I propose animation option replacing big icons (58x64)

Do you want animated icons 58X64 in VCMI?

  • Yes
  • No

0 voters

I looked at beta-screens of Heroes 3 and remembered my old idea:
http://www.cd4you.ru/graf/screenshot_b/1006_s2_b.jpg

I suggest an option in configuration files, that will replace creature icons (58X64) with runtime resized animation.
How it should work?
VCMI takes creature background 100X130, resizes it to 58X64, then takes frames from creature DEF and also resizes them to show on background.
I suppose, there can be shown frame groups like “standing”, “walking”, maybe “mouse over”

Why do this?

  1. There is a hell of creatures DEFs. But most of them luck icons. User can export frame from DEF, resize it to 58X64. But there is color noir around creature. So user can handly correct this. Most of them will not, so I also don’t want to spend hours and days correcting icons.
    This option should make life easier.
  2. If there is an icon of creature, usually it has no background. Or you moved creature to some town, but icon stays from old town. So back to article 1.
  3. This will make interface more lively. And it will be easier to distinguish creatures. Because standart creatures are easily recognized by player. And new are not yet, so user have to enter creature to look for it’s animation.

PS I don’t know if this can be applied to small icons (it’s more difficult to resize DEFs to 32X32). Maybe somebody proposes this also.
PPS Maybe take only first frame from “standing”, resize and show it on small icon place?

I like the idea, but it should be an option that can be disabled

Yes, the option, of cause.

Why? Would look annoying if always active, and just pointless if only on mouse hover (especially since if you hover you’re probably going to click)

I guess, this could be used for no-icon creatures.
Or optional: mouse-over, and you see the animation.

Overall, I like the idea.

called Master of Puppets: