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RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 12:35:54 PM   
Santayana_slith

 

Posts: 19
Joined: 1/5/2010
Status: offline 		Amazing work, indeed!

Ralph, can we expect a beta-patch in the near future while you iron out the final version?




(in reply to Da_Huge_D)
Post #: 31
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 1:54:21 PM   
vsadek


Posts: 125
Joined: 1/3/2010
From: Zagreb, Croatia
Status: offline 		This looks absolutely fantastic! You are a real artist.

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Post #: 32
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 2:02:07 PM   
jmlima

 

Posts: 782
Joined: 3/1/2007
Status: offline 		It looks good. But where exactely is that fabled patch?...

(in reply to Da_Huge_D)
Post #: 33
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 3:53:56 PM   
nicdain

 

Posts: 20
Joined: 3/15/2006
From: Florence, Italy
Status: offline 		That's amazing! Awesome work!
I especially like the look of the counters shown in posts 1,3,10 and 13
The terrain features are fantastic, too.
Keep it up!

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(in reply to jmlima)
Post #: 34
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 4:34:18 PM   
cantona2


Posts: 3749
Joined: 5/21/2007
From: Gibraltar
Status: offline 		Must say that I still an eye on this game from afar and those graphics look great. Will have to attempt at third comeback when Ralph is done with his work.

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(in reply to nicdain)
Post #: 35
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 7:49:17 PM   
golden delicious


Posts: 5575
Joined: 9/5/2000
From: London, Surrey, United Kingdom
Status: offline 		Incredible. I have steered well clear of every graphics mod to date but this is something else.

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(in reply to cantona2)
Post #: 36
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 8:03:08 PM   
ColinWright

 

Posts: 2604
Joined: 10/13/2005
Status: offline 		Bah humbug. Taste aside, to me the hills look inverted -- that is to say, as if they're dug into the surface rather than rising out of it. Then too, the escarpment looks a bit too regular -- for a while I thought it must be your notation for fortifications. I can't say I care for the peaks -- better the current tile.

And finally, don't like the major rivers. Not that it isn't impressive overall -- but these are the shortcomings I perceive.



< Message edited by ColinWright -- 1/5/2010 8:07:07 PM >

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Post #: 37
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 8:16:23 PM   
ralphtricky


Posts: 6685
Joined: 7/27/2003
From: Colorado Springs
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: ColinWright

Bah humbug. Taste aside, to me the hills look inverted -- that is to say, as if they're dug into the surface rather than rising out of it. Then too, the escarpment looks a bit too regular -- for a while I thought it must be your notation for fortifications. I can't say I care for the peaks -- better the current tile.

And finally, don't like the major rivers. Not that it isn't impressive overall -- but these are the shortcomings I perceive.



Colin,
Luckily, there's nothing to stop you from mixing the graphics and using the old Hills, Escarpments, Rivers and the new graphics for the rest or whatever combination you want.

Ralph


_____________________________

Ralph Trickey
TOAW IV Programmer
Blog: http://operationalwarfare.com
---
My comments are my own, and do not represent the views of any other person or entity. Nothing that I say should be construed in any way as a promise of anything.

(in reply to ColinWright)
Post #: 38
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 9:49:25 PM   
eastwindrain

 

Posts: 230
Joined: 11/29/2005
Status: offline 		Wonderful work squire's I salute you.

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Post #: 39
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 9:55:08 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		Thank you all for the compliments!   Colin, it’s really an impossible thing to adapt a mod to everyone’s taste. Every person will be able to pick a terrain feature he would rather see represented differently. If there is any element which seems to bother most people, I’ll try to find a solution, but I can’t please everyone, so I need to use my own criteria. There is always the possibility of modification of this mod by others, also.
I have had, once or twice, the same impression on hills as you had. This is a normal optical illusion when we use slightly beveled surfaces, but most of the time our brains will settle with what we know is the right perception. I now experience difficulty reproducing the impression of dug in hills and I think that, after a while, most people that experienced that way of perceiving it will too. Increasing the relief made things look very convoluted, at least for my taste. I think that the original Toaw hills look to bumpy.
Escarpments are one of the most difficult tiles to produce in Toaw, since they must follow the hex side they are associated with. Being difficult to create an organic looking tile with that constraint, I opted for a symbolic one.     Bulldog,  post 17 is frozen terrain. It’s less perceptible in this picture than it is in game, since all tiles are frozen and so there is no adjacent contrasting hexes. I opted for a striped pattern for frozen, so that it can be easily distinguished from snowy. And I really like the aspect of paper texture it creates. Original snowy tiles in Toaw were too obstructive and if I decided simply for two levels of transparency, it would be difficult to distinguish frozen from snowy when only one was present like in post 17. I’m posting some extra winter images.

(in reply to eastwindrain)
Post #: 40
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 9:55:55 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		*




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Post #: 41
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 9:56:27 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		*




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Post #: 42
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 9:57:04 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		*




Attachment (1)

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Post #: 43
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 10:15:24 PM   
Josh

 

Posts: 2576
Joined: 5/9/2000
From: Leeuwarden, Netherlands
Status: offline 		I don't own the game yet, waiting for the patch release, but I must say: most impressive indeed, exceptionally well done. How long have you been working on this if I may ask?

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Post #: 44
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/5/2010 10:28:00 PM   
desert


Posts: 827
Joined: 9/14/2006
Status: offline
quote:

Incredible. I have steered well clear of every graphics mod to date but this is something else.


Indeed. I might actually try this one out.

Good work.

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Post #: 45
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/6/2010 2:20:12 AM   
BigDuke66


Posts: 2013
Joined: 2/1/2001
From: Terra
Status: offline 		Looks just great!
But what about the hexes can we turn them off?

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Post #: 46
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/6/2010 10:46:27 AM   
erichswafford


Posts: 602
Joined: 5/14/2008
Status: offline 		I N C R E D I B L E

(in reply to Da_Huge_D)
Post #: 47
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/6/2010 3:10:09 PM   
ralphtricky


Posts: 6685
Joined: 7/27/2003
From: Colorado Springs
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: BigDuke66

Looks just great!
But what about the hexes can we turn them off?

If you mean the hex outline, then yes, there's a switch to do that. You could also mod them to make them almost transparent very easily with something like Paint.Net (freeware), I'll probably do that for my personal use. I like hexes, but I also like the map without hexes, so I am going to try a compromise. I'll probalby hate it, but...

Ralph


_____________________________

Ralph Trickey
TOAW IV Programmer
Blog: http://operationalwarfare.com
---
My comments are my own, and do not represent the views of any other person or entity. Nothing that I say should be construed in any way as a promise of anything.

(in reply to BigDuke66)
Post #: 48
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/6/2010 4:05:21 PM   
Bulldog1

 

Posts: 63
Joined: 11/15/2006
Status: offline 		Thanks for posting the winter pics. Now I see the snow. I like it.

Just wondering if its possible to (lets use post 43 as example) to touch up the hex sides of the inland lakes to look frozen. I think this would enhance the image of winter.

AGAIN THANKS FOR THE EXCELLENT WORK!

(in reply to Santayana_slith)
Post #: 49
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/6/2010 5:31:49 PM   
Menschenfresser

 

Posts: 252
Joined: 3/26/2004
From: United States
Status: offline 		Ralph, I hope that, given the overwhelming support here, this mod will come with the patch and have a conversion option from the start menu like TOAW3 and CLASSIC graphics.

Unless this isn't planned and adding it would delay things.

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Post #: 50
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/7/2010 1:29:28 PM   
laska2k8


Posts: 556
Joined: 11/18/2005
From: Italy
Status: offline 		hope to play with this soon....

< Message edited by laska2k4 -- 1/7/2010 1:33:18 PM >

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Post #: 51
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/7/2010 7:22:33 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		Bulldog, I can`t make the hex overlay react to what`s underneath. It only has some transparency to it, so that you can distinguish some features below.

Ralph idea is a good one and since I prefer the look of the mod with hex outline on (I too preferred the original Toaw graphics without the hex outline, but not this one... yet, that`s a very personal matter) and some may think it`s too visible, I`ll make available a version with less opacity. The `official` one will be the one above, but an alternative file will be present, so it`s just a question of renaming. Also, it`s very easy to tweak the file opacity in any painting software (I really can`t consider windows paint a painting software). The shape is a little tricky.

(in reply to laska2k8)
Post #: 52
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/7/2010 7:25:34 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		*




Attachment (1)

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Post #: 53
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/7/2010 7:27:04 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		*




Attachment (1)

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Post #: 54
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/7/2010 7:31:36 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		Josh, it took me about one month (when I had some extra spare time available) to do most of it. The last month I`ve been adding some details, while Ralph was tweaking the engine and making it possible to use all features.

(in reply to damezzi)
Post #: 55
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/8/2010 1:18:06 AM   
Bulldog1

 

Posts: 63
Joined: 11/15/2006
Status: offline 		Damezzi, thanks for your reply. It will be like playing a new game! Awesome!

(in reply to Santayana_slith)
Post #: 56
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/9/2010 9:46:30 AM   
comte


Posts: 2358
Joined: 2/4/2009
From: Be'eri, Hadarom, Israel
Status: offline 		Wow Those graphics look amazing

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Post #: 57
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/9/2010 2:45:41 PM   
Panama


Posts: 1362
Joined: 10/30/2009
Status: offline 		Yeah, looks great.

In the huge view numbers are good. Can they be made less fuzzy and more sharp in the zoomed out view? Old age is a curse for the eyes. Happens to almost all of us.

(in reply to Da_Huge_D)
Post #: 58
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/10/2010 11:05:31 AM   
X.ray

 

Posts: 35
Joined: 4/18/2009
Status: offline 		This is fabulous!! Thanks damezzi!
One thing that was on my wishlist - would it be possible to show the direction the unit is currently facing? Pariticularly easy to be forgettable in a PBEM game and then you may suffer the flank punishment!

(in reply to Panama)
Post #: 59
RE: New Alpha Graphics Mod - 1/10/2010 6:13:49 PM   
damezzi

 

Posts: 299
Joined: 7/18/2007
Status: offline 		Panama, I've already changed the fonts to make it cleaner in the normal view. I'll not say it isn't possible to make it still more readable using only black pixels and displaying jaggy edges, but the difference would be very, very small and not worth it. The problem here is the size (in terms of resolution); if you open the numbers.bmp file, you'll see it. I think that the huge view will be used more frequently now, not necessarily because of better graphics resolution, but also because Ralph did a nice job making zoom faster. The first time we zoom in takes a while, but then the zoom becomes much faster and one can zoom in and out with a lot of ease.
An easily accessible keyboard hotkey would make things yet more easy. Ralph has already set the space bar to hide and show units, which is something very helpful. Well planed hotkeys are a really nice substitute to a graphical interface. Anyone who learns to work well with hotkeys in any software package will tell you the investment in time (some packages can present a huge number of hotkeys) was worth and some aspects of the graphical interface becomes obsolete.

X.ray, showing units facing is an engine change. I don't know if Ralph plans doing it.

(in reply to X.ray)
Post #: 60
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