Been working on a replacement icon and spritesheet for the silk gloves so we can have them recoloured without being cotton gloves 3.0. Here's the current versions for critique.
For the icon I'm undecided if it maybe looks too large compared to the other gloves?.. but trimming it down is tricky if I want to keep the details.
For the sprites I started with the cotton gloves as a reference then removed the cuffs and a few edge pixels to try for a sleeker, thinner appearance. I'm not 100% on the lack of border between the arm and the gloves themselves, but adding the border makes them look thick...
Any feedback would be appreciated!
Attachments
Pic of the icon as it appears in my local game
Screenshot from 2026-06-14 01-19-04.png (2.14 KiB) Viewed 1804 times
Spritesheet (male/unisex, I do have a female one too)
Gloves are very tough to get right because of the awkward shapes that hands have in our sprites. There have been attempts at giving them more definition (namely fingers) but it has never quite worked out. I think these look good and would give a little variation to what is probably the most boring piece of equipment. Could you post a side-by-side comparison with the existing cotton gloves? I feel like it could help highlight the changes.
I like the icon. I would consider making it smaller as IMO it always looks better when they are small with good details. Maybe you could do something similar to the leather gloves icon which only shows one glove? Or it could be one in the foreground and one barely visible behind? I feel like that could help keep the image smaller. I also think that the rounded shape that they form is too harmonious. If you look at your hand you'll see a straighter edge, while these are very curved towards each other in almost a heart shape (I know the existing cotton gloves icon does this too, but it balances it out with a stronger... edge? The wrist part of the glove. I have no idea what to call it). They might look more natural with a less rounded shape.
What I like the most is that you took on a piece of equipment in the first place. I'd love to see you tackle something bigger. Maybe boots is the next step? Or hats. People will shut down hats easily because they are so overdone, but the truth is that they really help people get into making equipment as they are a good level of complexity without being too boring to make.
I also wonder if there's in-game screen of how it actually renders? Esp with recolor? Or how do you test how it looks "in field"?
Speaking for myself I really like idea of recolorable silk gloves. Always looked out of place on my outfit. And next recolorable thing I really dream to see is Lazurite robe. Since current version makes me to look like doctor or some lab worker and it huge "visual" disadvantage compared to sorcerer's robes :\. IMO its really wrong if ppl have to choose between good look and item function.
I like the icon. I would consider making it smaller as IMO it always looks better when they are small with good details.
Thanks! Good point on the shaping, I'll see what a more angular shape does - should make them a bit more scalable - and yeah I did actually start out with crossed gloves but felt it more appropriate to mimic the other 'soft' gloves.
What I like the most is that you took on a piece of equipment in the first place. I'd love to see you tackle something bigger. Maybe boots is the next step? Or hats.
Definitely keen to do some more cosmetic stuff! I figure I'll do a couple overhauls with increasing complexity to ease into the system... my current goal is to have some customisation available for all classes! I have ideas for an armor trim system for the heavy armors and probably a leather-dying system... but first something simple that's already got an equivalent in the game.
As for recolors... full implementation of recoloring needs a bit more advanced sequencing.
I.e. it needs some serverdata changes for sure.
To introduce new item IDs for colored versions.
To add it to NPCs so they can dye it for players, etc. I can try to help with this part I guess.
I'd love a breakdown of where I need to make changes for that! I found [server]/npc/functions/dyeconfig.txt and I thought I'd added the xml entries for the recolours correctly, but then the mapserver went into an infinite loop with a 'Dye failed' debug message... Might be I need to check item IDs more thoroughly.
Trying a re-do of the icon, scaled down with a more angled look:
Original silk | More angled/scaled down | Cotton gloves
silkgloves-comparison.png (1.38 KiB) Viewed 1747 times
I've got a half-n-half for the new version (in the middle), I kinda like the left hand with the fingers curled in a bit - more akin to a hand at rest.. but I've left the completely straight version for reference. The final version will probably be the same pose mirrored.
Straightening the palm area has definitely been an improvement, thanks WildX!
The icon looks much better IMO! Also the comparison looks very convincing to me. Really feels like a lighter fabric and almost makes the cotton ones look too big and chunky. I'd love to see how it looks in different colours too. Nice work!
Looks like I was successful then! The new silks are on the left, cotton gloves are on the right.
In that case yes! So it makes me curious to see it in action.
I'd love a breakdown of where I need to make changes for that!
Most apparent things...
1) Adding new items to db/items_db.conf - its primary authority for items as such.
2) Building actual TMWA DBs from it by running "evolved.py". Will also generate TMWA constants for use in scripts, etc. If it hard I can do this part and/or verify result looks good.
3) npc/functions/dyeconfig.txt indeed
4) Adding items to client data with same IDs as in 1) so client knows how to render them.
Wonder if I missed smth. Not like if TMW gets recolorable new items often so pls forgive my knowledge of this corner is relatively basic.
Ok so far I have done:
Client-side:
1) Created png and associated xml entries under [client]/graphics/items/equipment/hands/ and [client]/graphics/sprites/equipment/hands/
2) Created item.xmls for all coloured variants under [client]/items/equip-arms/
3) Added 'include' lines for each item.xml in [client]/items/equip-arms/_include.xml <-- I can see the coloured icons in-game in the /createitems menu!.. but cannot create them as the server doesn't acknowledge them yet.
Coloured icons!
Screenshot from 2026-06-16 11-56-56.png (12.25 KiB) Viewed 1706 times
Server-side:
1) Added entries into [server]/world/map/db/item_db.conf for each item, confirming ID matches items on client and is unique
2) Ran [server]/tools/evolved.py
3) Confirmed that items still won't register in-game and don't exist in [server]/world/map/db/item_db_hand.txt <-- Seems evolved.py isn't adding the gloves to the db?
4) Manually added entry for dark green gloves in [server]/world/map/db/item_db_hand.txt <-- Item creates in game without issue
Dark green fashion
silkgloves-gark-green.png (17.54 KiB) Viewed 1706 times
5) Added items to [server]/world/map/npc/functions/DyeConfig.txt <-- Tested that Selim can apply all colours correctly
In summary, seems evolved.py isn't working as intended, at least on my setup... So being the impatient sod I am I've manually entered all of 'em into item_db_hand.txt for demo purposes.
BEHOLD THE FULL GAMUT
silkgloves-COLOURS.png (31.6 KiB) Viewed 1706 times
Last edited by Jinkers on 16 Jun 2026, 02:38, edited 1 time in total.
Worked out the issue... This time was an issue with the formatting for my entries into item_db.conf, specifically I'd used space-based formatting instead of tab-based... Fixed that and now evolved.py adds them properly! Have documented the process I followed and lessons I learned in the wiki so we can point future item-makers in that direction.
Now all that's left I think is to put in a merge request.
Great work! Someone (in ML, not TMW) tried making silk gloves different to cotton gloves, but it is only a re-colour of the base item. But they still look the same, only colours shifted a bit.
Fixed that and now evolved.py adds them properly! Have documented the process I followed and lessons I learned in the wiki so we can point future item-makers in 
