Customizing Ship Graphics

[GaryChildress]

I haven't bought this game as yet. Still trying to find out a little more about it. Just looking at the customization guide I take it that ship graphics are basically little more than 200x200 pixel 2D PNG files with blue areas around the ship image to indicate where thruster graphics will be placed in game? Sounds like it may be pretty simple to mod the ship graphics if that is the case. I have a couple 3D graphics programs which I know how to use and could potentially use to create models for 2D ship PNGs. Would someone be able to confirm that this is the case?

Many thanks!!

[PDiFolco]

Yes, that's in the mod book, let's roll the graphics ! [:D]

[GaryChildress]

ORIGINAL: PDiFolco

Yes, that's in the mod book, let's roll the graphics ! [:D]

Here's some 3D models I just created. I just need to get the game now so I can figure out how to translate them into the graphics. Space ships are fun to make though. [8D]

[GaryChildress]

Here's a top down view of another similar creation.

[GaryChildress]

I have two basic looks that I can do. One is smoothed and one is more geometrical. Which one looks the best? The one on the right or left?

[Igard]

Great designs.[&o]

Definately a matter of opinion which one looks best. You should probably assign the ship design to the race that suits them best.[:)]

The curved one on the right looks like it should be a larger ship probably a cruiser.

There are 5 main military ships for each race family; escort, frigate, destroyer, cruiser and capital ships. Looks like you have enough material here for your own race. Of course you need some station designs too, as well as mining, construction and freighters.

[Magpius]

Where is the mod book?
What is the RGB value for the blue line?
Who do I make lights blink on my ships.
etc. etc.

[Deto]

lights are 255 255 0 (blue = 0, others 255)
engines are 0 0 255 (blue = 255, others 0)

Lights are 'pixel per light'

engine is horizontal one pixel height line per engine and its width.

Saved in .PNG format with transparency

light color is determined by your empire's main color

Engine color is determined by engine type ( I presume its the gas burned as fuel )


Here's a colonyship from set I'm making. Copy paste to image editing soft of your choice, pref Photoshop or GIMP

edit: Not very visible, but there's 4 small blue lines on the bottom of the ship image, the engines. There's 2 lights in the 'middle gap' of the blue squared area. And there's two more lights at the 'top end' of the wings

[Magpius]

thanks.
this game makes a nice change from modding WW2 counter sets.
really enjoyable.
Looks like I've found a game that reminds me of frontier elite II.
...at long last

[Igard]

ORIGINAL: Agent S

Looks like I've found a game that reminds me of frontier elite II.

I know exactly what you mean! elite II had massive scope and potential.

Can you imagine if elite II was made today with the kind of support in terms of patches that Distant Worlds has?

[Bestor]

Hi guys need a litle help, im currently trying to add some ship sets but im getting a problem, basicly i get a square of white around the ship image when in game, so all i have is a big square ship, how do you create the transparent area like around the colony ship above? ive tryed using black but that dont work either.

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Deto

lights are 255 255 0 (blue = 0, others 255)
engines are 0 0 255 (blue = 255, others 0)

Lights are 'pixel per light'

engine is horizontal one pixel height line per engine and its width.

Saved in .PNG format with transparency

light color is determined by your empire's main color

Engine color is determined by engine type ( I presume its the gas burned as fuel )


Here's a colonyship from set I'm making. Copy paste to image editing soft of your choice, pref Photoshop or GIMP

edit: Not very visible, but there's 4 small blue lines on the bottom of the ship image, the engines. There's 2 lights in the 'middle gap' of the blue squared area. And there's two more lights at the 'top end' of the wings

Deto

Will you be releasing the enitre set for general public use at any point in the future?

[Deto]

ORIGINAL: Shark7

ORIGINAL: Deto

lights are 255 255 0 (blue = 0, others 255)
engines are 0 0 255 (blue = 255, others 0)

Lights are 'pixel per light'

engine is horizontal one pixel height line per engine and its width.

Saved in .PNG format with transparency

light color is determined by your empire's main color

Engine color is determined by engine type ( I presume its the gas burned as fuel )


Here's a colonyship from set I'm making. Copy paste to image editing soft of your choice, pref Photoshop or GIMP

edit: Not very visible, but there's 4 small blue lines on the bottom of the ship image, the engines. There's 2 lights in the 'middle gap' of the blue squared area. And there's two more lights at the 'top end' of the wings

Deto

Will you be releasing the enitre set for general public use at any point in the future?

Yeah, as soon as I get everything done Saddly I'm so busy at work it'll take some time still :<

[Shark7]

ORIGINAL: Deto

ORIGINAL: Shark7

ORIGINAL: Deto

lights are 255 255 0 (blue = 0, others 255)
engines are 0 0 255 (blue = 255, others 0)

Lights are 'pixel per light'

engine is horizontal one pixel height line per engine and its width.

Saved in .PNG format with transparency

light color is determined by your empire's main color

Engine color is determined by engine type ( I presume its the gas burned as fuel )


Here's a colonyship from set I'm making. Copy paste to image editing soft of your choice, pref Photoshop or GIMP

edit: Not very visible, but there's 4 small blue lines on the bottom of the ship image, the engines. There's 2 lights in the 'middle gap' of the blue squared area. And there's two more lights at the 'top end' of the wings

Deto

Will you be releasing the enitre set for general public use at any point in the future?

Yeah, as soon as I get everything done Saddly I'm so busy at work it'll take some time still :<

Well in the meantime I'm making a couple of sets of my own, so hopefully I will be able to zip those up to share before too long. I might post some previews in a day or two, once I get them modded into the game.

[Sarissofoi]

I will look for this new graphic.

[ductape]

One thing I would like to try is smaller ships across the board. For me, sometimes things are just too cluttered and I think if the general scale of ships was much smaller, it would look nicer.

Sure we wouldnt have the level of detail on the ship graphics, but I would like to try it out.

Is it even possible to do this? Could we say, halve the size f the ships? WOuld that mess with AI pathing or anything?

[BigWolfChris]

You could lower the dimensions of the graphics, but I would imagine the hit box (what you click to select) would stay the same still causing problems choosing ships

[ductape]

i reduced all graphics by 50% and the game just expanded the graphic to fit some hard-coded size it wanted. The ships just looked worse.

I WANT SMALLER SHIPS!

[HsojVvad]

ORIGINAL: Deto

lights are 255 255 0 (blue = 0, others 255)
engines are 0 0 255 (blue = 255, others 0)

Lights are 'pixel per light'

engine is horizontal one pixel height line per engine and its width.

Saved in .PNG format with transparency

light color is determined by your empire's main color

Engine color is determined by engine type ( I presume its the gas burned as fuel )


Here's a colonyship from set I'm making. Copy paste to image editing soft of your choice, pref Photoshop or GIMP

edit: Not very visible, but there's 4 small blue lines on the bottom of the ship image, the engines. There's 2 lights in the 'middle gap' of the blue squared area. And there's two more lights at the 'top end' of the wings

Why do I have the Austin Powers movie in my head now? Will this be called the USS Jonston? [:D]

[lordxorn]

Love your stuff Gary. Look forward to future releases. I have a question, is the texturing best done in Wings 3D, Renderer, or Photoshop?