Art mods

[Korvar]

There isn't a single link for all the available art work out there, but this should get you started:


Halsey's art site - land units, air units, mission art, etc.

Big B's Shipyard - ship art

Jace's site - interface art, mission art

Some of Chemkid's Maps - what maps are still available

MakeeLearn's Bellum Pacifica Map - another popular map



Edit: I suppose I should plug my own contributions as well:

Allied Ship Insignia / Patch Additions - based on Halsey's work

Readability Mod of Jace's "Map Borders" User Interface Art - based on Jace's work

[Aksully]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

There isn't a single link for all the available art work out there, but this should get you started:


Halsey's art site - land units, air units, mission art, etc.

Big B's Shipyard - ship art

Jace's site - interface art, mission art

Some of Chemkid's Maps - what maps are still available

MakeeLearn's Bellum Pacifica Map - another popular map



Edit: I suppose I should plug my own contributions as well:

Allied Ship Insignia / Patch Additions - based on Halsey's work

Readability Mod of Jace's "Map Borders" User Interface Art - based on Jace's work

Thanks for posting this Kovar. As a 2019 new to WITP AE owner I've been debating on what map mod to add first. The stock map though impressive was just way to busy for clarity. After trying a couple I found this to be the best for me.

Kamikaze Bellum Pacifica Map Extended

It just seems to simplify the terrain so it makes all the other features stand out from the original stock map. So once I finish setting up Turn Two using Kull's SS. I intend to add your Insignia/Patch work.

Some really talented folks here doing amazing graphics stuff. I hope everyone's efforts result in monetary benefits in the future!

[Aksully]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

Here is my latest ground units art file - I've been tweaking others' designs over time and have slowly been adding my own art.

The overall idea is to be able to instantly recognize the unit type and country of origin just by looking at the picture. It's still a work in progress.

The file is too large to upload, but if you right-click and save the image below as a .gif file, it might work. The key is to save it with 24-bit (8-bit per channel) colors, if at all possible.




Edit: clarified file color format

Hi Kovar so all I need to do is save the below image and paste it in the Art Directory? Thx and beautiful work!

[Korvar]

Here is a direct download link: GroundUnits.bmp.

Copy/move it directly to your ART subdirectory. You should probably rename the old GroundUnits.bmp file before you do so, in case you should ever want to restore the original art (for example, GroundUnits_backup.bmp). Once you've done that, click "Yes" if it prompts you to overwrite when moving the new file into the ART subdirectory.


Edit: corrected reply title

[Aksully]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

Here is a direct download link: GroundUnits.bmp.

Copy/move it directly to your ART subdirectory. You should probably rename the old GroundUnits.bmp file before you do so, in case you should ever want to restore the original art (for example, GroundUnits_backup.bmp). Once you've done that, click "Yes" if it prompts you to overwrite when moving the new file into the ART subdirectory.


Edit: corrected reply title

Beautiful and Amazing work Korvar! Thx

[Aksully]

Since you seem to be the pro with this stuff can you explain why I'm seeing split ship images when I click on a ship name? The bottom part shows a static pic while the top part shows it with motion. I suspect I did something to cause this along the way. Thx in advance!

PS I'd post a pic but I'm too dumb to figure it out. Thought it would be as easy as copy and paste![:(]

[Korvar]

If you're talking about something like this:




It is caused by the game window not being centered while it is 'anchored' to the screen edge (such as when you drag a window to the screen edge and it 'snaps' in place). You can follow the instructions in my Fullscreen Windowed (Borderless Windowed) Mode thread to maximize and center the game window. Alternatively, dragging the game window away from the top edge of the monitor also seems to work, but you are sacrificing screen space by doing that.

[Aksully]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

If you're talking about something like this:




It is caused by the game window not being centered while it is 'anchored' to the screen edge (such as when you drag a window to the screen edge and it 'snaps' in place). You can follow the instructions in my Fullscreen Windowed (Borderless Windowed) Mode thread to maximize and center the game window. Alternatively, dragging the game window away from the top edge of the monitor also seems to work, but you are sacrificing screen space by doing that.

Thx Korvar that fixed it! And I see now to insert a pic it has to be uploaded to the cloud. Double thx!

[Korvar]

There are many free image hosts to choose from, although I recommend using one of the free screenshot apps mentioned in ShareX screenshot app thread to automate the process.

Here is a screenshot of one of them, ShareX. It makes taking and uploading screenshots incredibly easy and will allow you to choose from a variety of hosts to use:

[Aksully]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

There are many free image hosts to choose from, although I recommend using one of the free screenshot apps mentioned in ShareX screenshot app thread to automate the process.

Here is a screenshot of one of them, ShareX. It makes taking and uploading screenshots incredibly easy and will allow you to choose from a variety of hosts to use:

Thx for the info!

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

I present my Yorktown Class ART Mod v1. My intent with this minor mod is to enhance the frequency and structural accuracy of visual feedback for the Yorktown class upgrades. I for one find it gratifying to see the enhancements resulting from patiently waiting for an in-demand vessel to complete refitting!

Both sides and shils are included:

Yorktown Class upgrades (12/41, 4/42, 7/42 - stock database limited)




Yorktown Class upgrade 10/42

Shows the new SC-2 AS and SG SS radars, as well as the 40mm Bofors added to the bow and stern. The crane is visibly changed and some of the aft hangar deck side doors are opened.



Yorktown Class upgrade 10/43

Shows the addition of the SK AS radar.




Any feedback is appreciated.

A possible change I have in mind is to make another image side/shil for the 7/42 upgrade when the class upgrades from the CXAM type to SC type radars. Is it as simple as changing the assigned bitmap value in the Editor? Would modifying a scenario file disrupt any ongoing games if all I'm adding is new art to existing ships in the database?

If adding art is fairly straightforward, there are other ship classes I'm interested in tweaking. I've spotted a ship with radar visually installed before the class is fitted with any, as well as have noticed there is no visual difference between the long and short hull versions of the Essex class.

Credit goes to The Shipping Channel for the source line art, as well as the great in-game art that I used for reference.

Edit: Consider this a 'prototype' - I discovered issues with this version that I will address in v2.

Korvar - I was wondering if you could zip your modified bmp files and post them for download? Unfortunately, they currently download as individual .png files, and changing the extension to .bmp doesn't work.

Since I've seen you comment on this in the past, I'll share my recent experiences with new ship-side art (huge kudos to BigB and his shipyard) in which, and after some research, I finally figured out how to get new shipside bmp files to display in an on-going game (i.e. files with .bmp names that are not part of the starting scenario). Which, no surprise, is essentially identical to the way new plane tops & sides are inserted.

As an example, BigB has a Yorktown-class carrier featuring early war camouflage (AnSide0762.bmp plus the corresponding shil), but you'll never see it in-game since it doesn't "directly replace" any existing files. The trick is to create new sub-folders in the Art folder, and copy in a renamed version of the file you want to enable (see graphic below, new folders circled in red).

In this case, I want the camouflaged carrier to show up in April 1942, so I copied over the file and renamed it as AnSide0238.bmp, and did the same thing with the shil (AnShil0762.bmp becomes AnShil0238.bmp), although that goes into a different folder (visible lower down in the attached graphic).

Pretty simple process, but there are a couple of small downsides:

1) The default mechanism for displaying shipside art is to tie it to a scheduled upgrade. And so long as the upgrade .bmp has a DIFFERENT file name than the pre-upgrade, everything works and you'll only see the new art after the upgrade begins. However, if the scenario you are playing uses the same .bmp file for both the pre-and post upgrade ship, the new graphic will appear immediately on the first of the month (in this example, 4/1/42) regardless of whether the upgrade has started. Personally I find that to be a minor annoyance, but there it is.

2) The other issue is that when you click through the "next upgrade" buttons, they will only display the art file which the scenario has associated with that upgrade. So if you are substituting a different file using the "dated folders" method described here, well, you won't see that picture until the upgrade actually begins. Again, a fairly minor issue, but worth noting.

[Korvar]

Hi Kull,

I vaguely remember reading a changelog or a readme which describes a different procedure for rotating ship art. It prescribed something like the following:



That said, it's been a long time since I experimented with it, and I can't recall if it even worked. It's good to know the air rotating art system also works for ships - thanks for the detailed write-up!


Let me know if you see any shil artifacting in a naval surface battle (pink dots appearing around the ship). It is caused by pixels which need to be deleted in the shil file. Carriers don't get mixed up in surface actions that often (hopefully), so I never was able to test this art thoroughly.

The .zip file is attached.

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Korvar

Hi Kull,

I vaguely remember reading a changelog or a readme which describes a different procedure for rotating ship art. It prescribed something like the following:



That said, it's been a long time since I experimented with it, and I can't recall if it even worked.

I just ran a test using that numbering system, and unfortunately no, it doesn't. Just to be sure, I tried -1042 and -4210 in active games and restarted ones. By contrast, the foldered method will show new art immediately in an active game, without even having to close it down and reload. Very helpful for testing.

Let me know if you see any shil artifacting in a naval surface battle (pink dots appearing around the ship). It is caused by pixels which need to be deleted in the shil file. Carriers don't get mixed up in surface actions that often (hopefully), so I never was able to test this art thoroughly.

Is it naval battles only, or would you see the same effect when under air attack? THAT would be easy to test (although painful to watch).

The .zip file is attached.

Thanks, they work great! I really love BigB's camouflaged sides though. Wonder how hard it would be to mod yours accordingly....

[Korvar]

Air attacks should also work to evaluate the shils.

As for applying the diffferent 'Measure' color schemes - my advice would be to try using the 'color replacement' tool (in Photoshop... there's probably an equivalent in GIMP). Sample the colors from BigB's art, then try applying it to mine.

If that doesn't get the results you desire, you can also try "kit bashing" - a term usually used to describe making a plastic model of parts from multiple kits. My changes primarily focused on the island... so see if you can graft my island onto BigB's hull (using layers). Then use the color replacement tool to blend the color of my island to the color of BigB's hull.

[Kull]

Kit bashing it is. And you weren't just whistling dixie about the shils. I was a few pixels off between the shil and the side, and the result was NO SHIP visible in the attacking window, even though it showed up perfectly in the unit screen. Anyway, once that was fixed, here is BigB's 1942 Camo Yorktown class with Korvar's antenna and open side doors.....under attack while traveling "CAP-less" through the Gilbert's:

[Korvar]

You did a great job with it!

Yes, one must be very precise with the shils. For this reason, I always produce both the background and shil art from a single master file. I place the ship in its own layer, then have one layer each for the background and the shil background. That way the ship MUST align between the two files by definition.

The other issue is what I call "errant pixels". If there are ANY pixels in the ship layer (i.e. any pixels which are not "shil pink"), they will cause artifacting in-game whenever that shil image is used; that is, those pixels will show up as a bright pink "cloud" or "mist" around the ship. The biggest change I made is to always use "pencil mode" to draw and erase anything from the ship itself - brush mode tends to partially erase or create some pixels (i.e. causes pixels with less than 100% opacity). Pixels with very low opacity can be VERY difficult to diagnose and fix. I also include a solid black and a solid white background in the master file to assist with locating these "errant pixels".

[Kull]

I'm currently modifying BigB's Long Island class CVE, since the early war versions all feature the physical radar antenna they received during the 4/43 upgrade. That's true in all stock art as well, since all US CVEs have only one bmp file per class (although the rotating folders system will let me put the early version in-game). Anyway, I was surprised to see that the '42 Camo version has a color shading difference between the shil and the side (see below), but I tested it (again by "traversing the Gilberts") and can confirm that it works fine.

Obviously the physical profiles have to match perfectly (as I confirmed in the earlier Yorktown test), but apparently you could modify the "ship in action" pics (i.e. those in the shil) to include anything which might make them look different from a ship that's simply sailing along (i.e. the one you see in the unit screen).

Again, this could not involve changes to the outline of the ship, but anything inside that perimeter would be fair game.

Edit: One example would be the early war Japanese practice of surrounding the carrier islands with rolled up canvas or sisal mats. So under non-battle conditions the islands would have a metallic/painted texture, but in battle they'd be surrounded by mats.

[Korvar]

You seem to be on a roll with discovering the outer limits of the game's graphics engine! [8D]

[Kull]

ORIGINAL: Kull

I'm currently modifying BigB's Long Island class CVE, since the early war versions all feature the physical radar antenna they received during the 4/43 upgrade. That's true in all stock art as well, since all US CVEs have only one bmp file per class (although the rotating folders system will let me put the early version in-game). Anyway, I was surprised to see that the '42 Camo version has a color shading difference between the shil and the side (see below), but I tested it (again by "traversing the Gilberts") and can confirm that it works fine.

Obviously the physical profiles have to match perfectly (as I confirmed in the earlier Yorktown test), but apparently you could modify the "ship in action" pics (i.e. those in the shil) to include anything which might make them look different from a ship that's simply sailing along (i.e. the one you see in the unit screen).

Again, this could not involve changes to the outline of the ship, but anything inside that perimeter would be fair game.

I've been running some tests and can now confirm that my previous statement was bollocks, and there is absolutely NO CORRELATION between the shil file and the side file. As proof, here's what happens when I replaced the CV Akagi shil with Korvar's CV Hornet shil. The unit card looks perfect (as it should), but during an air attack "Akagi" is.......not.

Ignoring a few instances of purple pixellation (which is a different issue, having nothing to do with shil vs. side), this means the sky is the limit when it comes to creating different looking graphics for ships that are just sailing along vs. those under attack (as you will soon see in the next post)

[Kull]

We have pictorial evidence (included) which shows that prior to action, CV Akagi placed folded mats around her island, and that her aerials were laid flat (parallel to the flight deck) to enable unhindered landing & takeoff by her air units.

During normal operation (sailing along, or sitting in port), neither situation is "the norm", and so that's what we see in the unit card. But now we can modify the shil to show (poorly, as I'm not an artist) the folded mats around the island and the absence of standing aerials. Not exactly an earth shaking addition to the game, but it does add some variability, and hopefully some of you can think of similar differences that could be utilized by other ships.