Splash screens

[endorph]

Hello.
Just was playing with engine sources and figured out (actually, remembered from vanilla) that some original splash screens looking horrible. And even worse after splash is stretched to "wide" aspect ratio.

I decided to make a patch with possibility to override default splash screens just by adding new to "/resources/splash". And i added our logo to my favourite MW arts from Alexey Rudikov (http://lelek1980.deviantart.com):
http://i.imgur.com/myY39FY.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/5IJUjBJ.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/G2FawPV.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/1S0FlUz.jpg

IMO, Alexey makes amazing stuff. Especially first screen, it corresponds so nice with "OpenMW", in place where dunmer opens a door.

- What about using that art as default OMW splash screens? (as i understand correctly, author gave us permission to do that: http://forum.openmw.org/viewtopic.php?f ... 170#p17603);

And few dev questions (not linked with art above):
- Is that method of overriding (with "/resources/splash") is ok as for engine architecture?
- ...if yes, i'd like to add support for different versions of splash screens (diff. aspect ratios). Do we need that?

[raevol]

I'm not sure that we do have permission to use those... and that post you linked doesn't make me any more confident...

[Zini]

Also, that would be content. We don't do content. Of cause any modder is free to create and provide this kind of mod outside of the project and if it is something cool (and legally unproblematic) we may link to it.

Edit: Actually, we do content in the form of the example suite. But I would expect that the people making the example suite will want splash screens that are specific to the example suite.

[Zini]

And few dev questions (not linked with art above):
- Is that method of overriding (with "/resources/splash") is ok as for engine architecture?
- ...if yes, i'd like to add support for different versions of splash screens (diff. aspect ratios). Do we need that?

No, not really. I suspect after 1.0 we will add a new record to the ESX format, that let's the content files specify a list of suitable splash screens. This will allow different games to co-exist without messing with each others splash screens. Any other issue (like aspect ratio) should be addressed within this context.

[endorph]

I'm not sure that we do have permission to use those... and that post you linked doesn't make me any more confident...

Its all about my shitty eng. Sometimes I'm able to understand something superfluous from any text im reading (:
Anyways, i've asked Alexey for permission, waiting for an answer.

[HiPhish]

Those look really great. i never understood why anyone would want to opt for computer-rendered artworks, like the ones in Morrowind's splash screens. Maybe it was cheaper? Nothing beats hand-drawn artworks though, the default ones from Morrowind looked like an unpaid intern slapped them together during his coffee break.

Maybe it would be a good idea to place the original artist's name somewhere in a corner so it is clear who drew them.

[endorph]

Maybe it would be a good idea to place the original artist's name somewhere in a corner so it is clear who drew them.

For sure. In upper post i just made fast concept of "how it can be".
However, as i understand Zini correctly, we will not be able to use that stuff in official builds (even as plugin) until corresponding "post-1.0" feature will be implemented.

[sirherrbatka]

just use gimp

[K0kt409P]

Anyways, i've asked Alexey for permission, waiting for an answer.

Note that if OpenMW wants to use these pictures and stay in the official Debian repos, it would not be sufficient for the author to just grant the OpenMW project the right to use his work. He would need to grant anyone the right to use, modify, and redistribute them, in order to comply with the DFSG.

[psi29a]

Anyways, i've asked Alexey for permission, waiting for an answer.

Note that if OpenMW wants to use these pictures and stay in the official Debian repos, it would not be sufficient for the author to just grant the OpenMW project the right to use his work. He would need to grant anyone the right to use, modify, and redistribute them, in order to comply with the DFSG.

That is always my concern too, and I'll likely be the first person to say no.

You would need to ask Alexey to put his artwork under CC (Creative Commons) or something DFSG friendly before I commit/build/upload to Debian.