• Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Topic: New Font

I have recently bought "a few" fonts looking for something other than wingdings to use on my ship cards.
Got fed up trying to find one with what I wanted so I am starting from scratch making just the icons that I want.
Thought I would start with the obvious ones that I will be needing, numbers and D6. Once I got the hang of it I made a fighter, then another and another to represent different fighter/bomber type flights carried. Two different for anti-fighter batteries then just had to have marines, mines, hyperdrive and one for drones. These I will put in my own shipyard copy first as a trial.

I wanted to have them all in the same style, to be used as check boxes (fancy ones?)

Cannot make my mind up about having a "D" on the drone although it is less likely to be mistaken for another fighter.
I put a "H" on the hyperdrive icon too.

Any thoughts on anything I might have missed or what else to include? More fighters?
I will put an example of the "fancy" ones below.

Paul
[attachment=0]Starsheet Example3.png[/attachment]

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: New Font

OldnGrey wrote:

I have recently bought "a few" fonts looking for something other than wingdings to use on my ship cards.
Got fed up trying to find one with what I wanted so I am starting from scratch making just the icons that I want.
Thought I would start with the obvious ones that I will be needing, numbers and D6. Once I got the hang of it I made a fighter, then another and another to represent different fighter/bomber type flights carried. Two different for anti-fighter batteries then just had to have marines, mines, hyperdrive and one for drones. These I will put in my own shipyard copy first as a trial.

I wanted to have them all in the same style, to be used as check boxes (fancy ones?)

Cannot make my mind up about having a "D" on the drone although it is less likely to be mistaken for another fighter.
I put a "H" on the hyperdrive icon too.

Any thoughts on anything I might have missed or what else to include? More fighters?
I will put an example of the "fancy" ones below.

Paul
[attachment=0]Starsheet Example2.png[/attachment]

Pretty Cool. I can see something like this kind of "graphical font" being used as another option like Drake notation, but for those of us that prefer pictures to numbers! How were you going to represent Hull, Engines, & Shields?
Cheers,
Erik

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

Hull, Engines and shields? Not so easy as they contain numbers which could go up to 30 (or more).
I was looking more towards specials/expendables which I usually have as check boxes already as an option.
I have added a few more, Transporter, Tractor (looks like sonar I know) and armor plate.

It is not perfect but it will do for me. First go at making a font and I have had a few errors where a glyph just vanished but fun just the same. Still have a few "spaces" to fill.

Paul

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: New Font

OldnGrey wrote:

Hull, Engines and shields? Not so easy as they contain numbers which could go up to 30 (or more).

Maybe just a single "glyph" for each of H/E/S, like a heading, followed by numerals?
Erik

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

Sort of like this?
[attachment=0]HES.png[/attachment]

Paul

  • Registered: 2010-05-06
  • Posts: 13

Re: New Font

Love the fonts!

What program are you using to make these fonts? I'm assuming these are TrueTypes or something similar.

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: New Font

OldnGrey wrote:

Sort of like this?
[attachment=0]HES.png[/attachment]

Paul

Hey Paul, maybe the H-E-S glyphs could be "simplified" somehow? They seem a bit busy, and in the case of the Hull and Engine glyphs, not terribly obvious. I like obvious  wink  Still, better than anything I could have come up with!
Cheers,
Erik

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

mj12srwstlouis wrote:

Love the fonts!

What program are you using to make these fonts? I'm assuming these are TrueTypes or something similar.

Thanks, when I have it finished the intention is to bundle it with the shipyard as it will give an extra data card option.
It is a True Type so it could be used with just about anything.
I am using Type light 3, Cannot wait to buy the full prog but I have had an issue with windows 7 (a couple of display driver failures when using it).

Blacklancer99 wrote:
OldnGrey wrote:

Sort of like this?
[attachment=0]HES.png[/attachment]

Paul

Hey Paul, maybe the H-E-S glyphs could be "simplified" somehow? They seem a bit busy, and in the case of the Hull and Engine glyphs, not terribly obvious. I like obvious wink Still, better than anything I could have come up with!
Cheers,
Erik

Not terribly obvious? I did put HE&S on them. I thought hull under construction, A pesky "Kripon" engine on a pylon and a beam being scattered would be apt. I like busy, hate a lot of empty space (must be a pun in there). smile

I just realised that there could be another use for the font. Type them at a large point size, cut them out and use as damage chits (put in bag and pull out to see what has been damaged).  :idea: JUst thought of another five glyphs.

Paul

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: New Font

OldnGrey wrote:
mj12srwstlouis wrote:

Love the fonts!

What program are you using to make these fonts? I'm assuming these are TrueTypes or something similar.

Thanks, when I have it finished the intention is to bundle it with the shipyard as it will give an extra data card option.
It is a True Type so it could be used with just about anything.
I am using Type light 3, Cannot wait to buy the full prog but I have had an issue with windows 7 (a couple of display driver failures when using it).

Blacklancer99 wrote:
OldnGrey wrote:

Sort of like this?
[attachment=0]HES.png[/attachment]

Paul

Hey Paul, maybe the H-E-S glyphs could be "simplified" somehow? They seem a bit busy, and in the case of the Hull and Engine glyphs, not terribly obvious. I like obvious wink Still, better than anything I could have come up with!
Cheers,
Erik

Not terribly obvious? I did put HE&S on them. I thought hull under construction, A pesky "Kripon" engine on a pylon and a beam being scattered would be apt. I like busy, hate a lot of empty space (must be a pun in there). smile

I just realised that there could be another use for the font. Type them at a large point size, cut them out and use as damage chits (put in bag and pull out to see what has been damaged).  :idea: JUst thought of another five glyphs.

Paul

Well, the lettering was obvious  :oops:  but the imagery seems a bit vague (I honestly didn't realize the Hull icon was a hull being built until I read your post). I'm not sure what could best represent a hull, but to me the engine could be simplified (sans pylon maybe?) and the shield looks like it protecting an asteroid from the jagged appearance of the object "inside." Like I said...just an opinion. With Starmada, I feel like things should be as simple as possible.
Erik

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

Thought someone out there might like to see the latest verdion of the font.
I will post this when I am happy with it in the Starmada file but it could replace wingdings in some of the other spreadsheets.

Also been making some fighter counters that match the font; like fighter "F" which is a standard fighter.
[attachment=0]Fighter F.png[/attachment]

Paul
pdf deleted.

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

Second up is a smaller fighter "G" which is weak but fast.
[attachment=2]Fighter G.png[/attachment]
In the outreaches an alien bomber squadron was found; out of fuel the crews had died.
The aliens seemed to have been almost round in shape. The craft could not be duplicated in all respects and costly to build.
Named "Mandible" their weapon load makes them strike fighters.
Alien version.
[attachment=1]Fighter Bomber Mandible.png[/attachment]
Copied with increased firepower.
[attachment=0]Fighter Bomber.png[/attachment]

Paul

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

Revised pdf. Font being posted soon. Followed by a sheet of 1" squadron counters if wanted.
[attachment=0]Spreadsheet font.zip[/attachment]
Fighter H fast.
[attachment=2]Fighter H.png[/attachment]
Fighter H type 2 decked out as a scout.
[attachment=1]Fighter H2.png[/attachment]
Paul
pdf updated again 6th December

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: New Font

Next up, is a "strong Fast" fighter, having increased firepower.
[attachment=2]Fighter I.png[/attachment]
A flying brick with oversize weapons.
[attachment=1]Fighter J.png[/attachment]
Another Strong extended range fighter also has internal weapon bays. A regular workhorse (an ugly one at that!).
[attachment=0]Fighter K.png[/attachment]