against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

Do you prefer using a shipset with custom backgrounds in their portrait pictures, or do black pictures are the best for you ?

http://diesel2035.free.fr/pirates/pi...tlecruiser.jpg

[ March 05, 2003, 11:42: Message edited by: trooper ]

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

Custom backgrounds look cool but IMHO they just don't mesh well with the game screens.

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

I think black backgrounds go better with the game. Though this is probably an issue of personal taste.....

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

The backgrounds don't go well with some of the games screens, especially during race selection and in screens such as the one for stellar manipulation. These screens aren't used often but somehow it bothers me.

I do like backgrounds on weapon platforms, and groundunits, which don't have the above issues. A well done background can give some idea of the sort of environment the race lives in (I did this for the United Flora). This is also true for the race portrait. I reworked some of the raceportraits to use backgrounds; a hightech background for the xiati, and organic-looking backgrounds for organic races. That, and good speech files can add a lot to the character of a race, and the atmosphere of the game. It somehow looks out of place when used on ships though.

Henk

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

Personally, I am glad I thought of doing it, and did it. I like the way it makes the images (except in just a few cases) look.

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Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

I don't object to backgrounds, although personally I wouldn't create them on my own shipsets except for troop/ weap plat/ race portraits.

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

That's a big thumbs up on the custom jobs

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

Well it seems that most people dislike background pictures, or don't care about it.
So my pirate shipset will be... black.

A little poll is simpler than never ending threads...

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

I tend to prefer them without. In the example below for instance, although it's a neat portrait-like effect, and would look good as wallpaper, it makes it a bit harder to see the ship itself unless you spend more effort studying it to see what's the background, and what's the ship. Without a background, the lines of the ship itself are more visible.

PvK

Re: against or for custom portrait backgrounds
 

The majority agrees with you. Maybe shipset authors will take this mini-poll into consideration when designing their next races.

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