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Author Topic: Which graphics pack to use, and how?  (Read 37762 times)

wilbefast

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Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« on: June 09, 2010, 06:36:26 am »

 :o Noob here,

This is my third attempt to get into Dwarf Fortress. This time round I've got myself the 0.31.05 version for Linux running on my Ubuntu 10.02 64bit (a few 32bit libraries later). I figured I'd get a graphics pack though, because the game is complicated enough without worrying about what that 'g' represents, and why it just made my 'c' disappear.
Trouble is there's a whole bunch of graphics packs to choose from, and I'm at a total loss as to which to use. Could somebody give me a few pros and cons? Which, for example, is the most complete?

Also "Stonesense" looks cool, but I have no idea how to run it on Linux: I can't seem to track down an appropriate executable. As for the other, "normal", graphics packs, I can't find any resources explaining how to install them. Phobos' pack helpfully suggests I "patch" (what? with what?) but that's about it. I figure you copy "raw" into "raw" and then you fiddle with "init.txt" until you break the game. Then you reinstall the game and repeat until giving up and post on a forum instead  ::)

Help would be much appreciated!


William
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yarr

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2010, 07:46:18 am »

http://mayday.w.staszic.waw.pl/df.php

This is pretty much the standard graphics pack everyone is using (because it's great) :)

OK, there is another one floating on this forum, IIRC it was a thread in the modding forum, which also looks good, but I forgot the name.
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Ironhand

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2010, 10:24:11 am »

Phoebus' is the one you're thinking of, I think. It's gotten pretty popular recently.

I'm making a graphics set of my own, actually!
Check it out if you want, but know that right now it's pretty much the LEAST complete.  ::)

There's a list of graphics sets on the wiki here.

Anyway, welcome to the forum, and I hope you manage to enjoy the game this time!
Third time's a charm, yes?
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Mr. GOH!

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #3 on: June 10, 2010, 01:51:08 am »

As an alternative to the Mayday pack, here's a link to Phoebus's graphics pack. I like the Phoebus graphics for dwarves a lot more than Mayday's. I also think that it's easier to differentiate between different ores and rocks with the Phoebus set.

But take your pick! Whichever leads you to enjoy DF the most is the correct pack for you.

I do wish Beefmo had finished his graphics pack; those were some kick-ass dwarf and goblin graphics, IIRC.

Edit: Here's the link: http://dffd.wimbli.com/file.php?id=2430

 As for installing it, just follow the directions provided. If all else fails, the .zip archive contains the necessary files in the correct folders, so just go through it and move the files from the folders in the .zip to the corresponding folders in your dwarf fortress directory.

« Last Edit: June 10, 2010, 01:55:13 am by Mr. GOH! »
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wilbefast

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2010, 01:34:28 pm »

Okay - Phoebus' sounds like a good choice. Not sure how to install it on Linux though: it's not just a matter of putting the files in the right place, because the game still run in ASCII. Surely there got to be a way of setting it up if you've got hold of the image files. Any ideas  ???

I've been making progress playing the actual game though. Then I accidentally deleted my savegame. This is not as fun as playing badly  :'(

This is my fortress:



The in-game tutorial got me this far, but I can't figure out how to make furniture ("bed requires bed" is helpful) so my dwarves are all eating off their laps and sleeping on the floor in the corner of the meeting hall. I made them two workshops but they don't seem to feel like making me any furniture. Also I made 4 dwarves miners but only 2 of them ever did any work: the other two are apparently too lazy.

The only thing they seem to enjoy doing is digging holes, so I decided to tunnel down. Can't quite figure out how to change the elevation though :-S
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Cruxador

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2010, 01:50:08 pm »

To make the furniture, you must query the workshops (press [q] and move the cursor to it) and select the furniture you want to make. The interface will then, as always, tell you what buttons do what. Note that this will still require one or more dwarves with the carpentry labor enabled.

Probably the reason that only two dwarves are mining is because only two dwarves have picks.
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K4el

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #6 on: June 11, 2010, 02:03:44 pm »

:o Noob here,

This is my third attempt to get into Dwarf Fortress. This time round I've got myself the 0.31.05 version for Linux running on my Ubuntu 10.02 64bit (a few 32bit libraries later). I figured I'd get a graphics pack though, because the game is complicated enough without worrying about what that 'g' represents, and why it just made my 'c' disappear.
Trouble is there's a whole bunch of graphics packs to choose from, and I'm at a total loss as to which to use. Could somebody give me a few pros and cons? Which, for example, is the most complete?

Also "Stonesense" looks cool, but I have no idea how to run it on Linux: I can't seem to track down an appropriate executable. As for the other, "normal", graphics packs, I can't find any resources explaining how to install them. Phobos' pack helpfully suggests I "patch" (what? with what?) but that's about it. I figure you copy "raw" into "raw" and then you fiddle with "init.txt" until you break the game. Then you reinstall the game and repeat until giving up and post on a forum instead  ::)

Help would be much appreciated!


William

Personally when you're still getting into the game i recomend not using DT or Stonesense. Learn the game with out the utilities so you aren't overwhelmed by the craziness of the utilities interacting with the main game.

Personally, i stick with the DFG mayday set. It's awesome and he packages everything together very neatly so a new player won't have much head ache. The hardest part will be bring in your news saves and even that isn't very tough.

Deathworks

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #7 on: June 11, 2010, 02:27:56 pm »

Hi!

While the question was basically answered, allow me to explain the situation a bit in detail: Furniture (except for barrels and bins, as well as bags when used for seed or sand storage) in Dwarf Fortress is placed at set locations (and actually can claim the surrounding area as a room when you 'q'uery it). While a bed may exist in the game, it will not be used unless you have set a location for it. So, there are two important steps for putting a bed into use: Making the physical object and setting the physical object up for usage.

The 'b'uild command actually only does the location setting bit of the process. Thus, it can not work by itself.
The production of furniture is done in a carpenter's shop (wooden furniture), mason's shop (stone furniture), metalsmith's forge (metal furniture), leatherworks (leather bags), clothier (cloth bags), or glass furnace (glass furniture). As you have found out, that production is not automatized but has to be executed by you manually. So, the correct procedure is actually:
'q'uery the workshop that is to create the goods (this pauses the game).
'a'dd a new task to that workshop and follow the onscreen information to have it produce what you have in mind.
Leave the workshop query and thereby unpause the game.
Wait for a dwarf to execute the task (Very important, the object has to be in existance before you can place it!)
If you have a furniture stockpile, the new furniture may be claimed by the stockpile. In that case, you have to wait until a dwarf has moved it to the furniture stockpile before you can use the object (when an object is claimed for a task - like getting hauled to a stockpile - it can no longer be moved by the dwarves and not be designated for other tasks)
Once the piece of furniture has been created and is not tasked, use the 'b'uild command to tell your dwarves where to place the furniture.
A dwarf will put the furniture where it belongs.
'q'uery the furniture once the dwarf is finished, to see if there are things you can and maybe should change in its settings.


I hope you don't find this intruding but instead maybe helpful.

Deathworks

P.S.: Your screenshot shows ramps within the entrance of your fortress. Do you need those ramps (are they leading anywhere) or are they just leftovers? If the latter is the case, I recommend using the 'd'esignate menu and mark the ramps to be removed (I think it is 'z', but I am not absolutely sure). Removing ramps is also a mining task.
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Thief^

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #8 on: June 11, 2010, 02:36:31 pm »

Okay - Phoebus' sounds like a good choice. Not sure how to install it on Linux though: it's not just a matter of putting the files in the right place, because the game still run in ASCII. Surely there got to be a way of setting it up if you've got hold of the image files. Any ideas  ???

There are two applicable settings in init.txt. GRAPHICS:ON and FONT/FULLFONT/GRAPHICS_FONT/GRAPHICS_FULLFONT (which should be set to whatever file you put in data/art)
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wilbefast

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #9 on: June 11, 2010, 03:48:45 pm »

Thanks for all the help guys  :D

My second Fortress, "anus-act", is well underway. I've been documenting its rather incompetent history, but thus far everything seems to be going swimmingly. Here is a picture:



Thanks to the advice I've been able to build my dwarves a bed, table and chair each, and a set of doors for the entrance to the fortress. There's some kennels, a mason and carpenter shop and also a farmer and still (brewer?) shop. Now I'm really not sure what to do next  ::)

Anyway, this is a bit off topic: I've been periodically taking screenshots, so maybe I'll create another thread to showcase my inevitable failure.

As for the graphics, in a strange way now that I'm starting to work out what everything means, the idea of changing doesn't seem quite so attractive - I guess I'm worried I'll break my game now that I'm actually doing well (or so he thought) :o
Then again I can always copy-paste the directory and try it in there. Okay: let's give Phobos a try...


edit: okay so I did as Thief^ suggested:
Quote
[GRAPHICS:YES]

[GRAPHICS_WINDOWEDX:1280]

[GRAPHICS_WINDOWEDY:400]

[GRAPHICS_FONT:Phoebus_16x16.png]

[GRAPHICS_FULLSCREENX:1280]

[GRAPHICS_FULLSCREENY:800]

[GRAPHICS_FULLFONT:Phoebus_16x16.png]

[GRAPHICS_BLACK_SPACE:YES]

I seem to have the new graphics working, only despite having run the updater (with wine) I'm getting an error for my savegame:
scratch that - the error appears for a new game too :-S

Quote
Missing Creature Definition: FISH_RAY THORNBACK

Maybe I'll have to start again... ah well, I figure doors shouldn't be 2 wide, let alone 3. I'll know next time...
« Last Edit: June 11, 2010, 04:18:14 pm by wilbefast »
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Ironhand

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #10 on: June 11, 2010, 05:55:40 pm »

You also need to specify in your data/init/init.txt which tileset you're using.
That's the .png that you got from the graphics set.

I really don't understand why you don't just use a pre-packaged game, though.
My set, and Mike's, and Phoebus', and just about all of them are packaged already.
You should be able to just download it and start playing.
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Deon

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #11 on: June 11, 2010, 06:31:35 pm »

Do you have a linux version too, Ironhand? I didn't notice it :).

Quote
Missing Creature Definition: FISH_RAY THORNBACK
You have some changed raws here. Don't bother with raws yet.

Doors can be 2 wide, but not 3 wide.

Can you upload somewhere your whole linux folder? I can "fix" it :).
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Deathworks

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #12 on: June 11, 2010, 09:55:21 pm »

Hi!

Well, once you get used to the default graphics, there is no need to change in my opinion :) :) :)

Deathworks

EDIT: IMPORTANT

I am not 100% sure whether the Linux version allows exports of the local map (via the Escape menu during game play). If it does, I recommend you use that (which should allow you to make screenshots of any layers of the fortress you like. Then, you can convert those images to a map file and upload it at the map archive. This has the advantage that you have a host for the image and people can easily see the entirety of your fortress. Using the points of interest system, you can even point out crucial locations.

http://www.mkv25.net/dfma/
« Last Edit: June 12, 2010, 01:33:40 am by Deathworks »
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Ironhand

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #13 on: June 12, 2010, 07:18:48 am »

@Deon:

Oh, right. Uh... not yet. I will, though.
0.30 is gonna be the first release with a
version for each of the three OSes.
Or at least that's the plan.
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Sizik

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Re: Which graphics pack to use, and how?
« Reply #14 on: June 12, 2010, 07:39:46 am »

Quote
Missing Creature Definition: FISH_RAY THORNBACK
You have some changed raws here. Don't bother with raws yet.

Sounds like he's using a graphics pack intended for 40d. In 40d, it was [CREATURE:FISH_RAY THORNBACK], and in 0.31.01, it was corrected to [CREATURE:FISH_RAY_THORNBACK].
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