OpenGFX - Graphics Base Set

[Moriarty]

Aren't there "open" fonts that can be nabbed and used for the base font? The better ones are made by professional typographers.
Note: I have no clue how the current fonts were created and this is how it may have been done.

[Bilbo]

There are open fonts, but mostly they are vector fonts. For bitmap fonts of this very small size - I am not sure whether there are any usable open fonts out there.

[FooBar]

Note: I have no clue how the current fonts were created and this is how it may have been done.

Current sprites were rendered from an open source TTF font.

When I edited the fonts, I notices some accented characters are missing, like ě, š, č, ř, ž ...

A lot of accented characters are already in OpenGFX, but only the ones used in latin-based language files. If your language uses a certain accented character that's not in the language file, it may or may not be included with OpenGFX. But other characters can be added without too much problems.

I've attached another file which contains the non-TTD default special characters. You can append extra characters to the end if you like. And since you slightly improved many letters, this file might need slight improvements as well

[Bilbo]

Current sprites were rendered from an open source TTF font.

Thought that ... while the font may look nice when vector or rendered with high resolution, it may look sometimes weird when rendered to such small size without antialiasing ... and therefore it needs a little finishing :)

I've attached another file which contains the non-TTD default special characters. You can append extra characters to the end if you like. And since you slightly improved many letters, this file might need slight improvements as well :wink:

I found all accented characters in that extra font, plus many more I have not known before, so I have not appended any extra :)
I fixed the font to be same as those unaccented (plus those few accented) in the base font file. No characters have changed their width in the process.

Attaching improved fonts.

I have changed only the middle size, the other sizes are fine I think.

[FooBar]

and therefore it needs a little finishing

A lot of finishing has been done already. Compare the two versions below. The first is a raw rendering from the TTF font in TTD's size by Photoshop. The second is after touching up nearly every single character.

Do you like to be credited with your real name for the tweakings you made? Or shall I just enter your forum nickname?

so I have not appended any extra

Good, saves me some coding

[Bilbo]

A lot of finishing has been done already. Compare the two versions below. The first is a raw rendering from the TTF font in TTD's size by Photoshop. The second is after touching up nearly every single character.

I see ... well I think the font is more readable now. BTW maybe once the new fonts are put back in opengfx, perhaps we can re-generate the screenshot in first thread, as it is quite old (toyland IS available, though there is perhaps a bit more black squares than in other climates)

Do you like to be credited with your real name for the tweakings you made? Or shall I just enter your forum nickname?

More people know me by my nickname (I use it not only on these forums, but also elsewhere :) than by my real name, so just use the nickname :)

[FooBar]

Ok, nickname it is!

Milestone for the next release is proper PBS signal graphics. I might draw these myself some day, if nobody else will...

[Bilbo]

Milestone for the next release is proper PBS signal graphics. I might draw these myself some day, if nobody else will...

Hmm .. these should be relatively easy - 2x8 signals + 2x8 semaphores for PBS, right? As you can use the non-PBS OpenGFX signals as base, this should be quite quick ... do you have any template in which I could draw them?

[FooBar]

We're using the semaphores off the original OpenTTD/TTDPatch file. Those are GPL'ed anyways and originally drawn by Michael Blunck. So those need not be redone.

For the one-way PBS signal, you can use the red/white plate off the current OpenTTD path signals. This plate is GPL'ed as well (I believe drawn by SmatZ, but correct me if I'm wrong).

I think you can use the signals that are currently done as a template. They're attached below.

Personally I'd like the yellow light re-introduced as that makes for a better distinction of the different signal types IMO: red at the bottom and yellow in the middle when the signal is "closed" and a single green at the top when it's "open". But if you have some other ideas, feel free to draw something different; just make sure that one can distinguish the signals easily and that they somewhat fit with the existing OpenGFX signals.

One last note: the signals with the grey posts are for the normal climates, the ones with the white posts for toyland. Obviously, the path signals need to be in both flavours as well

[Raumkraut]

Personally I'd like the yellow light re-introduced as that makes for a better distinction of the different signal types IMO: red at the bottom and yellow in the middle when the signal is "closed" and a single green at the top when it's "open". But if you have some other ideas, feel free to draw something different; just make sure that one can distinguish the signals easily and that they somewhat fit with the existing OpenGFX signals.

I've been meaning to create the PBS signals, based on my existing ones, for a while now. I still don't entirely grok exactly how PBS signals work, but what I was thinking for the graphics (based on what I could work out from the PBS wiki page), is pretty much exactly what FooBar just suggested.
So if Bilbo, or anyone, wants to beat me to the punch and create some PBS signals from my ones, they're more than welcome to. Not that I could stop them, what with the GPL an' all.

FWIW, here's a zip of the original .xcf I used, alongside a .pcx and the .nfo file I used to create the standalone signals-GRF. I'm not sure how much use the .nfo file will be, in these days of monolithic OpenGRFs, but the lights are more prettily laid out than in the extracted image, which may make duplicating and reference/comparison a bit easier.

[Hirundo]

Personally I'd like the yellow light re-introduced...

Keep in mind that Michi_cc has written an advance signal patch which uses yellow as a third signal state, next to green and red. If this patch ever hits trunk, yellow lights in the (normal) PBS signals *could* become quite confusing...

[FooBar]

What would I need to open the .xcf file? Photoshop doesn't want it...


By the way, NFO is useful for anything that's new. OpenGFX still requires the old 8 sprites/OpenGFX_-_newSignals.pcx 146 8 01 15 4 -1 -13 type of stuff for every single sprite.

[Bilbo]

So the template contains current OpenGFX signals?

I'll look at that, perhaps I'll try to draw some signals based on that.

We're using the semaphores off the original OpenTTD/TTDPatch file. Those are GPL'ed anyways and originally drawn by Michael Blunck. So those need not be redone.

So they can be used as-is, just modified for PBS?

For the one-way PBS signal, you can use the red/white plate off the current OpenTTD path signals. This plate is GPL'ed as well (I believe drawn by SmatZ, but correct me if I'm wrong).

I'll see ... if the plate will look good on them, then I can use it.

BTW .xcf is file created by GIMP.

[FooBar]

So the template contains current OpenGFX signals?

Yes. Both mine and Raumkraut's.

So they can be used as-is, just modified for PBS?

Yes. Best part is that they're already modified, so it's just a matter of copy/paste from the current openttdw.grf file. I.e. we only need the light signals.

BTW .xcf is file created by GIMP.

Ah, good. I don't have that

Keep in mind that Michi_cc has written an advance signal patch which uses yellow as a third signal state, next to green and red. If this patch ever hits trunk, yellow lights in the (normal) PBS signals *could* become quite confusing...

You might have a point there...
How about a three-light signal, but only using the top and bottom lights for green and red respectively. Leaving the middle light reserved for Michi's advance signals. Throw in the signal plate that's used on the semaphores as well, and I think we're good.

Let me make a quick drawing... brb...

EDIT: Here's what I envision:

[Zuu]

Since we can't rotate the view, being able to see the light from behind is quite useful. I think you could see it from behind on the original graphics.

Nice work you are putting up on the OpenGFX project.

[Bilbo]

I looked at the original semaphore images and ther is no way to tell what signal is on the semaphore if you see it directly from behind.

[XeryusTC]

Indeed there isn't, but it would be quite useful if there was in the replacement project, even though it may look worse. Could I also suggest using different color codes for presignals? I always find it quite hard to distinguis different presignals from each other, most of the time it takes me a few seconds to guess which kind it is.

[maartena]

Would it be possible to use the original graphics there where no new sprite exists, until all the sprites have been created? I love opengfx as it is, but the missing of e.g. monorail/maglev vehicles stops me from using it. I know I can always use a different trainset, which would be ok, but not always handy in multiplayer.

[Rubidium]

The whole thing about OpenGFX is to make a FREE replacement set. Adding non-free original graphics to it defeats it's purpose.

[maartena]

The whole thing about OpenGFX is to make a FREE replacement set. Adding non-free original graphics to it defeats it's purpose.

You are absolutely right of course. It would just be nice to use both graphics (original where opengfx does not yet has a sprite) at the same time, until all sprites are done.