Creating a HUD sprite sheet... need some help

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

Hey guys. I'm pretty new at creating content for this game, and could use some pointers on how I can make a pretty simple mod.

I'm planning on making a font which resembles Sonic Adventure 2's HUD, but I have no idea how to actually create the mod. I'm fairly decent at making sprites and wanted to put my skills to the test by creating a mod to contribute to this game. However, I don't want to make any mistakes along the way. So, a few questions:

Is there a recommended size for the font?
How can I actually create this as a mod? I know how to make the sprites, just not how to make the file applicable to use in the game

Just to clarify, I don't need help making the actual content, just how to implement it into the game. I'd really love to make something people would enjoy using, so if I could get some help here that would be greatly appreciated!

Here's a preview of what I am working on for reference:

EDIT:

I have updated the font to closer reflect the size of SRB2's:

Plus some numbers now:

Feedback is appreciated!

EDIT 2: Another update to the HUD -

Added a shading effect to it. I kinda nabbed the palette from Mania, but I may change it. What do y'all think?

PencilVoid · May 12, 2020

The standard font is 8x8, and the tiny font is usually 5x7. The game identifies each character with a number in the lump name, you can check what these numbers are by opening srb2.pk3 with SLADE.

You'll also use SLADE to import the graphics, by creating a new archive and hitting the "import files" button. If you didn't set the filenames to the lump names SLADE will let you do so. You can leave the graphics in PNG format. Once you've got them in your wad/pk3 file just hit save and load it ingame.

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

PencilVoid said:
The standard font is 8x8, and the tiny font is usually 5x7. The game identifies each character with a number in the lump name, you can check what these numbers are by opening srb2.pk3 with SLADE.

You'll also use SLADE to import the graphics, by creating a new archive and hitting the "import files" button. If you didn't set the filenames to the lump names SLADE will let you do so. You can leave the graphics in PNG format. Once you've got them in your wad/pk3 file just hit save and load it ingame.

Cool! I'll keep this in mind.

Can I go beyond the initial font size for mine if I so choose?

PencilVoid · May 12, 2020

Solid SOAP said:
Can I go beyond the initial font size for mine if I so choose?

You can do so, but I haven't tested this yet so I don't know whether it results in letters being moved further apart so they all fit or the letters ovelapping.

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

PencilVoid said:
You can do so, but I haven't tested this yet so I don't know whether it results in letters being moved further apart so they all fit or the letters ovelapping.

Got it. Your reference to letters... do I need to make each letter a separate file? Or am I uploading each aspect of the font (Score, Time, etc.) each?

I posted a preview of what my font should look like. Please tell me what you think:

Too big? Too Small? Idk.

PencilVoid · May 12, 2020

Solid SOAP said:
Got it. Your reference to letters... do I need to make each letter a separate file? Or am I uploading each aspect of the font (Score, Time, etc.) each?

I posted a preview of what my font should look like. Please tell me what you think:

Too big? Too Small? Idk.

Ah, the Score-Time-Rings elements are seperate graphics. Each graphic contains a word (One graphic for Score, another for Time, etc.) The dimensions of these ones are a bit more flexible, but it's still a good idea to reference the base game sprites. Looking at that image, it might be a bit too big.

By the way, in the case of the fonts each character is its own graphic.

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

PencilVoid said:
Ah, the Score-Time-Rings elements are seperate graphics. Each graphic contains a word (One graphic for Score, another for Time, etc.) The dimensions of these ones are a bit more flexible, but it's still a good idea to reference the base game sprites. Looking at that image, it might be a bit too big.

By the way, in the case of the fonts each character is its own graphic.

Alright, got it. Will tailor to fit the game better.

Similarly, can I make the first letter in each word bigger than the rest? As you can see, "Score"'s uppercase "S" is bigger than the rest of the word.

PencilVoid · May 12, 2020

Solid SOAP said:
Similarly, can I make the first letter in each word bigger than the rest? As you can see, "Score"'s uppercase "S" is bigger than the rest of the word.

You can do anything with the Score-Time-Rings HUD really, since they use their own graphics. In my own mod I've given each a coloured background and a line that extends to underline the numbers.

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

PencilVoid said:
You can do anything with the Score-Time-Rings HUD really, since they use their own graphics. In my own mod I've given each a coloured background and a line that extends to underline the numbers.

Cool :) I'm trying to combine the visual identity of Sonic Adventure 2's main font for level transitions with the simplicity and color scheme of the current SRB2 HUD font.

Speaking of which, I updated mine to better reflect your feedback.

Does this size seem acceptable?

Do it still retain the visual identity of Sonic Adventure 2's font?

PencilVoid · May 12, 2020

Solid SOAP said:
Cool :) I'm trying to combine the visual identity of Sonic Adventure 2's main font for level transitions with the simplicity and color scheme of the current SRB2 HUD font.

Speaking of which, I updated mine to better reflect your feedback.

Does this size seem acceptable?

Do it still retain the visual identity of Sonic Adventure 2's font?

That size looks much better, and it's still recognisable as Sonic Adventure 2's font.

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

PencilVoid said:
That size looks much better, and it's still recognisable as Sonic Adventure 2's font.

Excellent. I made the rings and time now too :)

So, my next step will be to make the numbers. After that, I think there are end-of-level score related things too, plus the same for NiGHTS levels. Are there any sections I may be missing?

Icarus · May 12, 2020

Honestly this looks really promising (I always liked the SA2 font).

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

Icarus said:
Honestly this looks really promising (I always liked the SA2 font).

Thanks! I hope I can pull this off. I've literally never modded a game before.

I made a slight alteration:

Added some shinyness to it to reflect when you get good point combos in SA2. What do you think? I think the simple sprites look good and will be easier to read, but this is a better reflection of what I am trying to emulate. Plus, it gives it a bit more character.

In case it wasn't apparent, the red "Rings" is when you are at 0 rings.

Icarus · May 12, 2020

Solid SOAP said:
Thanks! I hope I can pull this off. I've literally never modded a game before.

I made a slight alteration:

Added some shinyness to it to reflect when you get good point combos in SA2. What do you think? I think the simple sprites look good and will be easier to read, but this is a better reflection of what I am trying to emulate. Plus, it gives it a bit more character.

In case it wasn't apparent, the red "Rings" is when you are at 0 rings.

I never modded a game either but the Doom Legacy Engine shouldn't be impossible to mod with.

On a side note it may inspire me to make a HUD mod as well (thanks to you).

I like the shading effect you put for the 0 rings (the HUD is clear enough for me)

Solid SOAP · May 12, 2020

Icarus said:
I never modded a game either but the Doom Legacy Engine shouldn't be impossible to mod with.

On a side note it may inspire me to make a HUD mod as well (thanks to you).

I like the shading effect you put for the 0 rings (the HUD is clear enough for me)

Awesome! That's great to hear :)

Do you know if theres any way to apply custom HUD elements for each character? So I'm thinking of doing something as a reflection of the loading screens from SA2:

Could I implement that spindash still as a different color depending upon the character being played as (e.g.; blue for Sonic, red for Knuckles, etc).

Icarus · May 13, 2020

I think there are tutorials but I'm not entirely sure (especially for the 2.2).

I would be fine with only the "base HUD" (the score/time/rings)

Solid SOAP · May 13, 2020

Icarus said:
I think there are tutorials but I'm not entirely sure (especially for the 2.2).

I would be fine with only the "base HUD" (the score/time/rings)

I'll keep an eye out for them. In the meantime though, I think I may actually use that idea for the implementing the spindash pose from SA2, but during the Act Clear page. So instead of the red triangle next to "Score Bonus" and "Time Bonus," I'd put a black spindash sprite that emulates the look from SA2. A neutral black so it can kinda reflect any character.

Anyway, small update:

Added a shading effect to it. I kinda nabbed the palette from Mania, so I may change it. What do y'all think?

Solid SOAP · May 13, 2020

PencilVoid said:
The standard font is 8x8, and the tiny font is usually 5x7. The game identifies each character with a number in the lump name, you can check what these numbers are by opening srb2.pk3 with SLADE.

You'll also use SLADE to import the graphics, by creating a new archive and hitting the "import files" button. If you didn't set the filenames to the lump names SLADE will let you do so. You can leave the graphics in PNG format. Once you've got them in your wad/pk3 file just hit save and load it ingame.

Alright, so I'm just about ready to import these graphics. I don't wanna mess anything up though, and would like some clarity.

I'm in SLADE and have viewed all the graphics available within the game. I created a new folder in the graphics section of the game labeled "SA2 HUD." I'm gonna import all my files into that. Am I on the right track?

PencilVoid · May 13, 2020

Solid SOAP said:
Alright, so I'm just about ready to import these graphics. I don't wanna mess anything up though, and would like some clarity.

I'm in SLADE and have viewed all the graphics available within the game. I created a new folder in the graphics section of the game labeled "SA2 HUD." I'm gonna import all my files into that. Am I on the right track?

That sounds right. To my knowledge the subfolders can be named anything as long as the top-level folder is named "Graphics".

Solid SOAP · May 13, 2020

PencilVoid said:
That sounds right. To my knowledge the subfolders can be named anything as long as the top-level folder is named "Graphics".

Alright, so I have run into a problem.

I am trying to open the game after making my PK3, but it says my file is corrupt. I deleted the PK3 and made a folder for it outside of SRB2, but the game still says it is corrupt. Do you know what I can do to fix this?

Creating a HUD sprite sheet... need some help

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