[Fury]

Okay so increasing number of species, or factions can be done with species_defs.tbl. But usable icons per species seems to be still very limited. Would it be possible to get rid f hard-coded limits in icon types in icons.tbl, please?

http://www.hard-light.net/wiki/index.php/Icons.tbl

[Aardwolf]

This one seems like it could fairly painlessly be changed from an array to SCP_Vector or whatever you call them now... without breaking pilot files or anything like that. 

On a related note, is there a modular table for icons?

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Well, a proper icons.tbl, with TBM possibility, would be really nice. So you can give names to the icons as they'll appear in FRED (instead of, say, having to put a supercap icon under "player fighter wing"  )

[Goober5000]

This one seems like it could fairly painlessly be changed from an array to SCP_Vector or whatever you call them now... without breaking pilot files or anything like that. 

* Goober5000 smacks Aardwolf

NEVAR give a difficulty estimate if you're not a programmer.

Yes, this would be comparatively easy to do, BUT it isn't as simple as changing to scp_vector.  (Things are never as simple as they first appear, hence the annoyance at third-party estimates.)  For one thing, an icon bump would require overhauling icons.tbl to allow specification of new icon type names, as opposed to predefined indexes.

[chief1983]

Aardwolf is a programmer though, have you not seen any of his recently submitted patches?

[Zacam]

That may be, but I still don't see an SCP Badge.

I'd rather see a coding feasibility come from a Badge, or at the very least, a suppositional answer supplied with a patch or build to test.

This isn't to demerit any of the work provided or to incur any discouragement. But I do see Goobers point (to an extent). But not everyone that may have an answer will or may have a badge, in which case the answer provided could or should be qualified as a "I think it might entail this" to give an idea of what's going on thought wise, rather than something that comes off as declaritive but is vague and gives someone (anyone) the idea that it'll be an officially coded feature.

To which it was, in that in does seem changing it to an array will work. And afaik, he is right in that it won't break pilot files. The followup was an inquiry into a modular Icon file, which would be the other half of the scope of work, ostensibly.

[Wanderer]

Question to the fredders. Is it necessary to bind icons to a ship type? I mean it would be far easier to make say a file where you would just define the names of the icon (and then the three animations making up each of the icons). Or is the necessary for fredders to have sort of linked list of icons and ship types?

That is assuming there is actual need to change the method how the icons are handled.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

Well, no, I don't think that's necessary. Just a table, in which you can write names as they'll appear in FRED, and define the anis that will be used. Binding them to a ship type... No, I don't think there's a need for that.

[Sushi]

Well, no, I don't think that's necessary. Just a table, in which you can write names as they'll appear in FRED, and define the anis that will be used. Binding them to a ship type... No, I don't think there's a need for that.

Well, except for when you click on the icon, and it shows a rotating ship...

[Dragon]

It can be assigned via FRED, it has nothing to do with actual type of a ship (you can have Vasudan cargo icon which shows Sobek model when you click on it).
What have major influence are spieces assigned to ship, you can't have Terran corvette icon showing Sobek on click.

[FreeSpaceFreak]

What have major influence are spieces assigned to ship, you can't have Terran corvette icon showing Sobek on click.

Err, FRED doesn't complain when I do that... Are you sure it's not possible?

Misunderstood...

[Dragon]

How did you do that?
I meant that there is a set of icon "types" and each type's exact icon is controlled by spieces of a ship it's assigned to.
So, if you will take icon from Deimos, it will resemble it's shape. You will be then able to change icons shape to Triton, but if you want icon resembling Sobek you need to swith ship's type to something Vasudan, not matter if it's Sobek or, for example, Typhoon.
That's what you can do in FRED, if you will get into modding you can of course change the icons in tables. (please correct me if I'm mistaken, because if I am, cetrain things would be much easier to me).

[Goober5000]

It's not possible to have a Terran corvette icon showing a Sobek popup.  The species of the icon is taken from the species of the underlying ship.

The briefing type doesn't necessarily have to match, which is why you can have a fighter icon but a transport popup.  It's also why you can have a planet or jump node icon.