[COLORBOUND] 2016 1.0.3

Steam Workshop version: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=759046544
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[COLORBOUND] 2016 - "All in One" Edition" - is a complete set all 37 modular [COLORBOUND] 2016 packages, downloadable in one convenient archive, exclusive to the Chucklefish Forums.

Each color is unique to that race and body part, and is as thematically friendly as possible in terms of shades and tones. In addition, [COLORBOUND] is also MultiplayerFriendly™ and (stable) UpdateFriendly™!

Other people will be able to see the colors of characters created with [COLORBOUND] in multiplayer, even if those people do not have [COLORBOUND] installed! Characters created with [COLORBOUND] colors will also retain those colors even if [COLORBOUND] is removed or stops working after an update.

Once installed, [COLORBOUND] colors can be selected (on the character creation screen) in the order displayed on the palette images (located inside each pack's folder).

Each [COLORBOUND] pack is also stand-alone! Individual [COLORBOUND] 2016 packs can be used with the bigger [COLORBOUND] 2015 and [COLORBOUND] 2014 mods without conflict or overlap.

Each mod is totally independent from the others (i.e. 2016 is not an updated version of 2015; 2015 is not an updated version of 2014).

For additional details, please refer to the (large amount of) information below, or just stop reading here if you're pretty much already familiar with the inner workings of [COLORBOUND] (I don't mind!).

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Note: There is an index in the download archive that tells you which set is which via the filename.


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WHAT IS [COLORBOUND]?
[COLORBOUND] 2016 is a series of color packs that add additional color selection choices to Starbound. These new colors can be used both by the player (during character creation) and by NPCs (when they're spawned). The primary intent of [COLORBOUND] is to allow more NPC variety during your travels, instead of only encountering the same limited pool of default colors that Chucklefish added to the game. However, these new colors can, of course, be used for player characters, too.

Unlike [COLORBOUND] 2014 and [COLORBOUND] 2015, [COLORBOUND] 2016 was designed to be modular. Instead of one big pack of hundreds of different colors, [COLORBOUND] 2016 exists as a number of individual "packs" that are themed around a certain palette or scheme.

For example, there are Novakid colors that are based on Google's "Material Design" palette, and a number of other packs have been inspired by the ideas from Creative Color Schemes.

In addition, unlike the "hue shift" approach of the previous [COLORBOUND] additions (in which a thematic base color was chosen and then shifted by 30°to cover the entire range of the RGB spectrum), [COLORBOUND] 2016 uses a palette approach that is more akin to the original (and lost to time) [COLORBOUND], with each color option being hand-picked.

Taking a modular approach requires more downloads, but it also allows a player to pick and choose what colors they want to see in the game, instead of just being given 1,500+ colors to click through.

Perhaps there are certain colors that you don't like? You don't have to download them. Perhaps you want all the colors possible? You can download everything. The choice is entirely yours.

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HOW [COLORBOUND] WORKS
Starbound uses Hex Color Codes to replace COLOR A on a sprite with COLOR B. In general, each element of a sprite (e.g. hair; body; eyes) consists of several Hex Color Codes, which are then "painted over" by several more Hex Color Codes to create the colors that you see on screen.

For example, Human Hair consists of three base colors: #d9c189, the main color; #a38d59, a darker shade of the main color; and #735e3a, the darkest shade of the main color. These three colors create the "shaded" look of Human Hair (and, by extension, all the other body parts in the game). When you select a color for your human's hair in the character selection screen, you are essentially selecting "replacement" colors that paint over those three base Hex Color Codes.

The downside to this approach is that every new color that you add to the game requires quite a lot of work, both in regards to finding the Hex Color Code(s) of the color(s) that you want to add to the game, finding additional lighter/darker shades of that color to created the shaded effect that the game uses, and then typing all of that into a line of code so the game knows what new color(s) to replace the old color(s) with.

By this point, creative use of Photoshop Actions and Scripts, Notepad++, and Jitbit's Macro Recorder, has largely automated the process of converting palettes into code; but even with these to help, it still takes quite a long time (i.e. hours) to add new colors. Be that is it may, this is the method that we're stuck with.

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SELECTING [COLORBOUND] COLORS
As of the time of writing, Starbound still has the same character creation screen that it's had since Beta v. Angry Koala and earlier. I think that we all expected that a better way of selecting colors would have been added between now and then, but that improved character creation screen never came, so we still have to click left and right to pick the color(s) that we want for our character(s).

Unfortunately, selecting colors from [COLORBOUND] packs works in exactly the same way. In general, color selections are sorted by the alphabetical order of the mod's folder name, and cycle as follows:

DEFAULT COLORS -> FOLDER A COLORS -> FOLDER B COLORS -> FOLDER C COLORS

(If you're using Steam Workshop, you're totally on your own. The order in which things are ordered seems completely up to the way Steam names content folders.)


For example, if you have the HUMAN NATURAL, HUMAN ROMANTIC, and HUMAN UNIQUE color packs installed, the colors from those packs will cycle in this order:

DEFAULT COLORS -> 15 x HUMAN NATURAL COLORS -> 15 x HUMAN ROMANTIC COLORS -> 15 x HUMAN UNIQUE COLORS


If you have [COLORBOUND] 2015 or [COLORBOUND] 2014 installed, the colors will cycle:

DEFAULT COLORS -> (NOVAKID VIRIDIS PACK) -> [COLORBOUND] 2014 -> [COLORBOUND] 2015 ->[COLORBOUND] 2016 PACK(S) -> DEFAULT COLORS

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Unlike [COLORBOUND] 2015's reds-to-greens-to-blues shift, individual colors from the various [COLORBOUND] 2016 packs will cycle (from left to right) as shown on the palette images. From there, it is a matter of counting out the number of clicks if there's a specific color that you're looking for, clicking through the various options until you see something you like, or simply hitting "random" and letting fate decide for you.

As the [COLORBOUND] set adds several hundred color options if you're using all of them, I would highly suggest only installing the pack(s) with the color(s) that you want to use for your character(s) first, and THEN installing all of the other [COLORBOUND] packs once you have started a new game (so NPCs can use the colors).

Note: I know that the method of selecting colors is a pain in the butt. There's nothing I can do about it.

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INSTALLING/UNINSTALLING [COLORBOUND]
To install [COLORBOUND], extract the various [COLORBOUND] packs to a folder of your choice, and then move the packs that you want to use to your Starbound/mods folder.

To uninstall [COLORBOUND], simply delete the pack(s) that you don't want to use anymore from your Starbound/mods folder.

Alternatively, if you play Starbound via Steam instead of the GOG version, you can install/uninstall packs via the Steam Workshop.

Please note that you can safely add or delete [COLORBOUND] packs without having to start a new character. Characters created with [COLORBOUND] colors will keep those colors even if the pack that they came from is deleted. Additionally, NPCs that use [COLORBOUND] colors and were spawned before a [COLORBOUND] pack is deleted will keep those colors until they despawn (or are killed).

Mixing and matching packs is entirely encouraged, and [COLORBOUND] 2016 packs are fully compatible with [COLORBOUND] 2015 and 2014. If you want, you can install every [COLORBOUND] mod that you can find and they will all work together without any overlap.

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GENERAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Q: How do I install [COLORBOUND]?
A: Scroll back up a bit. (Some people might have skipped it!)

Q: Is [COLORBOUND] multiplayer compatible?
A: Yes.

Q: Do other people need to have [COLORBOUND] to see the colors on the character I created with [COLORBOUND]?
A: No. Starbound saves the color information as Hex Color Codes to your character file.

Q: Why don't you make a better color selection screen for Starbound?
A: It's beyond my ability. Feel free to make one yourself, though.

Q: Is [COLORBOUND] compatible with [mod]?
A: It should be compatible with just about everything. Should be.
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Q: My game crashed and/or some other calamity occurred. Is [COLORBOUND] to blame?
A: Probably not. Check the forums. If no one else is reporting issues, then it's probably not [COLORBOUND].

Q: Are [COLORBOUND] 2016 packs compatible [COLORBOUND] 2015 and [COLORBOUND] 2014?
A: Yes. [COLORBOUND] 2016 (packs), 2015, and 2014, are entirely stand-alone mods. For example, 2016 is not an update of 2015.

Q: Will you make [these colors] for [this race]?
A: No.

Q: Will you add support / color packs for [mod] race?
A: Nope.

Q: Will you make a personal color for my character?
A: No.

Q: May I convert a [COLORBOUND] pack for use by [mod] race?
A: Yes, providing that credit is given. A "An Unofficial [COLORBOUND] Pack" label should also be clearly visible.

Q: May I use a [COLORBOUND] pack for my [mod] race's color options?
A: Yes, providing that credit is given.

Q: Will you support conversions for [mod] race?
A: Nope.

Q: Can I use [COLORBOUND] 2016 packs in my Mod Pack?
A: Yes, providing that credit is given.

Q: Do I need permission to use [COLORBOUND] 2016 packs in my Mod Pack / Conversion / [Mod] Race?
A: No, providing that credit is given.

Q: Can I upload [COLORBOUND] onto a different website (e.g. Nexus)?
A: No. Don't do that. (I'm looking at you, Steam Workshop.)

Q: Can I include [COLORBOUND] in the Mod Pack that I intend to upload to a different website?
A: You can include [COLORBOUND] in Mod Packs intended for the Chucklefish Community Forums or Steam Workshop.

Q: If I open up the *.species.patch files in Notepad, will I find some useful information inside?
A: You might find information that could help you make your own colors, if you combine it with other information from this page. Who can say? It is a mystery.

Q: Did you read everything up to this line?
A: You're awesome and probably popular with the opposite and/or same sex!​

Have fun!

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Mod Pack Permissions:

You must get the author's consent before including this mod in a compilation.

Mod Assets Permissions:

Do not alter or redistribute the assets included in this mod.