Post by thorneel on Jan 18, 2024 13:58:02 GMT -7
Better Looking Start 1.1.1.zip (366.6 KB)
Compatible with FTL Multiverse 3.4.1
github.com/Thorneel/Better-Looking-Start/releases
A simple submod affecting the starting beacon:
- The hangar door is now aligned with the ship
In the hangar screen and in game at the starting beacon, the ship is not actually at the same vertical position. The image used in the starting beacon is shifted downwards to match the in-game position of the ship, with the new upper part of the image created by taking elements and inspiration from the rest of the image. Animated elements are similarly shifted downwards to keep their relative position.
- The ship moves to outer space before jumping
Jumping directly from the hangar looks odd for multiple reasons. To avoid this, upon clicking "jump", the background is changed for a space background, from which the ship will actually proceed to jump next time you click "jump". Should you ever jump back to the starting beacon later, this will also show the outer space background instead of the hangar background.
- Empty beacon operations are proposed after moving to outer space
Once you are finished with the starting choices, the empty beacon operations choice is initially skipped until you first click "jump" and, as previously mentioned, the background changes to outer space. Following a text mentioning that you moved at a safe jumping distance, you are then given the empty beacon operations choice. This way, it avoids the awkwardness of proceeding to deep space operations while in the middle of a busy hangar.
Known limitations:
- If you are using another submod changing the start, they will probably not be compatible and one will overwrite the other. You will need to modify this mod to follow the other submod.
- The new upper part of the image was put together with kitbashing from the rest of the image and with new drawing, but the result may not please everyone. If you wish to improve on it, it was done with paint.net and the .pdn file still exists if you need it.
- The outer space background simply reuses a space background image. It looks somewhat different from what can be seen through the hangar window, for which I could not find a background looking closer among the existing ones. If you do happen to know one or have access to the original image that was used for it, it could improve the looks.
- The warp station is not visible in the outer space background. This is due to both technical and artwork-making limitations.
The technical limitation prevents me from adding a planet or a fleet after a background change. I have tried to add them at the start and then hide them under full-screen background objects for the hyperspace and hangar backgrounds, but could not get a full-screen background object to work there for some reason. I could also simply add it on the image used for background, but this makes it static during jump, which I would prefer avoiding for the one place at the first jump for literally all runs.
The artwork limitations is that I haven't managed to put a satisfactory warp station image together so far. I have a generic large Federation station, with neither a visible hangar door as seen from the outside, nor something looking like a warp installation, and I have yet to manage getting either of those right. At least one of the two is needed, I think, to make it actually look unique, like the starting beacon Warp Station should.
Help on either of those points would be welcome, of course.
Still, despite those limitations, I still think it is an improvement from the existing start, and hopefully so will you.
if you wish to add it to your own submod, you are free to do so with mention.
All art from the base game, Multiverse mod, or original (which means cobbled together from the former two for the most part)
Feedback welcome, including on any bug or issues you encounter with it.
Current version: 1.1.1
Older versions:
1.1
1.0
Compatible with FTL Multiverse 3.4.1
github.com/Thorneel/Better-Looking-Start/releases
A simple submod affecting the starting beacon:
- The hangar door is now aligned with the ship
In the hangar screen and in game at the starting beacon, the ship is not actually at the same vertical position. The image used in the starting beacon is shifted downwards to match the in-game position of the ship, with the new upper part of the image created by taking elements and inspiration from the rest of the image. Animated elements are similarly shifted downwards to keep their relative position.
- The ship moves to outer space before jumping
Jumping directly from the hangar looks odd for multiple reasons. To avoid this, upon clicking "jump", the background is changed for a space background, from which the ship will actually proceed to jump next time you click "jump". Should you ever jump back to the starting beacon later, this will also show the outer space background instead of the hangar background.
- Empty beacon operations are proposed after moving to outer space
Once you are finished with the starting choices, the empty beacon operations choice is initially skipped until you first click "jump" and, as previously mentioned, the background changes to outer space. Following a text mentioning that you moved at a safe jumping distance, you are then given the empty beacon operations choice. This way, it avoids the awkwardness of proceeding to deep space operations while in the middle of a busy hangar.
Known limitations:
- If you are using another submod changing the start, they will probably not be compatible and one will overwrite the other. You will need to modify this mod to follow the other submod.
- The new upper part of the image was put together with kitbashing from the rest of the image and with new drawing, but the result may not please everyone. If you wish to improve on it, it was done with paint.net and the .pdn file still exists if you need it.
- The outer space background simply reuses a space background image. It looks somewhat different from what can be seen through the hangar window, for which I could not find a background looking closer among the existing ones. If you do happen to know one or have access to the original image that was used for it, it could improve the looks.
- The warp station is not visible in the outer space background. This is due to both technical and artwork-making limitations.
The technical limitation prevents me from adding a planet or a fleet after a background change. I have tried to add them at the start and then hide them under full-screen background objects for the hyperspace and hangar backgrounds, but could not get a full-screen background object to work there for some reason. I could also simply add it on the image used for background, but this makes it static during jump, which I would prefer avoiding for the one place at the first jump for literally all runs.
The artwork limitations is that I haven't managed to put a satisfactory warp station image together so far. I have a generic large Federation station, with neither a visible hangar door as seen from the outside, nor something looking like a warp installation, and I have yet to manage getting either of those right. At least one of the two is needed, I think, to make it actually look unique, like the starting beacon Warp Station should.
Help on either of those points would be welcome, of course.
Still, despite those limitations, I still think it is an improvement from the existing start, and hopefully so will you.
if you wish to add it to your own submod, you are free to do so with mention.
All art from the base game, Multiverse mod, or original (which means cobbled together from the former two for the most part)
Feedback welcome, including on any bug or issues you encounter with it.
Current version: 1.1.1
Older versions:
1.1
1.0