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Guidelines
Current Tilers/modders/contributors/gentlemen/gentlewomen:
ArcElement2002WinnihymcptcaseycrystlshakeJohn_Hugheskronik83oddrheia
- First and foremost, the goal here is to provide the player with a graphically different image that should be "pleasant" (in the sense that it adds to immersion, not the other way around). If you feel that you can't do something that looks good with the guidelines, then you shouldn't do it. What I'm trying to say here is that the most important thing is that we end up with tiles that look good. Quality is extremely important, and it is a requirement (as are the other guidelines). Every tile will be up for discussion in this thread (post images), and I would appreciate it if everyone helped comment with positive criticism on each others tiles.
- Every tile requires two versions - one "under construction", and one in its completed stage. The "under construction" version of each tile should be significantly different from the finished version (you should immediately be able to tell that it is under construction). The "under construction" version does not have as high a quality requirement as the finished version. It is assumed that if you complete a "finished" tile, you will do the "under construction" tile as well.
- Color schemes will be rigidly followed. See each race below for the exact colours used for the buildings. Stay away from models that clash with these colours - you'll have to check for yourself, but a few models have colours that can't be changed. For example, if you're building a black city with the Living Stone, then white pillars are out of the question. Set the colours in the workshop, and you will see what models can and can't change.
- Keep in mind that most of these buildings are "repeatable", that is, the player will place several identical buildings right next to each other. Please try your hardest to minimize the negative impact this has on the visual experience. For example, placing a bright red flag in the top right corner will look extremely poor when the player places 10 next to each other. Broadly speaking, stay away from overly distinguishable models that clash with the color of the faction. With that said, this is obviously a very "gray" area and I only ask that you try your best to accomplish this.
- Also be careful to not divert too much from the previously established tiles of the faction. Remember, we are only doing a handful of the 50+ buildings each faction has available. It is important that the new design looks like it COULD have been made in that city. For example, if I am designing a new study in an elf town, I should be using trees and wooden buildings. With this said, again, the goal here is to create something that is visually distinguishable from the standard designs. I know I'm being very vague here, but be aware that you can go "too far" in either direction. This guideline will be mostly up to every tiler to discuss with each other.
- In addition, - Only one pedestrian may be placed on each tile (three may be used for 'under construction' versions) - Only one effect may be used, and it should be a detail in the tile, and should never "draw the eye" of the viewer - Ground decals may only be used if they are a significant part of the building. For example, see the elf school. If you want to add a new decal, that is doable. Stay away from general cobblestone usage and such, it looks very bad. - No design may contain more than 35 objects. Use them wisely. In particular, try to avoid "useless crap", which is stuff the player won't ever see (models hidden under other models, models too small to see without zooming in as close as possible). - All tiles should be 1x1 for the first stage of this expansion (no exception - make sure you select 1x1 in the workshop and stay within the YELLOW square) - Try to create designs that use as much as possible of the space in the tile, up to the edge. Avoid "inorganic" walls on the tile. - Make sure that you are using the correct environment for the tile. Environments are listed under each faction, and you change it in the Options in the workshop. This is because environments do change the colour on some models. - Scale: Look at other buildings of the same faction.
- The actual buildings in a tile must use the setting below for height placement - fixed height (see screenshot). This is so that the building parts do not go out of sync due to tiny environment changes. Fences, trees, rocks and such things should NOT have fixed height (unless they are the building).
- Each tile must be sent WITH THE SHADOWS. For the elf community project I had to re-save every tile without shadows and it was a total pain in the ass. Shadows are placed in the /tiles/shadows/ folder.
- DO NOT CHANGE THE FILENAME OF A TILE WITHOUT TELLING ME. IF YOU CHANGE THE FILE NAME TO SOMETHING OTHER THAN WHAT YOU SAVED IT AS, IT WILL NOT FUNCTION.
- Naming policy - please name your tiles close to something like EF_UU_factionhere_buildinghere and add _build to end if its the "under construction" version. For example, for the angels' study that is under construction, I would name the file EF_UU_angels_Study_build
- If there are any extra models that you feel are needed to complete a certain design, let me know. We can add more to the game, but it takes time to do so.
Asset: TESTBUILDING mod: http://www.mediafire.com/?ci39h3iu0l3l2ad
This is just a 1x1 building that can be built by any faction, and increases prestige by 50 and population by 300 in the city it is built. It is included so that you can test your tiles' appearances in a city. If you wish to test your tile with a city, open this file and replace the following lines
<TileDesign>F_Hovel_02</TileDesign> <ConstructionTileDesign>F_Hovel_Build_02</ConstructionTileDesign>
so that the tags contain the name you saved your tile as.
Uncolored means the task has not been assigned
Orange means the task has been assigned, and you should preferably choose something else to contribute with
Green means the task has been completed (and the files have reached me)
Note: You don't need my permission to start working on a tile. This is just so that if you want to take your time working on something, you can reserve that task so noone can steal it from under your feet.
These colourcodes describe how you get the right colours in the builder's forge - left from right means top to bottom in-game. For example, the drota have the <BuildingRoofColor>230,150,15</BuildingRoofColor> and this would equal this screenshot:
For citycores, the limit is 100 objects and 4 pedestrians, 2 effects
Each race requires at least 5 different cores,
core1 represents the beginning stages of building. It is what the player sees for the first 8-9 turns before he hits the cap in the city at level 1core2 represents the city after its beginning stages - what the user sees at the cap of level 1, and level 2 citiescore3 represents the "average town", you'll likely see a decent form of wall around this, it is used for level 3 citiescore4 is the stage between "average town" and superfortresscore5 is the last stage, the superfortress. This building should be quite large in height, so that it sticks out from the other city buildings.
Angels (environment:grassland)White temple-like buildings in a lush forest. Not swampy. Avoid specific religious symbols. <BuildingPrimaryColor>200,200,200</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>200,200,200</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>200,200,200</BuildingRoofColor>Study (Winnihym)Library (Winnihym)Arcane Lab (Winnihym)Hut (Winnihym)House (Winnihym)Beacon of Hope (Winnihym)Workshop (Winnihym)citycore1 (Winnihym)citycore2 (Winnihym)citycore3 (Winnihym)citycore4 (Winnihym)citycore5 (Winnihym)Living Stone (environment: dead)A race of living stone, they would be suited best to live in rock formations that resemble kingdom buildings. Avoid lava-pits and such. <BuildingPrimaryColor>50,50,50</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>25,25,25</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>100,100,100</BuildingRoofColor>Study (John_Hughes)Library (John_Hughes)Arcane Lab (John_Hughes)Hut (John_Hughes)House (John_Hughes)Beacon of Hope (John_Hughes)Workshop (John_Hughes) citycore1 (John_Hughes) citycore2 (John_Hughes) citycore3 citycore4 citycore5Death legion (environment: dead)Demons with slaves worshipping them. Avoid large demon statues as they will stand out when the building is repated (as ornaments they are ok, and as monument large demons are ok). Buildings should aspire to be "poor" and "twisted". <BuildingPrimaryColor>0,0,0</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>0,0,0</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>0,0,0</BuildingRoofColor>Tower of Dominion (crystlshake)Monument (crystlshake)Hovel (crystlshake)House (crystlshake) Archivist (crystlshake)Master Archivist (crystlshake)Loreshop (crystlshake)Laborpit (crystlshake) citycore1 citycore2 citycore3 citycore4 citycore5Drota (environment: desert)Desert-living hunters. <BuildingPrimaryColor>140,120,100</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>80,60,40</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>230,150,15</BuildingRoofColor>Tower of Dominion (kronik83)Monument (kronik83)Hovel (ArcElement2002)House (ArcElement2002)Archivist (kronik83)Master Archivist (kronik83)Loreshop (kronik83)Laborpit (kronik83) citycore1 (kronik83) citycore2 (kronik83) citycore3 (kronik83) citycore4 (kronik83) citycore5 (kronik83)Goblins (environment: dead)As much as I hate to admit, I didn't have a clear line of thought for these bastards. They're smart, evil and backstabbing. Think DnD, not warhammer. Their buildings should appear as "make-shift", and certainly never look like they were designed. But they also do not live in rubble, although rubble surrounds their buildings. <BuildingPrimaryColor>140,120,100</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>80,60,40</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>230,150,15</BuildingRoofColor>Tower of Dominion (cptcasey)Monument (cptcasey) Hovel (cptcasey)House (cptcasey) Archivist (cptcasey)Master Archivist (cptcasey)Loreshop (cptcasey)Laborpit (cptcasey) citycore1 (cptcasey) citycore2 (cptcasey) citycore3 (cptcasey) citycore4 (cptcasey) citycore5(cptcasey)Golem king (environment: winter)As golems most likely built these buildings, they should be "flawless" in design (the opposite of goblins). No pyramids. Be careful not to place plants or trees, unless they get coloured white by the winter environment. Do not place snow, unless you are placing a larger pile of snow (in that case, use stones, or white flower stacks). <BuildingPrimaryColor>200,200,200</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>200,200,200</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>200,200,200</BuildingRoofColor>Tower of Dominion (oddrheia)Monument (oddrheia)Hovel (oddrheia)House (oddrheia) Archivist (oddrheia)Master Archivist (oddrheia)Loreshop (oddrheia)Laborpit (oddrheia) citycore1 (oddrheia) citycore2 (oddrheia) citycore3 (oddrheia) citycore4 (oddrheia) citycore5 (oddrheia)Lost Souls (environment: dead)What buildings do ghosts live in? Heh. Alright, these are members of an old traitor-kingdom that is now following the logic of the empires. Run-down kingdom buildings that now look empire would be awesome - but they should not be ruins (doesn't make sense, why "build" ruins?). <BuildingPrimaryColor>100,100,100</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>100,100,100</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>100,100,100</BuildingRoofColor>Tower of Dominion (ArcElement2002)Monument (ArcElement2002)Hovel (ArcElement2002)House (ArcElement2002)Archivist (ArcElement2002)Master Archivist (ArcElement2002)Loreshop (ArcElement2002)Laborpit (ArcElement2002) citycore1 (ArcElement2002) citycore2 (ArcElement2002) citycore3 (ArcElement2002) citycore4 (ArcElement2002) citycore5 (ArcElement2002)
original post:
Decided on creating a separate thread instead of using the ExpandedFactions thread, so noone misses this.
tiler - a person who creates building designs in the in-game workshop
I'm looking for a few dedicated tilers to join me with working on the ExpandedFactions mod. I want the factions to become more diverse in how their buildings look, but I don't have time to do it myself. The ExpandedFactions mod is currently entering its second phase with the aim of adding unique units to each faction (which will be my main project).
Our first goal will be to create new designs for all the "basic" buildings for each faction (study+library, arcane lab, hut+house, beacon of hope, workshop). The tiles for the Elves have already been completed in the Elves community project.
Second goal will be to create new designs for all the cityhubs for each faction.
Third goal will be to create new wallsets for each faction, starting with the default wall and moving upwards.
I'm not looking for people who only want to do one or two tiles for this one (it's not a community project). I'm also not looking for people who don't enjoy modding, or think this would be something fun worthy of their time. There will be strict guidelines, and the demands on quality will be high. On the other hand, the timelimit will be very open - the project will be on-going until completed.
If you would like to help out, send me a private message and/or post here.
I don't know if I fit the bill, but I'm interested in helping. I will probably be very slow though, if that's ok, as I don't know how my schedule will be.
Thanks for replying. I'll wait for a few more to show interest, and then I'll start it up. Slow is fine, time is not an issue.
Hey, Heaven, count me in. I haven't worked with the in game assets much, but it will be a good opportunity to start that process.
Great. For now, just try to get comfortable with the workshop and start thinking about how each faction's buildings should look (based on faction descriptions and unit graphics). When we have one or two more guys, I'll draw up a text on the limits that we need to heed when designing tiles.
I'd be willing to help out.
I'm up for it. May be a little sporadic though, as I'm still working on my kitchen. The style guide lines should help streamline things. I'll have to figure out the aproximate zoom level in the editor that would corespond to the max zoom during game play so i dont have to switch out of the editor to have a good idea on the look.
Count me in Heavenfall.
I've updated the original post with all the guidelines. I realize they may appear daunting, but I believe they are necessary. However, I'm not a bad guy and I prefer improving things rather than throwing them out. I think for the whole elf community project I only rejected two tiles out of fifty.
I'll take angels for 100, Pat.
I'd like to take a crack at the goblin buildings. I've been brainstorming a few ideas already.
Updated. You don't have to "choose" a whole faction if you don't want to, individual buildings are ok. Remember, quality above quantity.
Edit: By the way, tiles will be added to expandedfactions as they are completed. I don't see a reason to hold back everything until every detail is completed.
I will tackle.
Living Stone (environment: dead)A race of living stone, they would be suited best to live in rock formations that resemble kingdom buildings. Avoid lava-pits and such. <BuildingPrimaryColor>50,50,50</BuildingPrimaryColor> <BuildingSecondaryColor>25,25,25</BuildingSecondaryColor> <BuildingRoofColor>100,100,100</BuildingRoofColor>StudyLibraryArcane LabHutHouseBeacon of HopeWorkshop
HF, how do we get the models to you? I'd like to send you a picture of the general feeling I'm going for in Angels; more arching flying buttresses and white stone ("marble") with greenery around. Before I get too far down, I want you to take a look and make sure I'm hitting your overall idea.
Hi, I will just start small, so I would like to try the Drota house tile please.
Hi all, I thought I'd give it a shot. If I am correct, the Drota house is the housing level in the middle, meaning it goes hovel, house, then something higher (I'm basing it off Kingdoms, because that's all I played so far). This gives me some leeway to add more for "villa" level or drop to more basic for hovels/huts.
Here are some pictures of what I've done so far.
I show the colors so you can check if they are correct too.
When designing this tile, I read the description ("A desert-living, tribal civilization") and read the in-game description which mentions them as having military as part of their lifestyle. Following that, I imagined the Drota to care more about military training than living comforts, which is why their house is not much besides rags and sticks, while the wooden towers is where the Drota train and is the main feature of their house.
Since the Drota have the strength of controlling creatures, and specifically have sand brutes as mounts, I have one as a pet.
And as part of the training and military aspect of their homes and lives, I put a bunch of weapons strewn all over.
Critiques and suggestions please. I'm not sure if this is the kind of thing you're looking for. Thanks.
@Winnihym post images and files in this thread (use mediafire.com if you need to upload somewhere).
@ArcElement2002 I think you need to better capture the nature of the tile - it's great that you're working in a military nature, however I see almost no living space. Also try to use more of the tile, there's almost 1/4th of the tile unused (keep in mind how that will look when repeated).
Edit: I love the sandbrute pet, by the way. In fact, one of the upcoming unique units will be packs of smaller sandbrutes trained for war, previously used as pets. Strange how two different minds can have the exact same thought at nearly the same time.
Ill take the death legion guys, they should be fun to make tiles for. Im thinking some 'eye of sauron' type thing or demon statue for the beacon. We'll see how the colors affect things once I get home.
Ok question time from myself.
1) Who does the Living Stone labor? A Build tile requires builders/carvers etc? Darklings come to mind.
2) More than one builder civilian can be on the Build tile site right?
3) Why do the Living Stone live in a Dead environment? Wouldn't one of the more "nature(al)" setting be fitting. (just curious)
4) When it hits me
1) The Living Stone do their own labour, but use standard kingdom pedestrians. The living stone model has way too high polycount to add to tiles.
2) Sure, but don't go crazy
3) Unintentional side-effect, it's their race weakness. They are extremely heavy since they are made of stone, and their young are made of lava so their community constantly emits a passive heat breaking up the land. Plus, the living stone are literally walking out of cracks in the earth, they aren't "born". With all that in mind, there's not much left of grass and trees.
Ok. Sounds good. Here is an update of the Living_Stone_Study. Thoughts please. Civilian type can be subbed in no sweat.
That's a great look, I think. Could you check to see if there is any more appropriate model than the statue? A slowly rotating thing like the kingdom study has might work, but I don't remember the colours on it. Also, if you have the models left, a barrel or two between the statue and the building, in the open area, would help fill the void.
By the way, it's important that everyone comments on each others tiles (obviously, if you have nothing to say, don't say anything). I think it is easier to make a goodlooking design that is appreciated by many people if it's not just me making comments.
Oh yeah, let's say 3 pedestrians max for an under construction tile. I'll add it to the original post. I'm just trying to keep the polygon count down so the players don't suffer massive FPS losses. In the elves project, when there were 6-10 on some tiles, the FPS was terrible (check out the high quality tileset, if you are curious).
I banged out the hovel and the civ tower. The idea behind the housing is that goblins being smaller than your average hungry monster would build their homes with safety in mind. Thus like bald demonic ewoks they built their homes high out of reach. I also Added a cave entrance to suggest a somewhat subterranean lifestyle. I'd like to expand on that idea if its alright. I imagined that goblins might have a bit of a Napoleon complex. They tend to over compensate for example their giant burning phallus civ tower.
Hi John_Hughes,
I think your study tile looks great, and I particularly like how the chunk of rock on the right, and the grey bricks on the ground actually turn into the statue.
I don't really have any criticisms, but perhaps there could be some really distinguishing addition that makes it apparent it's a study of some sort? It's great though, and those blue and yellow (I think of windows) helps me see it as some sort of "higher class" building. I don't know if adding books are appropriate, since Living Stones might not learn from books...
Hope this helps.
Hi cptcasey,
I like your idea of having goblins live higher than normal because they are typically shorter than normal. I'm not quite sure where the cave entrance is though, but I like how their houses have spears all around them. I think you chose the right looking house type because I can imagine them living there, great job.
As a small idea, maybe the goblins can use wooden towers to increase their height on top of the rock face? That way, it could seem like the goblins felt like adding another layer of height to make them feel safer.
Everything is looking really nice. Keep up the good work everyone!
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