Character portraits on soldier stat screens, or gender field

[Hythlodaeus]

there is one more thing that might become a problem: with the full soldier displayed, the rest is squashed together, which works in english, but the descriptions might be longer in other languages. that would be one real reason for limiting the image to the soldier's head in this view

That's a very important point you got there. I completely forgot about it. In that case, a concept like this will require some serious testing with all translations available, in case it goes ahead.

EDIT:

And here's another portrait-only quick draft I came up with, by using some of 54x's wonderful space-saving ideas, but based on moriarty's point regarding sentence length in other languages, thus reverting back to the old full screen bar chart. I used the little pencil icon to replace the "Customize" button and paired it right next to the character photo, because I think it makes little sense to have a customization menu and have separate button for editing the name exclusively. I did enjoy 54x's improved bar numbering system as well, but considering I'm using MSpaint to do these, it would be far too much work for me to edit it all properly at this moment. Although I like it, I still can't shake the feeling it is looking a little too hackish. So please edit away.

[Warboy1982]

one word:

palette.

inventory screens use battlescape palette, not basescape.

[Hythlodaeus]

one word:

palette.

inventory screens use battlescape palette, not basescape.

Does that mean it's impossible to use character portraits in the stat screens?

[Warboy1982]

no, just means we'd need a seperate set of portrait sprites in the basescape palette.

to quote the professor himself "nothing is impossible"

[Hythlodaeus]

Can that be done in the long run?

[Warboy1982]

yay and nay.

see also: copyright issues with redistributing artwork.

while this game DOES pre-date videogame copyright laws, and the company is no longer in existance, we're still better off to err on the side of caution.

if, however someone were to draw a set of new and unique sprites...

[Hythlodaeus]

That would imply replacing all soldier faces. But I do believe modified artwork would be legally allowed. Perhaps if the portraits are slightly edited / improved.

Keeping the faces but creating new clothes to replace the coveralls, for instance.

[Warboy1982]

you'd have to ask a lawyer to get a definitive answer on that one.

[moriarty]

I would say that the character portraits would be generated from the full soldier (equip screen) views... the original files are used for the original soldiers, and any additional soldier that is added would be considered a "mod", so we just have to assume that that wouldn't be a problem.

but the palette problem persists, you are right. I don't know how to circumvent that without implementing true color support first...

[Hythlodaeus]

I do believe modifying the graphics slightly would make it legal (especially considering the openxcom mods site, containing many graphics mods made from edited pieces belonging to the original graphics). I'll try to find out more about this matter. In the meantime, there's nothing stopping us from making more drafts.

[Warboy1982]

the difference between the mods and this is: we're providing executable code to access it as well.
mods enjoy the legal grey area that exists in that they require the original executable to use them.

i guess the best way to work this in would be to have it as an "option" ie: we have the code for it in, but disabled by default, and ENABLING it requires the download of a mod that contains the portraits, with a link in the readme or something. perhaps a list of "recommended/official mods"? definitely something to think about for 1.0

[luke83]

I do believe modifying the graphics slightly would make it legal (especially considering the openxcom mods site, containing many graphics mods made from edited pieces belonging to the original graphics). I'll try to find out more about this matter. In the meantime, there's nothing stopping us from making more drafts.

Mods are a tricky subject , some publishes like User creations some may not, You will notice the MOD site is mine and i have no official links to Openxcom , i am just a FAN so the MODS are more like FanArt. You will also notice we don't offer everything you need to play the game, no mater what you still need a legal copy to play xcom, this should keep me pretty safe

I think Warboy is right,if someone adds the code and by default disables it, Then if someone adds the artwork to my Mod site , its up to the user to Expanded there original game with the Mods.

[moriarty]

one word:

palette.

inventory screens use battlescape palette, not basescape.

looking at the basescape palette and the battlescape palette they are actually VERY similar... (see here). unfortunately the pckview program does not allow use of that palette (you can't display "basebits" correctly, because those would be using that), so I cannot know for sure, but my guess is that loading the man_XYZ.spk files with the battlescape palettes would work just fine. the only relevant difference is the fifth color group, which is shades of green in the battlescape palette but shades of greyish in the basescape palette, which makes the basebits look weirdly green when loading them with the battlescape palette. but since none of the man_XYZ.spk files contain any shades of green, that shouldn't be a problem, right?

can anybody confirm this?

[Warboy1982]

you're right, for the most part, looking at those palettes, i can tell you that personal armour colours (offset 14) will show up as VERY dark purple.
to my untrained eye, offset 9 looks a lot darker in the battlescape palette, and i'm pretty sure that's a flesh tone.
but assuming we're always using the coveralls look, and we don't mind a "subtle" adjustment to the flesh tone, we might actually be able to pull this off.

there is the problem, however, that any future/replacement inventory screens would have to take both palettes into account.

[LCSand]

I do believe modifying the graphics slightly would make it legal (especially considering the openxcom mods site, containing many graphics mods made from edited pieces belonging to the original graphics).

You would be incorrect. Or rather it depends on where you live, as there is no such thing as international copyright law. Each state has his own laws and they can be quite different. But there are some international agreements about it.
A good place to start reading would be this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agreement_on_Trade-Related_Aspects_of_Intellectual_Property_Rights
And of interest especially to you should be this:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derivative_work

Anyway this has been discussed lots of times, lets not start again.
I just wanted to save you a bit of time.