Work In Progress: Mord's Unit Portraits

[Darknight (DC)]

Overall, it's looking good.

Just two things:

The side project seems to blend a little too much together...I find them a bit harder to discern (though maybe I'm just getting older and its my eyes ).

For the main project, I like the look of the Mk II helmet in the 2nd column/bottom row (NZ?), and maybe the 2nd column/4th row (Poles?) but the rest look a bit oversized, especially the 2nd column/2nd row (Brit?) & 3rd row (Cdn?).

(Ok, I lied, there's a 3rd...the inclusion of an alternate Maori face for the NZ infantry)

[sburke]

Are you planning on doing regimental icons?

Something like this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/179th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

Yeah I realize that is probably cruel, but it's your fault for starting us on this path.

Honestly it would probably clutter the UI too much.

[JM Stuff]

Hi

Like Mr Darknight_Canuck said "I find them a bit harder to discern (though maybe I'm just getting older and its my eyes too)".

I don't speaking about row and column I'm lost or take more time to explain

After a cup of month year it will be probably a little difficult to change the old one, but why not... there are looking good and I'm sure you give your best to have a better view, one things (personly), only the allied soldier "must have the view to the left " like the floating Icons.

Divisional OR Regimental signs woul'd be good

Good Job Mord

[A Canadian Cat]

Here's something new that sidetracked me for a couple days last week (actually it was nice to take a break from the heads/faces). I may or may not pursue these once I get this mod finished. I kinda like them as they are much more generic...but I am not all that keen on the TC pics.

Oh, I actually really like these! They look awesome. Question for you: just what are the available portraits to mod? Is the total number of portraits in game branch of service times nationality? I realize that you are working on variations for divisions but that requires swapping mods in and out to change them. I was wondering about what the game provides.

[Darknight (DC)]

Are you planning on doing regimental icons?

Possibly....

[Darknight (DC)]

Question for you: just what are the available portraits to mod?.....I was wondering about what the game provides.

I think its between 25 and 30 portraits....assuming nothing other than national backgrounds.

Then the number of sub-mods would be multiplied by the number of divisions and/or regiments to be included.

(just using the division-level, you would have to multiply a national subset of the 25-30 above by the number of divisions fielded by the nation...and this can get to be a pretty big number in the German case).

[Mord]

Overall, it's looking good.

Just two things:

The side project seems to blend a little too much together...I find them a bit harder to discern (though maybe I'm just getting older and its my eyes ).

Well...you ARE getting older but it's not your eyes! I need to figure out a way to delineate the edges of the unit better. My traditional drop shadow technique doesn't cut it with these guys—pretty much makes them worse. But these were all tests so they are open to vast amounts of tweaking.

For the main project, I like the look of the Mk II helmet in the 2nd column/bottom row (NZ?), and maybe the 2nd column/4th row (Poles?) but the rest look a bit oversized, especially the 2nd column/2nd row (Brit?) & 3rd row (Cdn?).

It's an optical delusion. Through my research (mostly on Australian websites) I've discovered that the British and Canadians suffer from a cranial atrophy giving them oddly small heads, hence the discrepancy. LOL! Yeah, I'll see what I can do. I wasn't completely happy with them. That friggin' helmet is one of the biggest PIAs in my modding life, very hard to get it to look decent.

(Ok, I lied, there's a 3rd...the inclusion of an alternate Maori face for the NZ infantry)

Just the Maori? Your OCD is slipping. LOL. I KNEW you were gonna mention something to this effect. Actually I didn't wanna distract myself right now with all the sub portraits so I am gonna save them for last, after I hash out the major players—get to all those dudes we were discussing a few weeks back.

Mord.

[Mord]

Are you planning on doing regimental icons?

Something like this?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/179th_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)

Yeah I realize that is probably cruel, but it's your fault for starting us on this path.

Honestly it would probably clutter the UI too much.

DC pretty much answered that. But yeah, that's the plan, God help me. It'll be the same as the CMBN mod—Division background, regiment/battalion small patch/DUI. But DC's meticulous notations is the life saver in this situation. The US is fairly cut and dry but the CW stuff...well, it makes you want to reach for a revolver. Without his foot work I wouldn't be able to do it. The research alone would cost me months...if not a year.

Hi

Good Job Mord

Thanks 3J2. And knowing how things eat at me, I'll probably revisit the CMBN faces sometime in the future and resize them. But that is a long way off!

Oh, I actually really like these! They look awesome. Question for you: just what are the available portraits to mod? Is the total number of portraits in game branch of service times nationality? I realize that you are working on variations for divisions but that requires swapping mods in and out to change them. I was wondering about what the game provides.

Thanks. Glad you like them.

DC's guesstimation is almost spot on. I believe it's 26 basic portraits for CMFI (they still don't have the Waffen in yet. And what ever else they may add) It was a bit higher for CMBN. All we have for portraits are Armor, Arm Inf, Infantry, and Airborne (not all nations have these). So we work within that realm to try and cover everything, for instance an engineer reg or Ranger bat would be assigned a portrait under infantry. Though it would be more work it'd be nice to have a couple more portrait slots.

Like DC said, the Divisions can expand the count exponentially. Though it would be cool I am grateful as hell there aren't regimental symbols for the Germans! At least none I could find. The CMBN mod had 59 Heer Divisions of which there were maybe 10 alternates. So imagine how many extra portraits that'd be with regiments added! To put it into perspective, the Brit formations had 511 portraits ( 1/4 of the mod)—they are tiny compared to the amount of Heer stuff.

Mord.

[Darknight (DC)]

It's an optical delusion. Through my research (mostly on Australian websites) I've discovered that the British and Canadians suffer from a cranial atrophy giving them oddly small heads, hence the discrepancy. LOL! Yeah, I'll see what I can do. I wasn't completely happy with them. That friggin' helmet is one of the biggest PIAs in my modding life, very hard to get it to look decent.

The NZ Mk II looks pretty good to my eyes (and the Polish one), so maybe just swap the faces? It's the Khaki-coloured one that looks most off.

Just the Maori? Your OCD is slipping. LOL. I KNEW you were gonna mention something to this effect. Actually I didn't wanna distract myself right now with all the sub portraits so I am gonna save them for last, after I hash out the major players—get to all those dudes we were discussing a few weeks back.

Not slipping, I just didn't mention the others that aren't 'available' as nationalities in the game yet for simplicity, but I can do that here for the sake of 'completionists' everywhere (Indian, South African, Italian, French, Brazilian, Greek, Palestinian)....I may have even missed one or two still....

[Mord]

Ok my Canuckian friend, see if these are better. They look better to me.

Mord.

[Darknight (DC)]

I like very much....

[Mord]

Cool. Then onward I shall forge! Tally ho!

Mord.

[Mord]

Ok, FINAL faces. I am pretty happy with all these. Added a couple more changes, shrunk a couple more of the heads, made a new Canadian face, differentiated the armored infantry helmets for the CW guys, changed the AI and AB for the US.

Mord.

[Fizou]

Looks superb Mord! Im following this with great interest

[Mord]

Thanks, Fizou. Now, more stuff.

A small comparison to give you guys an idea of how the new styles look opposed to the original concept. In my opinion the new smaller heads are far superior to the old style.

Notice where I had Luftwaffe armor under Heer divisions?

Here are some of the different portrait styles within the context of the UI landscape.

Mord.

[Badger73]

+5; superb indeed!

[Mord]

Thanks, man.

Had to fix the Falschirmjager's portrait...looked like he had encephalitis. It looks much more in line with the rest of the heads now. After like six versions I am finally happy with it. Here's a pic to show the difference between the two and in the context of the overall mod. I think you'll agree the "unsucky" one fits the design better.

The Axis are now done btw. On to the Allies.

Mord.

[JM Stuff]

Mord man,

You aren't satisfied with your work (and this is good so), you find allways new idee new style when your pictures can speak they can you explains probably something ...

I wonder you don't make your's pictures as a gif animed files.

But thinks soon...you have a lot of work, when you change always your mind because these amazing work like (kohlenklau Los...and his team) are preparing a new concept about Bulge44 and they need somes imput about you.

BFC is preparing to invade Russia linking with Finland Rumainian Croatian...

[Mord]

Yes. It's a curse at times. But I want everything I make to be the best it possibly can be, so I end up redesigning over and over and over as that pic you posted shows. It's been a long road from the first release of the portrait mod. Over six thousand portraits have been created, deleted, and redone to get to this point!

I won't be doing any portraits for the Bulge44 Mod. No offense to the guys making it (more power to them), I just don't see the point in focusing my efforts on something that BFC is gonna do themselves with all the right coding and the like. Like you say, soon we'll have Bagration as well as the Modern Era game, so I'll focus my time on them. I can wait for CM Bulge—there'll be plenty to keep me busy until then..

Mord.

[JM Stuff]

I know you have your pleasure and give your best, the result is always more than best and I hope very very well you continue to surprise (astonish) us

This is a message to demonstrated my respect over your job.

[Mord]

Thank you very much, 3j2! I appreciate the compliments. And I am glad you like them. It's posts like yours (and other players) that keep me motivated to do the best job that can be done.

Mord.

[Badger73]

@Mord,

May I add a new challenge? Any intentions to do the 92nd ID including the 442nd RCT for the Italian campaign?

92nd Infantry Division - Buffalo Soldiers

92nd Division (1942–1945)

- 365th Infantry Regiment

- 370th Infantry Regiment

- 371st Infantry Regiment

- 597th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)

- 598th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)

- 599th Field Artillery Battalion (105mm)

Attached Units:

- 366th Infantry Regiment (Nov, 1944 – Feb, 1945)

- 442nd Infantry Regiment (Nisei) (April 1945 – )

- 473rd Regimental Combat Team (formed from anti-aircraft units) (February 1945 – May 1945?).

- 758th Tank Battalion (Colored)

- 679th Tank Destroyer Battalion (Colored)

- 894th Tank Destroyer Battalion

- 701th Tank Destroyer Battalion

442nd Regimental Combat Team - Nisei

A uniform mod exists; not sure if its CMFI compatable. Reference URL = http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=2627

Keep up the good stuff! Thank you.

[Mord]

Actually I am working on the 92nd at this very moment (that's funny, you cut and pasted from the same site I am using). Any unit that was in the Italian Theater will be included. I am probably a couple hours away from wrapping up the US portraits.

Artillery units won't be included as they don't have any way of being displayed in the UI. Only armor (+ arm inf), infantry, airborne and engineers are applicable.

Mord.

[Mord]

Ok. The US portraits are done. The count is 229 (594 total) as of this moment. I was gonna do all the Independent TD and Tank Bats but couldn't find all the DUI/patches for them so I only did a couple, mostly for the black formations (671st ITDB and the 758th ITB). However there are generic portraits for both the TD (as was in the CMBN mod) and a new one for the ITBs. I also added the 44nd RCT, the 517 AB RCT, and the 509th PIR.

The pic below is a sample of all the different styles. I think they blow the CMBN mod out of the water. Hope you like them.

I am about burnt out and am gonna take a few days before starting on the CW stuff. I have to write DC and see if he has anything ready anyway. But a couple days away from CM is just what the doctor ordered. It's a month today since I posted the first update. It's basically been a marathon of non stop modding especially after updating the CMBN portraits.

Anyway, here ya go.

Mord.

[Badger73]

@Mord, These are absolutely superb! Thank you for creating all this amazing stuff. Will you be posting before you go rest and refresh? Enjoy your well-earned hiatus.