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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.
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.
As in the Magic rotating ring based item? Let me see what it looks like. There may be an alternative...
I hadn't added any ground clutter as yet. Will update shortly.
@cptcasey,
If it not an issue, could you upload a larger image size?
It is tough to comment constructively on the first image, idea seems cool, and very difficult to see the second one for sure. The Forum will resize a larger image for the Forum and then we can click to expand.
You could try for an animal statue or a statue of a tree (comparitively fragile living things may hold a special significance to the living stone due to the fragile nature and short longevity of the living things that they unintentionally destroy/ damage). The heaped/ grown look of the building itself is excelent.
I like the goblin cliff houses. They give the impression of a tightly knit community (due to the close living). The height thing is a cool angle, a kind of bigger is better philosophy. The height thing could play into their entire culture, as a basis of social station (such as with the warg mounts), cultural expansion and war philosophy. (bigger in numbers where size cant be obtained vertically).
Post #20 updated. More ground cover may be in order and I left object # space available.
I will package and submit if no one finds a major flaw, or it seems over the top Study...ish.
John_
@ctpcasey I like what you have in mind for the goblins.
Remember to set fixed height for everything on that tile, so the ground doesn't cause objects to go out of sync.
Edited pass on the Living_Library to correct color issue. Any further thoughts please.
Living_Library
Again ground clutter has been left out. Any suggestions or ideas?
Hi,
How's this now? This is the Drota House.
I would like to point out the living quarters are the two roughly made out "rooms", and the beds are those frames covered with sheets. I put a boiling pot to help convey the house feeling. The sand brute is in the kennel now attached to the house. It uses 33 objects.
Critiques and suggestions? Thanks.
Much, much better, I think. I would perhaps lower the highest platform just a tiny bit to make it stick out less. Also, do you think you could put something here? That piece looks a bit inorganic. Just a closet or barrels anything.
@John_Hughes, I'm not sure about the green colour on the house. Where is that coming from?
First go at the hovel for the DL. Might put in a small smoke/smog effect by the stew pot. Haven't yet tried dumping a few of the hovels together to see if they group ok. I was going for some kind of worship totem but not sure if i like it or not (or if it should look over the camp) Im also considering putting some wings on the totem made out of banners. Not sure if the skull works or if i should aim for stone work instead.
The keywords Im working with design wise are poor (slavery), twisted (corrupted), fear inspiring, and alien (demonic invaders). Ill probably go a little more esoteric with the more advanced housing (like a stone hive cave thing).
@John_Hughes, I'm not sure about the green color on the house. Where is that coming from?
Turns out the base object color, mixed with the B_S_C 5,25,25 produced the Green tint.
I updated it using a B_S_C of 0,0,0 overrides and provides a nice dark color. Not a issue I assume?
@ crystlshake
I like the skull The Totem could be taller perhaps, maybe Skull topped...
@ArcElement2002
Might I suggest a couple more first floor privacy screen type items. Right where Heavenfall noted the open space.
The "minimalist" concept does fit somewhat with the Desert based Drota thought, but the desert is quite a harsh environment. The Drota may be a tough bunch, but it wouldn't take much wind, or a high noon sun, to make living in that House a pretty sour experience.
Man, I'm way behind.
Two final quick questions; how do you get a snapshot from the editor to paste here? And do you just copy/paste the file into the forums to get the image, or how do I embed the image here?
On a design note, how do you feel about a particle effect on the ground, HF? I was thinking of trying to build a general puffy cloud ground effect that all grounds would be hidden by for the angels, but it may be too much.
Hey Heavenfall
I'll do some of the Drota buildings if they're still open. The Tower of Civilization, Monument, Loreshop, Labourpit (i can do more). If not I'll have a go with the Golem King.
How's this now? Instead of barrels, I added the pile of wood, because having spare wood lying haphazardly around seems to fit their not caring about living space.
It has 34 items now. Decreasing the tower size made the black pole stick out though.
Sorry, just read John_Hughes, so I changed it to another screen. Unfortunately, I'm at 34, so I can't add many more.
How's this?
Hi guys! Long time no see!
I've been mad busy past couple of months, only just recently did 1.1 playthrough since the very first release of the elves, can you believe it? I'll try to squeeze in couple days work during the holidays, but can't promise regular showing, other than that.
So, if you'll have me, lemme adopt the chunk of golem king tiles.
Tower of CivilizationMonumentHovelHouseArchivistMaster ArchivistLoreshopLaborpit
If I won't get them done by the end of the week I'll bow out, since after that my time/contribution will be unpredictable until end of january. I do want to take a stab at the citycores and 4x4 tiles tho! I love those, haha!
Also, a small tip when working on the tiles, if you'll have it: when working, take a look at the tile from in the complete top down view, and see if any objects are bleeding outside the edge of the tile border. If they are, move them more inside to avoid overlapping with other tile. Trees cause the most trouble with this, since when placing them, the stem of the tree may be well withing the tile, but the foilage would be outside of the border.
Happy building!
-R
@John_Hughes I will accept the override colours on this one building, but don't use them again. Keep in mind they'll stick with the building if it gets captured. That's no good.
@Winnihym I am very against a particle effect on the ground, it will be very FPS intensive. Since the angels use the elf tileset, if you add forests instead it looks like it's a green area when it all comes together.
@kronik83 I added you to the drota buildings
@oddrheia Hey, what's up. All the old folks coming out of the shadows to do tiles again, eh? I added you to the golem king buildings, let me know at the end of the week if you want to opt out.
That's better. Could have left the wood pile.
Not a problem. Limited objects in the set use that color scheme. Will avoid them in the future. Thanks for the slack on that one.
Welcome back oddrheia.
P.S. HF, I will package and send you the Study and Library .rars tonite.
Here's the Drota House construction tile.
I would imagine Drota put priority in building the military portion of the house first.
The .rar's I mentioned earlier. Sorry about the B_S_C screw up. A true (doh!) moment.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8370296/EF_Living_Stone_study_01.rar
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8370296/EF_Living_Stone_Library_01.rar
HF, please let me when you have them and I will lighten my Drop Box.
Got em!
It's the only thing I can do decently enough to warrant a reappearance! In all the seriousness tho, it's a coincidence that I dropped by Nice to see people over from the elves project!
Now, Golems... I think I've an idea for overall theme of their tileset. Remains to see if it works though! White/white/white on arctic environment is tough to pull off, no color contrasts to work with really, hehe. I'm hopeful though!
Civ Tower:
[URL=http://img23.imageshack.us/i/civ2.jpg/][/URL]
Quick question: scales. Is there any set standards/guidelines to work with? For example are we using default pedestrian scale, or elves scale (about 50% smaller?) Any other guidelines to work with so we don't end up with things like a farm being 'taller' than an advanced city core if more than 1 person is working on a faction buildings?
Hi Heavenfall,
So we use dropbox to send stuff to you? Thanks.
The ground isn't actually white, it's the colour of a city (beige). Only the environment is winter (check out the elf cities in-game and youl'l get what I mean). So you have some contrast there.
Scale: Look at other buildings from the same faction.
I like the white brick idea for golems. How does it look with other empire improvements?
ArcElement2002 you can use anything really, as long as I can download it.
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