EVE: Iconocracy
Iconocracy began as a project to create larger, sharper versions of the NPC corporation and faction icons seen in EVE Online (see:
this thread here and
deviantART here). That is still its primary purpose, but the project's goal is now to create enhanced icons for
every NPC corp and faction and compile them into a single, carefully crafted image complete with informative descriptions and pertinent screenshots/EVE art from chrons and such. An example of an early version at half resolution is available
here. I'm looking at the final, grand image coming to somewhere around 13000x8000 pixels in size (with each of the over 200 icons alone represented in 512x512px), a resolution sufficient to have a professional printer create a sizable poster with good print resolution.
The component images we're talking about are not simply resizes of the current icons. They are original creations made to look like the in-game icons and it takes a good bit of my time to draw and polish each one. Thankfully, I find the creation process quite fun. My artistic goal is to impart a certain amount of uniformity across the various icons within each faction by giving them all the appearance of having the same material and lighting (polished stone for the Amarr, brushed metal with two light sources for the Caldari, etc). I'm also trying to establish a certain amount of uniformity across all the icons in every group so that they look better together in the final product.
The way I'm going to lay out that final product leaves some room to include a few special additions. I want to use that space to
incorporate a few player corporations (or alliances) in the final product. The question I'm left with answering is how best to choose whom to include. I think, in the spirit of the Backstage, a fiction contest might be the best means to that end. Update October 3rd: that contest has now been announced and you can find out more
here.
Since I can't log in to the client from here, I am also soliciting you (yes,
you! ) for your badass EVE screenshots of: fleets standing still, fleets in motion, fleets stuck in and lancing their opponents with heavy fire, and also the rare and interesting sights of New Eden that most people tend to just warp on by. Please link or email your screens to kenreikko@gmail.com. They don't even have to be your screenshots, just point me in the right direction if you come across one.
Project agenda/timeline--
100%: Amarr enhanced icon stock100%: Amarr finished icons100%: Caldari enhanced icon stock 100%: Caldari finished icons100%: Gallente enhanced icon stock 100%: Gallente finished icons100%: Minmatar enhanced icon stock100%: Minmatar finished icons100%: Neutrals & pirates enhanced icon stock100%: Neutrals & pirates finished icons100%: Assemble screenshot stock from the community100%: Contest to select player corporations/alliances for inclusion42%: Player corp icon stock42%: Player corp finished iconsCONTINUAL: Review all stock artwork and tweak78%: Finished 771x579px 'card' for each corp/faction32%: Compile the final image
0%: Printing test runs and further tweaking
0%: First finished posters awarded to contest winners
0%: Posters available to everyone
0%: Enhanced icon image stocks released to the community
Can you dig it?