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Dwarven Selection

113 (6.3%)

Wildlife

58 (3.2%)

Ambushes

154 (8.6%)

Sieges

207 (11.5%)

Undeads

118 (6.6%)

Forgotten Beasts

110 (6.1%)

Megabeasts

42 (2.3%)

The Circus

84 (4.7%)

FUN Spiral

286 (15.9%)

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131 (7.3%)

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396 (22%)

Other? (please specify)

97 (5.4%)

Total Members Voted: 879

[CLA]

Imagine it like this:
the foreground color is applied to white pixels. the background color is kind of a layer below the tileset. Black just stays black.

So if a pixel's white, it will get the full foreground color, if it's grey it will be a bit darker.
if the rest of the tile is fully transparent, it will be the full background color. If it's partially transparent black, it will be a darker background color.
etc.

Some tiles have a black background to the same tile for different symbols differently. For example, minecart tracks, engravings and Phoebus' channel tile.

For example engravings:
The game uses a foreground color and black as a background color for smoothed walls. When the tile is engraved, it will use a foreground color and a background color different from black.
So in smooth walls, the black pixels are "invisible", but they become visible when the game colors the background.

[Deon]

I want to make a tileset. I understand transparency, in terms of: This part of the PNG will not be portrait/shown. Its see-through, invisible.

You seem to forget that part of the png is half-transparent (the shades of gray determine the transparency).

What I dont understand is how the... upright spike works. Or that engraved floor looks brighter/different then smoothed floor. And the coloring ^^ If you have a tile with 6:2:1 (yellow foreground and blue background) how in hell does DF know which part is foreground and what part is background.

Easy, the white alpha color (solid) is the foreground color and the black alpha color (transparent) is background color. The colors blend together where the tile is not fully solid/fully transparent.

As I said, just put a colored layer under it, and you will see how engraved/smoothed floors and walls work: parts of them are transparent.

So in smooth walls, the black pixels are "invisible", but they become visible when the game colors the background.

In Ironhand they are not invisible, they blend with overall foreground color because they are partially transparent, however once the background color kicks in, they become visible.

[Deon]

Let me try to explain it better. Here's the picture with 3 tiles, trying to explain how the floor works.



The first tile is how a normal floor looks ingame. The foreground color is white and background is black.

The second tile shows you the actual half-transparent pixels. Here foreground color is black and background is white, so it's inverted alpha channel, in fact.

The third tile shows you "engraved" floor, as you can see it's the first tile plus the white from the second tile, which is actually white background color peeking from underneath from the normal tile you see in the first example.


I hope it explains it.

[Phoebus]

I have a couple of questions... just random stuff I came up with while working my tileset changer thingy.
*sniped*

1. Each 'corner' comes in 4 variation, full single, full double, horizontal single vertical double & horizontal double vertical single.
Full single are used for river/tracks, etc.
The 3 other variations are used for walls.
The half single half double variations are used for wall that terminate next to unsmoothed rock walls, so I have them use the same corner graphic as the normal corners.
That's why there's 3 copies of each wall corners.

2 & 3. Both are hardcoded to use the tileset, AFAIK.

4. As CLA & Deon have explained, most image formats can have alpha transparency (png being one of them); Paint doesn't support alpha transparency, while Photoshop and GIMP, which I use, do.
Dwarf Fortress will usually use only the foreground, sometimes only the background/transparency, and sometimes both. Black isn't the transparency, but the transparency is usually filled with black.

[Meph]

Thank you, all three of you.

I noticed that all corners are needed, when I tested my tileset ingame. I still have 1000 bugs in there, but I am slowly making progress. Creature sprites are so much easier

I still dont understand a word at all about alpha transparency, since even CLAs and Deons explanation completely elude me, as testing/fiddling around with Photoshop have shown me, BUT I wont take any more of your time and work my ways through some Photoshop tutorials till I get it.

[Mastermind]

Hey,

I think Ive found a bug or a glitch in Phoebus. I'm not entirely sure it's Phoebus's fault, but in case you are interested: http://www.bay12forums.com/smf/index.php?topic=123412.0

[stubarfoo]

Some of my letters have the wrong background color. How can I fix this? Thank-you.

[Meph]

The background color is intended, that is ok. The V is used for grass for example, and the X for up/down staircases and bins. O happens often in buildings. / is an arrow/weapons.

[stubarfoo]

The background color is intended, that is ok. The V is used for grass for example, and the X for up/down staircases and bins. O happens often in buildings. / is an arrow/weapons.

Thank-you. I didn't realize that it worked that way. I'm using the TextClean version of Phoebus now and that has uniform letters.

[Thundercraft]

I'm using the TextClean version of Phoebus now and that has uniform letters.

Where does one find the "TextClean" version? I've tried searching, but I can't seem to find it.

[stubarfoo]

I'm using the TextClean version of Phoebus now and that has uniform letters.

Where does one find the "TextClean" version? I've tried searching, but I can't seem to find it.

It comes standard with Phoebus graphics pack, should be a file called something like Phoebus_16x16_TextClean.png.

[Rose]

Hey Phoebus, do you mind if we include your graphics pack with stonesense as a fallback set? Full credit would be given.

[Phoebus]

Hey Phoebus, do you mind if we include your graphics pack with stonesense as a fallback set? Full credit would be given.

I wouldn't mind. Why would I mind? Stonesense is awesome!

[Phoebus]

I'm using the TextClean version of Phoebus now and that has uniform letters.

Where does one find the "TextClean" version? I've tried searching, but I can't seem to find it.

It comes standard with Phoebus graphics pack, should be a file called something like Phoebus_16x16_TextClean.png.

I just realized I removed the instructions, from Phoebus.Readme.txt, on how to use the alternate tilesets.
I'll add that back in the next version.

Spoiler: How to use the alternate tilesets (click to show/hide)

The Phoebus Graphic Pack contains several alternate tilesets:

Default:
Phoebus_16x16.png   (Standard)

Phoebus_16x16_Diagonal.png   (Classic Diagonal Walls)
Phoebus_16x16_Meld.png   (More natural rough stone look)
Phoebus_16x16_Smooth.png   (Ground/Soil with a dithered pattern)

Phoebus_16x16_TextBackground.png   (The same ground/soil background behind all characters)
Phoebus_16x16_TextClean.png   (All characters are letters with black background)


To change the tileset you will need to:

1. Open the data/init/init.txt file.

2. Edit the four lines with "Phoebus_16x16.png" so they use the alternate tileset's name.

3. STRIKE THE EARTH!

[Rose]

Hey Phoebus, do you mind if we include your graphics pack with stonesense as a fallback set? Full credit would be given.

I wouldn't mind. Why would I mind? Stonesense is awesome!

Thank you. With your help, I have turned

Spoiler: This (click to show/hide)

Spoiler: Into this. (click to show/hide)