CrazyPUB: ranks and levels for CS2 servers
How we drew 18 ranks and 100 level icons for CrazyPUB servers in CS2: an ornament in dozens, ten colors and a project sign in each icon
Ranks and levels for CrazyPUB servers in CS2
For CrazyPUB servers in Counter-Strike 2 we drew 118 icons: 18 ranks and 100 levels. They can be seen in the score table next to the player's nickname, and there they are very small. Therefore, the entire system is built so that the level can be estimated by shape and color without even seeing the number.
Below we tell you how the ranks are structured, by what logic the levels change and how it all looks in a real match.
Task: two systems in one column
CrazyPUB holds public CS2 servers with its own progression. Each player has a rank and level, and in the score table they appear in the same column: one player has a rank there, the neighbor has a level.
Hence two requirements. Firstly, the ranks and levels must look like one family, otherwise the table will fall apart. Secondly, each icon must be readable at the size the game draws it, which is approximately the height of a line of text.
So all 118 icons are drawn on the same 274 by 111 pixel canvas, in the same palette, and with the CrazyPUB sign inside. In the table they stand in an even column and do not jump in height.
18 ranks from Silver I to Global Elite
We did not invent the ranks from scratch. This is a classic competitive ladder that players know by heart, and there was no point in breaking the usual logic. We redrawn it in the CrazyPUB style: an inclined plate with rounded corners, a mint accent and a project sign with a translucent layer on the background.
Ranks are divided into three groups, and each has its own die.
Silver, 6 ranks. Bright mint die with dark chevrons. With each rank a chevron is added, and Silver Elite and Silver Elite Master have a ring.
Gold Nova and Master Guardian, 7 ranks. The plaque becomes dark with a light outline. Gold Nova has one to four stars inside in brackets, Master Guardian has a rifle, and Master Guardian Elite has two crossed rifles.
Top five ranks. Dark plaque with mint outline and large emblems: star for Distinguished Master Guardian, eagle for Legendary Eagle and Legendary Eagle Master, winged globe from Supreme Master First Class. The Global Elite adds crossed rifles to the globe.
Due to the change of the die, the rank group is immediately visible: a light icon means Silver, a dark one with a white frame means the middle of the stairs, a dark one with a mint frame means the top. And the exact rank within the group is indicated by the picture in the center.
100 levels: a new ornament every ten levels
No one will remember 100 different icons, and 100 identical tiles with a number do not give the player a sense of growth. Therefore, we divided the levels into dozens. Inside the ten there is one form, and with each new ten the ornament around the die becomes more complex and solemn.
1–10: short stripes on the sides.
11–20: long stripes, like on chevron.
21–30: diverging arcs.
31–40: arcs with small stars.
41–50: frame with stars on two sides.
51–60: frame with curved leaves.
61–70: offset ribbons with with stars.
71–80: wide plate strewn with stars.
81–90: wings with stars.
91–100: wings with a metallic flare and golden stars around.
The player himself sees how his icon grows, and knows what awaits him after ten levels. And in the scoreboard, one silhouette shows who you are playing with: a newcomer with stripes or an old-timer with wings.
Ten colors inside a ten
The pattern shows the ten, and the color shows the position inside it. In each ten, the pattern and number follow the same ten colors, from pale silver through gold and olive to bright mint. The last level of the ten is always the brightest, and this mint connects the levels with ranks.
The first level of the ten (1, 11, 21...): #E8E4D8, light silver
Second: #E8D6A3, champagne
Third: #E8C66A, light gold
Fourth: #E6B94F, gold
Fifth: #DDAA32, thick gold
Sixth: #C99A27, dark gold
Seventh: #AFA83A, olive
Eighth: #7FC66A, green
Ninth: #4FE39A, light mint
Tenth (10, 20, 30...): #26FEAF, bright mint
As a result, all 100 levels are added to a 10 by 10 grid: the ornament changes along the rows, and the color changes along the columns. 20 elements make one hundred recognizable icons, and none of them repeat the other.
What does a level icon consist of?
Each level icon is assembled from four parts. Two of them are the same for the entire set, two change with the level.
Die. Dark octagon, one for all 100 levels. It maintains contrast with the number on any table background.
CrazyPUB sign. Lies inside a plate with 10% transparency. In the game it is almost invisible and does not interfere with the number, but at a large size, in a profile or on the website, the icon is immediately read as a corporate icon.
Number. Set in Unbounded font in the color of its level. The same font is in the CrazyPUB brand book, so the numbers speak in the same voice as the logo.
Ornament. Changes every ten levels and is recolored within the top ten.
Levels 91–100 have two more layers: a metallic highlight on the plate and a soft glow behind the wings. The last ten should feel like a reward, and not just the next step.
What it looks like in the game
On the screenshot from a match on the CrazyPUB server, both types of icons are in the same column. There are The Global Elite, Master Guardian I, Gold Nova III and four Silver IV chevrons, and next to them are levels 2, 7, 8, 17 and 25.
The icons are the same height, aligned along the same axis and do not argue with each other. Ranks immediately differ from levels in the shape of the tile, and levels differ from each other in ornamentation: the diverging arcs of the 25th level cannot be confused with the short stripes of the second. The numbers are readable even on a translucent background of the score table, because they are always on a dark plate.
What happened
CrazyPUB now has one system of 118 icons. The titles remained recognizable to CS2 players, the levels continue them and give a visible increase from the first level to the hundredth, and the sign and font of the project are in each icon.
We make graphics for game projects: titles, award icons, logos and corporate identity for servers, websites and design of social networks. If your server needs its own ranking system, write to us, we will discuss the problem and offer a solution.
Frequently asked questions
How many icons are included in the CrazyPUB set? 118: 18 ranks from Silver I to The Global Elite and 100 icons levels.
How are ranks different from levels? The titles are drawn on an inclined plate and repeat the usual ladder of the competitive mode. The levels are on an octagonal plate with a number and show the player’s progress on the project servers.
How to distinguish levels without reading the number? By ornament and color. The ornament changes every ten levels, and within the top ten the color goes from light silver to bright mint.
Can I order such icons for my server? Yes. We draw titles, levels and award icons for CS2 servers and other game projects in the style of your brand. If there is no corporate identity yet, we can start with a logo and brand book.
What format does the set come in? The icons are drawn in vector, so they can be uploaded in any size and format that the game or website needs