Idk if this counts, but making a simple pack? lol :tongue.gif:
Umm...blurring?
Or not tiling correctly, or using the brush tool instead of the pencil tool. Or choosing colors that are harsh on the eyes (I suffer from migraines, so this one is especially annoying to me).
Oh, I also see a lot of confusion when it comes to the sides of grass, but I know you already have that covered.
I would like to offer my topic of "Mob Skin Templates" to help others in making mob skins.
I have just asked for it to be moved from Modding Discussion to Texture Discussion so it will be in the right place (not sure if that will change the link though.)
I am currently reworking it to include PDN and PSD files and other information too.
Also, I have done the research to find where the textures for the fences, buttons, switches and other item get their texture from (yes, terrain.png, but the specific pixel ranges.) Will post that soon in a new topic.
-Updated outline has been added. Includes many of the suggestions given.
-I am planning to seek an interview with someone at Mojang to pin down exactly what the numbers are behind determining the rainfall/temperature of a biome, and where those numbers place it on the biome color pngs.
-In light of the fact that this guide will end up being far more enormous than anticipated, I will not attempt to complete all the sections in time for my college project. Please note that they will still be done, but not necessarily in the order listed on the outline. More advanced techniques (such as bump-mapping) will come later.
And, as always, please provide feedback. :smile.gif:
I would love to get all the hard data about the biome color pngs from mojang. Then maybe it wouldn't take so much trial and error to make good ones. (Especially since they just changed it all on us! >.>) Another thing to ask in that regard would be which biomes will spawn next to other ones, as it seems that there are less limits on that than in the past which may be the cause of some of the extreme color changes. Basically just the data of which spot on the png goes with which biome is helpful, but knowing which ones are border spots too and what biomes they border between is almost more helpful. Honestly I would settle for another map of the triangle showing each biome (if that is still applicable with the chance that any biome can border any other biome) but the more detail you can get here the better. =)
Also since not all of it will be completed for your college project, I'm sure there are plenty of people here who would love to help out for certain sections. (If you had certain sections in mind)
On to your next questions:
1)What are the most common 'noob' mistakes that you see? How can they be avoided?
The most common 'noob' mistake that I can think of that could actually be considered a mistake instead of preference is tiling issues. Only three ways I've figured out to avoid them. One is to move your image around while you are making it to check the edges match. (by like cutting and pasting the block and moving it then pasting again to line up if that makes sense) The second is to paste it into another window that's set up 48x48 (since I use 16x16) and place nine in a square and check the tiling. The third is to actually load it up into the world and test it in game then figure out fixes from there.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a more common mistake, that's just the one I can think of atm. (Also one that I'm not guilty of, as I don't have ways to avoid those, such as abusing the noise filter >.> - would love to hear good ways to avoid that, like that texture you posted early in the thread, I have no idea how to make something like that without noise)
2)What are some annoying and hard-to-debug errors? (such as almost transparent stray pixels) How do you go about fixing these errors?
Hmmm I can't think of any errors to debug besides the mentioned stray pixels and easy to fix such as not having the patcher installed or missing an item on your file because of an update. I'll list how to fix these though.
For the stray pixels, it's a pretty easy fix, I just go around with the select tool and select all the ones that are supposed to be empty and then hit the delete key. Solves those real easy. Patcher, get the patcher easy enough. If it's a user having the problem, I just direct them to that thread and let them deal with it. >.> =b
The best way to fix missing things from an update is to just stay on top of what gets added in the update. (For example the dripping water and lava particles in the 1.9 -- I almost missed them but I knew they were supposed to be there so I pulled some together real quick) Otherwise you just rely on noticing things missing or having someone mention somethings missing.
-Updated outline has been added. Includes many of the suggestions given.
-I am planning to seek an interview with someone at Mojang to pin down exactly what the numbers are behind determining the rainfall/temperature of a biome, and where those numbers place it on the biome color pngs.
-In light of the fact that this guide will end up being far more enormous than anticipated, I will not attempt to complete all the sections in time for my college project. Please note that they will still be done, but not necessarily in the order listed on the outline. More advanced techniques (such as bump-mapping) will come later.
And, as always, please provide feedback. :smile.gif:
I don't want to get your hopes down, but you may have more luck talking with a modder who plays with the biome code.
1)What are the most common 'noob' mistakes that you see? How can they be avoided?
I think the most common mistake is assuming that a texture pack will come together in a day. Most of the issues that can be found with new texture packs is driven by this idea that you can throw together a high quality pack very quickly. This lack of diligence cause issue like poor tiling and poor color choice.
Another mistake is the assumption that your pack, if it is good enough, will become instantly popular. I think this last mistake is even more common that the first. You and I both know it takes months for packs to become known. To be quite frank Enchanted's notoriety is a bit unusual. In three months you went from almost unheard of to one of the most well known people on the texture forum. However, even that took three months. Speaking from personal experience, it takes A LOT of work. I am well known because I wanted to be well known. I Spend WAY too much time on the forums because I want people to know who I am. Sadly, my packs are not popular at all. Despite all that I have done.
The best way for people to get things out there is to advertise. I made a banner a week after I posted Impressions and then began posting on as many texture pack threads as I could. Most of my motivation was selfish. I wanted to get my name and my pack out there and I wanted to gain the respect of the community. I did that by posting and average of 20 posts a day. Giving as much constructive feedback as I could in as many threads as I could.
Four Months later, my packs are still pretty much unknown but I am not. Hopefully getting Impressions on the texture pack central will help with that.
2)What are some annoying and hard-to-debug errors? (such as almost transparent stray pixels) How do you go about fixing these errors?
Fonts. I don't get them. I have spent more time trying to get my font to work than any other one thing in my pack. (except maybe cobble). As for fixing them? No ****ing clue.
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"Look, I don't care if your 8 or 20. If you can't take criticism or opinions, then get off the internet." -Stronghold257
1)What are the most common 'noob' mistakes that you see? How can they be avoided?
Terrible ****ing tiling. You look at noob textures all the time and see implied (or outright) lines and patterns all over them because they're simply amazed that something they made is in a game. Avoiding it is as simple as setting up a 3x3 grid of your texture. I have a program, Pixen, that I use to do it fast, but it isn't true to color for some unknown reason, so I only use it to check tiling.
2)What are some annoying and hard-to-debug errors? (such as almost transparent stray pixels) How do you go about fixing these errors?
Things like the wooden plank texture (annoying). It is used in planks, stairs, fences, half blocks, and it has to look good, or at least passable, for all of them. I did once have the trouble of lining up textures, but I turned on snapping and haven't looked back.
Another thing I'd like to see is a bit more in-depth on the gui sprites -- the main one I'm thinking of is icons.png (why do we need 4 sprites for the heart container icon when it only uses 2?) but more tips/tricks/info about the gui stuff would be handy.
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What use is an ear that does not hear, or a mouth that does not speak?
Another thing I'd like to see is a bit more in-depth on the gui sprites -- the main one I'm thinking of is icons.png (why do we need 4 sprites for the heart container icon when it only uses 2?) but more tips/tricks/info about the gui stuff would be handy.
That's actually one of the things I wanted to do in the 'beyond the terrain png' section. I definitely think that's something that needs to be spelled out.
@Kabonos, 42and19, Vexx, atempesT, anyone else who replied: Thanks for your feedback. Your responses have been noted. :smile.gif:
i raelly like this idea i was looking for something like this everywhere. i am checking this every day to see if something new was added. soo can you please write at the bottom or so when you last edited this post? would me much more easy for everyone :smile.gif:
I can do that. I'll add a line to the OP next time I update noting the date.
EDIT: But please be aware that this is not a week-long project. It's going to take about 2 months to get the bulk of it done. But I think you'll find that the wait is worth it. :wink.gif:
Actually, hard-to-debug stuff... Hmm... The only thing is stray pixels... The easiest way to do this is just go over the texture with the problem with an eraser at 1px "pencil" setting, erasing everything. Alternatively, just get the rectangle selector tool and carefully select everything that SHOULD be transparent and press the delete key.
I can't think of any hard-to-debug stuff except for planks working for fences and such -- I make the planks vertical and offset by about 4px from what they normally are so as to fit the fence well -- the rest sort of fits together anyway.
f. Texture variations **Leave this out to encourage less copying and greater creativity?**
- Different types of foliage (broad leaves versus small leaves, moss versus vines, etc.)
- Examples of different types of chests/beds/jukeboxes/etc.
This is definitely a section that could inhibit creativity depending on how it's put together. I don't know if it necessarily needs to be completely scrapped though. Perhaps you could show or just mention for the chests different additions you can add to it, say leather bound corners and straps, metal strap like thingys, indented panels, then maybe show just a couple examples and how you can mix and match. Maybe just turning it more into a discussion of possible ways to design the blocks with a couple examples and ways to come up with more ideas by finding images to base them off of. (like googling for pictures of chests or leaves)
This is definitely a section that could inhibit creativity depending on how it's put together. I don't know if it necessarily needs to be completely scrapped though. Perhaps you could show or just mention for the chests different additions you can add to it, say leather bound corners and straps, metal strap like thingys, indented panels, then maybe show just a couple examples and how you can mix and match. Maybe just turning it more into a discussion of possible ways to design the blocks with a couple examples and ways to come up with more ideas by finding images to base them off of. (like googling for pictures of chests or leaves)
Hm...good point. I'll have to think about how to give examples without inadvertently constraining people to those variations...
Actually, hard-to-debug stuff... Hmm... The only thing is stray pixels... The easiest way to do this is just go over the texture with the problem with an eraser at 1px "pencil" setting, erasing everything. Alternatively, just get the rectangle selector tool and carefully select everything that SHOULD be transparent and press the delete key.
Well, all of my points have already been adressed, however I would say
cutting corners (such as not detailing, tiling, and lazy filtering)
making simple packs
breaking forum rules (stealing textures/ modifying others textures)
Not thinking realistically (lighting, shading, detail, etc)
2. What are some difficult things to fix while texturing? How do you fix them?
Well with your example you gave (hardly noticable transparent pixels) I use the "threshold alpha" option under "transparencies" in the "layers" tab in GIMP (IDK about photoshop), then I select a location, change the threshold so it is higher than all unwanted transparent pixels, and just click ok. I really do not have any other problems off the top of my head, but thats probably because it has become second nature to me by now. If I think of any more Ill be sure to edit.
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Im making myself a new signature soon, but im les tired.
I'll back the tiling as the #1 mistake..(I'm horrible about it) also when using a filter to make a texture seamless, not cleaning up any lines that may be made in the process. (also guilty..lol)
I might be able to have the overview of all the blocks on the terrain png up by tonight. It's taking longer than I thought though, so it might have to wait until tomorrow.
Idk if this counts, but making a simple pack? lol :tongue.gif:
Umm...blurring?
Or not tiling correctly, or using the brush tool instead of the pencil tool. Or choosing colors that are harsh on the eyes (I suffer from migraines, so this one is especially annoying to me).
Oh, I also see a lot of confusion when it comes to the sides of grass, but I know you already have that covered.
I have just asked for it to be moved from Modding Discussion to Texture Discussion so it will be in the right place (not sure if that will change the link though.)
I am currently reworking it to include PDN and PSD files and other information too.
Also, I have done the research to find where the textures for the fences, buttons, switches and other item get their texture from (yes, terrain.png, but the specific pixel ranges.) Will post that soon in a new topic.
Not sure how to skin a mob? Check my mob skin thread.
I would love to get all the hard data about the biome color pngs from mojang. Then maybe it wouldn't take so much trial and error to make good ones. (Especially since they just changed it all on us! >.>) Another thing to ask in that regard would be which biomes will spawn next to other ones, as it seems that there are less limits on that than in the past which may be the cause of some of the extreme color changes. Basically just the data of which spot on the png goes with which biome is helpful, but knowing which ones are border spots too and what biomes they border between is almost more helpful. Honestly I would settle for another map of the triangle showing each biome (if that is still applicable with the chance that any biome can border any other biome) but the more detail you can get here the better. =)
Also since not all of it will be completed for your college project, I'm sure there are plenty of people here who would love to help out for certain sections. (If you had certain sections in mind)
On to your next questions:
1)What are the most common 'noob' mistakes that you see? How can they be avoided?
The most common 'noob' mistake that I can think of that could actually be considered a mistake instead of preference is tiling issues. Only three ways I've figured out to avoid them. One is to move your image around while you are making it to check the edges match. (by like cutting and pasting the block and moving it then pasting again to line up if that makes sense) The second is to paste it into another window that's set up 48x48 (since I use 16x16) and place nine in a square and check the tiling. The third is to actually load it up into the world and test it in game then figure out fixes from there.
I wouldn't be surprised if there was a more common mistake, that's just the one I can think of atm. (Also one that I'm not guilty of, as I don't have ways to avoid those, such as abusing the noise filter >.> - would love to hear good ways to avoid that, like that texture you posted early in the thread, I have no idea how to make something like that without noise)
2)What are some annoying and hard-to-debug errors? (such as almost transparent stray pixels) How do you go about fixing these errors?
Hmmm I can't think of any errors to debug besides the mentioned stray pixels and easy to fix such as not having the patcher installed or missing an item on your file because of an update. I'll list how to fix these though.
For the stray pixels, it's a pretty easy fix, I just go around with the select tool and select all the ones that are supposed to be empty and then hit the delete key. Solves those real easy. Patcher, get the patcher easy enough. If it's a user having the problem, I just direct them to that thread and let them deal with it. >.> =b
The best way to fix missing things from an update is to just stay on top of what gets added in the update. (For example the dripping water and lava particles in the 1.9 -- I almost missed them but I knew they were supposed to be there so I pulled some together real quick) Otherwise you just rely on noticing things missing or having someone mention somethings missing.
Donate to help me buy people Minecraft accounts!
I don't want to get your hopes down, but you may have more luck talking with a modder who plays with the biome code.
But yeah, totally try anyway.
LULZ
I think the most common mistake is assuming that a texture pack will come together in a day. Most of the issues that can be found with new texture packs is driven by this idea that you can throw together a high quality pack very quickly. This lack of diligence cause issue like poor tiling and poor color choice.
Another mistake is the assumption that your pack, if it is good enough, will become instantly popular. I think this last mistake is even more common that the first. You and I both know it takes months for packs to become known. To be quite frank Enchanted's notoriety is a bit unusual. In three months you went from almost unheard of to one of the most well known people on the texture forum. However, even that took three months. Speaking from personal experience, it takes A LOT of work. I am well known because I wanted to be well known. I Spend WAY too much time on the forums because I want people to know who I am. Sadly, my packs are not popular at all. Despite all that I have done.
The best way for people to get things out there is to advertise. I made a banner a week after I posted Impressions and then began posting on as many texture pack threads as I could. Most of my motivation was selfish. I wanted to get my name and my pack out there and I wanted to gain the respect of the community. I did that by posting and average of 20 posts a day. Giving as much constructive feedback as I could in as many threads as I could.
Four Months later, my packs are still pretty much unknown but I am not. Hopefully getting Impressions on the texture pack central will help with that.
2)What are some annoying and hard-to-debug errors? (such as almost transparent stray pixels) How do you go about fixing these errors?
Fonts. I don't get them. I have spent more time trying to get my font to work than any other one thing in my pack. (except maybe cobble). As for fixing them? No ****ing clue.
Terrible ****ing tiling. You look at noob textures all the time and see implied (or outright) lines and patterns all over them because they're simply amazed that something they made is in a game. Avoiding it is as simple as setting up a 3x3 grid of your texture. I have a program, Pixen, that I use to do it fast, but it isn't true to color for some unknown reason, so I only use it to check tiling.
2)What are some annoying and hard-to-debug errors? (such as almost transparent stray pixels) How do you go about fixing these errors?
Things like the wooden plank texture (annoying). It is used in planks, stairs, fences, half blocks, and it has to look good, or at least passable, for all of them. I did once have the trouble of lining up textures, but I turned on snapping and haven't looked back.
That's actually one of the things I wanted to do in the 'beyond the terrain png' section. I definitely think that's something that needs to be spelled out.
@Kabonos, 42and19, Vexx, atempesT, anyone else who replied: Thanks for your feedback. Your responses have been noted. :smile.gif:
I can do that. I'll add a line to the OP next time I update noting the date.
EDIT: But please be aware that this is not a week-long project. It's going to take about 2 months to get the bulk of it done. But I think you'll find that the wait is worth it. :wink.gif:
I can't think of any hard-to-debug stuff except for planks working for fences and such -- I make the planks vertical and offset by about 4px from what they normally are so as to fit the fence well -- the rest sort of fits together anyway.
Donate to help me buy people Minecraft accounts!
This is definitely a section that could inhibit creativity depending on how it's put together. I don't know if it necessarily needs to be completely scrapped though. Perhaps you could show or just mention for the chests different additions you can add to it, say leather bound corners and straps, metal strap like thingys, indented panels, then maybe show just a couple examples and how you can mix and match. Maybe just turning it more into a discussion of possible ways to design the blocks with a couple examples and ways to come up with more ideas by finding images to base them off of. (like googling for pictures of chests or leaves)
Hm...good point. I'll have to think about how to give examples without inadvertently constraining people to those variations...
I use masks for this.
1. What are some common "noob" mistakes you see?
Well, all of my points have already been adressed, however I would say
2. What are some difficult things to fix while texturing? How do you fix them?
Well with your example you gave (hardly noticable transparent pixels) I use the "threshold alpha" option under "transparencies" in the "layers" tab in GIMP (IDK about photoshop), then I select a location, change the threshold so it is higher than all unwanted transparent pixels, and just click ok. I really do not have any other problems off the top of my head, but thats probably because it has become second nature to me by now. If I think of any more Ill be sure to edit.
I might be able to have the overview of all the blocks on the terrain png up by tonight. It's taking longer than I thought though, so it might have to wait until tomorrow.
Irritating things. Following the default's style gave me some interesting leaves, but useless needles :/
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