Armchair Dragoons Forums
Wargaming => Intel Dump => Topic started by: bbmike on May 01, 2020, 06:03:41 PM
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So if any of you watched my video on Don't Tread on Me you know that I actually made my own TTS version of the game as it did not already exist in the Workshop. It turns out that the next game I will feature is also not in the Workshop so naturally I made my own version of it. It was actually kind of enjoyable to make these game in TTS, almost therapeutic. :D I'm really digging TTS.
So my question to you is, what wargame would you like to see in TTS that isn't already there? Let me know in this thread and I just might convert it over. Actually posting it in the Workshop might not happen, though, as I don't know how the copyright issues are handled.
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And if you haven't watched my video (I'm lookin' at you Cyrano), shame on you! :P
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Just FYI, I'm working on an AAR of Pavlov's House by DVG for the front page. I'm also wanting to do a video on TTS using Mosby's Raiders.
If you find any co-op wargames or ever have interest let me know and I'd love to join if you'd have me there.
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World at War 85! :D
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
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Solo?
Anything in States of Siege series
Otherwise
AH Robin Hood
GMT Blackbeard
AH Hundred Days Battles
AH 1776
GDW World War III series
Wotan Games King Arthur
Yaquinto's Hero
Yaquinto's Mythology
Mage Knight board game (not the CMG)
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
You asked! I’m even willing to help you out. I’ve tired starting one myself but didn’t get very far. Need better graphics and more TTS know how.
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
You asked! I’m even willing to help you out. I’ve tired starting one myself but didn’t get very far. Need better graphics and more TTS know how.
Hmm. I'll take a look.
Solo?
Anything in States of Siege series
Otherwise
AH Robin Hood
GMT Blackbeard
AH Hundred Days Battles
AH 1776
GDW World War III series
Wotan Games King Arthur
Yaquinto's Hero
Yaquinto's Mythology
Mage Knight board game (not the CMG)
No, it doesn't have to be strictly a solo game. Any game that you would like to see. 8)
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I'm working on a Der Weltkrieg - Italian Front.
I'm pulling map and counters out of Vassal, but there are some that I cannot find, so I may need someone to assist in modifying or making a few.
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I'm working on a Der Weltkrieg - Italian Front.
I'm pulling map and counters out of Vassal, but there are some that I cannot find, so I may need someone to assist in modifying or making a few.
I'd be glad to help! I noticed that there are countersheet scans on BGG. I usually run the counters (either from Vassal or from a scan) through processing in PaintShop to make them a bit more "countery looking" ™
Post what you need here and I'll see if I can find or create what you need.
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Something from the ACW would be good.
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Something from the ACW would be good.
Anything in particular?
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I'll have a think on it.
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
You asked! I’m even willing to help you out. I’ve tired starting one myself but didn’t get very far. Need better graphics and more TTS know how.
I'm wondering if Lock n Load would provide us the artwork to do this (if they approve). There is already a Vassal Starter Kit that has some artwork. Maybe we (Brant) could ask them?
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I'll have a think on it.
:bigthumb:
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Not ACW I know, but a game I do own that is on an interesting subject and has a small footprint. There is also a Vassal mod for it.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125416/scheldt-campaign
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If there's a Vassal module for it that makes it 100% doable. For a small footprint game I can usually knock it out in a day or two.
I'll add this one to the list for you. :bigthumb:
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Thank's, Mike.
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
You asked! I’m even willing to help you out. I’ve tired starting one myself but didn’t get very far. Need better graphics and more TTS know how.
I'm wondering if Lock n Load would provide us the artwork to do this (if they approve). There is already a Vassal Starter Kit that has some artwork. Maybe we (Brant) could ask them?
I was already going to reach out to David to see if this is possible. I'll let you know.
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:2thumbs:
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I was already going to reach out to David to see if this is possible. I'll let you know.
Man, I love when people do things so I don't have to... :biggrin:
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I was already going to reach out to David to see if this is possible. I'll let you know.
Man, I love when people do things so I don't have to... :biggrin:
Spoken like a true project manager. :-*
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you're not the same way? ;D
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I'm working on a Der Weltkrieg - Italian Front.
I'm pulling map and counters out of Vassal, but there are some that I cannot find, so I may need someone to assist in modifying or making a few.
I'd be glad to help! I noticed that there are countersheet scans on BGG. I usually run the counters (either from Vassal or from a scan) through processing in PaintShop to make them a bit more "countery looking" ™
Post what you need here and I'll see if I can find or create what you need.
Ok, lets see. In DW:IF there are two infantry divisions, the 1st and 2nd Ard. I found an image in vassal for the front on the counter, but I cannot find one to match the back. There is one that is very close, but not quite correct. The back is a 4 Str, 4 Movement, ie 4-4. In the top right is the number 6 in a circle. However, the only Inf 4-4 file that I can find as a 5 in the top right in the circle.
You can ping me on steam chat if you want.
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you're not the same way? ;D
I'm the guy pulling what little hair I have left out trying to keep my pm's from totally screwing up the project.
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
You asked! I’m even willing to help you out. I’ve tired starting one myself but didn’t get very far. Need better graphics and more TTS know how.
I'm wondering if Lock n Load would provide us the artwork to do this (if they approve). There is already a Vassal Starter Kit that has some artwork. Maybe we (Brant) could ask them?
I was already going to reach out to David to see if this is possible. I'll let you know.
We would probably have to do like cyrano does, and build a workshop module for each scenario. Perhaps if you get the counters, we can team up and each work on a module.
Playing SNF's with Storming the Gap would be fun.
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Am I reading correctly on Adobes web site that Photoshop is only $20. I thought it was a couple of hundred.
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Am I reading correctly on Adobes web site that Photoshop is only $20. I thought it was a couple of hundred.
Make sure that's an actual purchase and not a subscription model. Also take a look at the products from Affinity that are very comparable and often pretty cheap.
Paint.NET does 90% of what you need Photoshop to do for you and it's free getpaint.net
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I'll second Brant's recommendation of Affinity. I ended up buying a bundle from them that was on sale. It's a great program. I've been trying to force myself to abandon Paint Shop Pro 7 (I've been using it since the 90's) but it's hard to because I know it so well and it does most of what I want.
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I'm working on a Der Weltkrieg - Italian Front.
I'm pulling map and counters out of Vassal, but there are some that I cannot find, so I may need someone to assist in modifying or making a few.
I'd be glad to help! I noticed that there are countersheet scans on BGG. I usually run the counters (either from Vassal or from a scan) through processing in PaintShop to make them a bit more "countery looking" ™
Post what you need here and I'll see if I can find or create what you need.
Ok, lets see. In DW:IF there are two infantry divisions, the 1st and 2nd Ard. I found an image in vassal for the front on the counter, but I cannot find one to match the back. There is one that is very close, but not quite correct. The back is a 4 Str, 4 Movement, ie 4-4. In the top right is the number 6 in a circle. However, the only Inf 4-4 file that I can find as a 5 in the top right in the circle.
You can ping me on steam chat if you want.
Can you post a link to the Vassal module? I can't seem to find it.
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You actually have to get The Grand Campaign and then extract from there. I did the maps and I think I set there. http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:The_Grand_Campaign
I was using Inkscape to convert the files from svg to png. I just don't know much about this type of thing though. They don't look bad, they just start getting fuzzy when you make them bigger in TTS.
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http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:The_Grand_Campaign
http://www.vassalengine.org/wiki/Module:Tannenberg:_Eagles_in_the_East_/_Galicia:_The_Forgotten_Cauldron
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Thanks!
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From memory - the first module also contains the second one - I do have them both installed but I'd need to check for certain. The first one pretty much covers the whole game series though.
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Am I reading correctly on Adobes web site that Photoshop is only $20. I thought it was a couple of hundred.
Make sure that's an actual purchase and not a subscription model. Also take a look at the products from Affinity that are very comparable and often pretty cheap.
Paint.NET does 90% of what you need Photoshop to do for you and it's free getpaint.net
Yep, that was a subscription to Photoshop.
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Just had a quick look at the image files. Wow, that's a bucketload of stuff! :o
The counters are a bit small but should be resizable. Sounds like you've done a lot of work already so if you just need the missing counters that shouldn't be a big deal. I have some counter creating experience. Right now, though, the wife just told me it's time to play our x-hundredth session of Gloomhaven. :D
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World at War 85! :D
:doh:
You asked! I’m even willing to help you out. I’ve tired starting one myself but didn’t get very far. Need better graphics and more TTS know how.
I'm wondering if Lock n Load would provide us the artwork to do this (if they approve). There is already a Vassal Starter Kit that has some artwork. Maybe we (Brant) could ask them?
I was already going to reach out to David to see if this is possible. I'll let you know.
We would probably have to do like cyrano does, and build a workshop module for each scenario. Perhaps if you get the counters, we can team up and each work on a module.
Playing SNF's with Storming the Gap would be fun.
Already got a plan for that, multiple scenarios that is. Also want to be able to setup the campaign game. :D
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Just had a quick look at the image files. Wow, that's a bucketload of stuff! :o
The counters are a bit small but should be resizable. Sounds like you've done a lot of work already so if you just need the missing counters that shouldn't be a big deal. I have some counter creating experience. Right now, though, the wife just told me it's time to play our x-hundredth session of Gloomhaven. :D
I'd like to compare what you do with what I've done. I've only worked on the Italian ID's with 4-4 on the front side, so wouldn't lose much. Now is the time to make a change for the better.
Have fun playing with the wife. Perhaps we can look at this tomorrow.
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I grabbed a random counter from the Grand Campaign Vassal module and converted it the same way as I did my Don't Tread on Me counters. The original counter graphic is so small which is why it blurs on resizing but I think it would look okay in TTS. Ideally I think the original counter size should be 100x100 pixels or greater.
(http://www.aarcentral.com/pics3/_AH_AH_CavDiv_2-6.png)
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Not ACW I know, but a game I do own that is on an interesting subject and has a small footprint. There is also a Vassal mod for it.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125416/scheldt-campaign
Good news on this one. Wargame Vault had the print and play version for $12. It looked interesting enough to me to go ahead and get it. In fact, I think this will be featured in an upcoming video. And since I have the PnP version now it will be even easier to make a good TTS version. 8)
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Its the PnP version I have as well.
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Hollandspiele reprinted it w/ updated graphics
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From what i have been told, its one of their best selling titles - designer is Brian Train, so that explains a lot.
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They did a great job updating the graphics. :bigthumb:
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Its only small, but I really like the map - it very much captures the wet, soggy atmosphere of the place.
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Not ACW I know, but a game I do own that is on an interesting subject and has a small footprint. There is also a Vassal mod for it.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/125416/scheldt-campaign
Good news on this one. Wargame Vault had the print and play version for $12. It looked interesting enough to me to go ahead and get it. In fact, I think this will be featured in an upcoming video. And since I have the PnP version now it will be even easier to make a good TTS version. 8)
Mike, if you do print it all, I recommend these very nice OOB mats.
https://www.boardgamegeek.com/filepage/108518/fancy-oob-mats-scheldt-campaign
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Dude, if you're asking:
Hunt For Red October
A Line in the Sand
Red Storm Rising
A double-game of 1 and 3 would be awesome.
And a full-player game of 2 would be truly crazy.
BUILT for SNF, et al.
Solo play more limited. Which is to say non-existent.
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Oh no, as I said before I'm not looking for solo only games. In fact, I prefer non-solo games for solo gaming. Let that one ring around in your head for bit. :D
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Dude, if you're asking:
Hunt For Red October
A Line in the Sand
Red Storm Rising
A double-game of 1 and 3 would be awesome.
And a full-player game of 2 would be truly crazy.
BUILT for SNF, et al.
Solo play more limited. Which is to say non-existent.
I owned all those TSR game. I especially loved Red Storm Rising
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Enemy Coast Ahead; The Doolittle Raid.
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HFRO is on TTS, but RSR is not.
I still want to get my hands on a copy of RSR but the guy that was going to send it to me decided not to do any shipping with COVID-19 around. Can't say I blame him, but...so close!
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Regrettably, HFRO was broken ages ago and has never been repair. Should never have done all the scripting, frankly.
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That's a shame. I just added it. :D
It's a 2-player game with hidden info anyway; wouldn't make a good solo-only game, unless you were showing people how to play it of course.
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Dude, if you're asking:
Hunt For Red October
A Line in the Sand
Red Storm Rising
A double-game of 1 and 3 would be awesome.
And a full-player game of 2 would be truly crazy.
BUILT for SNF, et al.
Solo play more limited. Which is to say non-existent.
A Line in the Sand would be a blast for SNF! :D
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^ Agreed. The one time I actually played that game (my copy that I bought at Waldenbooks and can't say if I still have it or not), I played it with four or five buddies, back in the early 90s. It was a LOT of fun, especially that Diplomatic Pouch.
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All three are nearly stacked together, with nothing else on them, in a special spot on a shelf.
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^ Agreed. The one time I actually played that game (my copy that I bought at Waldenbooks and can't say if I still have it or not), I played it with four or five buddies, back in the early 90s. It was a LOT of fun, especially that Diplomatic Pouch.
Yeah, we played the full Monty of 7 players and the Diplo pouch. And we all got into character of the nations we were running. Half the fun was reading all the notes in the pouch after the game ended!
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:ROFL:
Last time I saw the game, not too long ago, I noted all of our notes from that game were still in the box. It was fun reading through those again.
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Hey Bob, I was able to import the graphics and counters into TTS pretty fast. It's so much easier when there's an existing Vassal module and/or a PnP version. It would be even faster if the publisher provided the original artwork. Anyway, here's a sneak peak at the first draft:
(https://www.aarcentral.com/vid/scthumb.png) (https://www.aarcentral.com/vid/Scheldt_beta.mp4)
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War Room! (We should get a 6-player game of that going for SNF. Would take a few sessions to finish though)
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Hey Bob, I was able to import the graphics and counters into TTS pretty fast. It's so much easier when there's an existing Vassal module and/or a PnP version. It would be even faster if the publisher provided the original artwork. Anyway, here's a sneak peak at the first draft:
(https://www.aarcentral.com/vid/scthumb.png) (https://www.aarcentral.com/vid/Scheldt_beta.mp4)
That is outstanding! And those new OOB mats look very pretty :-)
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Did you click the pic to see the video? Yeah, the OOBs are nice. :bigthumb:
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I certainly did.
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War Room! (We should get a 6-player game of that going for SNF. Would take a few sessions to finish though)
Some lunatic just uploaded that monster...good setup, too...
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I’m up for it! I own the physical game and know the rules.
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Just dl'd the TTS mod for War Room. Would be interested in a gaming night, but my schedule is somewhat schizo... :-\ (Otherwise I'd be doing the SNFs a lot.)
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I grabbed a random counter from the Grand Campaign Vassal module and converted it the same way as I did my Don't Tread on Me counters. The original counter graphic is so small which is why it blurs on resizing but I think it would look okay in TTS. Ideally I think the original counter size should be 100x100 pixels or greater.
(http://www.aarcentral.com/pics3/_AH_AH_CavDiv_2-6.png)
The first counter is the one BBMike did from Vassal and converted. The second one is the one I did.
Mike, I did use your suggestion of 100x100 pixels. I like that better.
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:bigthumb:
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Wow, that looks great! What did you end up using to create it?
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I got the files from Vassal. They're in in there as SVG files. I then opened them in InkScape. When I get the files from Vassal, they don't have unit numbers. So I add the unit number, then export it as a PNG file.
I did make a change from what I had done earlier. Mike, you said you like to use 100x100 pixels for counters. I had used the original size of the SVG files in Vassal, which was just under an inch.
In the attached picture, I snipped it out of TTS. The top left counter is the one from BB, the top right is one I did. The bottom left is how I was originally doing it with sizes of less than 1" squared. The bottom right is the same unit using 100 pixel squared. I diffidently will be using the 100 pixel square method.
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Round your corners.
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My problem is that I don't know how to change the SVG files for counters I cannot find in Vassal. The attached is the front and back of the 1st Italian ID. As you can see, the line denoting an infantry unit is front are red and the back they're white. Also, the circle in the top right needs to be a 5 on the back. I need to figure this out also for units that I cannot find counters for in Vassal. I think part of the problem may be that the Vassal mod was 1st edition and I have the 2nd edition.
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Again, I will sing the virtues of paint.NET that you can use to draw pretty much everything you've got on this counter.
One of the nice things about that app is that you can do multiple layers while creating the counter and then flatten it all for final output
That way you can put the five in the circle and move that around separate from the rest of the counter or without worrying about unnecessary overlap while you center everything up
The text tools aren't great for editing. Once you type, it's there when you stop typing
but if you just need to type a couple of unit values into their own layer and then drag them into place, it works pretty well for that
The key benefit in all of this is that it is free
supposedly there are some decent tools in the OpenOffice suite, but I haven't played with them enough to know
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It looks like Vassal might be creating/updating parts of the image as needed. If you look in the Vassal image directory you can see separate numbers and icons that looks like Vassal would use to layer over the counter. Since SVG files are layered you could do that yourself in Inkscape and export the image.
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Yep, just went into the Vassal module itself. Whoever created it does a LOT with layering/masking the counters. :D
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Again, I will sing the virtues of paint.NET that you can use to draw pretty much everything you've got on this counter.
One of the nice things about that app is that you can do multiple layers while creating the counter and then flatten it all for final output
That way you can put the five in the circle and move that around separate from the rest of the counter or without worrying about unnecessary overlap while you center everything up
The text tools aren't great for editing. Once you type, it's there when you stop typing
but if you just need to type a couple of unit values into their own layer and then drag them into place, it works pretty well for that
The key benefit in all of this is that it is free
supposedly there are some decent tools in the OpenOffice suite, but I haven't played with them enough to know
InkScape is also free. My issue is that I don't know anything about using these tools or the lingo. I'm just gong have to start with some self education. And, I do also have Paint.Net and I'm just as lost with it.
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Yep, just went into the Vassal module itself. Whoever created it does a LOT with layering/masking the counters. :D
So, if I'm understanding you, There is an image file with a circle 5 that I can use to lay over the circle 3 on the counter and get what I need.
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Round your corners.
Don't you have to protect your little Chicago suburb from some monster. O:-)
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Yep, just went into the Vassal module itself. Whoever created it does a LOT with layering/masking the counters. :D
So, if I'm understanding you, There is an image file with a circle 5 that I can use to lay over the circle 3 on the counter and get what I need.
That's what I'm thinking. But it could even be that the numbers are separate from the circles!
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By the way, was this the thread where "War Room", and its TTS module, came up as a topic?
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Yup.
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Ok, I think I got some of this figured out. And, no surprise to any of us, I'm a little slow. Turns out, all of the component of the SVG file are their own objects and can be easily edited. So, that 3 in the circle in the top right, I just needed to click on it, then go into the properties and change the value to 5. The lines in the infantry were the same. Just needed to set the appropriate color value for each one. Now I have templates and it shouldn't take long to upload.
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:bigthumb:
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Clip the corners on those counters
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:bigthumb:
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I believe you can have rounded corners when you load them into TTS
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Let me know if that's possible. I haven't found it yet.
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Actually, I haven't found any tips for creating counters in TTS.
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I have to get ready for class here in a few minutes, but here is the way I'm doing it.
Objects -> Components -> Customer -> Tile
I then select the image files for the front and back of the tile.
The first image are the settings when the window opens, the second is with the settings I set.
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I don't know why but I never really noticed the "Rounded" option staring me in the face. (http://www.aarcentral.com/emoti/new/facepalm2.gif)
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you were looking right around it?
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You're really walking on the edge now.
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I was in a hurry and cutting corners.
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Is that some kind of oblique reference?
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I grabbed a random counter from the Grand Campaign Vassal module and converted it the same way as I did my Don't Tread on Me counters. The original counter graphic is so small which is why it blurs on resizing but I think it would look okay in TTS. Ideally I think the original counter size should be 100x100 pixels or greater.
I'm finding that going with 200x200 pixels makes a nicer sharper image. It doesn't become pixelated when you zoom in of the counters.
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Have you managed to find a good, small font to use on the counters?
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I'm using Century Gothic, Sans, and Times New Roman. I found that trying to use just one didn't meat the needs in all areas of the counter.