Revision as of 03:11, 20 November 2019

The Wolf3D Boss Generator is an ongoing project by Dunkelschwamm to create a tool that can quickly and effectively generate remix-style boss sprites for use in Wolfenstein 3D and Spear of Destiny mods. It is currently in an incomplete state and as of November 2019 has not been updated in several months, but Dunkel insists that he plans to finish this when he finds the time to do so.

Features

The Boss Generator is a simple tool developed in GameMaker Studio 2 and outputted to HTML. The user can choose an existing Wolf3d boss as a base for generating a new boss. The tool will then take parts from different bosses across the entire Wolf3d family of games and layer them on top of the base's sprite sheet. Included in these parts are also basic recolors of several parts conformed to the Wolf3d color palette. Parts are generated in such a way that a random scheme will be chosen to attempt to create some kind of consistency across the boss's uniform, though amongst those themes is the option for utterly random part scrambling.

In addition to this random generator, there is also a preview animation so the user can see what their boss will look like in action as well as several buttons for manually changing individual parts of their boss. The user can also press a button to output the sprite sheet for their boss as a PNG file.

Dunkel also included a random string generator which generates a rank and German sounding name for the bosses that get generated. When outputting the PNG this name will be the default filename.

Intended Use

Dunkel's stated intention is to create a tool that would make it easier for people to include new boss graphics in map packs and beginner-level mods without resorting to simply painting over a boss's clothes with a flat brush color in MSPaint or create yet another basic recolor of Hans Grosse's armor. Additionally, Dunkel created this as both a way to generate ideas or create bases for more intense sprite edit jobs.

In the WolfSource discord server some members have stated concern that such a tool could lead to lazier art, less creativity, and an increase in the use of remix-style sprites. It has yet to be seen if this consequence, or any, will result from this tool's development. Dunkel doesn't request any credit for sprites made using the generator, though he also doesn't believe anybody should explicitly take credit for a randomly generated sprite.

History

In 2018 Dunkel worked mostly in private on a program in GameMaker Studio that would create quick and easy recolors of guards, bosses, objects, and walls in Wolf3d family of games. While this didn't include any remixed parts, Dunkel considers this a spiritual predecessor to the Boss Generator. In 8/16/2019 Dunkel announced on the WolfSource discord sever that he intended to fully revamp the recolor tool as a boss remix generator. He worked consistently on it for 2 weeks before finding himself extremely busy with work and school. The generator is currently hosted on Dunkel's Itch.io page with a password protection until the release of what he would consider a full version. The password, "aardwolf", is only implemented to prevent too broad of an audience taking it in before a full release.

Output Examples

Links

Wolf 3D Boss Generator current release (password "aardwolf" without the quotes)
Video of the original Color Remapper tool on YouTube

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 =Features=
 [[File:Wolf3d_boss_generator.png|thumb|Example of what the Wolf3D Boss Generator looks like as of the 8-30-2019 update.]]The Boss Generator is a simple tool developed in GameMaker Studio 2 and outputted to HTML. The user can choose an existing Wolf3d boss as a base for generating a new boss. The tool will then take parts from different bosses across the entire Wolf3d family of games and layer them on top of the base's sprite sheet. Included in these parts are also basic recolors of several parts conformed to the Wolf3d color palette. Parts are generated in such a way that a random scheme will be chosen to attempt to create some kind of consistency across the boss's uniform, though amongst those themes is the option for utterly random part scrambling.
 In addition to this random generator, there is also a preview animation so the user can see what their boss will look like in action as well as several buttons for manually changing individual parts of their boss. The user can also press a button to output the sprite sheet for their boss as a PNG file.
 Dunkel also included a random string generator which generates a rank and German sounding name for the bosses that get generated. When outputting the PNG this name will be the default filename.
 =Intended Use=
 Dunkel's stated intention is to create a tool that would make it easier for people to include new boss graphics in map packs and beginner-level mods without resorting to simply painting over a boss's clothes with a flat brush color in MSPaint or create yet another basic recolor of [[Hans Grosse]]'s armor. Additionally, Dunkel created this as both a way to generate ideas or create bases for more intense sprite edit jobs.
 In the [[WolfSource]] discord server some members have stated concern that such a tool could lead to lazier art, less creativity, and an increase in the use of remix-style sprites. It has yet to be seen if this consequence, or any, will result from this tool's development.
 Dunkel doesn't request any credit for sprites made using the generator, though he also doesn't believe anybody should explicitly take credit for a randomly generated sprite.

Changes: Wolf3d Boss Generator