I'm dropping a few editable Google Docs here for all members to find easily. These links are password protected, so there is no unwanted tampering.
If you would like the password and do not yet have it, please message @bbninjas or @Blui, who will respond with it providing you are officially partaking in the project. If you know the password, please don't distribute the password to anyone, however feel free to post it in the official Resources Revamp Skype chat if someone in it forgets.
Whole bunch of [good] custom blank stuff I'm finding randomly. We'll probably need to sorta through these and decide which ones we would like to link to in the final copy, at a later date.
It's great to see all the effort put into the project over the past week! Special thanks to Asche who has been spending a lot of time creating the master doc for us and documenting resources that way. Continuing from last week, this week will also require the searching and gathering of resources from both the old resources thread and the Pokemon Card Resources Group on DeviantArt.
There are a few important details that all should be aware of for the project. Firstly, we are aiming at completing the project by February 29th. This includes the gathering and organisation of available resources and tutorials, and the construction of the final thread. Obviously long-term projects such as blank creation cannot realistically be completed by this date, and instead will be an ongoing project undertaken freely by those capable. We need to have the gathering/organisation of completed resources and creation of basic resources (guides, etc) mostly complete by 1st February, while the actual construction of the final thread will commence after that.
Secondly, resources retrieved for both the image-based and text-based faking sections should be documented on the appropriate page on the master doc. Absolutely everything retrieved should be documented on this master doc. If you're not sure where a resource belongs, just post it in this thread and ask. If you add something on the master doc, be sure to let everyone know either in this thread or the Skype chat. Each of these resources will require documented permission from the creators to allow us to share and redistribute them. Only@Blui and myself will be the ones who will send PMs asking for this permission; no one else should be sending such PMs.
Thirdly, if you're particularly adept/sophisticated in writing in general, it'd be great if you can make yourself known! Many tutorials will need rewriting/formatting/editing for mistakes or unclear information, which can be worked on over the next month. The TCG wording guidelines in particular will need rewriting, restructuring and reformatting.
So, what actually needs doing over the next few weeks?
Well, a few things, actually.
Find blanks and resources! @aschefield101 is currently finishing the master doc and adding resources from the PCR DA page
Someone who knows their image-faking stuff will need to check the font pack that Blui created here. Is ALL fonts required for image-faking across ALL eras included in that pack?
There needs to be a written/image font guide (a combined visual and text representation is preferable) for each of the eras with applicable blanks, something similar to this guide by aschefield101. These guides should mention which font is used for each section of the card. The correct font size for our suggested blank (as documented in the master list, although some of these are not yet finalised) is also preferable. There shouldn't be the need to put pixel specifications, as that should be the job of PSD/GIMP font guides.
It is preferable to have a PSD and a GIMP font guide for each era with applicable blanks. These will need either finding or creating. @aschefield101 is finding and linking those guides from the DA group on the master doc currently, but there will still be some guides missing.
Someone/some people will need to sort through the custom blanks (there is an incomplete list here) and suggest which ones we should link to and which we should not.
Finally, there's something for the text-based folks to help with! Before the second take of this project, this thread was created listing the correct grammar and wording choices for the PTCG. Any corrections not already written on that doc should be added. Any additions should have a reference or two listed, so members have an official example.
Also for the text-based folks; there are mechanics in the TCG that have their own unspoken/hidden guidelines. The best example (which I'm planning on writing a guide for) would be Ancient Traits, and what makes an effect a Ancient Trait and not an Ability.
If you don't think you can help with any of that, start searching through PB threads and DeviantArt for any miscellaneous, useful tutorials or resources that we could include in the final thread, and list these on the master doc.
If you have any further ideas/brainstorming of potential guides or resources, make a note of it in this thread!
Remember that if you make an addition or significant change to any document (i.e. the master doc or the TCG wording doc), please make a note of it either in this thread or in the Skype chat, so everyone is on the same page!
This thing. I reckon it is a pretty good resource, as sometime you just want some traditional attacks to tie in with the official TCG.
Also adding a link to the current rulebook, as well as the BW Compendium, as it is a good go to point if you're ever confused about the basic rules behind mechanics.
Made a "temporary" page for the XY era. @aschefield101 says he's working on revamped XY stuff, but he may not get those down until after the Revamp Project deadline, so we may need to stick with the old ones for a while.
I think those Type textures were for BW, though not entirely accurate. I also threw in classic Fire and Neo Darkness/Metal. (Water and Psychic also work for classic, not sure about the others.) FlameClaw has all the classic textures in his pack here.
Wow, the weeks are moving fast! Its now Week 4, and everything is going strong! Here's an update about the works:
Thanks to @aschefield101 , @AwesomeEevee/Metagross101, @Blui, @CMP and Snoop, it looks like we're there are going to be some good quality and updated blanks for each era in the near future. Although these updated blanks may not all be ready by the ideal completion of this project, it's great to know that people are working on them! Meanwhile it looks like we'll be having Blui doing some font guides, which is also sweet. The TCG Expert resources are also travelling nice; planning on getting the guide I'm writing up over the next week, and sort through some other resources.
So, this week the task is simply to continue working on the tasks of the previous few weeks. Ideally there should only be two weeks (until the 1st of February) left of resource gathering and/or making (aside from the blanks), so let's get the tasks listed in previous posts done by then. Notably, we still need someone to look over Blui's font pack. Anyways, everyone, continue with the good work!
Below is what I've got for the AT Guide. Any critique/opinions/thoughts are welcome! The grammar is probably not great and there probably are typos, but that can be fixed up later when someone more proficient in eloquent writing (*cough* @Athena*cough*) looks at it.
A Guide in Designing Ancient Traits
XY Primal Clash brought us a new mechanic and card style - Ancient Traits. Immediately, the similarities to the long-running Abilities were noticed. Due to these similarities, the things that make Ancient Traits unique are occasionally confused with Abilities among the faking community. This is a guide to explain what you need to keep in mind when making and interacting with Ancient Traits, so your original cards stay realistic.
Ancient Trait names are always a simple, short noun in front of an uppercase Greek letter, unless the uppercase letter is very similar to an English letter, on which the letter becomes lowercase (eg. Alpha). This letter is like a subgroup for Ancient Traits and is coded by its own colour. The official choice to reflect Greek letters is likely related to Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, so it may be ideal to take colour and letter inspiration from that. At present there are four official colours - Alpha, Omega, Delta and Theta.
Nothing - no attacks, no Abilities, no Trainers, no Ancient Traits - directly interact with other Ancient Traits. They are "safe" from any tampering, and shouldn't be used as a trigger for any form of effect. This lack of interaction is primarily used to create a mechanic or strategic core of its host card, which cannot be turned off and otherwise easily nullified.
It must be kept in mind that as Ancient Traits cannot be "turned off", they must not be to powerful. An Ancient Trait should effectively be treated as an Ability effect that would just be too weak as an Ability. This naturally makes some Ancient Traits quite situational (see Alpha Heal, Theta Stop). Alpha Growth, Omega Barrier and Omega Barrage do break this rule to an extent, as they are all quite powerful. However, this is because the effect, as an Ability, would not work effectively in a game where Abilities can easily be "turned off". Note that despite these effects being unblockable, they are not broken or overpowered. As a side-note, there is an exception to this rule. As Ancient Traits are considered "effects on the Pokémon", anything that would bypass "effects" will bypass an Ancient Trait.
Finally, Ancient Traits are selfish. They never will directly affect another Pokémon, and not even you and your resources, such as your hand! Think of Ancient Trait Pokémon as Pokémon that have developed abilities to survive solitarily - Ancient Traits exclusively assist the Pokémon that the Ancient Trait is on.
EDIT: Added "unless the uppercase letter is very similar to an English letter, on which the letter becomes lowercase (see Alpha)" as pointed out by Jabberwock.
EDIT 2: Added a new side note. Ancient Traits are indeed considered "effects" and thus are not invulnerable to /everything/.
I'll be happy to take a look and help out... but not until February 5th at the earliest since I'm gone, so just keep that in mind and don't hold your breath waiting for me.
We're up to the final week of organisation and resources creation of the Resources Revamp Project! Already, we've come so far! At the end of this week, we'll begin a week of reflection, and then the brainstorming and creation of our resource threads.
But for now, let us focus on this week. The following resources all need to be completed by the end of this week, at the best of each person's ability:
Font and placement guides - These really should be done. Understandably, these will be reliant on on the resources created over the next few weeks, but if you are one of the blank creators have already created the base blank, could you get in contact with @Blui so he can begin to work on the guides!
DIY placements - A believe @Jabberwock is on this. Looking forward to its completion for this week. =)
Looking through more faking resources - As all my personal looming tasks near completion, I'll be looking through past threads to collect hidden bits of resources, mainly guides.
Someone needs to look through the custom blanks and sort which ones we link and which ones we don't. We need to know that someone is onto this task by 24/48 hrs.There is an (incomplete) list of custom blanks I've made here. If you've made custom blanks and would like to share them, please drop a link!
As no one appears to have looked through Blui's font pack, I am going to assume they are fine. If you get a chance please look over or give a list of what should be there.
Is there any old Diamond & Pearl blanks and ex era blanks uploaded somewhere that we could link on the revamped thread if @AwesomeEevee is yet to complete his updated versions?
In regards to blanks:
If you are creating updated blanks, please provide an approximate deadline of when you are planning on getting those blanks (or at least some and exactly what blanks) uploaded. This is simply so we can begin getting an idea of what exactly we will have available on the revamped resources thread by its launch of February 29th. In particular, can @aschefield101 and @AwesomeEevee post their planned deadline.
Overall, I'm really excited about the progress of this project, and it's great to see all of the collaboration and participation! Keep it all up, and let's get all of this done by the 1st of February!
Added a temporary ex page filled w/Metagross' blanks, and added Asche's (archived) AT and FA Mega blanks. Also made a temporary DP page to be filled out at a later date.
Wow - I can't believe that we're already about to hit the sixth week into the Resources Revamp Project! Time has flown and things have been progressing really well. Over the last five weeks, we have found and created content, and subsequently organising it. Some major players of the faking community have returned to provide assistance or complete their past projects. I know that for myself that even just over the past few weeks, my knowledge of TCG faking has increased greatly in comparison to before the project.
Currently, all eras aside from Classic and DP have sufficient blanks available that can be used if the updated blanks are not released by the project's aimed completion. We're looking at using CMP's Classic blanks and Nod's DP blanks, if we can find the blanks for Classic and figure out an extracting glitch for the DP blanks. For the extraction glitch with Nod's blanks, it'd be great if a few people could try extracting the blanks from here and see if the extraction works. Also, we're not 100% sure which BW blanks we are using. I believe @aschefield101 has some somewhere, although I think they were taken down. If anyone can provide comments on this, it would be much appreciated.
Meanwhile, we've got @CMP's Neo blanks, Meta's ex-era blanks, @Blui's HGSS blanks and Asche's XY blanks lined up for the initial deadline. Eventually, Asche is looking at providing updated Gym era blanks, Meta updating the ex and DP era blanks, and Snoop is looking at updating the BW and XY blanks.
For guides, they seem to be travelling along nicely. Obviously guides for the unconfirmed eras have not be completed yet, however there are resources for the completed versions, created by Blui.
General guides are also travelling well. @Jabberwock and myself have been creating a few larger guides for DIY placements and text-based resources respectively, which should be largely complete over the following days.
There hasn't been anyone to yet step up for looking through the custom blanks, and that will need to be done this week. @Jabberwock, would you be able to look through these and sort out which ones should be/should not be used?
In other news, we really need the majority of resources to be completed by the end of this week (February 8th). This is so a smooth subsequent two weeks of creating the actual threads can follow. We also need to know if everyone can complete their tasks by the above deadline.
Placement is one of the most key factors in making a fake image-based card. Even if symbols are placed just a few pixels off, it can make the card look a bit odd. To achieve accurate placement, different fakers use different techniques. @aschefield101 has made a guide for placing symbols and text by counting pixel-by-pixel, which you can find here: [link]
Other blank creators may create a .psd (Photoshop) or .xcf (GIMP) font guide, which you can open with their blank and simply fiddle with the text as you see fit. We have some of these files available in our Resource thread.
However, sometimes these options are not available. Available font guides may not be compatible with your image editing program, or a good guide simply may not be available. Counting the individual pixels is also a bit tedious, so many fakers will use an actual card scan to find their exact placements. This tutorial will explain how this is done.
Step 1: Find a scan. It is recommended to use the official, digital pre-printed scans from the Official Trading Card Database, as it can be ensured these are 100% accurate. The scan you pick should be the same Stage and era as the Pokémon and blank you plan to make a card of, and, if possible, have the same number of attacks. For placements such as Pokémon names, it is generally best to find a scan of the same Pokémon you are faking. While not necessary, having these attributes line up makes it much easier in the long run.
Step 2: Import the scan into your image editor. This is pretty self-explanatory. You can generally copy and paste, drag and drop or use a tab in the header bar to import an image.
Step 3: Set the size of the scan to the size of the blank. Blanks created by the community will vary in size. Some older blanks tend to be around 420x590 pixels, while others are larger. If you’re unsure about the dimensions of your blank, you can easily check it by right-clicking the blank in the file explorer/finder and opening the file’s properties.
In your image editor, you can change the size of the scan you imported. Resize the import to be the same dimensions as your blank.
Step 4: Position the scan above the blank and set opacity to 50%. Drag the scan over to the blank or use an align tool to center the scan onto the blank. The scan layer should be on top of the blank. Then, set the scan’s opacity to 50% by changing the percentage next to ‘Opacity’. In most programs, this option is found on the Layer window/bar.
Often, the scan will not line up exactly with the blank, even at the same dimensions. To fix this, nudge the scan to position and/or continue resizing it (stretching and squishing it), until the scan lines up. For maximum efficiency, line up the scan based on specific features of the blank and the scan, such as the type symbol, art box and dex bar. It is best not to position a blank based on its (yellow) border, as blank borders generally are not the exact proportions of your scan.
Step 5: How to use the transparent scan:
Text: Firstly, you’ll need to find the correct fonts for each part of the card. Although the above link to @aschefield101’s font guide lists fonts specifically for the XY/BW eras, these fonts are also generally correct for the other eras. Once you have your text with the correct font, line it up with the corresponding text on the transparent scan to find the correct placement. It is best to have the scan underneath your text layers. Using the nudge function with the arrow keys available in most programs is also ideal in this step. Stretching or squishing text, specifically for names of the card and attacks, may also be necessary. For attack effects, you'll need to Justify the text.
Icons and Symbols: You can position icons and symbols –– and really anything you would find on a symbolsheet –– in the same way. Cut out the symbol you will use (with either the Lasso or Marquee tools), and then use the Move tool to drag the symbol on top of the corresponding symbol on the scan.
Step 6: Look over your placements. Fakers should always look over their placements. Turn off the visibility of the layer with the transparent scan and look over your card. If you notice anything odd or that otherwise looks at of place, continue with Step 5. For this step, it is sometimes helpful to compare to a scan not placed on top of the blank. Once you are happy with your placements, move onto Step 7.
Step 7: Delete the transparent scan. Simply delete the layer with the transparent scan. Your text and symbols should appear on the blank without obstruction. Just add some artwork and export the card, and the card’s finished!
Tips:
Remember: If a Pokémon card has 4 or fewer lines of effect text, the gaps between the stat bar, attacks, and bottom text are much wider than they are if the card has 5 or more lines of text. Compare Ariados AOR (5 lines) and Metang AOR (4 lines) for reference.
The “nudge” tool is your friend! Mastering this will allow your placements to look much more authentic.
Don’t hesitate to use multiple scans as references. You may want to use one for name placements, another for attack/effect placements and yet another to compare!
Don’t be afraid to experiment with a placement method that works for you best. This tutorial is just a starting point.
Be patient! Placements should be the bulk of the time you spend on your cards, aside from the art and aesthetics.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask anyone in the TCG faking community! We always enjoy sharing our tips with new fakers.
I have to admit, I was a little worried when we reached this time last week and three of the seven main eras were not documented with resources that will definitely be available for when this project is completed. Fortunately, CMP literally had his Classic blanks Stashed away, Nod3's DP blanks weren't corrupt like I initially thought and Asche revived the long lost plasma blanks. I think we're missing trainers for some eras, although I would say we can just wait for updated blanks in general, since most people prefer to make old Pokemon if anything if I recall correctly.
This means that most resources for the seven main eras - Classic, Neo, ex, DP, HGSS, BW and XY - can be found in the master doc (if you don't have the password and are on the team, just message myself or @Blui and we'll give it to ya)! Jabberwock has also finished his sick guide up there, but if you've got any thoughts for it, feel free to make a note of it here or in the Skype chat.
Anyways, the end of the week has come to a close, meaning that's all the official weeks for resources creation until the ideal launch on February 29th. Of course, resources can be created during these weeks, however for these upcoming two weeks, it would be ideal for everyone to be focusing on the construction and release of the revamp thread.
The general plan for the upcoming two weeks is as follows. For this upcoming, we should brainstorm and discuss ideas of what exactly we would like to include in the revamped thread. What parts of the old thread should we include, and are there parts to scrap? Are there any new sections you think we should add? Do we want a banner or any other fancy stuff, and if so, what should this stuff look like? How will the thread look like in general? Is there a format that would be simple to navigate? What will be the main headers? List your opinions below! For convenience, here is a link to the old thread. This brainstorming needs to be done by February 14th.
For the week afterwards, we'd need to focus on putting together the final product. Writing up intro paragraphs, checking that guides are grammatically accurate, understandable and neatly presented; and thread sophistication in general. In regards to guides' grammar and presentation, those can be worked on right away. I'm looking at the TCG Wording doc, the Ancient Trait guide in particular. I believe @Athena will be helping us out particularly throughout these stages, however if you can help throughout this stage, please let Blui or myself know! The thread should be complete and ready to publish by February 28th.
This is what I think we should include in the the final thread:
Your introduction, body and conclusion, with a topic sentence for each paragraph, where a paragraph has exactly 4 senten-...
I think that the contents of the original thread was pretty good! I liked how it was concise and neatly organised especially. It also included an nice introduction, as well as links to an image-editor, font pack, blanks themselves for each era (including custom), symbol sheets, holosheets and art. For the blanks/symbol sheets/holosheets, I think that in the revamped thread each type should be grouped in eras, rather than be grouped in types like the original.
Some form of disclaimer/note about art and crediting art you use, since not putting credit is a major issue in the faking community.
Another disclaimer on not editing blanks without given permission of the creators/following the terms and conditions of those who are providing blanks.
A list of all the people who have provided blanks, resources and otherwise helped out with the Revamp Project!
A list of guides that people have made, as well as shortlist of all the links on the first page of the Master Doc. The guides that are located on PB should be reposted as either a new thread or posted underneath the main resources thread.
And a banner would be cool. :3
Anyways, I'm looking forward to other brainstorming! #hype
