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True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 05:38
by Forboding Angel
I'mma get a lot of flak for calling them that but hear me out a bit. I think it would be neat if we could use png for unit icons and only have the alpha channel be teamcolor. It would allow for arguably MUCH better unit icons.

Since we're dreaming, how about unit icons that rotate with their unit?

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 07:35
by knorke
I'mma get a lot of flak for calling them that but hear be out a bit. I think it would be neat if we lua it.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 07:44
by Google_Frog
I don't want either of Forb's proposed features.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 08:27
by Forboding Angel
Rotation could indicate facing with dot wars for example. But mainly it would be nifty to have both features because zoomed out the information displayed would be more relevant (assuming that the gamedev took the time to set everything up properly).

This doesn't mean that the current system would have to be chucked out the window...

Also:
Google_Frog wrote:I don't want either of Forb's proposed features.
That's nice, unnecessary, cookie now?

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 12:32
by Beherith
isnt the png alpha channel already taken by transparency?

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 13:18
by PicassoCT
Wouldnt it be cool if not the gamedev, but the engine did this for you? Just snapshot on every unit from above, stroke around in black and white, teamcoloured on the inside. Also wouldnt it be cool, if spring was shipped with free Hammocks? I checked on git, and there is not once a mentioning of hammocks in the source...

This is definatly wrong.

Also, i ordered a hundred code heinzelmaennchen for jw, and they didnt appear. This inability to do my work is clearly a sign of a general lack when it comes to moddevs in spring ;)

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 16:30
by smoth
Beherith wrote:isnt the png alpha channel already taken by transparency?
and only 1-bit at that.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 18:05
by Beherith
PicassoCT wrote:Wouldnt it be cool if not the gamedev, but the engine did this for you? Just snapshot on every unit from above
Spring already does this. Set unit LOD distance to 100.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 05 Feb 2012, 18:40
by PicassoCT
but why would i do this..? i got the power!

Alsoo wee, instant feature request fullfillment due to lack of knowledge. Never was hapiness archived so cheap and fast.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 06 Feb 2012, 06:33
by Google_Frog
Forboding Angel wrote:
Google_Frog wrote:I don't want either of Forb's proposed features.
That's nice, unnecessary, cookie now?
I don't want you not to get your features. I just want to use the current implementation so do not want it removed.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 06 Feb 2012, 08:48
by Anarchid
If you want direction indicators on units, can't you just lua a vector arrow? In addition to behaving better in 3d, that allows to keep the old implementation AND get 'tr00 iconwars' as well.

Topview-rotated icons wouldn't work in any decent way if your iconwars is not a top-drawn minimap, see s44 stuff for instance.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 06 Feb 2012, 16:50
by zwzsg
I like the current implementation as well.

But then I'm also of the opinion of that if you see mostly icons instead of the fancy 3D models, then your design is failure.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 06 Feb 2012, 19:59
by Forboding Angel
Forboding Angel wrote: This doesn't mean that the current system would have to be chucked out the window...
Where exactly did you get the idea that I wanted the current system replaced?

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 06:25
by Google_Frog
Forboding Angel wrote:
Forboding Angel wrote: This doesn't mean that the current system would have to be chucked out the window...
Where exactly did you get the idea that I wanted the current system replaced?
Where did you get the idea that I got that idea? No one had said that they didn't want the current system replaced so I said it. Otherwise some engine dev may decide there is unanimous support for rotating icons and replace the current system.

You proposed a feature, I said I wanted to use the old system. The entire point of my comment was to reduce the chance of the old system being removed by the implementer of your suggestion. I don't not want the feature either.

Now we've spiralled down into a conversation to nowhere. I hope that misunderstanding is all cleared up we can stop.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 22:45
by Forboding Angel
Your original comment doomed it anyway, no point in lamenting misunderstandings.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 07 Feb 2012, 23:02
by knorke
Image

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 08 Feb 2012, 05:37
by jK
back on rail:
How does the request differ from faricons?

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 09 Feb 2012, 07:39
by Forboding Angel
I don't know how to answer that as I don't know what faricons are.

Here is what I wanted something liek this for:

I have a map specially made to be perfect for screenshotting and cutting out units. You take screenie, pull into photoshop, select color range, delete, Bam, unit cutout.

Now, imagine if I could do this for all of my units, taken from a 90 degree top down view, and have their teamcolor areas be the teamcolor areas for the unit icons. All of a sudden tab view becomes a lot more useful and interesting to look at.

It would require a lot of work to do all the icons, but imo the benefits would be quite nice.

Moreover, if someone wanted to make a game using simple, single image, top down sprites, this would be a great way to do it.

Re: True unit icons

Posted: 09 Feb 2012, 08:14
by jK

Code: Select all

/distdraw 10
/disticon 1000000