Unit Depictions on Screen

World in Flames is the computer version of Australian Design Group classic board game. World In Flames is a highly detailed game covering the both Europe and Pacific Theaters of Operations during World War II. If you want grand strategy this game is for you.

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Shannon V. OKeets
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Froonp
The flags are used as icon to indicate which major power is "on move", so I only need them for the major powers.
And to indicate who own an hex, isn't it ?
There are already flags for all this (icons & hex ownership) in CWiF you what to change them ?

Yes, and who controls a hex.

The existing flags are for the smaller hex size - half the width, half the height. I want to make the icon on which the flag depictions are based larger. They will then be zoomed to the same relative size as in CWIF. CWIF started with small icons and simply doubled all the pixels as you zoomed in (the icons got bigger and clunkier).

Rob Armstrong has taught me that it is best to start with the largest image the player will see, make that as pretty as possible, and then let the zoom out feature modify it to a smaller, less beautiful image.

I also think somewhat larger flags at the top would be easier to see and click on - there is room up there.
Steve

Perfection is an elusive goal.
Shannon V. OKeets
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Rorgg
The nationalist Chinese used what's now the flag of Chinese Taipei.

The ChiComms use the current PROC flag. We missing anything?

BTW, I'd just use the union jack for the CW, all the CW nations had it incorporated into their own flags to my knowledge.


Yeah, the Union Jack sounds good to me. The official Commonwealth flag was a shock to my system. I don't think I have ever seen it before. The Union Jack is recognized world-wide (or so the British would have everyone believe).
Steve

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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: pak19652002
I say, ask the guys at Matrix what they did put in others WWII games for the German flags to avoid a svastika being drawn.

Did ADG banish the swastika to obey this law?

I don't see the swastika on any of the counters - not even the SS units.
Steve

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JanSorensen
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by JanSorensen »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
ORIGINAL: pak19652002
I say, ask the guys at Matrix what they did put in others WWII games for the German flags to avoid a svastika being drawn.

Did ADG banish the swastika to obey this law?

I don't see the swastika on any of the counters - not even the SS units.

The units did not but the control markers did.
Shannon V. OKeets
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: JanSorensen
ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
ORIGINAL: pak19652002
Did ADG banish the swastika to obey this law?

I don't see the swastika on any of the counters - not even the SS units.

The units did not but the control markers did.

Perhaps only in the earlier editions? I don't see swastikas on any of the WIF FE counter sheets (and I have them all with the units still in them).

It doesn't matter though. I will go with no swastika on the German flag, erring on the side of caution.
Steve

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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Froonp »

Did ADG banish the swastika to obey this law?
They didn't, and it appears in minor places in DoD III (on the background of the political actions card for Germany). ADG had complied with the anti svastika rules by replacing all svastikas everywhere with the Black Cross instead, but they did not reprint the Political options cards.
The German Political Police caught a load of the brand new games when they entered Germany last year, and destroyed hundreds of these, and made the local ADG man under political investigation. They suspected him of being pro nazi. [:(] You like it or not, but the German Political Police takes it seriously.

How is it solved in others Matrix games games ? There are lots of WWII games done by Matrix, how do they solve the svastika problem ?
Rorgg
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Rorgg »

You know which one? The black-white-red tricolor with horizontal stripes was official until 1935, and it uses the same color scheme as the actual one in use at the time, so that may be the best alternate.
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by JanSorensen »

GG:WaW (2by3, published by MatrixGames) uses this flag for the Germans as an alternative option.

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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by JanSorensen »

Another alternative would be.

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Froonp
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Froonp »

Like JanSorensen proposed before, why not this one ?
This is the one for the Military 1903-1919.

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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Froonp »

Or the one from Post 117 (the normal German flag) with a Balkenkreuz (the black cross from the flag of post 150) to replace the Svastika. I think it is the best.
Rorgg
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Rorgg »

If you're going ahistorical to use the Balkankreuz anyway, might as well go all the way and just have the full Balkankreuz flag, which may or may not be authentic, but is probably more recognizeable:

Image

That'd be my second choice after the red-white-black tricolor.
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Froonp

Or the one from Post 117 (the normal German flag) with a Balkenkreuz (the black cross from the flag of post 150) to replace the Svastika. I think it is the best.

Here is a quick and dirty I replacing the swastika with a cross.

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Steve

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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
ORIGINAL: Froonp

Or the one from Post 117 (the normal German flag) with a Balkenkreuz (the black cross from the flag of post 150) to replace the Svastika. I think it is the best.

Here is a quick and dirty, replacing the swastika in post 117 with a cross.

Image

These pictures are 256 by 128, versus the unit counters at 96 by 96. In the hex, to show control, the flags will be quite small. I haven't looked into this in detail, but it should be (at absolute maximum) 48 by 24. This means that some of the lovely details are going to be mush on the screen. Cleaner and crisper lines with fewer colors are probably a wiser choice. That puts the German tricolor with the centered cross at the top of my current list for the Germans.

At the top of the screen I might be able to use larger images - I would like to anyway.
Steve

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Caranorn
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Caranorn »

I'd propose a variation of the black white red flag for Germany. Using the swastika (historic representations) is not always illegal, but would be hard to push through in a computer game (I'm shocked to hear there was some trouble with WiF). But obviously the Swastika and any other symbol associated with the Nazi regime (that includes the "Balkenkreuz") will get you added scrutiny. Which is why I'd deem a simple black, white red flag the safest approach.

P.S.: To me that red flag with black cross, circle and swastika in the middle looks a lot like the "Kriegsmarine" flag but I'm not sure (I seem to associate it with submarines for some reason). The red, white circle and swastika is a standard Nazi symbol, both party and state.

P.P.S.: I'm a big antifascist but I cannot agree with those german laws as they are clearly counterproductive (intelectual conrontation with the ideas behind fascism and particularly nazism are really the only way to go, but then that wouldn't please certain adherends of the CDU/CSU (who are currently the no. 1 German political party). On the other hand there is little point in taking risks for publishing MWiF over a flag.

P.P.P.S.: Those are by the way not political police, rather "Verfassungsschutz" "protectors of the constitution", in essence their duty is to watch anyone who is deemed a threat to said constitution. On occasion these services (they exist on the federal and state levels) have been abused to observe opposition groups.
Marc aka Caran... ministerialis
Rorgg
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Rorgg »

First choice:
Image
Officially the flag of Germany until the Nazis outlawed it in 1935.

Second choice:
Image

It may be historically inaccurate, but it's closer to the authentic national flag of the era and better lends itself to a smaller icon than the quadranted flag with the Iron cross.
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Rorgg

First choice:
Image
Officially the flag of Germany until the Nazis outlawed it in 1935.

Second choice:
Image

It may be historically inaccurate, but it's closer to the authentic national flag of the era and better lends itself to a smaller icon than the quadranted flag with the Iron cross.

All right, I am sufficiently confused now by the alternatives for the German flag. Here's what I propose.

(1) I'll take nominations for choices. Swastikas are out.
(2) After 48 hours, I'll close nominations and let voting commence on the alternatives.
(3) After another 48 hours, I'll close voting.

(4) Then I'll use the top vote getter as the default and the next 2 highest as alternatives that ship with the game and players can swap them in. That also lets those of you not living in Germany switch in a flag with a Swastika too - but none of such will ship with the official game.

Nominations for Germay's flag are now open.
I have the two shown in this post as the first nominations.
Steve

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stretch
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by stretch »

I nominate this one..
posted by JanSorensen
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Greyshaft »

ORIGINAL: stretch

I nominate this one..
posted by JanSorensen
Image
I like it but I suggest that the centre cross is superimposed on a white circle otherwise I fear the top of the cross will be lost in the black background
/Greyshaft
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Froonp »

I wanted to try it so I tried, and it is ugly.
How can a country with such a flag conquer the world ??? [:D] [:D] [:D]


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