Re: Mountains for default tileset

[Matthias Grimm <matthias.grimm@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 17:03:54 +0000
Jens Granseuer <jensgr@xxxxxxx> wrote:

> On 21.02.2005 16:43, Matthias Grimm wrote:
> > On Sun, 20 Feb 2005 17:14:54 +0000
> > Jens Granseuer <jensgr@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> > 
> > > On 18.02.2005 20:57, Matthias Grimm wrote:
> > > > I added some of my mountains to the default tileset.
> > > > The bitmap and the patched default.tsrc file are attached.
> > > 
> > > A few comments:
> > 
> > Sorry, drawing tiles is not an technical act like building a program
> > or
> > repairing a car. It's some sort of art. If you think you could do
> > better mountains in gray, draw them. With other words: Take the
> > montains as they are or let it.
> > 
> > I draw the tiles because it's fun for me and I like your game and
> > want
> > to push it forward but I'm not a unemployed professional graphics
> > designer with a lot of spare time. If you have better tiles, good.
> > If
> > you don't have better tiles I offer you mine. If you don't want
> > them,
> > say it and I won't bother you again.
> 
> I believe I can say I know about that since I painted many of
> the current tiles. I also don't know if you meant to sound as
> harsh as you did but I think there is no reason for that. The
> suggestions I made are points at least some of which I feel
> have to be dealt with before the tiles can be integrated with
> the default set. I can certainly understand if you say you can't
> or don't want to do the modifications, and that's fine. In fact,
> stuff like that is useful even if it isn't used right away
> because it can be help and inspiration to others.
> 
> If you don't object I will try a few experiments starting from
> your images when my gimp has recovered. With my limited graphical
> skills I can't predict the results, but who knows.
> 
> Anyway, I want to make clear that this has nothing to do with
> "bothering me" or anything like that. You are welcome (even
> encouraged) to propose new tiles. If I (or enough of the other
> lurkers) think something is worth including we'll do that. If
> we don't you may get a number of things people think could be
> improved. Whether you actually do that is up to you, and if
> you refuse maybe someone else picks up the ball. That's just
> the way projects like this work. (I've rejected a fair share
> of my own designs. And if the other guys involved with the
> project shout me down I might even give in and include
> something I rejected at first.)

The point here is that I spent a lot of time creating these tiles. They
are not perfect but quite usable and they might be improved later. So I
thought it would be a nice idea to complete the default tileset and
sent it to the list.

And then I read as your very first reaction that the new tiles doesn't
fit in the default tileset and that I should remove (you said replace)
all of them. I don't think that it was your intention but this
sounds to me like: "Your work is not worth to be part of my project.
What the hell are you doing?". I missed the respect for the time and
work every contributor deserves I think. Contributors to my projects
always got this respect from me alone for the fact that they tried to
participate. It's a question of motivation.

I think your problem is that you first see the imperfectly things, work
that could be done better instead of taking it as they is, accepting 
their errors but also seeing their richness and chances to push the
project a small step further, even for your own work. If you want a
perfect game with the best graphics of the world, hire a professional
team of 50 persons and spent a 50 million euros. But this game wouldn't
have any personallity, any identity. It's just a product. This is not
the way how developing programs in the community works. The journey is
the reward here and this includes that the road you are walking on
change its direction (sometimes).

After we clarified this let us come to some project issues.
1. The big mountain looks a little bit smooth, I know and I wasn't
completely confident with it. But I haven't another one yet and other
tiles have to be drawn first.

2. The medium mountain doesn't look odd. The form is forced by the
hexagon form of the tiles. See it as crest with a main summit and two
smaller peaks.

3. The mountains fit very well in the default tileset. Grass has to be
green, mountains have to be brown with snow cap. You can read this in
every childrens book. :-)

4. There are no mountains in the default tileset yet. I think it's much
better to have not fully perfect mountains than no mountains in the
tileset. Furthermore there a tiles much worse in the tileset ;-)

Best Regards
  Matthias