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Bugs: Recent Topics Paging, Uploading Images & Preview (11 Dec 2020)

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Wiz-War F:ATties, I need your help.

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07 Mar 2018 17:02 - 08 Mar 2018 14:31 #264947 by Colorcrayons
Fortress Ameritrash has more Wiz-War fans per capita than the population of McMullen, Alabama. I need your help with feedback because I respect your opinions and know you won't blow smoke up my ass. I don't care how harsh. I can take anything constructively. My mind is so wrapped up in design space right now, I can't be trusted as a good judge of quality.

The short of it is that I am redoing the layout of Magic Cards, that will fit in with 8th ed but also allow me to rake in some sweet sweet classic cards that got left behind. The art won't be goofy, but that can't be helped as quality art assets for that are rare.

The general theme is that each card is a page from a spell book. The book mark ribbon holds all iconography needed for play.
In case you haven't seen it in the Wiz-War thread yet, here is an example:



With that out of the way, I have to do a new layout for Energy/Numbers as well.
Keeping in mind the general thematic premise that each card is a page in your spell book, I went the route of putting a few bits of geometric and runic shapes on the background. Simple, run of the mill fake esotericism.
But how to make it look like it produces energy? Or do I even need to worry about that and just keep it simple?

The entries are in order of least to most elaborate:

Warning: Spoiler!



Are any of these good enough to use? Which one? If there aren't any satisfactory options present, do you have any suggestions?
We all have opinions. Let me know yours.
Last edit: 08 Mar 2018 14:31 by Colorcrayons. Reason: spoiler tags to reduce load time

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07 Mar 2018 17:17 #264951 by hotseatgames
I like options 2 and 4. I don’t think I’d worry about “too much” in a game in which you can avoid a lightning bolt by turning into a gnome.
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07 Mar 2018 17:18 #264952 by Shellhead
They are all good enough to use, but I vote for #3, for the pleasing contrast between turquoise and gray. #4 is slightly less legible than the other choices, though the larger number helps. I like the geometric background design, and I like that it stands out better on #3.

I also have some unsolicited advice about the Buddy card, as a representative of the spell cards in general.

1. I really like the idea of the book mark ribbon, but that red and gold background looks dark and doesn't contrast well with black for readability. I can read them fine on my screen, but it might be too dark for actual play conditions if room lighting isn't bright enough.

2. The font for the card name is nicely quirky, which is good for this game, but I dislike that the letter "D" looks so much like a letter "O."
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07 Mar 2018 20:05 #264979 by drewcula
Preference with #2.
It has better contrast. Still, I'd push the outer glow a little more. More value contrast should look good between the gray number and green energy.
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07 Mar 2018 21:13 #264986 by Sevej
Somewhere between 2 and 3. Give the number solid white stroke outside the black, and then the pale blue glow.

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07 Mar 2018 21:53 #264989 by Not Sure
I like #2. Change the colors for different numbers as well.

I'd probably like the numbers even bigger like in #4, but the #4 layout jut seems too messy.
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07 Mar 2018 22:30 #264990 by san il defanso

Not Sure wrote: I like #2. Change the colors for different numbers as well.

I'd probably like the numbers even bigger like in #4, but the #4 layout jut seems too messy.


This is almost my exact answer. Number 2 is my favorite.
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07 Mar 2018 23:29 - 08 Mar 2018 14:31 #264994 by Colorcrayons
It seems #2 is popular. Around here that should be a joke. Thanks for the feedback guys. :) Amazingly constructive.
Thanks to Sevej as well for the pictorial example.

Consensus could be read as:

* Needs more contrast
* Darker geometry seems to be preferred
* Larger numeral is mo' bettah
* Increased outer glow seems to be preferred as well
* Perhaps a white stroke outside the black stroke

With that in mind, I made a few changes.
The heptagram resized for precision. (ocd) And opacity lightened.
I kinda like the lightning halo. The full brush has a circle of runes attached to it that I originally chopped out that look good at a larger scale. I'll give it a shot and see.
The opacity of the geometry brush was increased, to darken it and add some contrast. (Side note: this is a minor tweak that will be corrected all over the sepia of the card face. Spot opacity erasure of certain ink areas to look worn, and add stain brushes for further aging/wear effect on parchment)
I turned off outer glow for a moment, and with the contrast of the white numeral in front of the blueish energy halo, I wonder if the white outer glow is needed.

Here are five examples:
Warning: Spoiler!



Shellhead wrote: I also have some unsolicited advice about the Buddy card, as a representative of the spell cards in general.

1. I really like the idea of the book mark ribbon, but that red and gold background looks dark and doesn't contrast well with black for readability. I can read them fine on my screen, but it might be too dark for actual play conditions if room lighting isn't bright enough.

2. The font for the card name is nicely quirky, which is good for this game, but I dislike that the letter "D" looks so much like a letter "O."


Any advice is always welcome.
1: I agree with the problem of the dark lack of contrast. A test print was made and while it was good, this may not be true on all printers. I have since lightened the red to a brighter scarlet.
2: The font is actually the identical font (called: Unzialish) used on FFGs cards. The old english-esque D is rather unfortunate, and is not a perfect font. The same issue lies in the uncial fonts in its predecessors as well. But, if you know of a whimsical font that could be better, I'm all ears. I have a about 3500 fonts on my system and always have room for more (Font Nerd).
Last edit: 08 Mar 2018 14:31 by Colorcrayons. Reason: spoiler tags to reduce load time

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08 Mar 2018 05:19 #264998 by Erik Twice
I would take number 5. I think it's paramount to make the number big as it's the actual information of the card.
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08 Mar 2018 11:58 #265046 by Not Sure
Agreed. #5 is the winner out of that batch. Of the smaller numbers, I like the crispness of the simple black outline of #2.
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08 Mar 2018 13:26 - 08 Mar 2018 14:32 #265058 by Colorcrayons
Ok. Last phase then.

Stained/worn vs. pristine

Warning: Spoiler!
Last edit: 08 Mar 2018 14:32 by Colorcrayons. Reason: spoiler tags to reduce load time

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08 Mar 2018 13:50 #265064 by hotseatgames
I like the worn effect, but realistically, I assume these will be print on demand and the difference in the real world will be negligible at best.
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08 Mar 2018 14:28 #265070 by Colorcrayons

hotseatgames wrote: I like the worn effect, but realistically, I assume these will be print on demand and the difference in the real world will be negligible at best.


The practical differences at this point are fairly negligible. I am mostly asking about opinions concerning this because it will affect the rest of the cards and card backs.

If the worn/faded approach is preference of consensus, then I'll add light stains that are enough to be noticed, but not enough to affect legibility of card text. An easy enough thing to do with minimal effort. I could even make the wear/stains on each individual card unique and still not think of it as any effort worthy of note.

Warning: Spoiler!


Probably not worth the effort. But some stuff can be a good embellishment even if you don't consciously notice.

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