SP Online Icon Database...

MarkSheppard · #1 October 3rd, 2007, 08:41 PM

Trying this one out with my ISP provided webspace, let me know what you think:

Link

Unfortunately, I can't show LBMs in their native format on webpages, so I converted them to 256 color GIFs, which should convert back to LBMs without any problems...

thatguy96 · #2 October 3rd, 2007, 11:40 PM

I think its awesome. I think the format's pretty cool too. Are you looking to fill in all the information to allow people to dl the icons and add the units by themselves?

MarkSheppard · #3 October 4th, 2007, 12:32 AM

Yeah, basically

thatguy96 · #4 October 4th, 2007, 12:46 AM

That's a really cool idea too. I'll definitely keep an eye on this for updates. How much spaces does one of the entries take in comparison to how much space you get? Can people submit things to you?

MarkSheppard · #5 October 5th, 2007, 04:19 AM

Yeah, just submit any icons or whatever you've done to me at [email protected]

MarkSheppard · #6 November 20th, 2007, 04:08 AM

Hm I'm faced with a quandary....

Should I maintain the icons as they are in native .bmp format; which sometimes does not work well with modern web browsers; and takes up space; or should I convert them to 16.7 million color PNGs?

The BMPs for the Crusader SPH are: 97~ kb
The PNGs for the Crusader SPH are: 7~ kb

But I'm not sure whether to do it or not; because I imagine a lot of people don't have decent image editing programs that can be used to convert between formats...

thatguy96 · #7 November 20th, 2007, 11:43 AM

Would you save enough to then provide a .zip or .rar to dl with the original .bmps and still have it be practical in terms of space saved? Just a thought.

I know that's in many ways very complicated too, but I have noticed that converting back from other formats somethings changes the colors dramatically and causes "flickering" because some of the new colors are dynamic.

PlasmaKrab · #8 November 21st, 2007, 07:16 AM

I agree, getting a lightweight front pic and a link to an archive may be the best solution, though more complicated.
PNG pics I have tested tend to stick to the original colors but don't lose much weight. Anyhow, retroconversion in itself is a moot point since even the Windows image browser can handle PNGs. Now if there has been the slightest change in the image, the end user will need to reindex it to the palette, which 1) isn't something everyone will spend time to do and 2) takes a large bit off the point of having icons delivered ready to use when in fact they aren't.
It all depends on the storage space and working time you are ready to devote to this.

BTW, do you store and sort LBMs as well?

MarkSheppard · #9 November 21st, 2007, 06:26 PM

Yeah, it's very practical in space

Example:

M2001 Crusader Icons in BMP: 93 kb

Same icons zipped up with PNG placeholders: 19 kb

MarkSheppard · #10 November 22nd, 2007, 12:14 AM

Updated all the pages to use the new PNG format + zip of BMPs; and added one new page: the Marder 2 by Plasma.