[help (no longer) needed] BG style IWD2 spell icons

[K4thos]

edit: all icons have been converted to BG style by bob_veng.

Old post:

 

To speed up development of the mod I'd like to ask for help with some time consuming tasks (or stuff that I'm not able to do myself due to lack of skill, like in this case).

Currently all new IWD2 spells that have been converted for IWD-in-EET mod still use IWD2 icons, which makes them look really bad when displayed alongside BG / IWD:EE spells. The mod needs:

• 29 cleric / mage unique icons (with spellbook, spell selection and scroll variants, so x3). There are actually 45 unique images but the only difference in 18 of them is a number from 1 to 9.
• 29 innate icons  - just "B" variant (on top of stone background)
• 9 icons (vanilla BG2 Conjure Lesser Elementals) need color changed from red to green (the mod adopted IWD:EE convention to use green color for summoning spells and IWD:EE didn't have lesser variants of elemental spells)

Here is a package with IWD2 icons in PNG format: https://www.dropbox.com/s/hlr7ftoyloo0src/wip icons.zip?dl=1

Since I'm looking for an artist here, not a modder, I've prepared vanilla BG style spell icons in a HTML format for an inspiration / style reference and source of icon backgrounds. The file also contains spell descriptions (not final when it comes to IWD2 spells)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/amdplmkp6rwqax2/iconsExporter.zip?dl=1

I don't have a preference how the icons should look like other than them being in the same art style as BG ones and with correct colors. Ideally the icons should be indistinguishable from vanilla ones for someone not familiar with the game.

Edited November 11, 2019 by K4thos

[Mike1072]

SR has a version of Banishment that uses this icon:

(If you have trouble deciphering the depiction, it's an outline of a person on the left and several silhouettes on the right.  It actually looks a lot like the IWD icon for Blink.)

I did some digging but I couldn't find the artist listed in the forums or changelog.  It was likely made for SR.  Demi at one point had mentioned possibly using the IWD icon, so this one must have been created after then.

If it was made for SR, I don't expect Demi or the artist would object to its inclusion here.  The .bam files can be found in the SR repo: A, B, C.

[bob_veng]

@Mike1072

there's been some progress with icons

EDIT (updated pic)

these are open to criticism and not yet final. help is still needed.  (probably not anymore)

Edited November 11, 2019 by bob_veng

[K4thos]

Thanks for the contributions so far!

@bob_veng, I think following icons on top of the scroll background should be moved 1 pixel to the right: Death Armor, Tortoise Shell, Mass Dominate (and maybe more).

In case of uneven amount of pixels on the sides of the image, to make it look cantered, I think more space should be on the left side. Other than this I like the results.

Edited November 6, 2019 by K4thos

[bob_veng]

updated previous post

didn't make ball lightning yet because i saw this thread and thought how you might use Gedlee's from there, and maybe repurpose my "gedlee's" for ball lightning

i had a bit of difficulty matching the green color because it's all over the place in iwdee. i'm not 100% satisfied with it but it's probably good enough

Edited November 7, 2019 by bob_veng

[Mike1072]

Regarding Faerie Fire, this is another one we have in SR.  I didn't see it in the list earlier.  We only have B and C versions - no scroll version.

This one was created by @scorpio.  Here's the discussion (unfortunately, the links to the images there are now broken).

[Mike1072]

Your icons are very nice, @bob_veng.

One thing I noticed about vanilla spell icons is there is a significant style difference between the ones created for BG1 and the ones introduced in BG2.  The BG1 stone icons appear as though they have been physically painted onto the rock background.  They are more detailed, with texture, highlights, and possibly a tiny dark outline around the painted part.

Erephine went through all of the spell icons added in BG2 and converted them to the BG1 style so they would be consistent. This change made it into the 1PP mod and also into BG2EE itself.

Here's an example: BG2-style vs BG1-style Icons

As a result, mod-added icons that are in the BG2 style look more out of place on the Enhanced Editions.

You hit the BG1 style quite well for most of your icons, especially on Lutzaen's Frequent Jaunt and Banishment.  Some appear closer to the BG2 style, like Vipergout, Aegis, and Snakebite.

[K4thos]

@bob_veng, I like the results a lot. Doubt there is any new player that could point to one of your icons in spellbook and say that it's a mod added content.

Quote

didn't make ball lightning yet because i saw this thread and thought how you might use Gedlee's from there, and maybe repurpose my "gedlee's" for ball lightning

Sounds good. I will send PM to Pacek if he mind us using that icon.

1 hour ago, Mike1072 said:

Regarding Faerie Fire, this is another one we have in SR.  I didn't see it in the list earlier.  We only have B and C versions - no scroll version.

This one was created by @scorpio.  Here's the discussion (unfortunately, the links to the images there are now broken).

Thanks, this one looks nice too. Not sure which one is better.

[bob_veng]

1 hour ago, Mike1072 said:

...

You hit the BG1 style quite well for most of your icons, especially on Lutzaen's Frequent Jaunt and Banishment.  Some appear closer to the BG2 style, like Vipergout, Aegis, and Snakebite.

i figured out how to accurately produce the bg1 style with overlay blending on a rugged rock surface in ps. unfortunately i don't have the assorted uniquely shaped and textured png rocks to go the extra mile and do it the "real" way. it's really weird how they chose to do it that way originally, must have been a major pain for them as well, as evidenced by subsequent degradation in bg2. i emulated it by just adding noise and some gradients...

green icons are flatter looking. basically i tried to follow the existing prevailing visual characteristic for each color. IWDEE green C icons aren't of terribly high quality so i went sort of half way there. i'll try to improve aegis.

i'm mostly glad that the designs aren't unsatisfactory... as i've been doing this and started looking at icons from up close it now pains me how uneven the quality of icons (in IWDEE basically) is. 

32 minutes ago, K4thos said:

@bob_veng, I like the results a lot. Doubt there is any new player that could point to one of your icons in spellbook and say that it's a mod added content.

 

tx that's really encouraging.

farie fire doesn't seem to produce any kind of fire but manifests itself as just a glow, so i think a representation of a big flame is a little misplaced.

Edited November 7, 2019 by bob_veng

[K4thos]

bob_veng has finished working on all icons in BG style.  Gedlee's Electric Loop uses Pacek design. Thanks to all participants for comments and contributions.

Edited November 11, 2019 by K4thos

[subtledoctor]

Oh my god @bob_veng those look amazing. Better than a lot of the vanilla icons. Great work. 

[Jarno Mikkola]

15 minutes ago, Arthas said:

forgive me for intruding, but the current icon for banishment in SR is not as good as it could be.

Feel free to provide a better one. And as a side note:

@bob_veng, can you upload a .zip file that contains the files(in the .bam format) ?

[lynx]

Excellent work indeed! Must've been a pain to extract them from the original backgrounds ...

[subtledoctor]

@bob_veng if you're looking for something to do ( ) we're desperate for icons in Faiths & Powers.  We have about 10-15 spells in need of them.  (Could cannibalize/adapt some of the ones...)