20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod

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All Forums >> [New Releases from Matrix Games] >> Distant Worlds 1 Series >> Design and Modding >> 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod

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20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/5/2011 12:32:28 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

So I know that the name isn't too original, but I hope it gets the point across for now.

Why a Mod?

This mod is something I put together for a few reasons:

- Twenty races and eight shipsets

- Shipsets are shared amongst very different races in vanilla DW. Why do Mortalens, Dhayut, and Securans share ship art

- Race art doesn't match flag colors in most cases, making it a chore to remember which race is represented by which flag

- There's a lot of really cool unused art in the files, but it never sees the light of day

- It is a learning exercise for me in preparation for my as yet unannounced secret project

What does this mod do?

This theme modifies a few things to help improve gameplay purely through aesthetics:

- Flag colors have been changed to much more closely match race art.

- Shipsets have been shared only amongst races from the same family tree.

- Shipsets have been diversified using unused race art where possible. I created no new art, just shuffled around what was hiding. Where possible the focus has been to diversify warships and exploration ships amongst races in the same family.

- Shipsets have been colorized according to their race's new default flag colors.

How do I enjoy this amazing mod?

Step one download this file: http://www.filefront.com/17752926/20-Racial-Shipsets-Mod.rar/

Step two put the folder in your MatrixGames/DiestantWorlds/Customization/ folder

Step three load up the game and "Change Theme" to load this mod

Step four ???

Step five PROFIT!

Where are my pretty screenshots? Is this it?

You just get one for now, because I am too lazy to figure out how to post more.

This is just the initial release, and just a placeholder name. Please let me know what names ya'll think would sound good for this mod and at the same time get the idea across.

Hopefully all the crazy colors in this mod will not cause seizures; I make no promises. I am looking forward to feedback on ship colors and such, constructive criticism is welcome and desired so future releases can be even more awesome. Also, let me know if anybody sees any phantom lights on ships.

Super-cool screenshots of battles from your games using this mod/theme earn 10 to 25 of browny points, depending on how much stuff is getting massacred by new ship artwork in said screenshot. Mod name suggestions earn 100 browny points if they don't suck, but must be accompanied by a cool screenshot from this mod. Browny Points can be turned in at a future time for an unspecified and probably lame prize (like a custom race using your avatar picture, and maybe even custom race dialogue if you really impress me).

Notice how the new flag colors blend well with race art... pretty groundbreaking stuff here.

Attachment (1)

< Message edited by the1sean -- 1/5/2011 1:01:12 PM >

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/5/2011 12:54:16 PM

WoodMan

Posts: 1345
Joined: 6/2/2010
From: Ol' Blighty
Status: offline

Hey Sean, if you don't mind me asking, what program and method did you use to alter the colours of the ships?

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/5/2011 1:11:01 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

Hey Woodman, I don't mind at all. I used "Gimp", the freeware photoshop. Under the "Colors" tab I used "color balance", "hue/saturation", and "brightness/contrast". You can even save the settings so it's easy to mass edit ships.

I am a big fan of your "Diverse Worlds" mod, and look forward to seeing it at completion. The ships simply look stunning so far. The vanilla DW shipsets definitely lack enough diversity for my tastes. I was already quite into this mod when you first posted initial work on yours. It looks like great minds think alike

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/5/2011 4:57:47 PM

ehsumrell1

Posts: 2529
Joined: 8/17/2010
From: The Briar Patch Nebula
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: the1sean

- It is a learning exercise for me in preparation for my as yet unannounced secret project

Now the1sean....we're not going to look up in the sky (ala "Independence Day") and see
a BIG HUGE burning cloud are we? LOL!

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/5/2011 6:06:38 PM

WoodMan

Posts: 1345
Joined: 6/2/2010
From: Ol' Blighty
Status: offline

quote:

Hey Woodman, I don't mind at all. I used "Gimp", the freeware photoshop. Under the "Colors" tab I used "color balance", "hue/saturation", and "brightness/contrast". You can even save the settings so it's easy to mass edit ships.

I am a big fan of your "Diverse Worlds" mod, and look forward to seeing it at completion. The ships simply look stunning so far. The vanilla DW shipsets definitely lack enough diversity for my tastes. I was already quite into this mod when you first posted initial work on yours. It looks like great minds think alike

Brilliant I was hoping you would say Gimp or Photoshop, because I took a look at your ships and there might be a way to get the effect your going for without the psychadelic disco effect. I've never used Gimp, but did you just adjust the hue slider? Is there a drop down box in that same tool to choose just to adjust a single set of colours? For example in photoshop you can choose just to change Reds or Cyans etc, adjusting those can change the colour of one part of a ship without changing the rest, which lets you change one part without the rest of the ship going psychadelic on you. Take a look at the tool and see if those options are available, if so, I hope it helps in your upcoming super secret project

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/5/2011 9:13:23 PM

hewwo

Posts: 276
Joined: 4/22/2010
Status: offline

How come all the flag and race txt colours match, except for the ketarov nation (in the screenshot of first post)?

also: arg, two shipsets for DW! To bad I don't have the time to go mix and match ;)

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/6/2011 12:24:38 AM

tjhkkr

Posts: 2428
Joined: 6/3/2010
Status: offline

GIMP is a fine utility, what stuff I have created, I could not have done without it.
Nice work.

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/7/2011 12:22:10 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: hewwo

How come all the flag and race txt colours match, except for the ketarov nation (in the screenshot of first post)?

also: arg, two shipsets for DW! To bad I don't have the time to go mix and match ;)

The Ketarov text colors match, too. However, whatever empire is currently selected has it's text displayed in yellow

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/7/2011 12:23:15 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: ehsumrell1

quote:

ORIGINAL: the1sean

- It is a learning exercise for me in preparation for my as yet unannounced secret project

Now the1sean....we're not going to look up in the sky (ala "Independence Day") and see
a BIG HUGE burning cloud are we? LOL!

Time will tell

< Message edited by the1sean -- 1/12/2011 3:14:38 AM >

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RE: 20 Racial Shipsets (and Flags) Mod - 1/7/2011 12:29:13 PM

the1sean

Posts: 854
Joined: 5/11/2010
From: Texas, USA
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: WoodMan

Brilliant I was hoping you would say Gimp or Photoshop, because I took a look at your ships and there might be a way to get the effect your going for without the psychadelic disco effect.� I've never used Gimp, but did you just adjust the hue slider?� Is there a drop down box in that same tool to choose just to adjust a single set of colours?� For example in photoshop you can choose just to change Reds or Cyans etc, adjusting those can change the colour of one part of a ship without changing the rest, which lets you change one part without the rest of the ship going psychadelic on you.� Take a look at the tool and see if those options are available, if so, I hope it helps in your upcoming super secret project

Actually, I did use those sliders, plus the "color balance" and "brightness contrast". The problem that I had was that some shipsets dont have a lot of color variation, or were shaded oddly, so it was hard not to produce some "psychadelic" colors.

Which shipsets do you think are the most offending? This is just my initial release. I would like to alter and tone down colors according to public opinion for future releases, so let me know!

< Message edited by the1sean -- 1/10/2011 11:22:40 AM >

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Post #: 10