Want a higher res version of a power icon?

[Rylas]

2 hours ago, Sura said:

Ice Armor!  I saw where you posted you like Ice Armor and followed the link in your signature here.  Maybe Chilling Embrace?  That's a unique icon (I think) and very representative of the set.

It's not necessary to appeal to my biases... but I'm way ok with that! I might have said Energy Absorption was the biggest seller of the set, but CE *is* the strongest Taunt aura in the game, so you get your way. 😉 

 

 Ice Armor

Spoiler

Frozen Armor	Hoarfrost	Chilling Embrace	Wet Ice	Permafrost
Icicles	Glacial Armor	Energy Absorption	Hibernate/Icy Bastion	Hide

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2019 by Rylas

[Sura]

6 minutes ago, Rylas said:

It's not necessary to appeal to my biases... but I'm way ok with that! I might have said Energy Absorption was the biggest seller of the set, but CE *is* the strongest Taunt aura in the game, so you get your way. 😉 

 

Thanks!  What's the Hide one?  

 

Interestingly my latest Ice Tanker is Ice/Electric specifically to take advantage of Energy Absorption.  Works a treat, though of course endurance drain isn't always effective.

[Rylas]

Just now, Sura said:

Thanks!  What's the Hide one?  

Stalker Ice Armor replaces Chilling Embrace with Hide. I include all versions of a set so I can cross it off in one go. 🙂 

[Rylas]

 Radiation Blast

Spoiler

 

Neutrino Bolt	X-Ray Beam	Irradiate	Electron Haze	Aim
Proton Volley	Cosmic Burst	Neutron Bomb	Atomic Blast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Illusion Control

Spoiler

 

Spectral Wounds	Blind	Deceive	Flash	Superior Invisibility
Group Invisibility	Phantom Army	Spectral Terror	Phantasm

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Kinetics

Spoiler

 

Transfusion	Siphon Power	Repel	Siphon Speed	Increase Density
Speed Boost	Inertial Reduction	Transference	Fulcrum Shift

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rylas]

 Demon Summoning
 

Spoiler

Corruption	Summon Demonlings	Lash	Enchant Demon	Crack Whip
Summon Demons	Hell on Earth	Summon Demon Prince	Abyssal Empowerment

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Radiation Melee
 

Spoiler

Contaminated Strike	Radioactive Smash	Proton Sweep	Fusion	Radiation Siphon	Taunt
Confront	Irradiated Ground	Devastating Blow	Atom Smasher	Placate	Assassin's Corruption

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Darkness Control
 

Spoiler

Shadowy Binds	Dark Grasp	Living Shadows	Possess	Fearsome Stare
Heart of Darkness	Haunt	Shadow Field	Umbral Beast

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Invulnerability
 

Spoiler

Resist Physical Damage	Temp Invulnerability	Dull Pain	Resist Elements	Unyielding
Resist Energies	Invincibility	Tough Hide	Unstoppable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Titan Weapons
 

Spoiler

Defensive Sweep	Crushing Blow	Titan Sweep	Follow Through	Build Momentum
Taunt	Confront	Rend Armor	Whirling Smash	Arc of Destruction

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Empathy
 

Spoiler

Healing Aura	Heal Other	Absorb Pain	Resurrection	Clear Mind
Fortitude	Recovery Aura	Regeneration Aura	Adrenalin Boost

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Rylas]

Hey folks! I've consolidated all the sets I've done so far and placed them in the opening post of the thread. This way you don't have to dig around to see what's been done. I'll make posts letting you know which sets have been added, but from now on they can all be found there. 😄

[Olly]

Is there a thread for instructions on how to change your game data folder for these?  Also, is  there an Inspirations pack?

[Rylas]

40 minutes ago, Olly said:

Is there a thread for instructions on how to change your game data folder for these?  Also, is  there an Inspirations pack?

Sorry, I don't know how to go about changing out icons in the game itself. Not yet, anyway. As for doing inspirations, I'll be doing those after I finish doing all the power sets. And that could take some serious time.

[Christopher Robin]

YAAAARR! This latest batch be fit fer plunderin!

I'll be addin this teh me booty fer sher!

[Olly]

17 hours ago, Rylas said:

Sorry, I don't know how to go about changing out icons in the game itself. Not yet, anyway. As for doing inspirations, I'll be doing those after I finish doing all the power sets. And that could take some serious time.

 

Ok. I did some research and I *might* have an answer!!  This would be VERY exciting if it works.  Because if it works, it will work for ALL the hi-res icons you've created.  Ofc it is a client-side mod so not visible to teammates and others.  I can't test at the moment so it will be highly appreciated if someone is able to.

 

SUMMARY: You need to convert the files into .DDS and then into .TEXTURE files.  Then add the files to the correct client-side data folder.

 

1. Convert to .DDS files: use Photoshop or similar (likely GIMP freeware will work too)

2. Convert to .TEXTURE files:  According to Google, and this forum post, .TEXTURE files are just .DDS files with some proprietary CoH data on the header.  I *assume* to make a .TEXTURE file, you just add those data bits into the .DDS file using a Hex Editor.  This guy posted custom cursors, so maybe grab his .TEXTURE files and copy the headers from them.

3. Add the files to your CoH folders:

The directory locations should be as follows.  This is based on looking at the structure of the PIGG files:

- Inspirations:   \[TequilaCoH]\data\texture_library\GUI\Icons\Inspirations

- Powers: \[TequilaCoH]\data\texture_library\GUI\Icons\Inspirations

 

if this works, would request you add the instructions to your OP.

 

Would love hi-res inspirations!  Because in-game they are not the same res as all the other icons and look fuzzy using the display I'm using.

[Rylas]

Updated with:

 Icy Assault   Fire Manipulation  Electric Melee  Robotics

 

Enjoy your weekend, folks!

 

[Olly]

On 9/19/2019 at 4:56 PM, Rylas said:

Sorry, I don't know how to go about changing out icons in the game itself. Not yet, anyway. As for doing inspirations, I'll be doing those after I finish doing all the power sets. And that could take some serious time.

Ok I managed to test one icon.  It was disappointing as I realized "hi-res" means 100x100 pixels which I then had to downscale to 32x32 to make it visible in the client.  Which then meant it looked... low-res.  (I also tried 64 x 64 but that didn't work either.)

 

The preceding method I noted worked.  I used Gimp + DDS plugin (graphic file conversion), hXD (hex editor), and PiggViewer Pro (to get the proper file name and folder location).  Your PNG icon was scaled to 32 x 32 pixels, and exported as a .DDS file using default Gimp settings.  Using PiggViewer, I exported the original CoH .texture file (in this case "FireBlast_Inferno.texture".  Using HxD, I copied the header information and inserted it into the new .DDS file.  Then placed the new .DDS file into the CoH data folder (in this case, ..\data\texture_library\GUI\Icons\Powers) and renamed it as "FireBlast_Inferno.texture".

 

The results aren't making me jump up and down for joy.  Attached is what your "Inferno" icon looks like on the client.  But at least now I know.

 

 

[Christopher Robin]

Scaled up the difference is noticeable but at the resolution the game uses

I've found them to be nearly indistinguishable in my testing.

[Rylas]

The sword icons might not be the best for testing. They were the some of most difficult to infer "artistic intention" from when blown up. The "burst" icon (like most Build Up icons use) ended up being a bit more "cleaner". The ranged icons might be a better test as well. I'll have to try making my own texture files when I can (maybe later into the week). I'll try to grab some before/after images for comparison.

Edited September 22, 2019 by Rylas

[Christopher Robin]

I used the Dark Miasma set for my tests. For me this takes

nothing away from how cool these are for the forums, artwork,

website banners etc. I love how crisp and clean these are sized up it's

just when scaled for the game they are tricky to tell apart.

 

Fearsome Stare probably stood out the most and when they

are side by side like this I can totally tell which is yours

but ingame it was a lot less obvious is all I meant.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Christopher Robin

[Rylas]

Oh, I didn't take offense. If anything, it's a good indication that I pulled off being faithful to the original art. My whole intention was making something people could use on the forums, so I consider it a win. 😁

 

This won't deter me from trying to finish what I've started. 

[Christopher Robin]

Phew.

Also I am wondering how that Science coffee mug came out because

I'm starting to think a Blaster or Scrapper mug is something I need in my life.

 

Sidenote: did you see the post I made about Mischief (the program) in the Art Talk thread?

 

 

 

 

Edited September 22, 2019 by Christopher Robin

[Felis Noctu]

On 9/19/2019 at 4:14 PM, Olly said:

Is there a thread for instructions on how to change your game data folder for these?  Also, is  there an Inspirations pack?

On 9/19/2019 at 4:56 PM, Rylas said:

Sorry, I don't know how to go about changing out icons in the game itself. Not yet, anyway. As for doing inspirations, I'll be doing those after I finish doing all the power sets. And that could take some serious time.

On 9/22/2019 at 5:42 AM, Christopher Robin said:

Scaled up the difference is noticeable but at the resolution the game uses

I've found them to be nearly indistinguishable in my testing.

 

I've been messing with PiggViewer 1.6.1 and Pigg Viewer Pro while trying to help Vanden figure out how to get the tools working for the erroneous icons pack, and I inserted a few myself. Though, it sounds like swapping the header with a hex editor may be easier and faster than dismissing the error message in PV1.6 every time you change to a different texture.

 

As for appearance, it's pretty close, but some of them have a noticeable difference even at that size. For example screenshots, top is Rylas' version, bottom is original:

 

 

Rylas' versions are less saturated and generally softer.

 

EDIT:

@Olly: I'm not sure what happened when you saved that file, but that just doesn't look right? I'm gonna test that one real quick.

 

EDIT 2:

Rylas left, Vanilla right. I was expecting a bit more of a difference between our attempts due to tool and formatting differences, but mine's only a bit more clear than yours. I'm guessing it's due to the color palette and softer outlines. I'm going to guess that it'd look better if ALL of the icons from that set were replaced, so everything matches. Wouldn't seem so out of place.

Edited October 2, 2019 by Felis Noctu

[Christopher Robin]

Heya Felis Noctu welcome to the best part of the forums.

 

I didn't try any of the Archetype Icons but I do like Rylas' version better for both of the ones you posted. Moreso than the softness

his seem blended better (i.e. he used a darker red rather than straight black for the drop shadow behind the Corruptor symbol).

The original ones look like someone cranked the contrast to 11 by comparison. The ones I tried were darker colors already

(blues/greens/blacks) so really just subtle shape differences, which were difficult to see at the size they appear in game,

were the only real differences I noticed. Also the whites seem whiter in Rylas' and the lines are less thick and heavy.

 

Thanks for doing additional testing though it's good to see the results from multiple different approaches.

 

 

 

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Christopher Robin

[justicebeliever]

@Rylas  These are fantastic and amazing.  Are you up for doing 

1.) Energy Aura as a set?

 

2.) Alignment Icons?  Hero, Vig, Rogue, Villain?

[Rylas]

14 hours ago, Felis Noctu said:

I've been messing with PiggViewer 1.6.1 and Pigg Viewer Pro...

Oh wow, that's pretty cool! Interesting to see some side by side comparisons like those. Thanks for taking the time to test those.

 

13 hours ago, Christopher Robin said:

I didn't try any of the Archetype Icons but I do like Rylas' version better for both of the ones you posted. Moreso than the softness

his seem blended better (i.e. he used a darker red rather than straight black for the drop shadow behind the Corruptor symbol).

The original ones look like someone cranked the contrast to 11 by comparison.

Hey thanks! 

43 minutes ago, justicebeliever said:

@Rylas  These are fantastic and amazing.  Are you up for doing 

1.) Energy Aura as a set?

 

2.) Alignment Icons?  Hero, Vig, Rogue, Villain?

All it takes is a request! I'm about to do an icon dump update, but I'll put EA and the Alignment icons at the top of the to-do list. 

[Rylas]

I'm in a busy season at work, so to help move things a little faster (for when I actually have time) I'm going to do a category at a time. And the first full category is...

 

MELEE!!

Battle Axe	Broad Sword	Claws	Dark Melee
Fiery Melee	Ice Melee	Katana/Ninja Blade	Kinetic Melee
Martial Arts	Psionic Melee	Savage Melee	Staff Fighting
Stone Melee	Street Justice	Super Strength	War Mace

 

From a visual/design perspective, I wasn't crazy about what was done for Savage Melee and Street Justice. I understand they're new sets, but existing icons would have sufficed and kept the consistency that's been there for so long. I mean, there's already a fist icon for crying out loud. Did we need to make a new fist that doesn't even look like the same style as the rest of the icons?? Anyway, that's just my 2 cents. 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Rylas

[biostem]

6 minutes ago, Rylas said:

Did we need to make a new fist that doesn't even look like the same style as the rest of the icons??

Maybe it was a different artist trying to make their mark?  *shrugs*  Mechanics aside, what sort of color scheme would you personally, love to see in a powerset, (assuming you had total control over what colors were used)?

[Felis Noctu]

@Rylas

Out of curiosity, are you modeling the power icons directly off of the current in-game versions? Have you checked out the fixed erroneous icon pack at all? Having those alternatives would be awesome as well!

 

Also, considering the bits and pieces I've been doing already, would you be alright with a replacer texture pack containing the icons you're making? I'm sure Christopher and I aren't the only ones that like the softer look!

[biostem]

22 minutes ago, Felis Noctu said:

Out of curiosity, are you modeling the power icons directly off of the current in-game versions?

I beleive Rylas did mention that he wanted to stay true to the original powers' icons, as they were before sunset...