Progress

[Cody]

Thanks - sun_distance_multiplier = 5; is perfect.

[cim]

I think the [wiki]planetinfo.plist[/wiki] documentation is now up to date with all the new properties.

The next feature I'm working on is to allow a bit more control over the interface colours and layout

At the moment there's only really the chart screen which can have much done with it, but the others should come in fairly soon as well.

[Wildeblood]

he next feature I'm working on is to allow a bit more control over the interface colours and layout.

A way to hide the 'orrible grey line under the screen title - the single most jarring, amateurish, home-made, placeholder-I'll-get-around-to on-screen feature in Oolite - would be nice. Every time I see it I think of an HTML <HR> in pre-CSS browsers. Every time.

Addendum: which would mean, I suppose, extra faff on the chart screens where it would have to not be hidden even when it was hidden, to match the line below the chart. A good example of how desiring even a small change opens a can of worms.

[Pleb]

he next feature I'm working on is to allow a bit more control over the interface colours and layout.

A way to hide the 'orrible grey line under the screen title - the single most jarring, amateurish, home-made, placeholder-I'll-get-around-to on-screen feature in Oolite - would be nice. Every time I see it I think of an HTML <HR> in pre-CSS browsers. Every time.

Addendum: which would mean, I suppose, extra faff on the chart screens where it would have to not be hidden even when it was hidden, to match the line below the chart. A good example of how desiring even a small change opens a can of worms.

Removing that would be simple it's only a line or few of code (can't remember off the top of my head but it's not much) that could be made conditional.

[cim]

Already in the latest build - set screen_divider_color = "0 0 0 0"; in the new gui-settings.plist file (it also hides the one below the chart, but you can put a nicer looking one back in with a background or overlay file).

At the moment the only documentation for which settings are available is in the gui-settings.plist file itself. There'll be documentation on the wiki later.

[Zireael]

*screams with joy on seeing improved UI*

[Switeck]

I think the [wiki]planetinfo.plist[/wiki] documentation is now up to date with all the new properties.

The next feature I'm working on is to allow a bit more control over the interface colours and layout

At the moment there's only really the chart screen which can have much done with it, but the others should come in fairly soon as well.

I've seen missions turn off the HDD (Heads Down Display) so they could use most of the screen for briefing text, so is it possible to do the same with the chart screen? Or would that require a considerable rewrite?

I've also tried to cut-and-paste the short range charts together for higher-detailed maps but found they don't line up precisely due to stars being drawn slightly differently depending on position.

[cim]

The initial gui-settings.plist is now mostly complete, I think. All colour and tab settings on the in-game screens (F3 to F8, plus the docking report screen) should now be modifiable.

You can now also choose whether or not to sort damaged equipment to the top of the list on the status screen, with the "status_prioritise_damaged" setting. There are probably other settings like that which can be adapted.

The settings are all documented in the file, but I'll update the wiki documentation soon.


A small extra feature, since the zoomable chart breaks the BGS way of putting region/tradelane overlays on:

You can now also set the link colour between systems on a per-link basis in planetinfo.plist

Code: Select all

"interstellar: 0 7 55" = {
        "link_color" = "0.3 0.7 0.3 0.8";
};

Note - "gal sys1 sys2" and "gal sys2 sys1" both exist as distinct interstellar regions, but the link colour requires the lower system ID to be placed first.

I've seen missions turn off the HDD (Heads Down Display) so they could use most of the screen for briefing text, so is it possible to do the same with the chart screen? Or would that require a considerable rewrite?

It would require some rewriting, and might cause some problems with mission screens using chart backgrounds because it would be difficult to tell if the extra space is for briefing text or more chart.

Ideally we'd have a flexible, scrollable GUI which let the HUD define how much window space was available for the GUI (and vary this setting if the HUD varies by alert level / docking / etc.) and then adapted to that, but that would be a major rewrite and not one I have time for.

[Diziet Sma]

A small extra feature, since the zoomable chart breaks the BGS way of putting region/tradelane overlays on:

You can now also set the link colour between systems on a per-link basis in planetinfo.plist

Code: Select all

"interstellar: 0 7 55" = {
        "link_color" = "0.3 0.7 0.3 0.8";
};

Note - "gal sys1 sys2" and "gal sys2 sys1" both exist as distinct interstellar regions, but the link colour requires the lower system ID to be placed first.

Very nice.. which takes care of the tradelane side of things (well, except where the lanes overlap.. which would require two colours in parallel. However, there aren't many of those, IIRC)

What about the region overlays? Is there any chance that can be recreated too?

[Cody]

You can now also choose whether or not to sort damaged equipment to the top of the list on the status screen, with the "status_prioritise_damaged" setting.

Thanks, guv'nor!

[cim]

And a bit more on graphics configuration, and yet another new configuration file: explosions.plist. Entries look like this:

Code: Select all

	"oolite-default-ship-explosion" = {
		"alpha" = 0.85;
		"color_order" = "rgb";
		"count" = 25;
		"duration" = 1.5;
		"growth_rate" = 1.5;
		"size" = 2.5;
		"texture" = "oolite-particle-cloud2.png";
	};

So far there's a new "dust-cloud" asteroid explosion

and some more variety in how the wreckage fragments left after the main explosion go


The textures for both are definitely placeholders at the moment and could look a lot better: hopefully someone with a bit more graphical inspiration can put something together here.

[cim]

What about the region overlays? Is there any chance that can be recreated too?

Not easily, I think, at least not as they were.

You can - as in the screenshot - recolour all links within a region, which works quite well for identifying where the region is if it's a conventionally-connected one. The earlier change to allow the chart title to be set per-system allows some labelling, too.

Something like the Razor's Edge region in chart 4 wouldn't really well work that way, though.

[cim]

Just a little feature for tonight's build: the MFD setting dictionaries now have a "color" property if your HUD design requires them to be something other than green.

[wiki]explosions.plist[/wiki] and [wiki]gui-settings.plist[/wiki] are now documented on the Wiki if you want to have a go with them.

[Griff]

really great work cim!

[Redspear]

For "placeholder" that already looks good. I look forward to trying it out.
Thanks cim.