Graphics

[Buster's Uncle]

Just messing around with a pic because I felt like messing, and got this:

There's probably a custom faction idea somewhere in there...

The Avenging Angels - aggressive religious fanatics with a (creepy) gene-engineered twist and a bit of Flash Gordon's Hawkmen cache'.  Hmm?

I'm not going to make that faction. probably, so if anyone wants to run with it...  Check with me, though - I have more ideas about it...

[Buster's Uncle]

They could be Jewish, BTW, just to be different and please Yitzi.  DO talk to someone (or be) Jewish to get it right before you run with that.  The kabbalah is full of flowery angel names and terms for flavor...

[ComradeCrimson]

Bases16



18 structures adapted from Star Wars: Galactic Battlegrounds, laid out to copy/paste into the .pcx of your next custom faction.

Bases are the most difficult aspect of a SMACX faction graphic to create, so it is hoped that these graphic goodie files will give beginners at faction modding a leg up.  See also the Portraits, Diplomacy Landscapes and Logos series, also in this Downloads section, and for info on art techniques and/or to communicate with BU and ask any questions, see the Graphics thread: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=1237.0  These are a lot of work to put together, so please be sure to credit me in the empty space of the .pcx.  Posting to let me know you found it useful would be okay, too.

Thanks to BlueFlux for the SW: GB files I worked with.

I think I might use one of these for my Unity faction, particularly the row on the bottom left. Do I credit you for it, BUncle? Is there any others I should credit for the city graphics?

I also have a question, is it possible to edit the "childhood" pictures that show when talking to a faction leader? The default is  and her past.

I'm looking for a really good symbol for the United Army of Humanity/Unity as well, and one for the Pathos Bastion. I might just make one but even just concept ideas could help me out loads.

City graphics are needed as well for the Pathos Bastion, debating whether to make my own or use existing sets. Any suggestions?

[Buster's Uncle]

I publish the Bases sets to be used - "Bases from Bases16 by Buster's Uncle" in the empty space of the .pcx will do for credit.

The pictures sequence is an .flv file, and it is possible -if a huge pain- to make your own, but I've never been able to wrap my head around it.  ...I think Kilkakon knows how, if you can get his attention...

[Buster's Uncle]

Here's all my graphics goodie files listed in one place, for ideas: http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20Factions3.html

All the game art tutorials I've put together here:  http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20FactionsPage2.htm - though you only need copy/paste skills if you can find what you need in the art goodie files...

-If you haven't figured out what you want for a logo/symbol by the time you've finished the rest of the graphic, I'm sure the community will have some suggestions from looking at the rest --- but seriously, logos are the easiest part; easy to think of something, easy to draw.

[Buster's Uncle]

Diplomacy Landscapes4



23 diplomacy landscapes, size/croped and scanlined to copy/paste as-is into the .pcx of your next custom faction.

Diplomacy landscapes are one of the easier aspects of a SMACX faction graphic to create -provided one hasn't anything terribly specific in mind- but it is hoped that these graphic goodie files will give beginners at faction modding a leg up - given a logo appropriate to the faction, all the elements of a faction graphic are available in AC2's Download section for anyone with elementary copy/paste skills and a graphics program that can handle .pcx files - a good eye/taste helps, too.  (See also the Bases and Portraits series.)

For info on art techniques and/or to communicate with BU and ask any questions, see the Graphics thread: http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?topic=1237.0  These are a lot of work to put together, so please be sure to credit me in the empty space of the .pcx.  Posting to let me know you found it useful would be okay, too.

[ComradeCrimson]

Oooo some of these look rather suitable for some things I got in mind for. I'll likely use one or two of these for the Pathos Bastion or Pioneers when I get around to it.

[Buster's Uncle]

...If, looking through what's displayed on my custom factions art goodie page, you see something you'd like to use that I haven't uploaded the .pcx yet, let me know...

[Buster's Uncle]

Portraits6



Leaderheads are the most time-consuming aspect of a SMACX faction graphic, so in the same spirit as the Bases, Logos and Landscape series (also to be found in this section of AC2 Downloads), here are eight leaderheads, ready to copy/paste as-is into your next custom faction.  It is hoped that these graphic goodie files will give beginners at faction modding a leg up.  For info on art techniques and to ask any questions, post here.

These portraits were a lot of work, but all I ask is that you credit me in the blank space of the .pcx you use one in.  Posting to let me know you found it useful would be okay, too.   Enjoy.

[Harpalus]

I wanted to create and release an altered colour palette for the leaders in both SMAC and SMAC/X, as I find the use of bright, primary colours on the unit flags to be a little jarring and ugly: especially when zoomed in with PRACX.

Unfortunately, I can't seem to identify where I can change this data for the original seven. Tutorials that I've read on creating new factions indicate the palette at the lower left corner of the faction's PCX file, but the game doesn't seem to read that for the SMAC factions. I can change those colours as much as I like with no luck: Yang's bright blue doesn't disappear. I managed to change the border colours and base text colours in palette.pcx, but not anything else.

I'm at a loss at this point: Yang's colours aren't mentioned anywhere in his .txt file, and I've reviewed every single PCX file included with the base game for another possible source, with no luck. I'm using GIMP to swap out the "Yang blue" colour in the palette directly. I even checked system.txt (which has a nice warning to avoid changing it), but 208 and 242 (Yang's colours) aren't referenced, other than in some comments.

Any advice? Is this data hardcoded? While I'm inquiring, where are the native life's colour values stored? I have no trouble changing the SMAX expansion faction's colours. I thought this would be a quick, fun creative project that might interest somebody, but I'm having no luck so far.

[Buster's Uncle]

A.) The faction flag colors are hard-coded in SMAC - aside from Sparta, I think that shouldn't be happening in SMAX for the original seven.  I'm stumped tonight, but maybe when I'm wide awake tomorrow, I'll figure it out.  Stay tuned.

[Harpalus]

A.) The faction flag colors are hard-coded in SMAC - aside from Sparta, I think that shouldn't be happening in SMAX for the original seven.  I'm stumped tonight, but maybe when I'm wide awake tomorrow, I'll figure it out.  Stay tuned.

Thank you kindly. I'm also having trouble changing the Pirate's colours, so perhaps I spoke too soon about being able to change the SMAX leader colours. I know I can change the Planet Cult colours, at least.

[Buster's Uncle]

Now that sounds like you're trying to change colors slightly - the SMACX palette is only 255 colors, four of those are transparencies, and a lot of the rest are too dark or muddy to show up much on the minimap, and even when you get a different enough shade/hue for it not to default back to the original when you fill the color boxes in the .pcx, it's liable to be too similar to tell the difference at a glance.  I talk about it several times in the course of my tutorials - http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=articles;cat=6 or http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20FactionsPage2.htm
-probably "Miscellaneous", for instance, that I spent a lot of time and effort on my earliest custom factions trying to find unique flag/map colors for each to maximize the compatibility of every faction with every other possible faction playing the same game - and concluded that it's a mug's game; there just aren't enough colors.  There weren't enough colors to give all the Crossfire factions really different colors that looked good, witness Caretaker green.  It's quite vexing, but nothing can be done - not enough colors.

See if this answers what you wanted to know, I'll make with clarifications if you need, and don't be shy about asking this kind of thing.

[Harpalus]

Now that sounds like you're trying to change colors slightly - the SMACX palette is only 255 colors, four of those are transparencies, and a lot of the rest are too dark or muddy to show up much on the minimap, and even when you get a different enough shade/hue for it not to default back to the original when you fill the color boxes in the .pcx, it's liable to be too similar to tell the difference at a glance.  I talk about it several times in the course of my tutorials - http://alphacentauri2.info/index.php?action=articles;cat=6 or http://alphacentauri2.info/My%20Custom%20Factions/Custom%20FactionsPage2.htm
-probably "Miscellaneous", for instance, that I spent a lot of time and effort on my earliest custom factions trying to find unique flag/map colors for each to maximize the compatibility of every faction with every other possible faction playing the same game - and concluded that it's a mug's game; there just aren't enough colors.  There weren't enough colors to give all the Crossfire factions really different colors that looked good, witness Caretaker green.  It's quite vexing, but nothing can be done - not enough colors.

See if this answers what you wanted to know, I'll make with clarifications if you need, and don't be shy about asking this kind of thing.

Is there no way to change that palette? I can change "Hive Blue" in the palette.pcx file, but the game doesn't seem to recognize the change.

[Buster's Uncle]

There is a way, but I never quite understood it when I was told how.  I believe Draz has tried to explain it to me and Kilkakon knows how.  If a search of this subforum for palette-changing or some term like that doesn't turn up something you understand, PM DrazharLn to make sure he sees this series of posts...