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Thanks guys! This is actually really fun, and my work really is really inspired by already done stuff!

The two files are called...

loaded_air.bmp
loaded_inf.bmp

located in...

GFX/Interface

Yes, I am doing the graphics just the same way as Gwalcmai. It is very easy once you get the template set up.

Here is what I am aiming for. I have the Infantry and navy done, I am just working on the roundels (I still have enough free pixel colours for the 100 required for the 10x10 roundels). This is really fun!

hoi_counter_GER.bmp


hoi_counter_CAN.bmp
 
I don't know about McN, but I think I'll be asking you about aircraft markings once or twice. :) I'm planning on slowly building up the sprites so that a lot of countries get their own sprites with unique markings.
 
If NATO symbology is to be used, then I'd suggest that they correspond with the units that are in the game....what 'Guards Infantry' would look like is up to the designer's ingenuity.
 
XieChengnuo said:
Hey McNaughton; I have a big book of old aircraft roundels from every country; unfortunately its during the cold war period. Do you think they might be useful to you?
Click to expand...

That would be fantastic! I will let you know what nations I cannot find anything from, and if it would be no trouble, could you get these for me when the time comes? Thanks a lot!
 
Gwalcmai said:
McNaughton, those are really good! I have seen TFs with loaded planes and troops, but it's not very usual.
Click to expand...

I would have to say No, I think it is very useful. It allows me, while tweaking AI, to see if troops are being transported from one place to another, whether for invasion or reinforcement. Without it - ughhh.
 
Hmm. On the one hand, I still think my suggestion that the flag, not the unit symbol, shuld have priority is a good one.

On the other hand, I think McNaughton's artwork is a thing of beauty. :)

Mind you, to use it in TGW a few modifications would be needed: :D

hoi_counter_GER.bmp


hoi_counter_ENG.bmp
 
Phil K said:
I would have to say No, I think it is very useful. It allows me, while tweaking AI, to see if troops are being transported from one place to another, whether for invasion or reinforcement. Without it - ughhh.
Click to expand...

Note that I didn't say useful, I said usual. :) I tend to keep my TFs separate, but I can see why someone else might choose to cover TPs with carriers. The AI doesn't do it too often. But then, the AI rarely does decent invasions, let alone provide air cover for them.

Stephen, while the naval ensigns would be awesome, it hits the colour limit again. Damn, I want 9 or 10 bit palettes...;)

I'm working on another design, ripping off McNaughton's, but lacking some features, like the round corners, the roundels, or the air and naval units having the symbol run all the way across (in other words, a good deal less artistic :)). I'm thinking of cooking up two versions of it, with central flag and with central symbol. Another crazy idea is making the loaded_inf and loaded_air symbols be symbol modifiers. Or the overlay could turn the counter to mean "infantry with organic transport".

Speaking of symbols, anyone have STANAG 2019 lying about? :)
 
If anyone wants to give a hand in this, I have a working set of counters in http://gwalcmai.planetaclix.pt/tgw_counters.zip which I need some opinions on. As everything, getting it to work with TGW requires knowing if you have the mod-dir version or not. And, of course, having TGW working (or launching, at least). ;)

1) mod-dir : unzip into the mod directory. Compare the contents of <hoi>\gfx\palette and <tgw>\gfx\palette. Any counter_tag.bmp in tgw requires a duplicate in hoi, or the game won't see it;

2) overwrite : just unzip into the main hoi directory.

What I need to know is:
- does the design work? what changes should be made, if any?
- do the symbols work? what changes do those need?
- what country specific colours should be included? ATM only ENG, FRA, USA and POR have unique counter colours (note, this isn't the flag part, all have that, it's the background colours). I had done GER, but then I idiotically overwrote it... As I was unsure what colours to use for the others, I just left it as a standard gray counter.
 
I thought they looked good. Comments as requested:

The flag on the Serbian counter was missing its shield.

As for colours for other countries, I'd suggest:

Germany: darker grey with a hint of green (feldgrau, in other words)
Austria-Hungary: plain grey, but darker than the shade you've used for minor powers.
Russia: similar to Britain, but perhaps with a green hint to it - but less green than USA. (Perhaps Britain should be slightly darker than you have it, too).
Turkey: A pale sandy colour.
Italy: For some reason most wargames make Italian counters light green (with a yellowish hue)...
Soviet Russia: Red, of course :) I'd make it a dark red, the colour of veinous blood not arterial blood :D - This will also ensure their flag shows up against the counter background.
Revolutionary Mexico: a pinker version of the Soviet colour.
Serbia: blue (darker, less cyan than the French counters - Serbian uniforms were dark blue)
Japan: maybe white? Or golden?
Belgium: perhaps pale grey-green?

Pale grey for minor countries is fine.

As for the symbols, I noticed that the ship symbols are solid black but the aircraft are a paler greyish colour. I think it might be better if they were all solid black.

Bear in mind that you've used the standard HoI symbology whereas we've changed the functions of some units. The one I noticed in particular was the Reconnaissance Plane, which you've still got shown as a naval bomber (with an anchor symbol). The standard NATO symbol for recconnaissance aircraft is an infinity symbol (an 8 on its side) which means "aviation", with a vertical line through its centre and at the bottom end of this line, a short diagonal slash / (see here, although that has the angular "rotary" symbol rather than the curved "fixed-wing" one). On the other hand, I suspect most people would recognise the letter 'R' more easily. :)
 
Light Infantry should use the standard NATO symbol but with an 'L' in the lower quarter.

The communications attachment should look like this:

communication.jpg


...and although there's no 'Heavy Weapons' symbol as such, the mortar symbol will suffice:

mortar.jpg
 
Ah, I knew I had forgotten something in that post.

The symbols used are for the units in standard HOI. The symbols for TGW aren't designed yet, and I'd appreciate input on how they should look. :)

Now, about planes: although those little planes are there for now, I was actually thinking of switching to the "infinity" NATO symbol for fixed-wing air. I was just unsure about the modifiers to apply. What should be used as modifiers for fighters, bombers, CAS planes, recce (I was thinking of the diagonal as per StephenT's indication), dirigibles, and all the other stuff? Also, I'd like to switch from the little ships to something more easily distinguished. Any ideas?

And, of course, the land units need changing too. Mech inf, mot inf, paras... And the Militia will have to lose the M, as the majors will have a lot more trench inf than militia.
 
According to an old copy of Command magazine I dug up, the symbol for fighter aircraft is the infinity sign with vertical line, and an arrowhead on the top of the vertical line. Bombers are represented by the infinity-plus-line, but with a solid circle (the artillery symbol) at the bottom of the vertical line. Attack helicopters are the fighter symbol plus a short horizontal line at the bottom of the vertical line - I suggest using this for contour bombers.

Other types aren't listed - as my own personal suggestions, for seaplanes put a semicircular curved line with a short horizontal bar at the bottom of the vertical line (turning it into an anchor), for strategic bombers use the normal bomber symbol with a horizontal bar through the vetical line (the NATO symbol for "heavier-than-normal weapons"), for unarmed recce planes just have the plain vertical line, and for airships miss out the line.

I'm afraid I don't know what the standard symbols for ships are, if indeed there are any.
 
Announcing a new attempt at getting decent counters into this mod.

Instead of posting the links and instructions, I'll just direct you to a page with that. Visit http://gwalcmai.planetaclix.pt/ to get the counters. I changed the symbols, and introduced the colours StephenT proposed (or what I understood he meant). There are also two different designs. You can see the in sample images, and download the one you prefer.

And please, some feedback would be great. What improvements can be made?
 
Well done!

I much prefer variant one - with the NATO symbology at the top of the counter and the flag on the bottom right.

Overall, I don't see the need for changes to the ones you've just given us. :)
 
I, on the other hand, much prefer variant two. :p

I suppose there's no reason we can't offer both options? Although it may come down to a vote on which one gets included by default in the TGW download.
 
StephenT said:
I, on the other hand, much prefer variant two. :p

I suppose there's no reason we can't offer both options? Although it may come down to a vote on which one gets included by default in the TGW download.
Click to expand...

I see no reason why we can't include both.

So far then...

Variant One: 1 vote
Variant Two: 1 vote

....either that or we can arrange to have a duel over the issue ;)
 
Since different countries have different colours, is the flag in fact necessary? I recall Strategic Command only has the flag for HQ units, but no flag on the rest....German units are grey, French blue etc.

Since we have our own colour scheme doesn't that make the inclusion of the flag redundant?
 
No, it's not redundant. We have potentially 87 different countries in the mod: do you really think we can choose a different contrasting colour for each one? Or that people will actually be able to say "Ah, that counter's R100 G57 B34 in colour, so it must be the Albanian army."

Besides, who cares if it's redundant - it looks pretty! :)
 
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