===[TASK]=== Improve hero portraits

[Nescio]

25 minutes ago, (-_-) said:

But Atlas might have some issues. It didn’t like the "ë" in fields of mëroe.

Meroë. File names ought to consist only of lowercase a to z and underscores, of course. Atlas does not use or display specific names or other internal strings.

28 minutes ago, stanislas69 said:

I believe the reason it's written in the incorrect alphabet is that it wasn't implemented at the beginning.

Or maybe it's because not everyone knows the Greek alphabet.

Besides, if Greek is written in Greek, should we also write Punic in Phoenician abjad, Persian in cuneiform, and Meroitic in hieroglyphs? And what to do with languages that didn't have their own script?

Although I consider writing Greek in Greek an improvement and happily use it in my mod, I'm not sure it's the most desireable option for 0 A.D.'s main distribution.

[Stan`]

1 minute ago, Nescio said:

File names ought to consist only of lowercase a to z and underscores, of course. Atlas does not use or display specific names or other internal strings.

I think it was not in the filename but in the map description not sure. Because Atlas handles chars differently.

I always wondered if we could one day make it completely part of the game.

2 minutes ago, Nescio said:

Besides, if Greek is written in Greek, should we also write Punic in Phoenician abjad, Persian in cuneiform, and Meroitic in hieroglyphs? And what to do with languages that didn't have their own script?

True. I don't know then. I didn't find any reference to it in the wiki but I didn't really search.

[Nescio]

1 minute ago, stanislas69 said:

I think it was not in the filename but in the map description not sure. Because Atlas handles chars differently.

I always wondered if we could one day make it completely part of the game.

Well, I don't know. Atlas has no difficulty in handling templates from my mod that include Greek specific name strings.

[Itms]

1 hour ago, stanislas69 said:

Yeah I was planning on getting this done if @Itms doesn't have the time to commit it for a24. Feel free to remind me when the time comes.

It's really near the top of my list for A24, but please feel free to remind me as well Nescio

[dMAthena]

Updated one:

1- spearhead changed

2- shield color changed

if all good then I share PSD file

Edited October 17, 2018 by dMAthena

[Lion.Kanzen]

The technique is very nice but still look generic to me.

 

If you want add some scars blood don't forget Realism, blood(Cloatted) add  Scars..etc isonly an idea.

k

 

Edited October 17, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

19 hours ago, dMAthena said:

Updated one:

1- spearhead changed

2- shield color changed

if all good then I share PSD file

A torq around the neck would be good 

[dMAthena]

Hello, updated version

blood changed , torc added

[Stan`]

That's some fine work here @dMAthena.
@LordGood  @wowgetoffyourcellphone Do you have any feedback ?

[Sundiata]

@dMAthena, if you don't mind, I also have a final suggestion. Instead of the bright purple, on her shoulder, you could put some Celtic looking fabric. Perhaps you were already planning to do that, in which case, feel free to ignore me  

Spoiler

 

CC0 image texture https://www.maxpixel.net/Tartan-Wallpaper-Desktop-Picture-Tablecloth-2049056 

 

 

[Stan`]

Should be purple though  For consistency

[Gurken Khan]

I can't help it: I got a 'problem' with her eyes.

I feel like her right pupil/iris is a bit too much to the left (everything from our pov). And while the lower part of the left iris is nearly round, the right iris is cut off much more at the bottom; is that all how it should be?

Spoiler

I don't know jack about art or anatomy, so feel free to ignore this.

 

[Sundiata]

20 minutes ago, stanislas69 said:

Should be purple though  For consistency

That's a pretty odd choice. I've never seen such a color in the context of Antiquity. Consistency with what exactly? Victor Rossi's Roman hero portrait didn't have that in your face purple either and i think it looks fantastic. 

[Stan`]

@wowgetoffyourcellphone said purple was a royal color

[Genava55]

In Irish mythology, the color for kings and sovereignty is more often the red and sometimes the white. 

Purple was rare because of the difficulty to get Tyrian purple pigments (the only known pigment at this time that can stay brightful through time) 

Edited October 19, 2018 by Genava55

[Sundiata]

33 minutes ago, stanislas69 said:

@wowgetoffyourcellphone said purple was a royal color

Ah, wasn't he referring to Tyrian purple, mentioned by Genava, which was most popularly associated with Roman magistrates, some clergy and emperors? Tyrian purple isn't as bright either. It's darker. Isn't it more of an Eastern thing? 

Spoiler

 

[dMAthena]

2 hours ago, Sundiata said:

@dMAthena, if you don't mind, I also have a final suggestion. Instead of the bright purple, on her shoulder, you could put some Celtic looking fabric. Perhaps you were already planning to do that, in which case, feel free to ignore me  

  Hide contents

 

CC0 image texture https://www.maxpixel.net/Tartan-Wallpaper-Desktop-Picture-Tablecloth-2049056 

 

 

thank you for your feedback , no problem on my side but character in game has this purple color

Is it ok?

[Rolf Dew]

2 hours ago, dMAthena said:

thank you for your feedback , no problem on my side but character in game has this purple color

Is it ok?

Your portait looks great so far, IMO a light blue (similiar to her face paint) or green might look better. This is just my opinion though.

Historically Tryrian Purple was extremely expensive to obtain (also it was restricted mostly to the middle east and nearby areas), it is highly unlikely that it was traded or obtained by the Briton tribes. https://www.ancient.eu/Tyrian_Purple/   this article sums it up nicely IMO.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Rolf Dew

[Imperator Ferrum Princeps I]

Imo the boudica pic look good but kind of clashes with the art style of the game and rest of the updated hero portraits.

[Thorfinn the Shallow Minded]

The portrait has a nice aesthetic, but her facial features seem too refined, especially when contrasting with her wounds.  I would add wrinkles, and either have the makeup less clear or not there at all; her eyebrows also seem too uniform.  She had already been through a lot before rebelling, and needless to say that after she was flogged and saw her daughters raped, I'm not sure if she would have bothered much with her looks.

Then again, the art is stylised so maybe my criticisms are misplaced.

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Imperator Ferrum Princeps I said:

Imo the boudica pic look good but kind of clashes with the art style of the game and rest of the updated hero portraits.

Hero portraits differ from the normal unit icons. Most are currently placeholders. After all, making a portrait like this one is a lot of work.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Guest

[Lion.Kanzen]

1 hour ago, Thorfinn the Shallow Minded said:

The portrait has a nice aesthetic, but her facial features seem too refined, especially when contrasting with her wounds.  I would add wrinkles, and either have the makeup less clear or not there at all; her eyebrows also seem too uniform.  She had already been through a lot before rebelling, and needless to say that after she was flogged and saw her daughters raped, I'm not sure if she would have bothered much with her looks.

Then again, the art is stylised so maybe my criticisms are misplaced.

In other words she looks like posing for a fashion photography.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

Pedantry. 

Purple was chosen for hero portraits to easily tell them apart from other classes of units. The ad hoc justification was that purple was seen as a royal or elite color due to its expense. Quibble about the historicity if you want to, but for gameplay purposes I think hero portraits should have some purple. The reasoning is sound.

Also, let's not pick apart every portrait for eye color and pupil shape, unless the sources specifically mention it.

[Sundiata]

5 hours ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

Also, let's not pick apart every portrait for eye color and pupil shape, unless the sources specifically mention it.

I agree that criticisms of facial features, make-up, eyebrows or whatever are misplaced, and the portrait itself looks terrific. I wish I could one day achieve that level. I admire the artist dMAthena, and I hope that she(?) continues to make these lovely portraits for other heroes as well!

But,

5 hours ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

Purple was chosen for hero portraits to easily tell them apart from other classes of units. The ad hoc justification was that purple was seen as a royal or elite color due to its expense. Quibble about the historicity if you want to, but for gameplay purposes I think hero portraits should have some purple. The reasoning is sound.

It's the wrong color... Fluorescent purple/purple-pink-red/fuchsia or magenta, whatever you want to call it, is not appropriate. I mean, color theory and color psychology are a thing, and that color should throw up all kind of warning signs... It clashes badly with natural colors... I don't think man-made fuschia dyes even existed before 1859. If you insist on using purple, at least use the correct type of purple. As mentioned before, Tyrian purple is more appropriate, at least in a Greco-Roman/oriental context (not in a Celtic one, but I'll let it slide). 

The second reason it's the wrong color is because 0AD is a 3D game with assets largely made in Blender. In Blender, as well as Unity, that color is used to highlight missing texture slots, because it's so offensively loud. It stands out like a sore thumb. It literally looks like a missing texture.

Fuchsia is also an effeminate color, not right for those otherwise oh so manly heroes (yes, even Boudicca and Amanirenas are both described as "masculine"). 

In short, if you insist on using purple, at least use Tyrian purple, a color that actually existed at the time, instead of fluorescent looking colors. This doesn't just apply to Boudicca of course, but to all the hero portraits in-game.  

Spoiler

Missing-texture-slot-color really looks like it's missing a texture:

 

[Alexandermb]

Not a 2D Artist but i have to agree, purple seems like out of place for that hero. Would fit perfectly with romans as red, but in this case it really looks like missing texture and a colour i haven't seen yet in any reference posted in this forums, best choices could be the red pattern @Sundiata Or Green/blue tartan