Custom Shield Skins

Just a small suggestion

Looking at all the kite shields, and I thought, wouldn't it be cool to have a custom shield, so you could put your own device on it.

That way in the proposed tournaments, you could have the ladder rankings, with each person with there own logo.

Just a bmp texture that anybody could change would be good. Like spraypaints in Half Life.

You know, that's a really cool idea. But what about the archers?

I think it would be cooler if every PC could have a standard (a flag of sorts) hanging from them (perhaps their backs, or shoulders), chosen from a few simple defaults, or imported via bmp. I think that'd be pretty awesome.

Yeah, it would be pretty good

hi

i would like to see feathers or some stuff on helmets, like this->



and fancy stuff for horse decoration, and such beautifull lances like here->

I think that a simple "crest" design option would be neat.

At the start, when creating your character (and I suppose aslo during the game) you select what your crest would look like.

Basically have a list of colors for the backround, as well as patterns. And possibly have border patterns too.

Then select an image from a nice big list (things like a crown, a sword, a lion, a jester cap, lightning bolt, etc, etc, etc). A huge list of things to choose from.

Then pick the color for the symbol you use.

This crest would then be applied to any shield you carry.
Also, most non-metal armors should have your crest on them.
And you could buy a tabard or something to display your crest on (it wouldn't count for armor, maybe give it it's own slot or something? Or make some armors come with the tabard, and some without.

And on the map, you could see a flag with your crest on it as you travel.

That's a really cool idea actually. I can imagine that it would have some practical uses as well, such as quick team identification during a battle (sometimes you can mistake an enemy for an ally or vice-versa if you're running by on a horse.)

Cool idea.

Genie said:

That's a really cool idea actually. I can imagine that it would have some practical uses as well, such as quick team identification during a battle (sometimes you can mistake an enemy for an ally or vice-versa if you're running by on a horse.)

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Actually, that's a good point.
I've shot allies before while in the thick of battle, because that Swadian Knight I was helping looks just like the Swadian Knight deserter...

I think the two "empires" should have their own distinct markings.
And deserters, bandits, pirates, etc... should also get their own. That way you can easily tell them apart.

And your troops would always bear your colors. Cause I've got an army made of 50/50 S/V Knights. :p

So either side I attack... it gets confusing.

"Swadian Knight was killed by Swadian Knight."

What if you only got your heraldry once you attained noblehood? Then you could desing it yourself or choose from a few ready-made ones. And yes, it could be done like the decals in CS or HL. I just can't help myself imagining half of those spraypaint images on shields, and how they'd put me down...

Since the squire is the only noble person in the group of four characters (well, the priest could be noble too, as many priests were the later sons of nobles), he'd get a heraldic shield and perhaps a tabard to show off his colours. The others would have to be knighted by a lord. This heraldry would then be repeated on every *heraldic* item, like Heraldic Shield, Heraldic Armour...

Hmm.. There could be a tabard that you could put on top of every suit of armour. Then you could show your colours no matter what you were wearing, black armour, coat of plates, you name it. Or there might be heraldic pieces of armour, just like there are reinforced (and rusty and thick) - they'd cost a bit more, but they would include your colours.

As to fancy plumes and footmen wearing liveries... Well... Does it fit in the timeframe? I mean, at the moment it looks like it's set somewhere in the 10th-13th century (apart from black and plate armour). Full plate armour like those depicted above didn't appear until later.

This issue of heraldry will be especially important when you create the MP Arena or M&B: MMORPG.

Standards and pennants on spears would be tight.

It's historically innaccurate to indicate professional armies, but I think each faction should have a uniform component to its equipment. Part of creating your character's appearance should be choosing from a pre-made set of heraldries (perhaps even something fancy, as in deathmatch games where you select two icons and a background color), which will appear in some form or another on all appropriate equipment in your party: surcoats, certain shields, and perhaps a colored sash of some sort for poorly-equipped characters.

I think it would be a tastefully necessary abstraction, and the garish teamcolor system prevalent in most games (the horrible standard RTW graphics, for example). It would enable us to turn off those horrible floating monikers that make this game look like a crappy MMO.

You know, there IS a thread on the front page called "Tabards and your own Heraldry".  You should probably check it out.

Let deserter units start taking on a cruddy appearance too!

Eogan said:

You know, there IS a thread on the front page called "Tabards and your own Heraldry".  You should probably check it out.

Click to expand...

I'm pretty sure this one is just a bit older than the one you referred to.

I say, let the player choose. Maybe some button you can change in-game (so it won't be only in character creation) whether you wish to use your own hearaldry on troops or not. I mean, many of my characters begin as random hopeful adventurers who have nothing but a leather jerkin and a blade.

Yeah, a list of different pre-made insignia would be nice (different types of background and figure and the colours of them) but also include a "custom background", "custom picture" and if those are included too, "custom border" which are accessible in the textures, so one can create his own without having to replace the existing ones.

if you have the unofficial editor, and the old brf view, this is how to do it:
using the U.E. create a new armour item and give it the heraldic armour mesh.  give it whatever stats you want, BUT TICK UNIQUE and not MERCHANDISE.  In 'troops' put your new armour in the zendar chest.

Using B.V. clone the heraldic armour and then assign it the name 'myarmour' and the texture costumes6
Using windows paint or anything else you have for graphics
Copy the left-handside of costumes4dds from the bottom, mid-point up to where the top of the red heraldic armour is.
Paste this into the bottom of costumes6dds so that it fits snugly to the bottom left. 

go into game and check out the zendar chest (new game).