Negative Team colors are something that have gotten rather unnoticed: If only because of how "Interesting" it is to try to get them. However, I figured that I might as well go ahead and show off Negative team colors, as well as how to do them.
First, what you will want to do is open up the editor, then go to the Data tab. From there, you have two choices on how you want to go about it.
The Spoiler Below Contains Info for doing it on an actor.
First, head over to the actor Tab. After that, you will want to find an actor that you will want to have the color applied to, like a marine or a zergling. Then, you will want to open up that actor and go to their events. You will want to create a Set Team Color Actor message, preferrably messing with the HDR a little. After that, Go into XML view and put a minus sign after the HDR Number. An Example of this is the following:
This will net you a Unique Dark purple color upon the actor being created.
The Spoiler Below Contains Info for doing it on the actual team color.
This one is simpler than modifying the Actor directly.
What you will want to do is Find Gameplay Data under Edit Advanced Game Data.
After that, type in "Team" under the search bar on the right, and you should get the team colors. You can edit the HDR of them directly by entering in the negative value.
So, knowing how to do it is fine, but what do they look like?
The general rule is that diffuses typically don't get too crazy(Typically resulting in that darkened color look in the example, being a dark green), while Emissives tend to have this "Whiteout" of sorts happen to them(the white surrounded by the purple in stalker, same around the zealot's blades in first example). Inverted colors tend to be more vibrant, or, in some cases, darker, than using Low value HTML colors of the same value, as shown on Example 4, with the inverted colors on the right({0,34,34 -1} {0,34,34 -1}) and normal on the left({34,0,0 1} {34,0,0 1})
The actual values within them can be changed, leading to a more darkened color seen in examples 2 and 3: Not quite Dark grey, but nearing there. The third example has 00FFFF as Hex color(0,255,255 in Decimal color), with the other one having a Hex color of 002222(0,34,34 in Decimal color). They both have the Same HDR: -1.
It is generally not recommended to modify team colours unless you really have a reason to. They are not just highly standard between maps within StarCraft II, but between RTS games in general. Changing them for your map could confuse people.
Modding, and that is what we are doing here, is meant to create change from vanilla. From the standard.
Don't get me wrong, you don't always want to confuse the player, but if they are playing your map at all then they are already playing a non-standard map or mod. They should already have a baseline understanding that its going to have changes. Discovering and experiencing those changes is part of the fun, and part and parcel of playing a modded map to begin with.
Being forced to adhere to a preset genre standard is one of the things that can kill modding communities, and StarCraft2's editor is already afflicted with two of the other things. A Complicated Editor, and a lack of information on the Editors functions. The Wiki has done a decent job partially solving the second problem, but its not complete. So I will never be opposed to someone who presents more information on how to use the editor. Especially if that information is what the genre considers "non standard".
At the very least editing Team Colors is a great additional tool for making cinematics, or cut scenes.
Modding, and that is what we are doing here, is meant to create change from vanilla. From the standard.
One could also make octagon wheels for a car. Does not mean you should as they will not be better than round ones. Being different for the sake of being different is bad.
Blizzard puts a lot of effort into making their games user friendly. This includes testing on inferior displays and with colour blind people to make sure that action is still clearly visible. Chances are your mods will not be made with such care and consideration and so changes made can end up decreasing usability.
At the very least editing Team Colors is a great additional tool for making cinematics, or cut scenes.
One could also make octagon wheels for a car. Does not mean you should as they will not be better than round ones.
And figuring out that rounder is better, came about by trying things that were not round first.
Nothing new is ever made by sticking to what is already known.
And that is when "you really have a reason to".
Im not saying there shouldn't be reason behind a mod change, just that "Genre Standards" should not be used as a valid reason against a change, unless that is the map or mod's specific goal. And certainly not a valid reason for suggesting the "How To" someone posted, or the goal of that "How To", should be considered "not recommended".
There is no need to apply that label to the knowledge or tool, it is the knowledge or tools use that the label can be applied to.
If someone comes to these forums and says they want to make a standard RTS melee map with extra dark Team Colors, then that is a useful situation to bring up Genre Standards. Otherwise you are just suppressing the motivation(unintentionally or otherwise) for gathering and presenting information and tools that people could use.
Only reason vanilla gameplay uses bright colours is so people do not get mixed up whose units are what.
Temporarily mixing people up on whose units belong to who can be made into an ability tho.
Similar to stealth or cloaking, except more for disruption.
This is what Im talking about.
You are missing the point of the bright colors. They are there for Feedback. If you change the colors it just means you need to do something else as feedback to let the player know something changed.
If you precede the temparary team color change with some kind of unavoidably noticeable screen effect(or even a blatant direct text message), then changing the colors becomes expected by the player.
But I digress, Im getting too deep into design. The point is not to dismiss information or a tool as "Only for X".
Main thing is if I knew something was situational, I would be listing it as so. To me, all I see it as is just simply another coat of paint on a car; so long as it isn't to Garish or Horrible looking, it is fine.
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Hello!
Negative Team colors are something that have gotten rather unnoticed: If only because of how "Interesting" it is to try to get them. However, I figured that I might as well go ahead and show off Negative team colors, as well as how to do them.
First, what you will want to do is open up the editor, then go to the Data tab. From there, you have two choices on how you want to go about it.
The Spoiler Below Contains Info for doing it on an actor.
First, head over to the actor Tab. After that, you will want to find an actor that you will want to have the color applied to, like a marine or a zergling. Then, you will want to open up that actor and go to their events. You will want to create a Set Team Color Actor message, preferrably messing with the HDR a little. After that, Go into XML view and put a minus sign after the HDR Number. An Example of this is the following:
<On Terms="ActorCreation" Send="SetTeamColor {0,255,0 -1.000000} {0,255,0 -1.000000}"/>
This will net you a Unique Dark purple color upon the actor being created.
The Spoiler Below Contains Info for doing it on the actual team color.
This one is simpler than modifying the Actor directly.
What you will want to do is Find Gameplay Data under Edit Advanced Game Data.
After that, type in "Team" under the search bar on the right, and you should get the team colors. You can edit the HDR of them directly by entering in the negative value.
So, knowing how to do it is fine, but what do they look like?
The general rule is that diffuses typically don't get too crazy(Typically resulting in that darkened color look in the example, being a dark green), while Emissives tend to have this "Whiteout" of sorts happen to them(the white surrounded by the purple in stalker, same around the zealot's blades in first example). Inverted colors tend to be more vibrant, or, in some cases, darker, than using Low value HTML colors of the same value, as shown on Example 4, with the inverted colors on the right({0,34,34 -1} {0,34,34 -1}) and normal on the left({34,0,0 1} {34,0,0 1})
The actual values within them can be changed, leading to a more darkened color seen in examples 2 and 3: Not quite Dark grey, but nearing there. The third example has 00FFFF as Hex color(0,255,255 in Decimal color), with the other one having a Hex color of 002222(0,34,34 in Decimal color). They both have the Same HDR: -1.
Thanks for reading.
It is generally not recommended to modify team colours unless you really have a reason to. They are not just highly standard between maps within StarCraft II, but between RTS games in general. Changing them for your map could confuse people.
No offense but I say editing team colors is fine.
"Confusing people" is not reason enough not to.
Modding, and that is what we are doing here, is meant to create change from vanilla. From the standard.
Don't get me wrong, you don't always want to confuse the player, but if they are playing your map at all then they are already playing a non-standard map or mod. They should already have a baseline understanding that its going to have changes. Discovering and experiencing those changes is part of the fun, and part and parcel of playing a modded map to begin with.
Being forced to adhere to a preset genre standard is one of the things that can kill modding communities, and StarCraft2's editor is already afflicted with two of the other things. A Complicated Editor, and a lack of information on the Editors functions. The Wiki has done a decent job partially solving the second problem, but its not complete. So I will never be opposed to someone who presents more information on how to use the editor. Especially if that information is what the genre considers "non standard".
At the very least editing Team Colors is a great additional tool for making cinematics, or cut scenes.
I say for RPGs nonstandard colours are ok. Only reason vanilla gameplay uses bright colours is so people do not get mixed up whose units are what.
Contribute to the wiki (Wiki button at top of page) Considered easy altering of the unit textures?
https://www.sc2mapster.com/forums/resources/tutorials/179654-data-actor-events-message-texture-select-by-id
https://media.forgecdn.net/attachments/187/40/Screenshot2011-04-17_09_16_21.jpg
One could also make octagon wheels for a car. Does not mean you should as they will not be better than round ones. Being different for the sake of being different is bad.
Blizzard puts a lot of effort into making their games user friendly. This includes testing on inferior displays and with colour blind people to make sure that action is still clearly visible. Chances are your mods will not be made with such care and consideration and so changes made can end up decreasing usability.
And that is when "you really have a reason to".
And figuring out that rounder is better, came about by trying things that were not round first.
Nothing new is ever made by sticking to what is already known.
Im not saying there shouldn't be reason behind a mod change, just that "Genre Standards" should not be used as a valid reason against a change, unless that is the map or mod's specific goal. And certainly not a valid reason for suggesting the "How To" someone posted, or the goal of that "How To", should be considered "not recommended".
There is no need to apply that label to the knowledge or tool, it is the knowledge or tools use that the label can be applied to.
If someone comes to these forums and says they want to make a standard RTS melee map with extra dark Team Colors, then that is a useful situation to bring up Genre Standards. Otherwise you are just suppressing the motivation(unintentionally or otherwise) for gathering and presenting information and tools that people could use.
Temporarily mixing people up on whose units belong to who can be made into an ability tho.
Similar to stealth or cloaking, except more for disruption.
This is what Im talking about.
You are missing the point of the bright colors. They are there for Feedback. If you change the colors it just means you need to do something else as feedback to let the player know something changed.
If you precede the temparary team color change with some kind of unavoidably noticeable screen effect(or even a blatant direct text message), then changing the colors becomes expected by the player.
But I digress, Im getting too deep into design. The point is not to dismiss information or a tool as "Only for X".
Main thing is if I knew something was situational, I would be listing it as so. To me, all I see it as is just simply another coat of paint on a car; so long as it isn't to Garish or Horrible looking, it is fine.