Development on version 2.x (France edition)

[Kutchek]

Please add better road quality.

Explain this ! What do you want?

[Horizon™]

I think he meant to change the road textures to better looking ones

[jdenm8]

There is also the free alternative CarthoGothic Std

I hadn't seen this yet, no. I'll have a look in the morning.

It's sometimes hard to get by certain fonts. I'm quite lucky to have DIN1451 Austria and the RWS typefaces and I had to replicate Vejtafletskrift, Traffikkalfabetet and Liikenemerkki myself.

If only all sign typefaces could be as easy as Tratex.

[n4gix.bill.leaming]

I am not a "fontaholic." I could care less about the actual font used as to the very presence of the signs!

[zebenji]

Hi everyone,

I've just come back home after a few days off, and apparently there are lots of reactions concerning the signs I've made for Kutchek. First of all, thank you for your feedback. I am glad that some people appreciate these signs. As for those who don't, well, I'm sorry you're disappointed but I think you'll have to play with them.

I'll do my best to answer all the questions I've been asked:

Does these tourist signs shouldn't written in "Characteres" font?

jdenm8 mentioned it soon after, but "modern" French tourist signs use a font called "Caractères L5". Actually I found a very complete PDF about French signs... but of course it's in French hehe: http://www.lacroix-signalisation.com/fi ... cation.pdf

To sum things up: I didn't find the Caractres L5 font anywhere. I even sent an e-mail to the French highway association, but of course never got any reply. I spent a whole week finding the best alternate font. I finally picked "Alte Haas Grotesk". So yeah there is Helvetica, Frutiger, Segoe, and a dozen others. Truth is, none of them are exactly the same as Caractères L5. Even the one I found is not perfect (I especially don't like the apostrophes and commas). However, in my opinion it's the best compromise I found. Some fonts are too "thin", even in bold, some others make characters too long, etc.

I've always known that some people wouldn't like that choice. Truth is, if I had the Caractères L5 font, I could probably redo these texts. Until then, this one is not too bad. Not perfect, I know that, but unfortunately we'll have to deal with this solution. I did some tests with Helvetica and Frutiger, and I didn't like the result. At all.

Last piece of information: I was referring to "modern" signs because the first signs used the Caractères L4 font. These include the ones in Normandy you already find in the game.

Will tourist signs covers the whole of France?

The A64 was a test, so Kutchek would see if the work was worth it or not. Before coverning the rest of France, I want to finish the A64 highway with him, especially regarding the number of signs. As a matter of fact, I counted 45 tourist signs on Google Maps from Toulouse to Bayonne (yeah, I used Streetview from start to finish). I made most of these signs, but we don't want the highway to be overcrowded with Brown signs: remember the map uses a 1.19 scale. Once we'll know how many signs can be used, I'll start working on other highways.

My priority will be the highways Kutchek is working on... so for now, basically all the highways leading to Toulouse. After that, I'll do my best to keep up the work and covering the rest of the area he created. As for the ETS2 highways... not sure yet. Most of these highways don't reflect the truth so I'm not really up for it, maybe in the long term. Let's just do that step by step. I'm not promising you signs covering all of France for v2.0, because I don't have that much time (people need to work to live hehe), but I'll see with Kutchek what we can do. It's his project, so he'll have the last word about what I should work on.

Will you make this sign on A63 ? https://www.google.fr/maps/@43.393881,- ... 0sxvRQ!2e0

I used to live there so I know exactly where this sign is. I can't answer yet, haven't started working on A63 yet. I might create non-touristic signs if they bring something to the game. Not very sure about the one you sent because these places are not on the map. I think I saw one with Bayonne, so maybe that one. Or the last sign before entering Spain. As I said, let me work around Toulouse first, then I'll do the rest. But yeah, A63 will likely be one of the next highways I'll work on when the guys creating Spain will work on the Bilbao/Donostia area.

One last thing: I'm doing my best to create the original signs, but some signs are slighly different, either because the quality of the sign on Google StreetView is atrocious, or because of copyright problems. For example, I know most of the signs on the A20 will disappear because of copyright agreements. So I'll probably create custom designs for this highway.

OK, that's a very long reply so I'll stop here. But if you have other questions (not regarding the font I use, unless you are the creator of the L5 font... in that case you'll become my new best friend!), feel free to ask!

[jdenm8]

Actually I found a very complete PDF about French signs... but of course it's in French hehe: http://www.lacroix-signalisation.com/fi ... cation.pdf

It has pictures, which is the important bit

Truth is, if I had the Caractères L5 font, I could probably redo these texts.

I've been looking into this, there's some free OTF editors around that work using exactly the same principles I've been using to recreate the German Tourism signs. I may be able to make it up from Streetview images. It'd take a while for me to learn the software and build the set though.

[Nectaria Coutayar]

Please add better road quality.

Explain this ! What do you want?

Well I do have a suggestion for the "autoroutes", and that's the T4 line as shown in this picture:

http://velobuc.free.fr/images/Marquessolfrance.jpg

It's so typically French, no idea if it's possible to do so, but as you have done it for smaller roads I guess it's possible to re-create it for the autoroutes as well...in due time ofcourse.

[jdenm8]

As has been mentioned before, the current system doesn't allow lines that long.

AFAIK, ETS2's traditional road system's textures must repeat every 15m. You would have to change the road type every 32m then 13m for something like that to work since it's so much longer than what it allows. Changing the road type so frequently is a bit pointless TBH.

I think the new road system allows stuff like this, but it needs the kinks ironed out first.

Also, the Font's coming along. I've got B, C, a, b, l, m, o and - implemented so far. I've discovered that the lowercase letters in L5 are much larger than they are in other typefaces. Some, like b, are actually taller than the Capitals.

EDIT: You can now type 'Cambo-les-Bains' without it breaking, I've now just got to fix the Kerning. I need more examples for other letters, I don't know where to find these signs.

[zebenji]

You can now type 'Cambo-les-Bains' without it breaking, I've now just got to fix the Kerning. I need more examples for other letters, I don't know where to find these signs.

Actually, I think I found something even easier for you! Of course it's another PDF in French, but page 25 should help you a lot :

http://www.nadia-europ.com/media/genera ... 062007.pdf

I don't really know how to create a font. In that I'm still learning how to use Photoshop to recreate these roadsigns. But if the document I found can help you creating a L5 font, I -and probably a lot of folks over here- will be really grateful to you.

[jdenm8]

That'll help a lot!

Here's the interim version that'll let you do that sign.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rkvaxpsh1u0pm ... m.ttf?dl=0

I'm going to keep messing with the Kerning and getting the full set in.