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I noticed that the game settings file and profile files actually store player/AI colors in RGB format, but trying to change these seems to make it default to red. Is this a technical issue with the game engine that disallows just swapping in some random color, or is it just to discourage weird colors? |
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I have to wonder if this request is either difficult to implement, or just hard to "see" amidst other requests. Giving us the ability to change colors via a text file doesn't sound like too tough a job. How 'bout it? |
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Agreed. It is somewhat difficult to get a good selection of colors where all players are different, the AIs are different, and our color-blind friend can still tell them all apart with the current limited selection. |
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color_issues.png (138,775 bytes) |
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Added a needlessly wordy .png describing the thought process that goes on in picking a color... and how we actually have very few desirable choices. |
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Yea, not only should some sort of custom color system be implemented, but a good half of the default color choices are, well, not very good. At the very least, none of the color choices should be dark enough to blend into the background, and none of them should be close to important colors in the UI. Examples (but not limited to these), the shade of pink (or close to it) used for FRD, the shade of cyan (or close to it) used for group move, and the shade of yellow (or close to it) used for attack move should not be offered as default colors. (Except maybe for red, for while it is the generic "error message" red, it does form one of the "standard" player colors most games seem to have, so it should stay, along with the other "standard" players color shades found in most games) |
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Updating from trivial to minor, hoping to get more visibility. Also, it's not trivial! |
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Alternatively, do you simply have a list of colors you'd like us to add? |
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I'd say start with removing the "degenerate" colors (black mostly, though colors that are so close to each other they might as well be the same would also count), and "special" colors (like FRD pink, group move cyan, attack-move yellow), basically what I said in my comment above. Keep red though, as even though it is used for error messages, that shade of red is such a staple of player colors it seems that it should stay regardless. In their place, um..., I don't know. Look at Starcraft II's and the various Command and Conquers' player colors for replacements? |
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Removing colors is off the table, FYI. That sort of yellow and red and blue primary is actually what my group plays with, incidentally. ;) And black and white were special requests by another player. I'm cool with new options, but not removing existing ones. |
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Is it possible to at least nudge black towards juuuuust off-black, like #202020 (32/32/32)? |
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Actually, removing colors will mess with existing savegames to my recollection, so no. But we could certainly add that color. I'll leave that to Keith. But in terms of colors you'd like to see added, I'd suggest adding a list here. We're not mind-readers, and we don't necessarily have copies of Starcraft or whatever. Personally I've never played Starcraft and never owned a C&C game (though I played the original Red Alert some at friends' houses as a kid). |
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That's why I had the SC2 and C&C "suggestion" with a question mark. ;) And yes, if colors can't be removed, can they be altered? It's OK if existing save games don't pick them up, as long a new ones don't get black as an option. |
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Altering the color = removing it for our purposes here. And in terms of having straight black as an option, I'm telling you someone specifically wanted that. I'm not going to take away an option they want because you don't want to use it. Just don't use a color if you don't like it. Provide a list of colors you do want, and everybody is happy -- easy-peasy! |
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How many colors are we talking about? Obviously a color picker is out of the question, otherwise I'd ask for 32 million :) Since you're tossing that back, I can come up with a palette of maybe, 32 additional colors? |
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32 more colors? Just imagine how awkward it would be scrolling through a list that big. Hmm, maybe switch to a table like layout for the color selection, but that would still be an interesting UI challenge. |
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Yeah, I picture it as a table, say 6-10 columns wide. I'm seeing it as each column with a primary or secondary color, with a short range of hand-picked brightness/saturation variations. Right now it's a single column long list, I see it as a multiple column, fatter and stubbier list. |
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NO! Don't remove black! That's my favorite color to use! I also think you should add salmon, fuchia, and puce. Seriously though. I like black. Don't touch it. Why can't we also have the iconic UNO colors though too (those are pretty easy to tell apart unless you're completely color deficient) I mean Red and Blue are there, yellow is a little bright IMO, but the green is either too dark or too ugly to look at. |
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Attaching a screenshot of a color picker from MS Word. I know MS isn't the best name for design decisions, but for a piece of office software, it's a pretty good default palette. It also deliberately avoids colors like "error message red" and "hyperlink blue," but still makes them available to users. Each color is also available in a small range of strengths: you can go dark, you can go light. The MS Word layout is pretty ideal, but if the only choice is to keep them in a column, it wouldn't kill me to scroll through it, and all the current existing color choices should probably stay on top. I'd be happy to convert the screenshot colors into a list of RGB or Hex values for you, x4000. Anything to get my pet feature in! |
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2013-05-02_131802.png (7,090 bytes) |
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Arcen AI War Proposed Expanded Color Palette Sorted by column according to attached image, top to bottom. Many colors that are redundant, too dark, or too light, are not listed. I carefully compared these colors to the current palette, killed off ones that were too similar, and make a case for those that have subtle differences. New colors: 31 Light gray: skipped Black/Gray: skipped Teabag Yellow: not my favorite color, but it does scale down to an almost coffee-ish color. I kicked out the top color because I feel it is too bright. #DDD9C3 - a lighter faded yellow/brown #938953 - fading... #494429 - a nice transition to dark #1D1B10 - this may look "black," but is noticably brighter by comparison and is IMO a good addition Navy Blue: Everyone has a favorite shade of blue, so this palette favors blue a bit. I've still trimmed a lot out. #1F497D - good strong attractive navy #C6D9F0 - strong and bright #0F243E - as black as blue gets Faded Blue: at first a bit of a repetition of the other blue, but justifiable #4F81BD - a must have blue shade IMO #366092 - similar to an existing blue, but somewhat more vibrant. Kick it out if there's just too much blue. #244061 - a better dark blue than Navy's dark blue, but I'd rather have both :) Faded Red: adding a few good options for red (a good AI color) #F2DCDB - a beautiful dusty pink #D99694 - slightly darker flesh tone #953734 - a flatter, easier on the eyes version of an existing red #510300 - a nicer shade of blood red for dark screen night owls (please keep this one in!) Faded Green: better versions of the existing green shades. All of these are great colors, and there are no close matches in the original palette. 0008104 - Kermit, soft and felty #EBF1DD - frog and toad are friends #C3D69B - frog with a suntan #76923C - getting deeper. if you absolutely must remove a shade, I guess you could do this one. #4F6128 - frog soup Faded Violet: there's really only one plum color in the entire existing palette, and it's just plain awful. Let's rectify this immediately. #8064A2 - punk eyeshadow #E5E0EC - nice and light #CCC1D9 - nicely faded #B2A2C7 - about normal #5F497A - transitioning down #3F3151 - good dark violet, for those who like good dark things Aqua: in spite of there being no shortage of blue, there are a couple good colors here #4BACC6 - nice 'n watery #205867 - flat and darker aqua (I can live without this one) Orange: another fantastic AI color, given a bit more range. #913F00 - james and the giant peach #FBD5B5 - peach fuzz #FAC08F - hot fuzz #CE5E5B - a hotter, yellower version of the default desaturated red |
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"Kermit, soft and felty" should be 008104 |
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Add Black to that list buddy. I'm serious. It's my favorite, and rounds it out to a perfect 32. |
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Chthon: I don't think you have anything to worry about, look up a few comments: http://www.arcengames.com/mantisbt/view.php?id=5084#c31546 |
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I'd also like to see a fully saturated violet. |
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I'd vote for these being in a config file. Dev time is too valuable to spend on adding a fully fledged color picker to the game, though, in my opinion. |
- Anonymous
