Unit design - image requirements

Stratego (dev)
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Unit design - image requirements

Post by Stratego (dev) »

A unit image should be:
- image should face RIGHT - the figure looks right, the horse goes left to right - as that is the default direction
- AOS/AOF: 32x32px sized (if single tiled unit) *
- AOW/AOG/AOD: 64x64px sized (if single tiled unit) *
- transparent
- compressed (see below)
- RGB colors
- Good looking: should look similar in feeling than existing units (to keep coherency of the game appearance)
- Player colored: this means there is a coloring that can be changed depending on the selected player color in the game setup (red, blue, yellow)
-> to achieve this you have pink colors to use, and the game engine will replace them with the corresponding player color.
-> You can use alpha in teamcolor!
-> Acceptable pink color shades: from RGB 255/0/255 to RGB 255/254/255 (so the green part can be any value between 0..254)
-> examples: RGB 255/100/255 and 255/20/255 and 255/135/255
- image name: name must only contain a..z, 0..9 and _ charcters, so no capital letters and no space characters either
- unit image position: in AOW/AOMW/AOG, because of roads design, ground units should start from the 16 th pixel from the bottom (to fit on roads)
so wrong image position:
unit_ger_tank_panzer_iv_f1_wrong_pos.png
unit_ger_tank_panzer_iv_f1_wrong_pos.png (1.59 KiB) Viewed 2015 times
good image position:
unit_ger_tank_panzer_iv_f1_good.png
unit_ger_tank_panzer_iv_f1_good.png (1.59 KiB) Viewed 2015 times
*: the 32 px in vertical direction can be exceeded up to 40 or even up to 64 px (eg. a long lance is emerging from the units hand upwards - like the halberdier)

Tools
Utilities:
- Image drawing: You could use GIMP for PC and Pixly for mobile.
- In Total Commander there is a plugin that shows image pixel size instantly on lists: https://totalcmd.net/plugring/wdx_ImgSize.html

Compressed:
On exporting to png please
1. turn on compression
2. and do not include
- Exif
- Xmp
- iptc
- thumbnil

if u have Gimp on "export as" there is an advanced part and uncheck everything.


Player coloring (Teamcoloring) quick way:

in GIMP you can use a tool to easily teamcolor complete image parts(without doing it pixel by pixel manually):

- you select the part u want to be proper teamcolored
- select colors/"curves" tool
- select red channel and move "curve" to the topleft corner
- select blue channel and move "curve" to the topleft corner
- (optional) if you want to make result a bit more contoured, use the Green channel and play with the curve for a better color contrast

and you are ready, the image is still "shaded" - i mean there are diffecrent teamcolor darknesses - but all pixel is proper teamcolor.

sample, changing tank turret with one shot to teamcolored
unit_ger_tank_tiger_i_teamcolorhard.png
unit_ger_tank_tiger_i_teamcolorhard.png (3.09 KiB) Viewed 6779 times
unit_ger_tank_tiger_i.png
unit_ger_tank_tiger_i.png (3.43 KiB) Viewed 6779 times

Lights, Shadows:
UPDATE: since we have rotating units (turn left and right) all shadows should also be centered, so when flipping shadow should remain on middle position.
in AOS the light should be in this angle (top.left from behind):
obraz.png
obraz.png (4.05 KiB) Viewed 1114 times
unit_bld_mega_roman_castrum.png
unit_bld_mega_roman_castrum.png (14.48 KiB) Viewed 1111 times
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patroid
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by patroid »

Hi
Sorry that i made the coloring
wrongly. I edited them on my mobil
phone and hoped that the colors are
the right. next time i will do it 100% perfect.
Thanks for the fast answer.

Patroid
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COOLguy
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by COOLguy »

Thanks for this post :) !
I will do my best in the future and follow these requirements. :)
Thanks!
Josh
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patroid
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create tiles(units)

Post by patroid »

Didnt know where to post-if wrong pls correct.

Hi
Many people asked for tips and help for designing units.
Here i have a file that may help you guys.

Have fun.

Patroid

If anybody post other helping things for guys it would be cool.
Attachments
start.png
start.png (2.47 KiB) Viewed 16087 times
Stratego (dev)
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Stratego (dev) »

good idea!
(i have moved the post here)
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

some doubt:1 is there a software for this?
2 How can we make units based on existing units with free hand drawing?
3 Do you ppl use a joystick or something like that to make sharp images?
4 How are the unit images uploaded in such a small dimension unlike other images
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COOLguy
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by COOLguy »

1) Yes. I use GIMP2, but there are others. Basically any image or pixel editor that supports transparency and RBG will work. Some good suggestions are posted here: viewtopic.php?f=17&t=525

2) Message either Daniel, patroid, or myself and we can get you practically any image of an existing unit. It is simple to use a copy/paste method to montage parts of existing images with freehand or others.

3) No, I personally do not. I don't think Daniel does either, but I don't know about Alexander82 or patroid.

4) The image size is only 32x32 pixels, so the file size is naturally smaller than others which average 256 kb.
Thanks!
Josh
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

4)I meant to say that when i try to upload an image it becomes very large and blur unlike a small icon
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COOLguy
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by COOLguy »

TheBluePhoenix wrote:4)I meant to say that when i try to upload an image it becomes very large and blur unlike a small icon
What is the image size? Try uploading one here so I can see. It may be just your device.
Thanks!
Josh
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

Ok i will try making an image again and post it
Also if you donot use joysticks then do you make images in large first then downscale them?
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by COOLguy »

I do most of my image editing on a pc with a native size of 32x32.

Downscaling: No, not really. I have done that a little bit. Downscaling is useful to get an idea of how an image will end up looking (especially if you are using a large image as a "base"), but it will require a lot of editing. Scaling makes things look blurry, so I try to avoid it.
Thanks!
Josh
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

Okay so my phone cannot install any of the mentioned softwares.any software workable on an android phone?
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

Can any of the pros (alex,CG,patroid) possibly make a video explaining the complete process of making the unit from scratch to uploading it correctly in the forum
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Alexander82
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Alexander82 »

I use photoshop, i think it could be better to make a tutorial for gimp users (being a free software).
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COOLguy
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by COOLguy »

For mobile devices, patroid and I use Pixel Art. (it's free) But working on mobile is much more difficult.

As for tutorials: sorry, I do not have the ability to screen record. You would have to message patroid for that.
Thanks!
Josh
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

Maybe if you have 2 phones or a friend who could record , you could
From Where can i download pixel art
I will try surfing anyways
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balint
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by balint »

What about making a gimp tutorial? To show off the process whic then could be done on phone.
For PC a good screen recorder (free), what many youtubers use is Fraps.
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

Cool guy has already started making them. He has even completed making 1 tutorial on pixel art
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balint
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by balint »

Does he uploads it somewhere or sends it to you via email?
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TheBluePhoenix
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by TheBluePhoenix »

He sent me via email. It was very good but very basic. He is trying to make a full fledge uploadable version of it
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by COOLguy »

balint wrote:For PC a good screen recorder (free), what many youtubers use is Fraps.
Yes, but unfortunately the free version of Fraps only allows 30 seconds of recording at a time, which obviously will not work for an image editing tutorial. :)

I am trying out CamStudio.
Thanks!
Josh
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balint
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by balint »

What about an eternal full trial version? :D
Upload it somewhere if you finished, ot might raise my drawing skills from thw 6 year old category to the 10 year old category :S
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Enigmus »

What should I do if i am making a Monster that can be exceeding 32x32? example, i will make a giant but it wouldn't 32x32 size?? the image were exceeded on a tile.

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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by LordOfAles »

Max size is 32x64
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Enigmus »

Thanks.
Stratego (dev)
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Stratego (dev) »

new rule in all alternatives AOS/AOf/AOW:
- image should face RIGHT (the figure looks right, the horse goes left to right) as that is the default direction
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Stratego (dev) »

From now ALPHA can be used on teamcoloring.
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Shark guy 35
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Shark guy 35 »

Is there any programs you can recommend for mobile that I can use?
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Midonik »

For making images? Just Pixly.
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Re: Unit design - image requirements

Post by Puss_in_Boots »

Pocket Paint is also a powerful tool. Let my software of choice be known.
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