Wiggum's "Battles of Normandy" Artwork Mod

[wiggum]

Wiggum's "Battles of Normandy" Artwork Mod v1.3

Hi !

Here it is, the first and biggest artwork mod for "Battles of Normandy" !
It was my goal to give the game a overall more modern and clean look.
I also added many small artwork improvements like a outline for minefields or better indicators for broken and passengers carrying units.



Features:
- New UI style with many different Blankbox artworks + suitable navigation elements
- New Unitbox artwork in uniform-fabric style for each nation
- New counter artwork matching the Unitbox style for each nation
- More 'realistically' sized map artwork (similar to "Strela's 'Small' Terrain Mod" but with subtle changes)
- New, more subtle elevation hexside artwork (4 different styles total, including the original artwork)
- Fixed NATO counter artwork (works now correctly with this mod)
- Many small artwork improvements (outline for mines, new icon for "unidentified contacts" and much more)
- Slightly desaturated Terrain for a more aesthetic look
- New artwork to indicate passengers inside a vehicle/boat that gives you the information even if the unit is not on top of a stack (green bar bottom left)
- New artwork to indicate BROKEN units that gives you the information even if the unit is not on top of a stack (red bar bottom left)
- New smoke artwork that looks more natural and less like cotton ball's
- New nicer looking movement arrows
- Tweaked road artwork to make primary roads easier to spot
- New rails artwork ("real map" style)
- New, more aesthetic, icons for your PzB desktop shortcut
- New better suitable "Cover" (intro) sound file



New in v1.3:
- More 'realistically' sized map artwork (similar to "Strela's 'Small' Terrain Mod" but with subtle changes)
- New, more subtle elevation hexside artwork artwork (4 different styles total, including the original artwork)
- Fixed NATO counter artwork (works now correctly with this mod)
- New, more distinctive color for the American counters and unitbox
- New rails artwork ("real map" style)
- New better suitable "Cover" (intro) sound file
- Optional distinctive Waffen-SS artwork (http://i.imgur.com/fx9uJJl.jpg)

Download:
v1.3
https://www.dropbox.com/s/18jn4buxwqbtfh...3.zip?dl=0

Installation:
There is a Readme file included in the download, make sure you check it out !

Just copy the files into your "Battles of Normandy" folder and overwrite the existing files.
Remember to make a backup of the original files !

[Strela]

Hi Wiggum,

I think it's great! One of the real strengths of Tiller's titles is that you can mod them. As you have probably seen, we came a long way with the graphics from where we started. All those changes were without updates to the game engine.

The fact that you can desaturate colours so quickly or completely change the look of the UI is another reason these games are still popular.

Looking forward to more of your work!

David

[wiggum]

Thanks Strela !

I now uploaded the mod, see post #1 for the download link !
If you have questions then just ask !

[-72-]

Thanks Strela !

I now uploaded the mod, see post #1 for the download link !
If you have questions then just ask !

I am not really sure by how you are meaning UI (user interface - I guess short for gui as technically buttons are that and a text menu is a UI -just not graphical), Wiggum - as because when I use that term it would be regarding the buttons on the menu at the top of the screenshot that you used.

The reason I even bring it up is because those buttons are not moddable - it did come up with Musket and Pike (probably some years ago) - as that engine uses the same ones as Napoleonic Battles series for the most part.

I think you are probably talking about what you did in the Info folder, would that be right? 

The only reason I bring that up is that I imagine that I'll probably have to be responding to some posts regarding that (fwiw I am doing some graphics coordination with JTS on other series, and I imagine the term UI will probably come up)l

Nice work, sir. :)

[GerryM]

Don't know if you are working on just graphics or improving the UI? If the latter a simple thing to add would be a mouse-over stacks. Say I am trying to find my Pz IVs but infantry counters are showing on the top of every stack. Yes I can click the 10 stacks but I can mouse over them a lot quicker.

[wiggum]

I am not really sure by how you are meaning UI (user interface - I guess short for gui as technically buttons are that and a text menu is a UI -just not graphical), Wiggum - as because when I use that term it would be regarding the buttons on the menu at the top of the screenshot that you used.

Yeah its more GUI then UI... 
Modifying the UI would most likely involve editing the .exe which is probably not legal anyway (at least if you make that file available to others).

Don't know if you are working on just graphics or improving the UI? If the latter a simple thing to add would be a mouse-over stacks. Say I am trying to find my Pz IVs but infantry counters are showing on the top of every stack. Yes I can click the 10 stacks but I can mouse over them a lot quicker.

A bit crude maybe but something similar would actually be possible if a dedicated graphic could be assigned to only the armor unit counters !
Maybe you should ask Strela about it.

[wiggum]

Hi !

I just uploaded v1.1 with many more artwork improvements !

New in v1.1:
- New artwork to indicate passengers inside a vehicle that gives you the information even if the unit is not on top of a stack
- New artwork to indicate broken units that gives you the information even if the unit is not on top of a stack
- New smoke artwork that looks more natural and less like cotton balls
- New better looking "movement-arrow" artwork
- New artwork to show bridge damage
- Tweaked road artwork to make primary roads easier to spot
- Tweaked artwork for zoomed out view
- New artwork for deception units

See the first screenshot...can you spot the "Broken" unit ?
(right click the image and choose "View graphic" or similar to see it full size)

[-72-]

Conceptually I like the idea about adding some white balance to the hexes to allow the units to stand out a little more. I will be experimenting with what I think is the right mix - but I am going there.

You did that really well.

[phoenix]

I think the artwork is really nice in the original, and this mod looks great. BUT, what I would like to see is map items scaled to better give an impression of scale. That's probably not very clear, but what I mean is that at the moment when you play PB you can get lulled very easily into thinking that you're fighting a very small scale tactical fight, because you naturally imagine that the buildings, houses, trees, hedges etc are all 'to scale'. But they're not, of course. The scale they are at looks like it might be roughly ok for a Squad Battles title. It would improve the representation of the battleground for me if the houses, trees, buildings, hedges, etc were all much smaller, much closer to the Jison mod images for Panzer Campaigns, for example, much closer to their actual scale. Just a suggestion. It's perfectly playable as it is, of course.

Peter

[Compass Rose]

Thanks for sharing your mod!