Graphic Mod - "Best of both Worlds"

[Dave25210]

Hi Zovs, that's cool, and yes, please share the results.

ORIGINAL: Zovs

ORIGINAL: Dave25210

Hi Zovs,

files attached, enjoy!

Dave,

Love your flat icons. They were still a bit dark to me, so I modified your mod by using Paint.Net and turning the Contrast down to 10. Looks fantastic on my end.

I can always 'reshare' if you want to see what I did.

Thanks again.
Don

[Zovs]

Dave,

Here are some screen shots. Note that I use a 4k monitor, so I have (out of curtesy to others) rescaled these images down, so they may not look as great as they do on my screen, but you can get the idea, maybe.

These are some of the scenarios I have modified or have created. Please note that I am using custom map/terrain files, along with updated and correct counter numbers that also needed a fix. That tied with your excellent flat 2d counter mod (with me tweaking by 10) and probably most importantly, using the new xml color file.

Note: some are stock scenarios (currently 21) and I created a new *.col file for them and have recolored them using the xml method and then I used your flat 2D counters scaled to by 10. The CFNA scenarios are based off the original board game from SPI counter colors. The other stock scenarios I used a color scheme that is a combination of a mod of the original AH game Anzio by Tom Olsen (the original creator of the board game) and he updated Anzio to Italia and I like his colors. The other one is from a project I am doing to update some old scenarios and will release those once all my modifications (both new adds from what TOAW IV offers and the color modifications) based on the old Europa board game (currently I am really liking these modifications).


This is from The Italian Campaign 1944-1945 using the new Tom Olsen inspired Italia color scheme for the updated scenario (had some supply issues, so I corrected that):


Same as above but showing the US, CW, Canadian and RM commandos ready to move up the boot:



This is from Ardennes 1944:



This is from my of my new scenarios I am working on (its at 250 meters a hex and company level):



This is from Western Front 1944-1945:



This is from my SPI WIE conversion (still working/tweaking it):



This is from the Cherbourg 44 scenario:



This is from France 1944 Cobra:



This is from one of the CFNA scenarios (Campaign For North Africa 42O-43 v.10.0):



From my 'special update project' using the new Europa like color scheme:


If there is any interest in the updated 2D flat counter color mod I did or any of the color xml's please let me know.

Personally, I love the flat 2D look and the color mods I have done, mainly because I am an old board war gaming dating back to the mid 70's, my first war games my mom got for me were the old classic AH Afrika Korps, D-Day, Battle of the Bulge and Waterloo, and the following Christmas I got; Third Reich, Anzio, The Russian Campaign and both PanzerLeader and PanzerBlitz. The next following year I discovered and fell in love with SPI and one of my first's from them was Breakout & Pursuit, Kampfgruppen, and Mechwar 77. I also recall when I got my first monster, Highway to the Reich it was the biggest thing I have ever seen (I plan on recreating that as well for TOAW).

Anyway, any questions, comments or concerns please let me know. Or if any interest in my 'work'.

[Magpius]

Please share. (old cardboard player also)

[Zovs]

Dave,

Please note for your Flat counter mod, you missed one, it the s_counterbackground.

I modified your entire set to be 10 less then your original, if you go to far the counters looked too washed out. I perfer the slightly lighter shades.

I can post a small zip of those files here, or I can post my own 2D Flat counter set I have been tweaking on for the last few days.

Magpius I'll share just as soon as I fix everything up.

[Dave25210]

Hi Zovs,

I like your colors, I enjoy the board game style look too; in fact, I bought
the GMT Ardennes '44:The Battle of the Bulge earlier this year.... even loaded the Vassal to practice/learn rules before unwrapping
the game itself (its still sealed on the shelf after 10 months..oh well). Anyway, I see in other post you did some more changes in counter-units
and counter numbers modifications, will check them out. Did you post those color files somewhere too? if not yet, could you post a few, Ardennes 1944 for instance?
Thx!

ORIGINAL: Zovs

Dave,

Please note for your Flat counter mod, you missed one, it the s_counterbackground.

I modified your entire set to be 10 less then your original, if you go to far the counters looked too washed out. I perfer the slightly lighter shades.

I can post a small zip of those files here, or I can post my own 2D Flat counter set I have been tweaking on for the last few days.

Magpius I'll share just as soon as I fix everything up.

[Cabido]

Nice work. Good to see my mod is being useful to other modders.

[vispainiusii]

Great mod, thanks to you and Cabido's contributions I believe.

On another note, How do you add the font?

[altipueri]

Thanks for this - it makes things clearer for me and my old eyes.

[macgregor]

I have the game installed on an auxiliary E drive. C: Program files(x86) doesn't contain the game. I installed it to where my game is, modifying the 3 lines, but I'm getting no result.

[ncc1701e]

I have the game installed on an auxiliary E drive. C: Program files(x86) doesn't contain the game. I installed it to where my game is, modifying the 3 lines, but I'm getting no result.

You need to put the content of the folders (i.e. all the png files) in ..\Documents\My Games\The Operational Art of War IV\Graphics Override

I do have a problem myself. I have installed the mod but the arrow is still red. I have checked the content of the mod and I can only see two files instead of three with the grey arrow:
h_Movement_arrows.png
s_movement_arrows.png

Looks like the the Movement_arrows.png file is missing. Anyone else has this problem?

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Red arrow.JPG (176.88 KiB) Viewed 1740 times

[sPzAbt653]

I don't have the same problem, but here is the file if you need it.

[ncc1701e]

Thanks I have copy this one with red arrows that was missing the mod archive. So now, I have the grey arrows at maximum and minimum zoom but not the intermediate one. Funny it was done like this.

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h_Movement_arrows.png (66.64 KiB) Viewed 1671 times

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s_movement_arrows.png (12.13 KiB) Viewed 1671 times

[sPzAbt653]

Here is the gray one, but it does not have the red target symbol. I think I removed it at some time because it is obnoxious to me.

[ncc1701e]

Thanks Steve.

[Khanti]

About blue interface. I prefer darker blue, although it was a very good idea to make it non green

[jbmoore68]

I like the darker blue, very nice!

[Khanti]

Texts are easy visible.
I've removed the background bmp graphics of all scenarios, so it shows the default one, making it easy to read descriptions.

[jbmoore68]

Do you have a download for your mod, I would like to try it out.

[Khanti]

I hope these are all needed files.
They are add-on to blue gui, so they are useful only after blue mod is installed first.

boxes.png are key file.

[jbmoore68]

Many thanks, works well for me and my old eyes !!