[Suggestion] - The Heraldic Editor

Do you like the idea of an in-game Heraldic Item Editor?

  • Yes.

    Votes: 634 97.4%
  • No.

    Votes: 8 1.2%
  • I would, but I want to suggest some changes. (Post them)

    Votes: 9 1.4%

  • Total voters
    651

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Yeah, that could present problems. But I think I've got a good answer.

We'd just have a single texture file that would be in use for every banner. This file would contain blank banners of different colours stacked on top of each other. Those who are familiar with image editing software call these layers. Each charge would apply layer masks to the banner layers to create the shapes and colours of the final banner. Each separate banner would just have different layer mask information, which is a lot more resource efficient. A banner would really only consist of a string of code telling the game what to display and where.

Of course, I'm not exactly an expert in these matters. But if image editing software can pull this sort of thing off, it should be applicable to a game's texture files, right? Correct me if I'm wrong here.
 
That is exactly what I was about to say.
The game wouldn't have to re-create or save files from other computers onto its HD to display them, much like CSS for example. Simply, the game would read off the banner and display it from the game's own arsenal.
 
Timothy the Knight said:
Yeah, that could present problems. But I think I've got a good answer.

We'd just have a single texture file that would be in use for every banner. This file would contain blank banners of different colours stacked on top of each other. Those who are familiar with image editing software call these layers. Each charge would apply layer masks to the banner layers to create the shapes and colours of the final banner. Each separate banner would just have different layer mask information, which is a lot more resource efficient. A banner would really only consist of a string of code telling the game what to display and where.

Of course, I'm not exactly an expert in these matters. But if image editing software can pull this sort of thing off, it should be applicable to a game's texture files, right? Correct me if I'm wrong here.

Oh, I'm not an expert.  All I've ever done is tinker with mods.  Just speaking out loud from of how this might be implemented.

What you are proposing is sort of what I was saying. 

Let me try to explain what I'm thinking.  The editor would do something like the outline on the left.  It has 10 mapping positions - four quadrants (I-IV) and six badge areas.  (A-F).  A heraldic banner editor would simply produce a string for those 10 positions.

bannermapping.jpg


The issue is the texture dds.  That's on the right there.  There are four items: two underlying blank quandrants (happen to be white in yellow in my DDS sheet, but that's not necessary as color can be defined in the process of mapping; they just have to be two distinct blank quadrants available on the sheet), a striped quadrant mask (happens to be green, but again color irrelevant, it will be defined via mapping), a fleur-des-lis group mask

So to construct a banner as in middle, here's how you'd go about it:

I - underlying yellow quadrant
II - underlying white quadrant
III - underlying yellow quadrant
IV - underlying white quadrant
A - left empty (no chief badge)
B - stripe mask  (turned green in mapping)
C - fleur-de-lis group mask (turned yellow in mapping)
D - left emtpy (no central badge)
E - stripe mask
F - fleur de lis group

Or something like that.  Does that make sense?

Now you could do anything - have a diagonals, etc.  But all the masks & badges will have to be on a single sheet, AFAIK.

The only issue is user-defined positioning.  I chose ten mapping areas.  You could possibly add a few more positions.  But user-defininition is going to be limited by the 10 positions.  Unless in the string there is some 'adjustment' coordinates that "pushes" each of the badges (A-F) north/south/east/west to the extent the player desires.  That only applies to the badges of course.  It makes it a longer string, but I suppose that's feasible. 

The 10 character banner string (or perhaps longer, if badge-coordinates are included) would then be as simple as the user-defined face.
 
Yeah, that would work, but it would limit freedom as you said. But sometimes restrictions can lead to creativity. This would work well enough, giving a lot of possibilities while not being too restrictive.

I suppose it's up to the devs whether they want a simpler system or if they can afford to go the extra mile.
 
Seeing the poll makes me wonder why this hasn't been implemented yet. Doesn't the groundwork for such a system already exist? And it would simply be a matter of having 2 DDS files to compile an image from: charges and fields. Then it's simply a matter of defining coordinates for where the charges exist on the fields, and throwing color sliders on it which (as Khalid said) can be done during the mapping process.

The worse you would get is an inverted T with a helmet on top and two spherical charges on the bottom.

Trying too hard to make a penis means you're trying too hard.
 
well, now they have the chance.

Also didnt  a mod try to include the heraldic editor? Im sure one did, but not sure if it was ever released.
 
lol....

anyway, yea i hope this gets added. Along with new face textures and hair, maybe i should make a suggestion thread for it.
 
Honestly so many people feel the same way  and honestly this is a important part of the game environnement Im sorry but those sayign it futile ... its as important as any other armor look /weapon / building everything is part of the world imersion and this feature can make you unique or part of a groupe all sharing a same design that would be epic and I think for this kind of game it should have been done long time ago ..
 
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