Author Topic: New Graphics....  (Read 6414 times)

Offline V22 Osprey

  • Newbie Mark II
  • *
  • Posts: 23
New Graphics....
« on: January 19, 2010, 10:26:30 pm »
Errrr.....well....heh.....I don't know how to really say it so I'll just say it.I HATE the new graphics for Command station and space dock....I'm just not liking it.Is there a way to get the old ones back? No offense to anyone, but I just really don't like the new graphics.....just a personally preference.

Offline Darloth

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Posts: 53
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #1 on: January 20, 2010, 08:59:29 am »
You can replace graphics fairly easily. I'm not sure about the rotation or their previous animation, but you can replace them with a still image of the old ones without difficulty, assuming you have a copy backed up somewhere. If not, I suggest looking at older demos, there should hopefully be one in there. I think I might have one zipped somewhere as well if it comes to that.

The ship images are all in /AI War/Images/Ships - then you'll want to change the SpaceDock and the OrbitalCommandStation(whatever) folders.

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #2 on: January 20, 2010, 11:29:33 am »
Yep, that's how you can do it, though they'll be oddly small inside a larger bounding circle and won't have animation or rotation.  But, you can always swap in other graphics for anything in the game without issue.  Sorry it's not a hit with you!
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline Echo35

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,703
  • More turrets! MORE TURRETS!
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #3 on: January 20, 2010, 03:13:34 pm »
Errrr.....well....heh.....I don't know how to really say it so I'll just say it.I HATE the new graphics for Command station and space dock....I'm just not liking it.Is there a way to get the old ones back? No offense to anyone, but I just really don't like the new graphics.....just a personally preference.

You aren't the only one. I can't stand them either. They're huge and they look very out of place next to the other graphics.

Offline CombineResistance01

  • Newbie Mark III
  • *
  • Posts: 25
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #4 on: January 20, 2010, 05:09:51 pm »
I'm thinking that soon all the stations will look like that. I personally like them, but if the new pictures have animation, they'd be so much better. They're just... sitting there.

Offline eRe4s3r

  • Core Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 2,825
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #5 on: January 20, 2010, 11:00:25 pm »
Well they can't exactly rotate now they have a "faux" perspective ;)

And a good animation will require placement of glow and faux lights separately as animating a 512x512 sprite will kill performance for good.... even if its just 3 frames (Which would look horribly stuttery.. just sayin)
Proud member of the Initiative for Bigger Weapons EV. - Bringer of Additive Blended Doom - Vote for Lore, get free cookie

Offline x4000

  • Chris McElligott Park, Arcen Founder and Lead Dev
  • Arcen Staff
  • Zenith Council Member Mark III
  • *****
  • Posts: 31,651
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #6 on: January 20, 2010, 11:02:48 pm »
And a good animation will require placement of glow and faux lights separately as animating a 512x512 sprite will kill performance for good.... even if its just 3 frames (Which would look horribly stuttery.. just sayin)

Yes, at some point.
Have ideas or bug reports for one of our games?  Mantis for Suggestions and Bug Reports. Thanks for helping to make our games better!

Offline raptor331

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Posts: 313
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #7 on: January 21, 2010, 07:51:18 am »
Hmm, I think it's ok, but it does need a different color scheme, but that, I can do myself ;) once I finaly decide to get photoshop

Offline deMangler

  • Full Member Mark II
  • ***
  • Posts: 189
  • om tare tuttare ture soha
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #8 on: January 21, 2010, 09:21:34 am »
FWIW I am really impressed by the graphics in AI War.
The whole ambience the graphics style evokes is perfect for putting me in the right mood to enjoy the whole strategy/tactics thing.
They seem well proportioned - size of ships relative to each other and stations.
The colour scheme I like as well, everything just seems to work together. Pleasing and functional but not obtrusive.
Also I like the  minimal animation, like the fading glowing lights on the energy reactors and some ships - the odd rotating bit.....
I am not a minimalist generally - I really like the graphics in, say, Sins of a Solar Empire and GalCiv, although I never really appreciate them unless I am not enjoying the rest of the game so I sort of zoom right in out of boredom.
I suppose it is a personal thing, for example, I hate the graphics in EVE On-line - even though I can appreciate them I just don't like them.

Anyway, felt it would be negligent of me not to put my voice into this thread, as the choices made with the graphics was an aspect of the game where I consciously said to myself "they did that well," and contributed to me buying the game - it gave me the impression that it was being taken seriously so I then thought, "ok, I will buy this"

Anyway, my 2 pence/euros/cents/yen/roubles/DM....
dM

Offline vonduus

  • Sr. Member Mark III
  • ****
  • Posts: 439
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2010, 10:34:53 am »
Yeah, I guess it is a personal thing.  To me the best part of it is, that  Arcen chose 2D to make the gameplay smooth, and not 3D, which has ruined the performance of quite a lot of games. Given that it is 2D I find the graphics very nice. Most of the time when I am not busy fighting I am in far zoom, but occasionally I zoom all the way in, just to look at a unit I haven't seen before. I don't remember when I  last did that in another  game. So given that I actually don't care about graphics if the gameplay is good, this must mean that I really like the graphics very mmuch.

offtopic: SoSE was a great game, but it had a too short life on my computer, after a few months I had perfected an economy driven path to victory that worked 90% of the time. When I saw AI War i hoped that it was something like SoSe or Pax Imperia, just better. And that was exactly what I got. Anyone here rememberr Pax Imperia?
If you miss the alert, you die. If you get the alert, you die. Summa summarum: You die. (Kierkegaard on CPAs)

Offline V22 Osprey

  • Newbie Mark II
  • *
  • Posts: 23
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2010, 10:58:20 am »
Now, don't get me wrong now guys.I love the rest of the game.The problem is that the new graphics for the Command Station and Space Dock seem very out of place when everything else has the nice "clean" 2D look.I usually don't care for graphics, but when it's something like my home Command station where I have to look at it constantly, just nags the hell out of me.

Offline zebramatt

  • Master Member Mark II
  • *****
  • Posts: 1,574
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #11 on: January 21, 2010, 11:01:12 am »
Now, don't get me wrong now guys.I love the rest of the game.The problem is that the new graphics for the Command Station and Space Dock seem very out of place when everything else has the nice "clean" 2D look.I usually don't care for graphics, but when it's something like my home Command station where I have to look at it constantly, just nags the hell out of me.

I hold the diametrically opposite view: in light of the stunning new Command Station, Colony Ship, Space Dock, etc. graphics, I'd actually like to see a similar upgrade of all the other ships!

Offline Chimpster

  • Newbie Mark III
  • *
  • Posts: 31
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #12 on: January 21, 2010, 11:38:47 am »
I hold the diametrically opposite view: in light of the stunning new Command Station, Colony Ship, Space Dock, etc. graphics, I'd actually like to see a similar upgrade of all the other ships!

Amen!

Love the new graphics and am hoping that one day we'll see equally stunning artwork for every ship!

Offline Trurl

  • Newbie Mark III
  • *
  • Posts: 26
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #13 on: January 21, 2010, 02:01:33 pm »
I like both the old graphics (2D pixel art) and the new graphics (3D renderings). The part I don't like is seeing them both at the same time, because it looks weird, and I hope that plan is to ultimately have one single art style across the game.

By the way, I do like the larger sprites for the command station and friends, because it makes important units easier to find visually.

Offline V22 Osprey

  • Newbie Mark II
  • *
  • Posts: 23
Re: New Graphics....
« Reply #14 on: January 21, 2010, 03:45:31 pm »
I like both the old graphics (2D pixel art) and the new graphics (3D renderings). The part I don't like is seeing them both at the same time, because it looks weird, and I hope that plan is to ultimately have one single art style across the game.

By the way, I do like the larger sprites for the command station and friends, because it makes important units easier to find visually.

I think this how I feel.I would probably enjoy the new graphics more if ALL of structures used the same style.It's very out of place next to the older 2D Graphics.