Dynamically Generated images?

[Kyttias]

I'd recommend something like this (just go another folder down):

  Spoiler: folders 

[LIST]
oranda/

• f/
  • 5/
    • lines.png
      body/
      • alpha/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        beta/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        stipple/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        shine/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        glaze/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        disruption/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
      
      fins/
      • crypsis/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        panda/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        point/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        shine/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
      
      markings/
      • dalmation/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        flame/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        dot/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        12point/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        counter/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          
        shine/
        • copper.png
          chocolate.png
          obsidian.png
          (etc)
          

If you wanted to build a female oranda at level 5, with an obsidian stipple body (primary), copper point fins (secondary), and a chocolate dot marking (tertiary), you'd want to load just these files:

images/oranda/f/5/body/stipple/obsidian.png
images/oranda/f/5/fins/point/copper.png
images/oranda/f/5/markings/dot/chocolate.png
images/oranda/f/5/lines.png

(And really, you could just store the lines with the colored images. This would even allow you to make fins of slightly different shapes.)

I won't help, because I've done it myself and it's a trade secret at this point, but ask your programmer if you can save ONE image (for each body, fin and marking pattern), in just a base color, instead of individual colors -- that he can tint with a color hex code programatically. It's definitely possible, and then you don't have to save each color manually! Think about it, as it can even work with markings that involve more than one color (rather than saving a black and white image, you could, for example, make a yellow dot surrounded by a slightly red outline... tinting it programmatically would be to the same effect as sliding the hue in art program so it's a slightly different shade).

If you can get your programmer to tint an image programatically, you can bring it down to just:

images/oranda/f/5/body/stipple.png
images/oranda/f/5/fins/point.png
images/oranda/f/5/markings/dot.png