Custom cursors!

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 21 Jul 2006, 19:30

Ah, so I got distracted, but I finally got the first set of custom cursors done.

These are sort of designed to be TA-Like, usable for mods that want to distance themselves from TA IP, but still have gameplay similar to TA. A single user can also manualy replace his Anims folder (detail below) to use a custom set for all mods.

The design priciples were basically this: Color relates to nominal target. Red for hostile units, green for friendly units, blue for ground or wreckage. The only exception is Pickup, since I wanted to make its color the same as Putdown.

The animation reflect the action type. Spinning actions are actions that don't end. Animation where the little dots all move involve a nanolath. A blinking ring means "you get a unit, by magic!"

/Attack/Move/Pickup/Unload/Reclaim/Repair/Revive/Capture/Patrol/Defend/

Now, there are a couple of ways to get these. For a single mod, it depends on whether or not the mod calls "otacontent.sd7" as a dependency. If it does, then the frames in my animations need to be multiplied until the snimation is longer than the OTA one it replaces. So you need the big package.

For a mod that doesn't call otacontent.sd7, then all you have to do is grab the small package and pop the "Anims" folder into your mod archive.

For a single user, you can currently grab the big package and put it in an "Anims" folder in your spring directory. That will convert all the cursors to whatever custom set you chose (which is of course currently limited to just the one). The important caveat is that this will take precidence and disable any mod defined custom cursors. Currently there aren't many mods this will affect, just Xect v Mynn I think.

Once custom cursors become more common you may run into problems.

Download Links:

Small (mod author) Version (~100kb):
http://www.bestsharing.com/files/ms0018 ... ll.7z.html

Big (av. Joe) Version (~130kb):
http://www.bestsharing.com/files/ms0018 ... ig.7z.html

AF · Post by AF » 21 Jul 2006, 20:42

They look good but a little cartoonish. Any way of having a more metallic looking set of variants?

Good work though, *gives erom a cookie*

NOiZE · Post by **NOiZE** » 21 Jul 2006, 21:03

the move one should be green IMo

and reclaim and repair or mixed up i assume?

Besides that GREAT work!!

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 21 Jul 2006, 21:05

Cookie! Glee!

Yeah, more sets will of course be forthcoming, but not before I figure out how to make a Script / GIMP pluggin / Java program / ect. that will let me automate the process a bit by taking the images in an animated gif, and saving each frame to a bitmap with the right names. I'm not going to hand-rename another set of like ~100 bitmap files.

rattle · Post by **rattle** » 22 Jul 2006, 01:15

Colour reclaim/revive green and defend red and they're perfect.

Das Bruce · Post by **Das Bruce** » 22 Jul 2006, 01:23

Too much flashing.

Snipawolf · Post by **Snipawolf** » 22 Jul 2006, 02:25

Good, but misleading a little

Maelstrom · Post by **Maelstrom** » 22 Jul 2006, 05:57

I agree, to many little flashy circles and stuff. The cursors should be instantly recognisable for what they are, if they need to be explained, then they dont work properly. Nice try, but if someone sees these ingame, and is confused as to what they do, then they dont work. Not everyone is going to see this thread and read what they are. Sorry, better luck next time.

smoth · Post by **smoth** » 22 Jul 2006, 06:08

I like the flashy circles, most of the time when you are moving the cursor around it is not flashing but when something of interest I.E. something to reclaim, I like having the blinking cursors.

Erom, may I use these in gundam?

Das Bruce · Post by **Das Bruce** » 22 Jul 2006, 08:06

The little dot bits make it a little hard to see, maybe if you joined them together to form curves and stuff instead it might make them more easily recognisable.

unpossible · Post by **unpossible** » 22 Jul 2006, 08:35

they do look a little busy for general use - but i like the idea they're nearly all animated & colourful. it'll make it umpteen times easier to find you cursor when your framerate suddenly drops (being colourful).
is there any way to make the cursors larger than they are by default?

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 22 Jul 2006, 15:16

smoth wrote:Erom, may I use these in gundam?

Check your PM. But yes, for the record, anyone can use these.

unpossible wrote:is there any way to make the cursors larger than they are by default?

Yup, just re-size the images. Of course you'll get pixelation, but I can always make some larger versions.

A lot of you seem to want what my first idea was- the color to correlate to the tools in use, not the nominal targets. That is, commands resulting in weapon fire to be red, commands using nanolath green, commands using movement blue. That also would be a workable scheme, perhaps I'll try that in the future.

For now, these are sort of a "take them or leave them" offering, until I get a tool set up to streamline the process, at which point I'll make a whole bunch more, incorporating all your feedback.

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 22 Jul 2006, 15:34

OK, I'm going to try to write a GIMP pluggin to speed up the process a bit. Basically take the layers of my image, take a name STRING and a loop INT and save:

The first layer as cursorSTRING_0.bmp
the second layer as cursorSTRING_1.bmp

up to the top layer, then, if INT is >1, repeat the process

1st layer as cursorSTRING_(#Layers+1).bmp
ect.

repeating as many times as INT is.

That should automate the filenaming process, so it won't be so tedious. I've never coded in C before (though I know Ada95 and Java) so this will be a bit of an experiment.

EDIT: Except that the GIMP dev environment is really yucky for windows... friggin linux geeks. :)

Cheesecan · Post by **Cheesecan** » 22 Jul 2006, 16:40

These are hawt!

FoeOfTheBee · Post by **FoeOfTheBee** » 23 Jul 2006, 01:48

I like some, but overall I prefer the icons we did for Xect vs. Mynn

Argh · Post by **Argh** » 27 Aug 2006, 11:57

Erom.. for the record, could you please write the words, "I hereby relinquish all Copyrights to these files, and release them into the Public Domain"?

That would entirely satisfy the requirements of the Creative Commons license, and allow me to include these in NanoBlobs, which is going to be entirely Open Source in its next release. Thanks in advance.

Erom · Post by **Erom** » 27 Aug 2006, 15:39

For the record then, I hereby relinquish all Copyrights to these files, and release them into the Public Domain.

Also, hereby do the same for any other file I post in this thread, at any point now or in the future.

Creative Commons FTW, Nanoblobs FTW

Oh, right, and hopefully I will be more active again in a short while, I failed at some map making, then RL hit me for a bit.

Argh · Post by **Argh** » 27 Aug 2006, 16:02

Thanks very much, Erom! Credit will be given, of course

FLOZi · Post by **FLOZi** » 12 Jun 2008, 15:38

Ahem, 2 year bump.

These have now been added to the installer base in cursors.sdz so modders don't have to include them into the mod directly.

Mainly it will be helpful for new mods who require a cursor set to get the mod running.

Forboding Angel · Post by **Forboding Angel** » 12 Jun 2008, 21:27

There is also the cursor sets that I made which can be found in EE, Funta and EvolutionRTS.

Spring RTS Engine

Custom cursors!

Custom cursors!

Re: Custom cursors!

Re: Custom cursors!