all you need are some cheezy 8-bit 2D planets and stations, and maybe change the stars (I don't know how the star-setup works, I think it has a 1 pixel limit - definitely turn off parallax though).

QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 27 2010, 07:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

... and automatically makes a mask out of sprites imported into an rled resource. Unfortunately it does not let you tell which color is the background so it chooses the rgb value 0 0 0.

What graphics program are you using? Just use it to modify your sprites. Alternatively, download GIMP, and use it. Changing your ships to be solid white should be easy from there.

QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Aug 27 2010, 07:51 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah. I'm a mac user, armed with missioncomputer and sketchup, so... I really don't have an efficient way to make a mask.

This statement is actually both completely false and referencing things that are unrelated. Masks are images, so you use image editors to create them. Neither Mission Computer nor Sketchup are image editors, so they have little to do with creating masks. I believe both can create masks, but MC definitely shouldn't. If you're making your mask directly off of the 3d model, then Sketchup is ideal for making a mask and I've posted a file somewhere that allows you to make a mask very well. It's linked in my signature, it's the last "rendering sketchup" option.

If you're making a mask based of you're already rendered sprites, then you'd better use an image editor. Graphic Converter, Photo Shop, GIMP, Paint Shop... The options are really pretty vast and cross-platform. The goal is a black and white image, the black representing space and the white representing solid objects on your ship. One standard way to do it is to play with levels, but I used to do it by playing with brightness/contrast and filling the background with black.

I said efficient. I don't have photoshop, I haven't been able to do it with graphic converter, GIMP isn't working for me, and I don't have paint shop. And, it really isn't referencing unrelated things, because I specifically asked him how he made his masks, which if he had a utility on a PC, I might not be able to use it on a Mac. Emphasis on might. Let's not turn this topic into an argument, please. The stuff he's posting is too cool to ruin by getting off topic.

QUOTE (Spartan Jai @ Aug 30 2010, 12:17 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And, it really isn't referencing unrelated things, because I specifically asked him how he made his masks, which if he had a utility on a PC, I might not be able to use it on a Mac.

Woah! Slow down there, the "unrelated" I was talking about was not your post to this topic, but the programs you referenced to the purpose you wanted to use them for. Unless you are rendering your masks with your sprites, Sketchup isn't going to make them for you, and for all it's good I wouldn't trust Mission Computer to make them for me. There are probably hundreds of graphics programs that will make a mask (for both windows and mac, both of which I am very familiar with), I've given information about the top 3 or 4. For graphic converter, use either the magic wand or the fill bucket and select the images of your ship and paint or fill-bucket them with solid white. I don't know if GC has levels or brightness-contrast, it's been too long since I've used it. I'd recommend re-downloading and installing GIMP, you shouldn't be having trouble with it. Here is a full link to the GIMP on OS X page.

I've always been curious about gimp, but since I lack the mac to use it with I can't see what it's like. Is it like the mac equivalent of ms paint? If anyone can attach screen shots of its interface please do so. Also I have an unrelated topic about PC plug in compatibility. When I'm ready to upload should I just slap the dot rez file into a zip, post it on the addons page, and any idiot with the pc to mac plug in converter installed on their machine can extract the zip and convert the file. Or is there some special way I have to compress it (sort of like what mac users have to do if they want their plug ins to be able to be converted to the pc format).

QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 30 2010, 02:49 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I've always been curious about gimp, but since I lack the mac to use it with I can't see what it's like. Is it like the mac equivalent of ms paint? If anyone can attach screen shots of its interface please do so. Also I have an unrelated topic about PC plug in compatibility. When I'm ready to upload should I just slap the dot rez file into a zip, post it on the addons page, and any idiot with the pc to mac plug in converter installed on their machine can extract the zip and convert the file. Or is there some special way I have to compress it (sort of like what mac users have to do if they want their plug ins to be able to be converted to the pc format).

GIMP is an open source PhotoShop. It is available for all platforms, I'm using it on a PC right now. I believe that, since it's open source, it's also available for all kinds of silly formats, like solaris and linux. Graphic Converter is roughly equivalent to MS Paint and is Mac only, but isn't something you're missing out on with a PC.

As for plugin capability, I believe you don't need to worry about converting, you just submit according to Ambrosia's guidelines. However, if you want a larger audience, you should convert the plug since most EV players are also still Mac users, as far as I know.

QUOTE

As for plugin capability, I believe you don't need to worry about converting, you just submit according to Ambrosia's guidelines. However, if you want a larger audience, you should convert the plug since most EV players are also still Mac users, as far as I know.

How would I go about converting to a mac format with out having to drop a grand on a new computer so I can run a single program? Also I have something else completely unrelated to say. Apparently if a new weap resource replaces another weap resource of the same id, and the old weap is tied to a persistent outfit the new weap's outfit gains that property as well, but only if you capture a new ship

This post has been edited by ReclusiveOne : 30 August 2010 - 05:17 PM

QUOTE (ReclusiveOne @ Aug 30 2010, 03:15 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How would I go about converting to a mac format with out having to drop a grand on a new computer so I can run a single program? Also I have something else completely unrelated to say. Apparently if a new weap resource replaces another weap resource of the same id, and the old weap is tied to a persistent outfit the new weap's outfit gains that property as well, but only if you capture a new ship

One way would be to email the plug to someone who would convert it for you. I thought that there was a program or a way to convert to mac format without using a mac, but I'm not positive as I've never actually done it. If you still can't get it up in mac format, don't worry about that and just post the PC version.

Thank you, Meaker, I can now make masks.