More alternate official factions

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

I found the [watercolored pencil drawing?] below left online this morning, and made it into the the full-color shot included beside it.

D, I see a problem with using this for the alt. Gains:

It's replacing a cute white chick with a cute white chick.

She's filling the frame, and I don't know if that's too different- it's not that likely, you know, that every faction leader would happen to be standing the same distance from the camera.

She looks like a Gaian, though. She answers to Rhiannon, which isn't what's on her birth certificate, and says she's Scottish, like Deirdre.

She's lying. The RenFair hippies I used to run with were ultra-gay for anything celtic- I even really knew a hot redhead who lied and claimed to be Scots- and people who ever used their real name were a distinct minority.

I guess she's American. That's the only flavor of hippy with which I am familiar, and these traits may not apply anywhere else.

Where are her bosoms? That's a huge expanse of chest to not show the faintest hint of cleavage. Given the shape of the picture, I'd be cropping more than a smidge off the bottom, though.

As another choice, I include the rightmost painting. Not too much work to turn the suit into something tie-died -perhaps with the pattern on his tie- with a funny collar. the beard would tend to make such a thing a lot easier.

I've been making too many portraits of leaders wearing glasses, though. And the hat is a pain, whether I leave it, or remove it and draw in the top of his head...

Maybe I should go looking for a third choice?

Thoughts?

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Well, I know I'm being impatient, but if nobody's got anything to contribute, I'm gonna go with Rhiannon. (I need to stop fiddling with her.) Just please don't complain about the choice later.

Notwithstanding that she's more of the same for the Gaians, and that I've no perspective about a portrait on which I've lavished so much attention, (a couple hours this morning, too) it looks really Gaian and it looks really good. So I'm using it.

I've already had two attempts at variations on the Gaians, the first two custom factions I did. I think I'll use the Cannabis League's faction color- there's only so many variations of green in the 256 color palette that look okay in the game, and this one's already play tested. It would be silly for me to avoid conflicting between two of my alt. factions that probably won't ever be used together. Pity, though; the notion of a novelty game with the Gaians and all three variations has at least humorous appeal...

It’s putting sunglasses on Yang, right? Maybe I should try for a little difference in color after all…

***

D, I looked at your Time cover suggestions for the Peacekeepers last night, and I’m leaning towards that Canadian general. He looks a little ethnic- he could well be an Adaman Haj. I think I’d have to do something about the uniform, though. It’s very 1940, and I’m sure you know that styles in uniforms are hardly less static over time than regular clothes.

I’m not clear on what-all factions are in Beta Lyrae, BTW, other than the Progs (and I don’t understand how your premise leaves room for two flavors that, incredibly, seem to correspond to the originals). Info would help me set my priorities…

Wrapped up in play testing, are we?

***

I’m sure Darsnan would agree with me that we’d love more opinions. These alt. graphics are ultimately for everyone. You, too, can get an oar in…

Everybody in the water, now.

[Darsnan]

I just lost one reply when I hit enter - page just went blank on me.

Notwithstanding that she's more of the same for the Gaians, and that I've no perspective about a portrait on which I've lavished so much attention, (a couple hours this morning, too) it looks really Gaian and it looks really good. So I'm using it.

OK, np. IMO theres also no rush, as Beta Lyrae is about a month away from my first release (and thats assuming everything goes smoothly).

D, I looked at your Time cover suggestions for the Peacekeepers last night, and I’m leaning towards that Canadian general. He looks a little ethnic- he could well be an Adaman Haj. I think I’d have to do something about the uniform, though. It’s very 1940, and I’m sure you know that styles in uniforms are hardly less static over time than regular clothes.

This sounds good!

I’m not clear on what-all factions are in Beta Lyrae, BTW,

For the humans, the backstory is going to follow the same as for Von Neuman's World, however written generically so that it could be any of the original 12 human factions that land on the planet. So if your up for it, then by all means please keep supplying the alternate Faction graphics. btw I'm really warming to the Cyborgs pic (maybe because she is the only one nice to me in EotB).

I don’t understand how your premise leaves room for two flavors that, incredibly, seem to correspond to the originals). Info would help me set my priorities…

I'll send a PM this evening detailing the two Prog factions.

Wrapped up in play testing, are we?

I played for 3 hours straight last night, which is extremely rare for me during the week. The scenario is behaving as I want it to. I'm just goning to add a couple tweaks to it, then ensure it works on my other computer, then see about posting this Thursday/ Friday timeframe.

***

You, too, can get an oar in…

Everybody in the water, now.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

I just lost one reply when I hit enter - page just went blank on me.

The poor performance of the site has been worse for most of a week. It's getting tiresome. That's British understatement.

For the humans, the backstory is going to follow the same as for Von Neuman's World, however written generically so that it could be any of the original 12 human factions that land on the planet. So if your up for it, then by all means please keep supplying the alternate Faction graphics.

I need to have a look at VNW, then.

It's "if you're up for it", BTW.

I'm really warming to the Cyborgs pic (maybe because she is the only one nice to me in EotB).

I think Maari's one of those women who get more attractive after you look at them a while, and those tend to keep growing on you. I wouldn't know for sure- I started out staring at her for a long time.

I'm proud to have given her that quality without making her exactly pretty.

I reckon I'd hit that.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Another hippie

I almost considered using this guy, btw. He's available to sit for more pictures. With some gray added to his hair, this is what I had in mind. Doesn't look thing like Domai, though.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Just wanted to reiterate that it wouldn't be a big deal to change leaders for factions to customize them for some specific need. Provided there was an appropriate portrait available that needed nothing but resizing, cropping and scan lines, and nothing else needed to be changed, I could do it in around half an hour. .

Requests, anyone?

***

It strikes me the old hippie at the top has a patriarchal look with that thick beard. With some wardrobe tweaks, he might be more alt. Believers material…

[Darsnan]

I almost considered using this guy, btw. He's available to sit for more pictures.

Maybe as an alternate to the "celebrate the king day"?
Oh wait, wrong game....

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

?

Civ II?

I don't get it.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

The alt. Gaians are more than half done. The faction color, a blue-green different than the potheads worked on the first try. The bases are good enough. When I get home around 7:30, It won't take me forever to finish coloring the small report logos and drop in the portrait.

I'm thinking about something like "Flowering's Children" for the faction name...

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Children of the Flowering

It's always heart-wrenching to labor so over a portrait, be happy with the result- and see what the limited palette does to it when I paste it in. The difference is hard to see at normal size, but I spent a lot of time working meticulously at those details…

I’m happy with this faction. It looks great in the game. There’s a unity to the color scheme, the logo looks great, and the bases are improved since I posted this afternoon, and look more than "good enough" now. I don't always claim a faction turned out good-looking, but this one did.


The bases’ shadows are solid black, but I do that, or don’t have any, a lot. I rarely can see the translucent shadows at all in the game, and think the solid ones look good, or you know I’d fix it.

-Would anyone care to weigh in on that? I’m quickly going blind in my old age, and really want to know if other people can see the translucent shadows/like bases without them less/don’t like solid shadows.-


You’ll note that Rhiannon has grown breasts since yesterday, and more freckles, which I find adorable. -The freckles, I mean. I restrained myself in making her cleavage, and had to crop the bottom half of it out, besides. Almost all of it for the council shots.

…Not that you can see the freckles in the game, alas…

Also, the shadows under her eyes have been softened, the thick eyeliner lightened, the loose strands of hair sharpened and curled more, and all soorts of general tweaking has happened. I didn't set out to turn an image of a smiling, young, hippy chick into a more mature hippy chick with an intense expression, but really, that's better for the game, isn't it?


Enjoy the graphic. I’m sure these alt. factions can be useful to all you modders. I like contributing to the community this way, and wish the community would talk to me more- I spend an incredible amount of time on this stuff, and have no one else to discuss it with.

(My sister’s been trying to get me to take up making models for Poser. She says Poser-heads pay a bit for stuff they download. Who needs conversation anyway?)

*I'm dying of curiosity as to just who the 5 people who regularly have a look at my zips are. In the EotB thread, My zip file updates have been getting views. That never seems to happen with updates in my other threads here in Creation. No chance anyone will tell me why that is?*


Next up is the alt. Peacekeepers.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

Adaman Haj

This one turned out to be a lot easier than I anticipated.

I’d say he’s ready for scan lines.

Ladies and- well anyway, Gentlemen, I give you United Nations Forces leader, General Adaman Haj.




“Lookee hyar, boys. I reckon we got us a gen-u-ine Yoo-nited Nations Space General!”

“Now Skeeter, leave ‘im alone- he ain’t doin’ nobody no harm.”

“That’s my point, Sid! Why ain’t he out killin’ the enemy instead of here in a drone bar with us, drinkin’? I bet he was at the bar when I wus wounded in the battle of Pholus Ridge!”

“You wus just nerve stapled, Skeeter. In the butt.”

“An’ I got a medal ta prove it, too.”




I trust the nicks out of his lid and the space collar aren't too subtle? Anyone? Bueller?

-D, I think we ought to keep the name and ethnicity, but have him a Hoser, too. The gold thing on his hat surely gives him away as a Canadian.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

(‘Polly wouldn’t let me in for a while again this afternoon. She gave in after ten minutes this morning. Took closer to 20 just now. Then she dumped me before I could post this- for another half hour. Grrrrr.)

I couldn’t leave the portrait entirely alone today- note the purple added to the uniform, which, I believe, makes it more outer-spacey without quite being silly-looking, and nicely implies thematic unity with the original.

I gave the faction the full name of “United Nations Peacekeeping Force” in the pcx credits. In-game anywhere space is at a premium, just “United Nations” ought to serve, though variations like “UN Forces” and “UN Peacekeeping Force” are good, too. D, I credited you for names and concepts- from what I gather of your interests, you’ll love this one more than most.

I play tested this graphic alongside the original, something I should have been doing all along, and which ate up more time than it should have. The faction colors were great on the first try, but I wanted to get the logos looking just right in the game. They look good now, and I think I’ve got them just the right amount of different from Lal’s.

With a last name like Haj, he HAS to be Muslim. Adaman doesn’t pin him down much ethnically, to my ear- the Jihad spread Arabic and Arabic names all over. I don’t know what you had in mind, D, but I look at his complexion with the hazel eyes I left alone, and think Afghanistan. Afghani-Canadian, of course. The little flourish I added to his mustache goes with that, too, I think. The only other thing that’s come to me about him is that off duty he drinks a wee bit too much.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

(‘Polly wouldn’t let me in for a while again this afternoon. She gave in after ten minutes this morning. Took closer to 20 just now. Then she dumped me before I could post this- for another half hour. Grrrrr.)

I couldn’t leave the portrait entirely alone today- note the purple added to the uniform, which, I believe, makes it more outer-spacey without quite being silly-looking, and nicely implies thematic unity with the original.

I gave the faction the full name of “United Nations Peacekeeping Force” in the pcx credits. In-game anywhere space is at a premium, just “United Nations” ought to serve, though variations like “UN Forces” and “UN Peacekeeping Force” are good, too. D, I credited you for names and concepts- from what I gather of your interests, you’ll love this one more than most.

I play tested this graphic alongside the original, something I should have been doing all along, and which ate up more time than it should have. The faction colors were great on the first try, but I wanted to get the logos looking just right in the game. They look good now, and I think I’ve got them just the right amount of different from Lal’s.

With a last name like Haj, he HAS to be Muslim. Adaman doesn’t pin him down much ethnically, to my ear- the Jihad spread Arabic and Arabic names all over. I don’t know what you had in mind, D, but I look at his complexion with the hazel eyes I left alone, and think Afghanistan. Afghani-Canadian, of course. The little flourish I added to his mustache goes with that, too, I think. The only other thing that’s come to me about him is that off duty he drinks a wee bit too much.


(This is my forth try at posting this. Grrrrr.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

.

[Buster Crabbe's Uncle]

'Polly's been acting up for two-and-a-half hours straight this afternoon- and I don't know how long before I started trying at 3.)

Next up is the alt. Planet Cult, I think. My concept for the faction? The Rainbow Warriors. I'm gonna google Greenpeace and Earth First! and such, looking for something portrait-y.

Anybody wanna chime in?

(Aaaaand 'Polly wouldn't behave long enough to get this posted on the first try... Or the second...)