company colours

[Pipian]

I think a nice compromise would be an option for one or two colors (Liveries come in both sets after all), with a set list of 16/32 (As this cuts down on the complication for casual users), but the option to fine-tune (and save said fine-tuned) colors in a method similar to MeusH's (as this satisfies the serious and hard-core users).

If two colors were used, secondary color could differentiate two companies with the same primary color with certain fall-backs:

Say Company A starts with Red, and Company B starts with Blue.

If Company B were to move to Red, they would have to pick a secondary color that didn't conflict with existing primary/secondary colors, which would act as their primary color for the purposes of station titles.

As such, Company B might choose Red and Yellow (and have Yellow station signs).

If Company A were to add a secondary color, they would stay Red (as they had red before B picked red). If they switched out and switched back in, they could still take plain red or red with secondary color, and have red station signs, UNLESS Company B changed colors to another Red variant in the meanwhile (which would give them Red for their station color).

In summary:

1. Use a combination of MeusH's idea and the set color idea (set colors with the option to fine-tune).
2. Allow either one or two colors, with a third company pseudo-color serving for places where ONLY one color can currently appear (such as station names and window bars) This company pseudo-color is selected as follows:

a) The primary color for the first company to take a specific primary color. (No restrictions are placed on whether or not this company can or must have a secondary color)
b) If it can't be the primary color due to a collision with another company pseudo-color, the company MUST have a secondary color, and it MUST be one for which there is no collision. This then becomes the pseudo-color.

Hence you would get (as an example) the following cases, with pseudo-color in parentheses:

A: Red (Red)
B: Red and Yellow (Yellow. Can't be straight Red. It would have a collision with A.)
C: Yellow and Blue (Blue. Can't be straight Yellow. It would have a collision with B).
D: Purple and Green (Purple)

[Villem]

what about people who possibly can want Red+Blue+yellow+orange( like yellow and orange as striping or something),it should atleast be coded that way that the maker of the vehicle can set how many company colours the vehicle can have(maximum would be 6 or 4..). That way you can have vehicles with bigger variety of colours.

[Dextro]

what about people who possibly can want Red+Blue+yellow+orange( like yellow and orange as striping or something),it should atleast be coded that way that the maker of the vehicle can set how many company colours the vehicle can have(maximum would be 6 or 4..). That way you can have vehicles with bigger variety of colours.

Why on hell would you need 6 colours just to mark which company you're from

I think that the 2 colour system from locomotion is just perfect. And if you want to add diferent coulors per vehicle type I don't mind

[Villem]

what about people who possibly can want Red+Blue+yellow+orange( like yellow and orange as striping or something),it should atleast be coded that way that the maker of the vehicle can set how many company colours the vehicle can have(maximum would be 6 or 4..). That way you can have vehicles with bigger variety of colours.

Why on hell would you need 6 colours just to mark which company you're from

I think that the 2 colour system from locomotion is just perfect. And if you want to add diferent coulors per vehicle type I don't mind

Brings variety over the boring 2 colours system, and colours that are not company colour don't change how you wish. It should be possible to have vehicles with 6 company colours(if vehicle maker so desires), but default stock would have 2.

[Alltaken]

what about people who possibly can want Red+Blue+yellow+orange( like yellow and orange as striping or something),it should atleast be coded that way that the maker of the vehicle can set how many company colours the vehicle can have(maximum would be 6 or 4..). That way you can have vehicles with bigger variety of colours.

it would be possible but the amount of work for the graphics artist, and the small size of the colours on the vehicle would make it not worth the effort.

defining and rendering even two company colours is enough work, doing 6 would increase the work by 3 times per vehicle.

i don't think its worth it, but since its open source and so will many of the GFX, there is nothing stopping anyone adding more colours later.

Alltaken

[Villem]

as i said i meant it for vehicle makers that want to make custom vehicles(so the game would unlock 6 company colour tabs if the company has a vehicle with 6 company colours built and so on).

[Alltaken]

as i said i meant it for vehicle makers that want to make custom vehicles(so the game would unlock 6 company colour tabs if the company has a vehicle with 6 company colours built and so on).

hmmmm

i am thinking it might be easy enough to add 3 company colours (two would be specified to artists as the minimum, three as optional)

the user could define two colours one as major and one as minor.

or they could define three colours, all as minor, but if the vehicle only has two colour channels, then their first choice would become major and their second choice minor.

that IMO would be a good comprimise.

6 colours IMO is rediculous, but not necisarily impossible. if people want to do custom stuff then that is their choice

Alltaken

[Hackykid]

I dont think specifying a minimum would do much good. Currently most custom graphics dont even use company colors, cause they want to picture the stuff as realistically as possible.

I think company colors should be optional for most graphics, only *some* stuff should always be in company colors (fences around the tracks, station signs)

[Alltaken]

I dont think specifying a minimum would do much good. Currently most custom graphics dont even use company colors, cause they want to picture the stuff as realistically as possible.

oh yes, you are correct, those graphics then become a "livalry" and have no company colours.

i will need to make an exception for this kind of item in the graphics format.

thanks for pointing it out.

Alltaken

[DaleStan]

Even if you did specify a minimum of 2 CC layers, what's to stop someone from setting one or both of them to fully transparent?

[Alltaken]

Even if you did specify a minimum of 2 CC layers, what's to stop someone from setting one or both of them to fully transparent?

well they wouldn't get put into the "standard" category for items.

i have no objections to people adding less company colours, or more company colours. but if we are going to have two company colours as standard. it is obviously important (for multiplayer) that this standard is adheared to.

less company colours is fine, more company colours is also fine (but complex)

but these vehicles would be marked as such, and would potentially be banned from multiplayer games by the choice of the server opperator.

in early days with still only 8 player limits there wouldn't be many problems with only a single company colour in multiplayer. no company colour would not be acceptable (unless we find a way to show company in another method, such as a Halo ring of the company colour underneath vehicles. kinda like the green rings under characters in Baulders gate.)


for single player games, there is no reason that the vehicles could not be any colour people wanted.

the graphics format would need to have an option to specify how many company colours are available on the vehicles. and the vehicles considered "standard" (and hence playable in multiplayer/ distributed more closely with OTTD) would be ones which fit all the minimum requirements of all aspects, not just company colours.

i am not opposed to people doing things differently from standard, as long as the user/ the game knows that it is not standard.

Alltaken

[Hackykid]

Well, you dont really have to see which company a vehicle belongs to at first glance, granted, this would be nice, but not always needed imo, you can always click the vehicle and check the color of the title bar of the window that pops up.

Also, for trains, the track fences will be in company colors, and for other vehicles the station signs will be in company colors.

I'm just saying this because, the vehicle graphics are not the only thing to identify the player the vehicle belongs too, and by making 2 or more company colors "standard", it will be harder to make graphics that look nice with ALL combinations of colors.

I think a good way to depict 2 company colors in titlebars/station signs (maybe even track fences?) is much more important then forcing these things on vehicle graphics...

[Dextro]

Well, you dont really have to see which company a vehicle belongs to at first glance, granted, this would be nice, but not always needed imo, you can always click the vehicle and check the color of the title bar of the window that pops up.

Also, for trains, the track fences will be in company colors, and for other vehicles the station signs will be in company colors.

I'm just saying this because, the vehicle graphics are not the only thing to identify the player the vehicle belongs too, and by making 2 or more company colors "standard", it will be harder to make graphics that look nice with ALL combinations of colors.

I think a good way to depict 2 company colors in titlebars/station signs (maybe even track fences?) is much more important then forcing these things on vehicle graphics...

I stand for that idea but there's a problem: what about when you're in a server that has track sharing enabled (its a subsidiaries patch feature but I've seen the devs stationg it will go into the main trunk eventually).

[DaleStan]

Come to think of it, how do you tell which company (if any) owns a peice of road?

OTOH, anyone who chooses purple and yellow as their company colors deserves what they've got coming to them.

[Hackykid]

well, shared tracks will probably get a dedicated "company color" or something, like gray maybe.

And, you can always use the land info tool to see who owns a tile

[Dextro]

well, shared tracks will probably get a dedicated "company color" or something, like gray maybe.

no it won't, it'll get the color of the company who built them.

[Alltaken]

well, shared tracks will probably get a dedicated "company color" or something, like gray maybe.

And, you can always use the land info tool to see who owns a tile

if the company is part of a team it will have the team colour, and only team members will be able to use the track.

Alltaken

[Alltaken]

Well, you dont really have to see which company a vehicle belongs to at first glance, granted, this would be nice, but not always needed imo, you can always click the vehicle and check the color of the title bar of the window that pops up.

Also, for trains, the track fences will be in company colors, and for other vehicles the station signs will be in company colors.

I'm just saying this because, the vehicle graphics are not the only thing to identify the player the vehicle belongs too, and by making 2 or more company colors "standard", it will be harder to make graphics that look nice with ALL combinations of colors.

I think a good way to depict 2 company colors in titlebars/station signs (maybe even track fences?) is much more important then forcing these things on vehicle graphics...

you need to define standards. people breaking standards is ok, as long as the game knows and understands that the standards have been broken.

Alltaken

[Shere'Khan]

I don't know if this a good place to bring this up, but...

for rolling stock, how about if the ownership is marked by a logo? Perhaps the logo could be placed on the side of a boxcar, for example, like a decal. The car's colors would be visible through parts of the logo that are transparent. Is this sort of thing possible?
This would make cars with the famed SantaFe herald possible..even the cabooses.

This could be in place of, or in addition to, company colors for vehicles. Trains could still look realistic, even if, in the future, a company could use another company's rolling stock in a shared railway scheme ( which would make interchange yards useful)

[Villem]

I don't know if this a good place to bring this up, but...

for rolling stock, how about if the ownership is marked by a logo? Perhaps the logo could be placed on the side of a boxcar, for example, like a decal. The car's colors would be visible through parts of the logo that are transparent. Is this sort of thing possible?
This would make cars with the famed SantaFe herald possible..even the cabooses.

This could be in place of, or in addition to, company colors for vehicles. Trains could still look realistic, even if, in the future, a company could use another company's rolling stock in a shared railway scheme ( which would make interchange yards useful)

what about people who want no logos?