Cosmetic Request: "Splash Screen"

[Peter Panzer]

...a bit of pleading...

...if possible, could one/some of our fine mod-making lads whip together some alternative "splash screens?"

...it would be rather refreshing, seeing as i seem to be stuck with the stock version, which to be honest, makes me giggle...

...if i may:

...why not find an actual image from the period - perhaps selected for its interesting composition/intensity/narrative qualities.... in my view, an abbreviated list of elements to avoid while drafting this project would begin with - cluttered, uninspired "collages," garish "military" lettering, images that focus on machines rather than men, the trite use of flags etc.... to be brief, keep it simple and clean - let the content of the image do the talking. nothing screams rank amateur like the addition of a campy font or other boyish attempts at adding "flash" to what would otherwise be a riveting image.

...well, enough of my blubbering, any thoughts? please...

[Michael Dorosh]

There are a few splash screens out there, you just have to look hard.

I did a nice one for myself with a painting from the Canadian War Museum, of Canadian troops landing on D-Day. Unfortunately, saved in bmp format, the thing is difficult to host anywhere....takes up a lot of room.

[ 06-10-2001: Message edited by: Michael Dorosh ]

[Skipper]

Have you seen Hidden & Dangerous? The benchmark for the WWII-ish style in a game, IMHO.

[Peter Panzer]

michael dorosh:

...the use of the painting sounds like a fine solution (i believe i may be familiar with the image you are referring to, not a bad selection...). i am more than a little bit short of technical know-how, could i find an image on the web, convert it to a .bmp format and plug it into the game? if so, how?

skipper:

no, i can't say that i am. actually the only WWII games i have played/am familiar with are CCIV and the jewel provided by our hosts...

[David Aitken]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Peter Panzer wrote:

in my view, an abbreviated list of elements to avoid while drafting this project would begin with - cluttered, uninspired "collages," garish "military" lettering, images that focus on machines rather than men, the trite use of flags etc....<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Oh, some of Rommel22's offerings would have fitted the bill until you said that.

You may be interested this fine specimen of my own concoction.

[Peter Panzer]

david aitken:

masterful! it has a special...something. a rawness perhaps, yes, yes indeed...

[Capt. Vance Astrovich]

Is this on the web site? I didn't find it right off. I think it looks marvelous and would like to have it.

[Michael Dorosh]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter Panzer:

[QB]michael dorosh:

...the use of the painting sounds like a fine solution (i believe i may be familiar with the image you are referring to, not a bad selection...). i am more than a little bit short of technical know-how, could i find an image on the web, convert it to a .bmp format and plug it into the game? if so, how?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've put an image of my splash up above. It is embarrassingly easy, just find a bmp, adjust the size to match that of the image found in the game (I believe it comes in 3 sizes to match the monitor resolution??) and add whatever text you want, etc.

To find out the number of the image, scroll through the BMP folder and look at the thumbnails until you find the image; there should be three identical ones. Sorry, I don't have the number offhand - perhaps someone else can provide it for you?

[Peter Panzer]

michael:

...thanks for the tips.

now then, when i attempted to resize my selected image to fit a 1024x742 resolution ("attributes"), the background was expanded, however the actual image retained its original dimensions. the result is a large white screen in which the image itself occupies approximately one third of the total space. no fun.

is there a way to increase the dimensions of the image itself without turning it into a pixelated mess? i tried to push/pull the edges, which did increase the dimensions, but left the image more than a little undefined.... do i simply need to find an image which has dimensions closer to those i need?

thanks, you have been a great help.

[Panzer_Meyer]

Peter,

check out my site, I did a few splash screens. Altough I have NONE available for downlaod they are displayed on my site under "My work".

If you like a certain image, let me know and I'll make the pic a BMP and send it to ya.

So let me know.

P.S. The link to my site is in my sig.

[Letsbe Ave.]

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Peter Panzer:

michael:

the actual image retained its original dimensions. the result is a large white screen in which the image itself occupies approximately one third of the total space. no fun.

is there a way to increase the dimensions of the image itself without turning it into a pixelated mess. do i simply need to find an image which has dimensions closer to those i need?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

If you are using MS Windows Paint, you can Image/Stretch to alter the image size by %age points, or use Image/Attributes to enter the final size in pixels, centimetres or inches.

And yes, you should find an image closer to the desired size, otherwise you will see pixellated artifacts.

Hope it helps.

[Peter Panzer]

rommel22:

...thanks for the offer, however, now that i have something of a feel for how this little trick can be pulled off, i will, almost certainly, be composing my own mock-up (which is, no doubt, for the best, as i have a cumbersome habit of being rather...demanding). by the way, the german armor illustrations you cut and pasted are some really dandy samples. nice source. keep at it.... any technical pointers you would like to pass along? say for example, how to expand an image with little/no pixelation?

letsbe:

...judging from what you mentioned, as well as from the results of my recent monkeying-around, it seems as though i may have to find a different image to work with in order to avoid any distortion. too bad, as it was a striking photo....