Sprites for low-level cultists / replacing generics

[xxx420badboy]

Hey, I love this mod, but I hate that the low level cultists are just sort of guys in tshirts.

I whipped these up quickly in Paint as possible replacements for the lowest tier cultists in Red Dawn, Church of Dagon, and EXALT, using some custom art and some slicing and dicing from other XCOM FILES sprites. Maybe they're an improvement?

The Red Dawn ganger I gave a tracksuit top/jewelry/a cigarette, the follower of Dagon a filthy/bloody blouse (with a mask optionally), and I just gave the low-level EXALT guys ties (one variant still wearing his work badge!) to make them look a little more businesslike, with shoulder holsters and a walkie-talkie. Also, I threw a bulletproof vest on the Red Dawn lad just to see how it would work.

Possibly there's battlescape sprites that would match these? These anyone can use.

[PPQ]

If this is the sort of quality you can whip up quickly in Paint I think I speak for all of us when I say that I'd very much like to see more. 

[xxx420badboy]

A few more variants of the EXALT Infiltrator and the Lad, who I was unhappy with still, and some minor tweaks to the supporter of Dagon.

[xxx420badboy]

This one's more of just a concept than a potential replacement, but...

EXALT Cleaner

These flamethrower-equipped troops accompany EXALT Liquidator squads into the field. Their name is a bit of a misnomer- Cleaners often leave a disgusting mess behind, as their prerogative is less tidying up evidence than charring it into an unrecognizable mess for would-be investigators.

[xxx420badboy]

I'll stop spamming, but I was interested in replacing a few other related generic sprites, like how the Chief Engineer is just an EXALT Goon...

[HinterDemGlas]

Those look really good! Some may be a little too badass for Level 0 cultists.

Also fits my highly specific personal theory that EXALT is the DEA 

[velox100]

Love those sprites too! I also made some changes to existing faces under OpenXcom Extended\user\mods\XComFiles\Resources\Armors_Compilation\Heads\Inventory but it doesn't seem to have an effect, am I changing the wrong files? Where would I need to put these new sprites of yours?
(Obviously I'm new to openXcom, any help is very welcome! )

[Juku121]

No, the head files are the right ones. But there are a lot of them and they're just a small part of the paperdoll, are you sure you're looking at the right faces?

The new sprites here don't really have anywhere to go, yet, since they're either replacement paperdolls for existing units without all the other graphics files, or proposals for new units altogether. You'd need to do some extra work on your own to implement these.

If you just want to replace a paperdoll for an existing unit, find the file and replace it with one of the examples here.

[velox100]

I'm not sure here's what I do: I change the .png for one of the heads (for example I change the first male head or "Bruce" as it is referred to in game if I'm not mistaken) then I load my savegame, enter the craft equipment screen, click the inventory button, right-click the armor of one of my agents and browse through the heads.. and I don't see the change :/

[Juku121]

Well, I just tried to do this exact same thing: modify 'Bruce' in 'user\mods\XComFiles\Resources\Armors_Compilation\Heads\Inventory', load a save, use the armour-based avatar changer... and it works, the change shows up. So the problem must be on your side.

Is your X-Com installation somewhere with restricted file acces (e.g. 'Program Files' in Windows), or do you perhaps have multiple X-Com installations and/or a copy of the mod in your 'user' directory (OS 'user', not OXCE 'user')? Are you sure you've saved the changed file? Are you sure the changes are visible with X-Com's limited palette? Perhaps just remove a head or make it a green splotch and see if it works then. Or just search if 'HEAD_M0.png' exists in multiple places on your computer.

[velox100]

Thanks for your helpful suggestions, I went ahead and removed the complete "resources" folder and even though the file HEAD_M0.png was no longer on my system the game still ran.
So I went ahead and reinstalled OXCE and XcomFiles and now changing the .png files works. Still no clue what was going on in that previous installation, but nevermind, I can edit things now

[Solarius Scorch]

Hi! Sorry it took me so long to respond, various real life stuff has really taken over my free time and energy, and I didn't want to half-ass this post, since it really caught my attention and it deserves a proper reply.

- EXALT Infiltrator: a straight up upgrade. The old one makes me feel embarrassed; yours is nicer, better, sexier and captures the original spirit. I'd use it on the spot. (Not sure which hair is best, but I like the no number and 2 best.)
- Red Dawn Ganger: very cool, but I think it's a bit too gangsta for the role. These guys are supposed to be boring and mundane everyday citizens, and all this bling and smoke give them too much character. But it's perfect for a mobster, I'd be happy to use it somewhere (maybe some new Osiron unit?).
- Dagon Follower: hmm, it's a big departure from the basic concept, so I'm a bit hesitant, but I dig it. I'd seriously consider it.
- Red Dawn Lad with a beard: looks pretty cool, but a bit too "ethnic" to represent a generic Red Dawn guy.
- Red Dawn Lad with a kevlar vest: I'm not that sadistic. This is a low level unit, and I would have to bump its armour to something like 20. (Yes, low level EXALT units have bulletproof vests, but they're overall weaker than Red Dawn people.)
- EXALT Cleaner: Very cool concept, I would use if if I ever need a new unit. But maybe add some hair to make him look less like the MiB pilot. Perhaps they could be added to some rare-ish slot, we'll see.
- Chief Engineer: good sprite, but he looks way too much like a pilot or a riot officer. Our guy is primarily a lab technician.

So, to sum up: there are some very neat upgrades which I would like to use if you are OK with it. Others are interesting, but would be more appropriate for new units, if I ever make them. But all are very nice sprites.