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[Zoal]

I am trying to find a tool that lets you literally draw across the boundary of the edges of a repeating tile and see the repeats change in realtime. Well, I found two at least. Could potentially be useful for repeating tiles like water.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

http://tilestudio.sourceforge.net/
Don't get the one on the web page, but get the one from sourceforge.
http://sourceforge.net/projects/tilestudio/files/

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

http://www.texturemaker.com/

Actually, the first one of those is really awesome - try right clicking on the palette. Changes background color. Instant tile-magic editor =)

It will also import DF tilesets and give you every tile in the tile palette below.
Then it will export them again as DF style square tileset, you specify dimension.
Like so:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Seems to not like importing certain .bmp encodings, you may have to save as png first.

[WormSlayer]

OK Willow is top of the list to remake, I'm just having dinner and catching up on some things

My one final moan would be - The horns need to curve back a bit

Below-ground also looks a bit different now:

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Nice finds there Zoal - There is an obscure old feature I use in photoshop to make tiles:

Load up whatever image you want to work on, then from the filter menu, select Other - Offset.

Leave Undefined areas set to "wrap around" and set the horizontal and vertical offset to half the image size. (So if your image is 512x512, you set the offset to 256x256.)

The edges are now seamless and the bits you need to work on are in the middle of the image

[Zoal]

I went searching for the tools specifically out of frustration with finding the Photoshop 'offset' feature to be so weak, as it doesn't let you see the repeat pattern. With the Photoshop offset feature, you "can't see the forest for the trees" if you will. That was my original point about the water tile -- it has to be designed with the repeat in mind, not just the seam. Because an edge seam can look perfect, yet when you tile it N times things are different -- a bunch of hidden patterns emerge. There are cross relations between "right", "up right", and "down left" simultaneously.

For example:

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Look how long the wavey line here is. It extends across multiple tiles with a diagonal frequency. The idea of that line is more than just a "seam". That's a cross-relation!

You can also see some dark vertical stripes appear, and then easily remove them if it was desired, by making one of the white dots oblique.

-z

[WormSlayer]

Yeah it does have a lot of limitations, I will definitely try both those apps next time I makes some tiles

Edit: I'm just having a look at Tile Studio - it's awesome, you should try it out IH

Edit 2: Hmm it does not seem to like alpha channels

[Zoal]

The ts.exe on the frontpage updates it to a V3.0 Alpha version which has more features.

Been trying to figure out alpha channel, that's an Achilles heel. I think it just supports using a separate bgcolor.
The code is opensource so it could be added. With all the coders around here, and projects like stonesense etc, perhaps not a stretch.

Edit:  haha, damn bugger, he wrote it in Delphi / Pascal, I can't help there :X
He used PngLib/LPng actually which already has alpha channel support builtin, but didn't utilize it in the UI.
In the package there is even "Blitz3d (RGBA).tsd" exporter template files, so damn

[WormSlayer]

Oh well, I shall soldier on with photoshop and perhaps use TS for the odd preview and tweak...

Arboretum with new cactus and willow/spore tree, new sapling, fruit trees, tweaked conifer and special trees without a weird line across the foliage:


Optional cacti flowers:

[Harmonica]

Isn't it impossible to make a tiled image seem completely seamless if it's as small as 18X18?

I mean, for the purposes of DF, I haven't had any problems with any of the tiles in this set.

And if you're staring at that much water, you've probably got too much water on your embark (since it's basically useless and only consumes CPU cycles for all the wave formations and stuff).

[WormSlayer]

Taking a break from trees O.o to do a couple of things I've been meaning to get around to for ages:

Picked grass-like plants now appear in a neat sheaf

(Same tile as Splints, but the head of the cereal is blacked out. Works pretty well but I dont have a screenshot.)

May also work for quivers if we are ever allowed to change that tile...

On the subject of archery: I'm also thinking of replacing the ( character with a little bow. Looks great in the bowyers workshop:

(I broke DF - All my workshop work-surfaces are now white...)

But not so quite great in the few places its used for text:

[kaluer]

I stumbled across this font in the forums and I really like it so far.  However I am having some troubles with the underground stuff.  The link I downloaded is straight from page one (Current version: 7.28.10: 0.46 for DF 0.31.12)

I am getting random mushrooms and things underground instead of walls.



Not sure if that is normal or something weird is happening.

[WormSlayer]

Is that a fresh install or an existing game? Looks like you have some raw files from a different tileset or something....

[kaluer]

Is that a fresh install or an existing game? Looks like you have some raw files from a different tileset or something....

It is a complete fresh install.  I downloaded the whole package (game+tileset from page one of this thread).  I attempted a second download and I am getting the same thing.

[kaluer]

I got it fixed 

Just to let everyone else know what was happening.

I used the tool with the Lazy Newb Pack to remove aquifers.  That in turn edited some of the rock layer values.  So after embarking I downloaded a fresh copy of Ironhand (game and all) and copied over the raw files from the fresh install.  That way I am embarked with no aquifer and have good graphics.

[Zalminen]

On the subject of archery: I'm also thinking of replacing the ( character with a little bow.
...
But not so quite great in the few places its used for text:

I wouldn't mind, I think it looks pretty cool even there 

[ChickenLips]

Oh no!  My bananas!

(Guess we'll have to use a different tile for those sorts of fruits.  )

[Ironhand]

Love the new willow.
LOVE the new highwoods.

You can stop messing with trees. They are perfect.

I love the grass sheaves! We should do something similar:
a bushel full of berries/fruits/mushrooms/roots. /bananas

The bow is cool, too. And eventually that tile won't be used in text anyway.
And that's all it's used for, I think. So you could lean it sideways, or
even make it a couple bows or something, if you wanted to.