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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Neilster
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Neilster »

Ok. I'll go back to where I started and make only minor changes to that anchor. But I am not sure what to do about this tatoo I now have on my forearm!?
I'd have it modified into a dusky babe who dances when you wiggle your fingers [:'(].

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Glen Felzien
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Glen Felzien »

I like the 10-5 armour symbology. The marine ancher made me laugh. Really laugh. [:D] Reminded me of a poster used for the Pirates of Penzan(sp). [;)]
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by composer99 »

The Canadians.

Woo-hoo! They look awesome! Go Canadians! [:D]
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composer99
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by composer99 »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here is another pass at the NATO symbols for armor and marines.

The Armor HQ is a bit more round than the Armor unit, which in turn is a bit more rounded than the Armor Artillery.

I prefer the middle one. What do you think?

And the Marine?

Image

The middle armour icon is my preference as well. I also really like that style for the Marine.
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Neilster
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Neilster »

The middle armour symbol looks best IMHO. I like the simple anchor from the cardboard counter, a la Patrice's attachment.

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Greyshaft
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Greyshaft »

ORIGINAL: Neilster

The middle armour symbol looks best IMHO.
What Neilster said... [&o]
/Greyshaft
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

Here are the Commonwealth member nations with both the regular and elite units having the same interior colors.

I have added the country abbreviations for all land units except the major powers (e.g., UK, USA, USSR, ..). I tried it for them too, but it was too much. I have made all the colors of the surrounding text match (in these cases either white or black) so it is easier to tell the elite, white print units from the others at a glance.

There are also some territorials thrown in for good measure. Note that their base color matches the controlling major power (Commonwelath and France in these cases). I have also moved the reserve 'R' and made it slightly smaller.

I am still playing around with the NATO symbols, so ignore the armor and infantry NATO symbols - they are works in progress.

Image

The JPG conversion makes the red really bleed. Trust me, is it not that fuzzy on the MWIF game screen.
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stretch
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by stretch »

I love it at first glance. It's nice to see Montys name fit on a counter. Im sure his ego never would.

Im going to need to learn some new 3 letter abbreviations, I had to look one up. (Im not telling)

great work!
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: stretch

I love it at first glance. It's nice to see Montys name fit on a counter. Im sure his ego never would.

Im going to need to learn some new 3 letter abbreviations, I had to look one up. (Im not telling)

great work!

Thanks. 95% of the abbreviations came from the Olympic list (that several members were very helpful getting me pointed to). There were a lot of colonial countries during WW II, so I had to make up abbrevations on the spot. I didn't take any time on that since they are all in the country data file, and players can edit them if they want. Some examples of my choices: NRH (Northern Rhodesia) and ADE (Aden).
Steve

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Neilster
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Neilster »

Just what were those evil Axis dudes thinking? Taking on such hardcases.

I remember talking to an old Italian guy who was captured in North Africa and sent to a POW camp in Australia. When he and his fellow prisoners arrived by ship in Melbourne they were put on trains and railed for a couple of thousand kilometres north to their camp. He said they looked out at the endless grasslands, farms and forests and thought, "What was our idiotic leadership doing? This is only one part of the empire we attacked and it's like Russia."

Before long, most Italian POWs were working on farms. Many were from rural backgrounds and they much preferred this to cooling their heels in a camp. Initial suspicions were usually quickly broken down and usually the rules about POWs having to sleep in the barn were ignored. It wasn't uncommon for unescorted POWs to drive into town for supplies and be greeted with a "G'day Antonio. How's it going mate?" With so few men around they were also quite popular with the local lasses. Many (including the guy in question) decided to stay in Australia and to bring their families out here as well. This was really the beginning of the massive post-war migration that has tripled our population and added immeasurably to our culture.

Don't take too much notice of the drunken fools and culturally confused Middle Eastern youth who were involved in the riots in Sydney recently. That was more of a turf war over beaches. Overall the multicultural experiment has worked extremely well here and we're a better country for it.

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Glen Felzien
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Glen Felzien »

Neilster, that is great to hear. Sometimes I wonder if we are self destructing up here in Canada but then we go and win hockey gold to help pull everyone together again! [:D]

Steve, terrific job on the CW units and thanks for making the Canadians (and the rest) uniform in interior colour. [&o] Regarding the abbreviations, I was able to make em all out. Just took a moment to consider the controlling power on one of them. About the Indian para unit, that is the correct interior colour yes?
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Glen Felzien

Neilster, that is great to hear. Sometimes I wonder if we are self destructing up here in Canada but then we go and win hockey gold to help pull everyone together again! [:D]

Steve, terrific job on the CW units and thanks for making the Canadians (and the rest) uniform in interior colour. [&o] Regarding the abbreviations, I was able to make em all out. Just took a moment to consider the controlling power on one of them. About the Indian para unit, that is the correct interior colour yes?

Yes. The design protocol is that airborne unit types (there are a couple) get the light blue interior regardless of anything else (country, unit size, elite). The same applies to the light green for marine units. The reason for this is that those two unit types have special movement abilities (paradrop and invade from transports) which the players will want to be especially cognizant of. Elite units have white interiors except for the Commonwealth member nations (I was in the minority on that decision). Divisional units have a color that is specific to each major power, though artillery types (artillery, AA, AT) all have the same light blue as the airborne (running out of colors there). Of course Communist China is different as is also the SS. And don't forget that the countries with light base colors need to be handled differently.

One of my copies of WIF has all the units in a large, clear, plastic bag. If you shake it up, you can see all the pretty colors. The units in MWIF are like that.

Actually, when you play the colors are helpful. Since I made the changes, I find setting up the Russians and Germans for Barbarossa much easier because I can identify unit types immediately - I never accidentally try to stack 3 corps/armies in a hex anymore. The wide diversity of colors is less apparent in any one theater of operations too, because inevitably several of the major powers are not present.
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Froonp »

I have added the country abbreviations for all land units except the major powers (e.g., UK, USA, USSR, ..). I tried it for them too, but it was too much. I have made all the colors of the surrounding text match (in these cases either white or black) so it is easier to tell the elite, white print units from the others at a glance.
In my opinion it is much better this way (all canadians having the yellow & red box).
However, I feel that the country abbreviation is much much too big.
It should be in my opinion of the same font size as the designation of the unit.

As for the abbreviations, even if you used the olympic ones (it was a great idea), I think you should document this into the game documentation & help system. The variety of countries can be confusing.

Anyway, congratulations for the work on the counters, thay are great !!!

Now we have to see how the naval & air units come up when the graphic artist has finished. I think it will be even greater !!! [:D]

Also, to tell it again, I think that the units would be definitively terrific if they had a tiny 3-d touch, with even a slim shade added to them (as in this screen shot of SSG's most excellent "Battles in Italy" game.


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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Caranorn »

ORIGINAL: Froonp

Also, to tell it again, I think that the units would be definitively terrific if they had a tiny 3-d touch, with even a slim shade added to them (as in this screen shot of SSG's most excellent "Battles in Italy" game.


Image

But other then the shading I have to say those are some of the ugliest counters I've ever seen (and I've been playing wargames for 5/7th of my life ;-)).

Luckily MWiF appears to get a beautiful set of units (and I agree with Patrice on the size of the 3 letter country abreviation, reduce it (at first I was also for only first later in capitals, but that would only work well for some countries (like Can, Aus, Nzl but not for RSA etc.).

P.S.: Yes I'm starting to love the look of the MWiF counters as much as I loved the counters of my first ever copy of WiF (and I had to go back to the shop back then because someone had already stolen a countersheet (and I failed to notice the Asian map was misprinted too (Australia seemed far away at the time so I never mailed ADG for a new copy))).
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Mziln
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Mziln »

I am not bothered by the Unit Depictions displayed for marines for MWiF. To me they are all fine.


Just FYI:

Although the anchor may seem to be a major part of the marine emblem. The most important part is the rope or cable entangling or fouling the anchor. It represents the fact that marines are poor sailors. [:D]

Image
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: Mziln
I am not bothered by the Unit Depictions displayed for marines for MWiF. To me they are all fine.


Just FYI:

Although the anchor may seem to be a major part of the marine emblem. The most important part is the rope or cable entangling or fouling the anchor. It represents the fact that marines are poor sailors. [:D]

Image

Not the wisest comment to make in a crowded bar.

I do appreciate seeing the official emblem though. I'll try to copy the anchor from the emblem (without the rope).

I should say in passing that I am definitely not an artist. My brother greedily hogs all the artistic talent in our family - with a Masters from the Royal Colege of Art in London (Lars Hokanson). If you Google him, you'll see what I mean.
Steve

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dhatchen
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by dhatchen »

ORIGINAL: Froonp
I have added the country abbreviations for all land units except the major powers (e.g., UK, USA, USSR, ..). I tried it for them too, but it was too much. I have made all the colors of the surrounding text match (in these cases either white or black) so it is easier to tell the elite, white print units from the others at a glance.
In my opinion it is much better this way (all canadians having the yellow & red box).
However, I feel that the country abbreviation is much much too big.
It should be in my opinion of the same font size as the designation of the unit.

As for the abbreviations, even if you used the olympic ones (it was a great idea), I think you should document this into the game documentation & help system. The variety of countries can be confusing.

Anyway, congratulations for the work on the counters, thay are great !!!

Now we have to see how the naval & air units come up when the graphic artist has finished. I think it will be even greater !!! [:D]

Also, to tell it again, I think that the units would be definitively terrific if they had a tiny 3-d touch, with even a slim shade added to them (as in this screen shot of SSG's most excellent "Battles in Italy" game.


Image

Beautiful terrain, but I find that it steals my attention
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Greyshaft »

ORIGINAL: dhatchen

Beautiful terrain, but I find that it steals my attention

The terrain on 'Supreme Ruler 2010' used satellite imagery to generate their map of the world. The idea had promise, but I think the SSG guys did it better with their art.
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by c92nichj »

I like the new counters a lot!
The middle armour version is nicest and the simpler marine symbol.
Regarding the size of the country abbreviation I agree that it is to big, not so big that I would want you to spend any time on changing it though as I am sure you have more important things to do.

Have you given any further thoughts about colours for aligned minors? The scheme used in CWIF would work quite well I think.
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RE: Unit Depictions on Screen

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

Here is a pass at using red for the German SS non-elite units and outlining it in white.

You can see the pure red in the name of the unit and the alternate yellow in the unit size (XXX) and reserve letter (R).

I prefer the yellow. I find the plain red hard to read and the outlined red somewhat strange compared to the numbers on other units (e.g. the German SS elite also shown here).

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