Something I've noticed since I've been on this sub, is that most of the bags for sale seem to be S30s. As someone who bought an S30 years ago and loves it, I'd be curious to hear why so many people want to sell theirs.
Cheers!
Hello proxy people :) For the past ~few weeks I've been working in Photoshop making cards for a Cube, and when I was ready to export the print-ready files I emailed MPC asking for some technical assistance. I found the results to be illuminating and thought I'd share them here.
Keep in mind that I was attempting to ask my questions very clearly to help with potential language barrier or translation issues.
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Hello! My Photoshop files are in RGB, but I believe your printers use CMYK color space. Is it better to submit RGB images and let your system convert to CMYK, or should I convert to CMYK when I export? Also, there are ICC profiles. I've read that 'U.S. Web Coated (SWOP) v2' is commonly used but I want to make sure I export my files correctly so the look their best on your printers.
I apologize if I have been unclear, I am not an expert and just want to do a good job :)
Thank you for your help!
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Thank you for your enquiry.
Kindly note that we use digital printing press in CMYK color format, so we suggest your files to be in CMYK color instead of RGB, otherwise they will have color difference.
And for the color profile, you should save them as Japan Color 2001 Coated(PSO Coated).
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Thank you! I have now exported the files in CMYK with the Japan Color 2001 Coated profile, and they look great! On my PC, the RGB and CMYK files look very similar. However, when I upload them to MakePlayingCards.com, the CMYK ones appear more dull and color shifted. Yes, the CMYK ones look off! (in the preview)
My question is: Are the colors in the preview window accurate? Should I submit the CMYK versions even if they are more dull in the preview and just 'trust the process'? I will include 2 similar cards, one in RGB and one in CMYK for you to review. For me, they look they same until I upload to your website. Then the CMYK looks off.
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If your images are in RGB color format, then it will printed out dark and dull, you should save them in CMYK color.
However the preview is no acurate.
Do let us know if you have any further questions which we will be happy to further answer.
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I haven't received my order yet, but I did as they said and exported my RGB photoshop files in CMYK with Japan Color 2001 Coated as the embedded ICC Color Profile. It's hard to tell the difference between the CMYK exports and the RGB exports when viewed on my PC, although there are subtle differences. Reds/Blues/Purples are the most affected.
But on MPC's project editor, the CMYK ones look noticeably darker/dingier. However, it does say right in the preview window "This is for alignment only." and they told me in the email that "...the preview is no accurate." So we'll just have to see when they arrive if they look better than my previous orders, which were RGB. And honestly I never thought the RGB ones looks dark or dull so *shrugs* lolol
Anyone else ever done CMYK? I'm curious to hear other peoples thoughts and experiences on this matter.
Cheers!
Hey people :) I made a post about a month ago when this project was far from complete, and I wanted to post again now that I've "finished" the list.
The primer is pretty verbose, but this cube has certainly evolved over time. It began as me wanting to mitigate complexity, pure and simple. MTG has gotten so crazy complex in recent times, that I just want a way to draft that makes me feel the way limited used to make me feel.
Then I discovered bar cubes, and realized how much my cube had in common with them from a design perspective. So I leaned into that, making the cube 180 instead of 360 was the biggest inspiration I took from Bar Cubes as I was already minimizing game pieces like tokens and counters and was concerned with reducing cognitive load.
Then the direction/inspiration changed again as I started to focus on (simple) draft all-stars that I personally loved drafting with. Territorial Hammerskull, Cloudkin Seer, Owlbear, Charging Strifeknight, etc.
After LOTS of scryfall searches (shout out to their oracle tags), and about ~30 playtesting events with friends/iterations, I finally feel as though I've got an official 1.0 list that's ready to share :)
After so many shifts in design intentions, I'm not even sure how to describe what my goal was/is at this point. But I do feel as though I've met that goal lol
Not all official limited environments contain all 10 color pairs, so for now Simple Cube only has enemy color gold cards and lands. Although people have definitely gone 3-0 with allied color pairs in playtesting.
I'd love to hear any suggestion you guys may have. Cheers!
P1-P1 picture for attention lol
Hey gang, I made a post like a year ago about a Simple Cube that I had been working on. I ended up leaving the project on the backburner until recently, and now I'm looking for some feedback :)
I have a full 180 card list, but after just a short time playtesting it was clear that every draft would feel the same and that the cube would have very low replayability. The problem was my archetypes were laser focused. Tribal, even. Golgari Graveyard Elves, Boros Aggro Soldiers, Izzet Spellslinger Wizards, etc. None of the decks really wanted cards from the other decks, outside of removal. This meant there was almost zero tension over cards during the draft. Bleh
So I basically started over with a different mindset; I want there to be archetypes, but every card needs to be good on it's own. No more "Soldiers get +1/+1". So far I've only done Simic and Izzet but I wanted to see what other people thought before moving forward with the other guilds.
The attached picture explains my self imposed design limitations, which result in a low/mid power level.
Cheers!