Subset Games Forum

PLEASE I beg you PLEASE make a version compatible with CE. I implore you good sir, this mod of epic proportions has the potential to change the modding community..... for....ev....er. I take my leave sir, continue your legacy.

LordTrilobite wrote:I guess that if you credit me and link to this thread it would be okay to properly integrate it into CE. So go ahead, you have my permission.

The next official CE release will have this mod integrated. I already did the necessary modifications.

Sounds good. What were the changes that you needed to make?

Thanks so much Trilo and you too Sleeper. Can't wait to use this with CE, such a simple concept but an amazing mod. Keep it up guys.

WOAH HANG ON BEFORE YOU GO ON:

I just had an idea that seems a little iffy in practice: What if the crew-like drones (the image you get when you see them in the shop/cargo bay in this case) also had a portrait? Their portrait would change according to their specific EL attribute and/or what actual type they are (e.g Faulty Anti-Personnel drone vs Second-hand Anti-personnel drone). It may seem a bit of a long shot, but I would actually like to see that!

I reccomend testing them out in Vanilla FTL before making them CE compatible.

LordTrilobite wrote:Sounds good. What were the changes that you needed to make?

CE added a few additional layers to certain crew. They control eye color for Rock and Lanius, uniforms for Lanius, additional glow for Zoltan and a few other things. I modified the portraits so that these layer take effect there as well. I also reduced the transparency of the human sprites so that skin tone changes have as much effect as on the actual crew sprites and added a "high tech" version of the Engi portrait for the respective CE sheet.

Random Commander wrote:What if the crew-like drones (the image you get when you see them in the shop/cargo bay in this case) also had a portrait? Their portrait would change according to their specific EL attribute and/or what actual type they are (e.g Faulty Anti-Personnel drone vs Second-hand Anti-personnel drone). It may seem a bit of a long shot, but I would actually like to see that!

That portrait might indeed be displayed in the item tab. Or not. I'm unsure where the item tab takes its image from and if that is a separate portrait. But changing the portrait or crew sprite according to prefix is definitely impossible.

Further ideas:
Via layers it would actually be possible to add multiple different crew portraits for each factions. That will work as long as they overlap perfectly, meaning they would have to have some kind of overlap hierarchy. Portrait 1 would have to be the smallest possible one, portrait 2 would have to have the same outlines as portrait 1 but could also be larger, portrait 3 would have to overlap both 1 and 2 perfectly and so on. Technically, a very broad variance of portraits would be possible.

Your logic is impeccable sleeper. I did want to ask you if you already had this imported into CE and when you think you will release it? No rush though, im just curious. Can't wait for some kickass portraits.

It'll be in the next CE release. But I'm still working on some other stuff as well, so it might take some more time till it is released.

Sleeper Service wrote:Further ideas:
Via layers it would actually be possible to add multiple different crew portraits for each factions. That will work as long as they overlap perfectly, meaning they would have to have some kind of overlap hierarchy. Portrait 1 would have to be the smallest possible one, portrait 2 would have to have the same outlines as portrait 1 but could also be larger, portrait 3 would have to overlap both 1 and 2 perfectly and so on. Technically, a very broad variance of portraits would be possible.

Awesome idea. I would really like to keep the broad variance of crew that Ce offers now (or even expand on it) - while portraits made here are awesome in their own regard, The vanilla things left much to the imagination, and I'm afraid that without (proposed) very broad range of portraits, they could become quite same-looking after some time of playing.

Also, I would opt for making more of the suit (clothes) visible - I, for one, started to choose it according to my ship's lore theme (black for special forces, blue for engineers, plain dark green or bright red ''rockstar'' variant for pirates, etc), and it seems to me, that it may be quite hard with so little of the clothes visible.

Last but not least, I agree with the comments about Mantis and rockman - especially Mantis could use some re-do - it looks a little too much plant-like. Not that I'm able to paint anything half as good as even current version, though.

/Estel

Sleeper Service wrote:

LordTrilobite wrote:Sounds good. What were the changes that you needed to make?

CE added a few additional layers to certain crew. They control eye color for Rock and Lanius, uniforms for Lanius, additional glow for Zoltan and a few other things. I modified the portraits so that these layer take effect there as well. I also reduced the transparency of the human sprites so that skin tone changes have as much effect as on the actual crew sprites and added a "high tech" version of the Engi portrait for the respective CE sheet.

If I had known that, I would rather have done such visual changes myself. Could you send me those layer pictures so I can take a look for a future version maybe? Btw, awesome that you got it integrated though.

Random Commander wrote:WOAH HANG ON BEFORE YOU GO ON:

I just had an idea that seems a little iffy in practice: What if the crew-like drones (the image you get when you see them in the shop/cargo bay in this case) also had a portrait? Their portrait would change according to their specific EL attribute and/or what actual type they are (e.g Faulty Anti-Personnel drone vs Second-hand Anti-personnel drone). It may seem a bit of a long shot, but I would actually like to see that!

I reccomend testing them out in Vanilla FTL before making them CE compatible.

Well, I only really make visual mods, since I'm an artist, not a programmer. I had some ideas for a mod that would change the visuals of the shops and the cargo bay menus. But it wouldn't change any of the functions underneath. The idea I had was to make the cargo bay menu and shops look like actual locations instead of menus. With the weapons and drones looking like crates with the logos of the items on them. This would be a separate mod though.

Estel wrote:Also, I would opt for making more of the suit (clothes) visible - I, for one, started to choose it according to my ship's lore theme (black for special forces, blue for engineers, plain dark green or bright red ''rockstar'' variant for pirates, etc), and it seems to me, that it may be quite hard with so little of the clothes visible.

Last but not least, I agree with the comments about Mantis and rockman - especially Mantis could use some re-do - it looks a little too much plant-like. Not that I'm able to paint anything half as good as even current version, though.

/Estel

Hm, the problem with more visible suits, is that it leaves less space for the face. So it will always be a tradeoff. In an earlier version of the human male face I had a little bit more of the shoulders visible, but the picture was too big for the borders of its window. So i cut a few pixels of it. Though I suppose I can look into raising the shoulders a little to make them more visible.

Regarding the Mantis and the Rockmen. Now that I have had some time to reflect on the pictures I made, and have seen them for a longer time ingame. I would agree that the Rockman could use a redo. It looks a little too blobby and it's also too zoomed out. I think I'll make a different version that's more zoomed in and with a more rocky surface. I will post pictures when I get around to making that.

Then there's the Mantis. Personally I'm still very satisfied with the face. One thing I don't like how it turned out, is how it attaches to the torso. When I made it, the one thing I wanted to avoid, was making it look to much like an actual insect. I mean, it's an alien after all. I think it breaks the immersion if it's just a large praying mantis like the ones we have here on Earth. I wanted to do something different.
I'm not sure about a complete redo. But I'm definitely willing to have another look at it to see what I can improve. But one thing is for sure. I will refrain from making it look too bug-like.