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What do you think?

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Sun, 09/08/2013 - 23:20
questccg
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Sample Upgrade Card - Rendered

I was wondering if you guys could tell me what you think about this "Rendered" card layout. I say rendered because I used a B&W Prototype in Illustrator (with shapes and paths) and loaded up the basic shapes in Photoshop, where I then used some filters, buttons, textures and fonts to improve the look so that it resembles a COLOUR card (Production quality).

I'm kinda happy with it. I know others can do better... I think the layout is rather simple but I think it is effective in communicating the card's visuals and information.

Anyway just wanted to know what other designers think.

Many thanks.

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Sun, 09/08/2013 - 23:27
#1
laperen
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looks great, i like the

looks great, i like the simplicity of it all. the only problem i have is the flag backing of the M. i am not sure what the variable represents but i just feel the flag looks like something from a fantasy theme than a sci fi theme. unless its a flag insignia representing a faction, i feel it is out of place

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Sun, 09/08/2013 - 23:38
#2
questccg
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The Flag...

The "Flag" is supposed to allow players to IDENTIFY the *type of card* it is. There are nine (9) different types of cards in your deck and about 90 cards in total. So the purpose of the flag is to allow players to identify which cards goes into which pile (when setting up a game).

The thing I have with the "Flag" is that I wanted "ICONS" instead of LETTERS. But I think it will be *tough* to create an icons for things like "Mission", "Resource" or "Scenario", etc.

So I'm not quite sure about which would be better.

Note: The reason I am asking this - is because I want a Graphic Designer to take a look at it. And figure out if he can improve the existing design. I am unsure if I should tell him to invest time on *icons* or not...

I am also not sold on the FONT used with the flag... It's what I used, but I think another font could look better. I have not gone digging around the Internet for a better font. Perhaps that is what seems out of place also?

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Sun, 09/08/2013 - 23:47
#3
Corsaire
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The flag does look like a

The flag does look like a medieval banner, particularly combined with that font. I think if you clipped the points off, it would feel more scifi.

I think that approach works as you also have "mission" in the card title, people will learn them pretty quickly. If they are permanently sorted for the game, I personally prefer a game to have variant backs then to look at the front.

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Mon, 09/09/2013 - 00:09
#4
questccg
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Card backs

Corsaire wrote:
If they are permanently sorted for the game, I personally prefer a game to have variant backs then to look at the front.

Well the thing is that five (5) types of cards have "Resources" on the card back depending on the nature of the card. So in this example, the two (2) on the bottom indicates that it produces *2 Resources*. On the back of the card there will be the resource (Ore, Food or Equipment) and some card art (relating to the resource) and ON TOP of the art will be a GIANT 2. Easy for your opponent to read across a table (So it's hard to cheat - the resource values are GIANT and on the back of each card).

This mechanic works great and is my "Trading" mechanic (card reversal). So you can use the card or "sell" it for it's value (on the back).

Note: I am also using a standard *card back* for the other three (3) types of cards (which are Cultural Achievements, Scenarios and Homeworld). Scenarios are there for players to PICK ONE and then discarded from play (there are four (4) scenarios). Achievements are only used in the "Days of Glory" scenario and are EXPENSIVE upgrades to Homeworlds. Build all five (5), in order, and you WIN that game. The last card is somewhat a placeholder to indicate how STRONG your Homeworld (think Base) is. So for this Edition of the game, the Exterra race has a value of 30 points. So it can sustain 30 damage points before that player loses the game... This will vary with other races (in future Editions).

Corsaire wrote:
The flag does look like a medieval banner, particularly combined with that font. I think if you clipped the points off, it would feel more scifi.

If I clipped off the points, it would look like a RECTANGLE... That is why I added the points in the first place. Another problem could be that the flag is *FLAT*... I was thinking if there was some additional texture which gave the flag a more "wavy" look, it might look better... I am not a PRO in Photoshop - so I would leave that to my Graphics Designer and see if he can improve on it...

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Mon, 09/09/2013 - 00:17
#5
StagCutlery
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Sounds weird, but...

Don't ask me why, but diamonds and hexagons spring to mind when I think of sci-fi icons. You want hard, exact, "calculated" lines.

Aside from the banner and the M, I think the rest of the card looks fine.

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Mon, 09/09/2013 - 03:34
#6
Knicksen
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Better contrast for text?

From my experiences and the feedback I got (see http://www.bgdf.com/node/12981) I'd suggest that you make the backgrounds to your text lighter to allow easier reading. A minor point, but helps with usability.

Looks fine otherwise.

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Mon, 09/09/2013 - 07:34
#7
Corsaire
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questccg wrote: If I clipped

questccg wrote:

If I clipped off the points, it would look like a RECTANGLE... That is why I added the points in the first place.

Actually I was picturing just the sharp point, the last few pixels so it is a bit blunt, but still retains the cutout.

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Mon, 09/09/2013 - 08:54
#8
Aerjen
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Since you've already received

Since you've already received a lot of feedback, I'll just add a tiny comment I haven't read so far:

I feel the corner on the bottom left is a bit cramped. The circle that holds the "2" seems to almost intersect with the text and that makes for less pleasant reading for me.

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Wed, 09/11/2013 - 22:41
#9
questccg
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Anyone have any ideas?

I know the "flag/banner" looks a little out of place. Now we've discussed the FONT and maybe because it is a FLAT flag...

But I wanted to know what other designers feel I COULD USE INSTEAD? Any suggestions?

(Basically what I could REPLACE the FLAG with something else)

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Sat, 09/14/2013 - 19:04
#10
questccg
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Updated version

I changed the FONT of the 'M' to be more Sci-Fi-ish... It is now using a CPU Font. Does this improve the overall look of the card?

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Sun, 09/22/2013 - 13:47
#11
NoxArt
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Unfortunately I haven't seen

Unfortunately I haven't seen the previous versions so I can't compare

My uncompromising input:
1) For sci-fi I would use sans-serif font, not serifed one; as for the M ... it's not my favorite, but at least I'd make the triangle below it less sharp (but then not as long), as it kinda goes into the letter a lot
2) I would reduce the amount of glossiness (mainly the orb right top looks a bit cheesy), added some irregularity through overlay texture (very subtle!) ... glossiness and other effects (like flares, embossing etc.) need to be used carefully, as it's easy to overdo it and then it looks pretty bad
3) The content part is imho nice as it is, perhaps make the shadows lighter
4) I would significantly reduce the darkness of the cloud texture in the title, both for visual clarity and just looks ... and perhaps add a lighter line below the yellow part (by lighter I mean perhaps even 5 % opacity, just something subtle)
5) I'd replace the image of Earth with something else
6) Text in footer could be vertically centered and slightly to the left
7) I would think about the planet also in terms of - the content part is centered to the left and you see that it limits the content part ... perhaps move it to the stripe with "Outworld - Mission", or at least a bit lower

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