FreeOrion

Thanks.

IIRC the Gyisache have fingers on their eyestalks. That detail is just too small for the icon.

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That's right ... it's been so long

I think they're awesome, but isn't the game of a rather serious character, meaning it contains only biologically/physically realistic lifeforms? Part of the icons are conceivable animals and robots, but others look like cartoon characters to me.

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No, this game does not strive for realism.

Anyway, nobody agrees on what realistic would be in the xenobiological realm. Though at least i've clearly avoided the 90% anthropoid biped line-up that you usually see.

I'm primarily motivated by visual necessities: making each icon simple and unique enough that it can be distinguished from all the others at small sizes. The visual techniques required for this have a lot in common with the techniques of cartoon-ifying something.

My secondary goals are alternatively to a) make original aliens, and b) hit most of the popular alien archetypes that many players would want for their custom species.


EDIT: that said, I freely admit the quality and style varies somewhat between icons as I've been trying to find the right ballance between time and quality, detail and readability.

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An update.



The icons highlighted with purple are recommended to those who want a jumping-off place for writing up a new species. But of course you can use any of them not in the top 2 rows.

Total: 126

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I did some testing of various 500 star galaxies. With species and planets set to high, the number of planets seldom got much above 1600. While stars may have 10 planets most don't, and "no_stars" & black holes, usually have none.
If we assume Gas Giants and Asteroids will be equally plentiful compared to the other planet types (currently they are much more common), that leave ~1300 planets habitable for natives.

Assuming at most a 20% chance of a native on any given planet, there could be a maximum of ~ 260 inhabited planets in the game. That only requires me to double the number of icons to make every one unique. That's reasonably possible before 1.0.

Of course I'd like more detailed images for the 'Pedia, and Diplomacy, which is a much larger job than the icons. But i think it is important to start with the icons, because if you start big, it would be very easy to end up with a bunch of species who cannot be distinguished at icon size.

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