Chicuelo Theme

cosmo0

I have created a bunch of custom "game types" collections :)

I have made a pull request : https://github.com/chicueloarcade/es-theme-Chicuelo/pull/8

I haven't added backgrounds to the characters because it never looks as good as you, so I just kept a simple white background (that I can do :D)
I have matched the logo with the game illustration, so it limits the choices to both a recognizable character and a somewhat-recognizable logo, when possible.

You can find my sources here: https://we.tl/vkhI1RqO4u (including original images, fonts and full vector logos).

I'm not satisfied with the "Fighting" logo but I have reached the limits of my graphics skills...

It seems there simply is not a single other shmup with a recognizable character. There are many ships, but we never know who pilots them. That's a shame because there is a "gradius" font that makes an easy and recognizable logo.

Not many sports game have recognizable characters either.
I tried really hard to find a "full" (including feet) Speedball 2 or Windjammers characters, but just could not find either.
The logo is very "generic sports", I think the Super Dodgeball logo is pretty ugly.

Like the shmups, I couldn't find a single other racing game with characters, it always focuses on the vehicles.
Well, there is Mario Kart, but I think the theme has enough Marios already :D

Strategy is yet another genre without many recognizable characters... at least on console.

If you don't know custom collections:

open the EmulationStation menu, go to "Game collections Settings"
"Create custom collection from theme"
select a custom collection
browse you games lists and use the "add favorite" button (Y) -> it will add the game to the collection
open the ES menu again, go to "Game collections settings", and at the bottom, "Finish editing collection"
restart ES

chicuelo

@cosmo0
Wow thats a great improvement! I personally don't use custom collections but it will be a great option for those who do.
I love the logos. Im only thinking about reducing the size of the characters and maybe adding the same background to all of them so the user understands its not a system.
Great work!

asdfgasfhsn

@chicuelo if you do end up making a background for the custom collections that @cosmo0 has made could you please make the background image available so that others can make their own custom collections.

cosmo0

@chicuelo said in Chicuelo Theme:

@cosmo0
Wow thats a great improvement! I personally don't use custom collections but it will be a great option for those who do.
I love the logos. Im only thinking about reducing the size of the characters and maybe adding the same background to all of them so the user understands its not a system.
Great work!

Yeah good idea :)

I thought you would want to touch up the characters, so I have included the source images (and a few others I think) in the source zip.

Thanks :)

I have missed a few types (action and adventure), I'm planning on doing them... sometime :D
I also want to do "game series" (like "all Mario") in the same style.

lilbud

@cosmo0 Just a thought, might wanna change the 'Beat them up' into 'Beat 'em up'. Rolls off the tongue better.

chicuelo

@cosmo0
I am thinking on using a blister mockup and set the images inside, so its easy to create more genres with that method. I will prepare one and share to yo so we both be able to create the rest. What do you think?

cosmo0

Action and Adventure are done : https://github.com/chicueloarcade/es-theme-Chicuelo/pull/9

@lilbud : yeah I tried to, but it's weird if I just leave "'em up" below "beat". Or I type the whole "beat 'em up" in "turtle-style", but then what do I type above?

@chicuelo sounds good to me :)

lilbud

@cosmo0 Whole 'Beat 'em up' in turtle style

chicuelo

@cosmo0
What do you think about something like this? The same background where we only have to change the character, logo and add some items according to that genre, for example in racing we could add a nitro and white flag, for sports a ball and a pair of referee cards, for action games a whip, and a key... Using that criteria we can make all the genres matching fine.
I have a psd where you only have to replace the logo and the character + items

cosmo0

@chicuelo
Wow, looks great!
Not sure about the logo on the blister, though, because then it appears twice, it's a bit weird.
Do you think it will match with all the characters? It reduces the position possibilities, the characters have to stand upright to look good, no ?

@lilbud yeah but then the logo is missing something :(

lilbud

@cosmo0 said in Chicuelo Theme:

@lilbud yeah but then the logo is missing something :(

Maybe pick a different logo to ~~completely rip off~~ use as inspiration. Maybe use Streets of Rage...

chicuelo

@cosmo0
You are right about the logo, its not a good choice to use it twice.
I think you can play with the character using all the space you have. If you choose a character with a pose, you could arrange the representative elements of the genre arround it. Its a matter of try and error.
The only condition I see is that the character and the object must seem 3D or realistic to fit fine the blister.
I let you to take those decisions in order to complete the others :)
You can download the psd from here and you only have to modify the Green layer and put the art by genre inside a folder https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pt3fs2aks1f2w5/Genre.psd?dl=0

For example for racing games, I don't use a character, but yes a F1 from a game so its ok while the genre is understood by the user.

cosmo0

@lilbud said in Chicuelo Theme:

Maybe pick a different logo to ~~completely rip off~~ use as inspiration. Maybe use Streets of Rage...

The problem is that I must find a game for which:

the logo should be from the same game as the character (I tried matching logos and characters from different games but it felt super weird)
the main character is well-known (even though that's quite subjective)
high-resolution and high-quality artworks of the main character are available (I just can't draw)
the logo is recognizable (just "slanted Arial" like Captain Commando is not pretty)
a font that matches the logo can be found (I'm not good enough to create it from scratch, maybe Chicuelo can do it, but not me).

It reduces the possibilities drastically.
I tried many BTU, but only TMNT checks all these criterias.

cosmo0

@chicuelo said in Chicuelo Theme:

@cosmo0
You are right about the logo, its not a good choice to use it twice.
I think you can play with the character using all the space you have. If you choose a character with a pose, you could arrange the representative elements of the genre arround it. Its a matter of try and error.
The only condition I see is that the character and the object must seem 3D or realistic to fit fine the blister.
I let you to take those decisions in order to complete the others :)
You can download the psd from here and you only have to modify the Green layer and put the art by genre inside a folder https://www.dropbox.com/s/2pt3fs2aks1f2w5/Genre.psd?dl=0

For example for racing games, I don't use a character, but yes a F1 from a game so its ok while the genre is understood by the user.

Great, thanks! I'll see what I can do with that :)

For the racing games, I found a bunch of 3D renders of Captain Falcon, if I can put the Blue Falcon (its ship) in there, it would be perfect :P

chicuelo

@cosmo0
I think in that case its going to be better if you use the f zero ship, because racing or any Genre is about an activity and not so about a character so in that case the element that represent racing games is an object instead a character. For fighting games yes, you can use a fighter and some gloves and a boxing bag

LeSabotageur

Loving your theme Chicuelo, many thanks to you and the good people helping you on it !
If I may, i'd like to request a "Steam/Moonlight" theme; it was done on ComicBook Theme and I miss it a bit since I've switched to your theme.

To not simply make a hollow suggestion, maybe it could be done using Gordon Freeman as the character, since he once was Valve's flagship guy; maybe with an artwork like this one :
alt text

What do you guys think ?

chicuelo

@lesabotageur
What do you think about something like this?
Can you tell how the system is saved so match the folder structure right? Its just steam?

Chocovo

Hello @chicuelo would you have the SVG file of MAME and FBA?

cosmo0

@chocovo said in Chicuelo Theme:

Hello @chicuelo would you have the SVG file of MAME and FBA?

The logos are already SVG in the theme ;)

cosmo0

@chicuelo
I've tried the first in the list (action) tonight, what do you think ?

I've added a drop shadow to the items, is it subtle enough ?