Hello All!
Good news, I must admit I could not fix completely some things in EoB-III portraits just in one hit in Version 7_27 of EoB-III Portrait Restoration patch. So,
Ver. 8_28 Plus 8 is available! 😀 It will not be a disappointment for EoB lovers.
Besibe 28 "main" portraits I included 8 more. The Bright Eyes set 😀
As the vile EoB-3 artist beside just spoiling many portraits has dimmed the eyes of many other portraits - which are otherwise OK. "The Dimmer of Eyes is his name."
Now I corrected this portrait set "eye" trouble. 😀 Fixing some other problems with these portraits too.
The download for the patched EYE.RES file is here as usual, please see the end of the post:
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/eye-of … -4#post-1767908
I did one simple thing here, too. Beside fixing minor problems I completely dropped the attempts to fix or embellish EoB-3 versions of certain portraits. Making -better copies- of EoB-1 portraits, instead.
It looks better.
This is about the Green Elf mage, whose complex portrait composition was simplified by EoB-3 designer, also the Blue Mage who was totally remade in EoB-3 making him ugly and very yellow.
No longer I tried to correct his face, a better copy of EoB-1 Blue Mage is better 😀
Also it's the case of the Dark Girl. Keeping her "simple" as in EoB-1 is the key.
I added a completely repainted portrait of the Dark Warrior, with horns 😀
(Never fixed it in the past but it had to be done. I'll mention as to why.)
A short summary, I published it already on EAB forums and should repeat it here...
Please see these nice sample cases below:
Sure, the Green Girl picture where it all started, as it became even less crooked 😀
Can't help but see it was a little crooked in the EoB-1 original.
EoB-1:
EoB-III, reptilian horror with huge nose
Ver. 8
Well, nearly it's EoB-1 in EoB-3 colors. Might be even more agreeable than the original. Cute. 😀
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The Dark Warrior, with horns, the new one. 😀
Let's see what's the problem with him...
EoB-1
EoB-3
EoB-3 version is crude, the right part. As it was repainted in EoB-3 with -one- continuous steel-grey color instead of 3 or 4 blue colors used in EoB-1.
And more greys.
EoB-3 palette lacks some blue colors, so it was simplified and never corrected before.
Now I used all blue colors and less steel/grey as in the original. The color transfer result is smooth now and looks nice as in EoB-1. And yes, I have fixed the portrait centering. 😀 No tilt to the left, now. Ver. 8:
Looks good in the game. Otherwise EoB-3 version was more primitive than that of EoB-1 😀
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The problematic Green Elf mage and the Blue Mage.
The Elf had a more complex portrait composition in EoB-1,
Turned primitive (and ugly-faced) in EoB-3:
In my Ver. 7 I restored his face but it was not enough. The portrait composition was still primitive:
Now I have returned the "proper" EoB-1 clothes and composition.
Well, this Elf is much more impressive. Ver 8:
Not to mention authentic.
How good was that EoB-1 artist/designer!
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The Blue Mage, was the pixel art perfection in EoB-1:
In EoB-3 he was majorly re-painted as an ugly (and yellow) individual.
in Ver. 7 I fixed his face but it was still "not quite" and too yellow.
FIXED. I totally repainted the picture using another color set. It's now as the original or even better, as I use more face colors than EoB-1 (lucky here, huh.)
It's Victory! 😀
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The Dark Demihuman Girl,
Was small and simplistic/disheveled in EoB-1,
Turned big, half-elven and sort of posh in EoB-3 but wrong color eyebrows etc.
Now I didn't try to fix these EoB-3 features to make them fit, just returned as much EoB-1 as I could. Including the background and the jagged hair line in the left part. Ver 8:
To me, she looks just great now. Also authentic. 😀
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Paladin
His kind (EoB-1) face I returned in early versions like 5, that task was clear
EoB-1
EoB-III, unkind face and spiteful as if he has eaten a worm
But I could not remove that ultra-shiny pixel on this right shoulder (pauldron) where his armor collar goes behind this neck.
Now I moved some parts and this pixel shines moderately, all in place 😀
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Gnome (Demihuman) Girl
A standard case but special in a way... A problematic portrait that was -not- changed by EoB-3 artist. Even the eyes were not dimmed.
Somehow the EoB-3 butcher "artist" did not spoil portraits that were already problematic. 😀
This lady had a face badly angled (just like the One-eyed Fighter Girl), also neck nearly broken and a very badly painted left eye. Ugh. Bad centering also.
(EoB-1 and 3 are the same here.)
I fixed the face in ver 7 and the neck. But the eye and the centering, well, only now 😀 Ready!
Ver. 8:
She looks just great in the game. 😀
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The complex, Gruffy Dwarf with no eyes
In EoB-1
In EoB-3:
The EoB-1 dark violet background color doesn't exist in EoB-3. Not found in the palette.
I tried many other colors but they don't fit the character. Look just dead and boring at best.
By users' comments, blue fits well.
Plain Dark blue is also boring, so, a gradient color change like in One-eyed Fighter Girl portrait:
Mainly the character spirit is there and it's not boring! (as with grey/steel background).
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Now the rare and sort of weird, Anya.
As it was with the Paladin, the face and the background I corrected long ago but the armor...
It was complex.
Like the Paladin's, this problem originated from EoB-1. It's easy to see Anya's armor shifted somewhere to the middle(!) of her chest.
I expect that happened as these portraits were made with EGA and CGA in mind as EoB-1 supports them. Minor shifts like 1 pixel in VGA were not easily seen on smaller screens, 14" or less. The portraits were very small on these.
EoB-1
EoB-3
EoB-3 has no old modes, olny VGA. The screens by 1993 got bigger. So the picture had to be repainted, I agree. EoB-3 poor artist just removed her exotic armor.
Also spoiling her hair (in 3 ways) her face (in 3 ways) and her body (in 3 ways). Plus the "new" dull background. One may find the differences by comparing these pictures.
Pity.
At last I moved her armor back and it fits! 😀 Ver. 8:
All the other problems created by EoB-3 bad artist I removed and fixed. Anya is just gorgeous now. 😀
Very complex portrait but great in a way.
I have heard more people take Anya to EoB-3... She is very charismatic! 😀
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To sum it up I corrected, compared to ver. 7, many dozens of big and small issues.
With hair, background, armor pieces and even faces. (And eyes, those 8 portraits.)
All results are much more agreeable now.
I'm happy to upload the ready EYE.RES game file, all portraits included:
https://www.old-games.ru/forum/threads/eye-of … -4#post-1767908
(Please see the end of this post for download.)
Also there is separate portraits archives set in .bmp and .bin EoB-3 formats.
Congratulations!
Indeed, ~many~ changes to the best were made.
My gratitude to dim568 as your converter program allowed a miracle to happen! 😀
