[RFD] Style

[Zuu]

Please stay on topic
The game have to have a graphical style, I thoght. And then I realised that it will not only be a graphical style but all media will be affected by the selected style, so therefor this thread was only labeled style and not graphics style, alltroght I will focus on the grphical.

As this project is not a one man project, there is a great need for a common style of media. On a one-man project you also have to decede on any style, but it is not that important as on a multi-person project where several people are going to create media.

I think it is a lot more important that we choose one style, and stick to that, than which style we choose. And I don't talk about which climate packs to create, but which style it should have. A temterate climate can both be made cartoonish and ultra realistic. I think it is good if all official climate packs and the UI follow the same style.

Styles:
* Cartoonish
* Toyish - things will looks like toys
* 8bitish - only 256 diffrent colours.
* Realistic (an UI style has to be choosed to)

UI-only styles (styles that only affect the UI)
* Old - looks unmodern, a bit dark. (RRTII has a Old style I think)
* Futuristic
* Metall UI
* American - American flags everywhere, and a picture of the president in the menu.
* Russian - lot of red, and comunistic music.
* Diplomatic

.. and many more.

What do you think?

[uzurpator]

Well - my interface uses skinned windows - these skins may be of any style you can dream of. Simply use "skins" folder for interface and viola - styles of whichever type we want.

[Zuu]

Well - my interface uses skinned windows - these skins may be of any style you can dream of. Simply use "skins" folder for interface and viola - styles of whichever type we want.

Yes, sure you can do that. But I think we need to decide which style the _whole_ game should have. Then offcource if Bob want another skin for the UI he can download an unofficial alternative skin.

Reson:
A game withoutout a common style will look strange and ugly. No matter how good the individual graphics are.

[PJayTycy]

For the graphics style, don't try to be photo-realistic. The easy way to create 3D objects is to make a 3D mesh and then skin them with modified real photographs. This usually looks ugly.

I don't really care about the graphical style of the climate packs. I could live with some packs in cartoon style and some in a more reallistic style, as long as the style is coherent in the complete pack.

[Steve]

I really do like the realistic models people have made for Locomotion. They just look more professinal and exciting. Even though we decided to have company coloured trains, they should still have some generic colours to help make them look better.

As for the UI, it needs to look like a game, not a software moddling package. So colours should be quite nice, rather than conventional grey. I think cartoony icons fit best, photos on menus won't look as good.

[Grunt]

As long as the different types of vehicles are easily distinguishable and as long as the different buttons in the UI are easily distinguishable, the actual styling of the elements is not very important. I would be in favour of a skinnable interface such that users can tweak things to their own liking, of course.

[ChrisCF]

For the graphics style, don't try to be photo-realistic. The easy way to create 3D objects is to make a 3D mesh and then skin them with modified real photographs. This usually looks ugly.

Only when the photographs and photoshopping are sh[/i]ite.
Ultimately, as extensible as things might we, we need a half-decent default look with which to ship the game.

UI issues shouldn't pose any kind of problems - I know way too much about usability for them to get through into the final interface

[Zuu]

Ultimately, as extensible as things might we, we need a half-decent default look with which to ship the game.

That was my thought too. That the official skins and graphics have to look and feel somewhat uniform. But that does not hinder Joe from use Bobs pink gui skin with strawbaries.

[Steve]

I take offense to my name used in that sentence

[Zuu]

I take offense to my name used in that sentence

Sorry then, I change it to something else.

[Steve]

Meeting Decisions:

- Allow new GUI skins but with a good default one.
- Needs more discussion.

Status: Open to discussion.

[Zuu]

I read that you didn't realy knew what I meat with style.

Well, I mean something that affects most grafics and maybe sound. If we for example choose to have a cartoonish style, then the GUI will be cartoonish which affects the drawing style and colour palettte. The 3d models will be textured to give a cartoonish look. And the player images will look like Hyronymus avatar. The music will have much bells and beeps. Etc. etc.


It might not be necessary to decide the style of the game to be able to write the DD, and probably it is good to weight scaling decissions for example when deciding the style. However, I think it also can be good for the artists to know which style to follow while making content.

I think it would be good if our artists could take part of the debade, so it is not just non-artists that discuss this.

[Arathorn]

I would go for realistic. Not only because I like it more, but also because it's easier for me personally.

I don't know anything about GUI's, is anyone good at that? I'm not much of a desgner or artist, I just like to remake trains in 3d.

[Hyronymus]

Sofar it was decided to support skins for the GUI but we still haven't determinded what the default style for TE should be. Please read the first topic and give your opinion.

[Purno]

Either realistic + old, or realistic + metal, IMO.

[XeryusTC]

Realistic + old

[Hyronymus]

I choose realistic + old too.

[DominionSpy]

I'm not so sure about realistic. I think I'd prefer cartoonish, or at least something that is reminscent of TTD and signifies this as a game rather than a simulator.

For the GUI, as I have mentioned in the othe GUI thread, I'm in favour of a TTD-looking one, but updated a bit.

For me personally, it is important to keep the feel of TTD whilst significantly improving on it in every way, which for me means fun over realism.

Locked until the DD discussion arrives at this issue.