Config saga, part 2: Coming back for 1.73.4
Posted: Sun Oct 18, 2009 6:44 pm
Hi again! I installed the newest Oolite (PC) for my new rig today, plus a huge load of OXPs. Thoughts (and questions) so far:
Configuring hud:
The hud.plist is in wonderful format! It's easily edited with e.g. notepad. I edited it a bit to change colours, sizes and locations of some of the default instruments, and added a custom test reticule image:
Screenie:
http://i36.tinypic.com/16ibjvr.png
Now, the reti.png is a 64x64 image with a simple mask, so that only the red dot is shown. The x and y are, of course, small adjustments. The dot itself is 2x2 in size, with near-black edges to make it appear smoother. However, I'm asking, is this the best way to add a custom crosshair? As you can see, the builtin crosshair lines aren't "blurred" at all. Should I "draw" something with the hud.plist options, e.g. the draw_surround?
Btw, I'm using screen resolution of 1152 x 864. (I'll have to adjust the clock position a bit...)
On my old computer, I had a custom reticule .png that I (almost) copied from a screenshot I saw here earlier; it was a "christmas tree" - type crosshair, with horizontal lines that helped aiming at targets at varying distances. This really helped with aiming in the Python Class Cruiser. The bottom horizontal lines were for closer targets etc. :
Misc mumblings:
Some of the .plist files shouldn't be opened with notepad, however. Wordpad seems to display .plists which have different tabs(?) correctly. I've also tried the iPodRobot plistedit, but it has a wonderful feature that it fails in saving .plists that are small in size - resulting in a 0kb file!
Since I'm using hyperradio, I've found that some songs at http://www.elite-games.ru fit Oolite quite well.
The various sound packs are awesome too. I like to mix it a bit: the base set I'm using is custsounds.oxp, with some sounds replaced/added from some other sets, especially the amiga sound set. :)
Also, I've noticed that some posts here deal with keyboard configs. Well, with my new Saitek ST290, I don't have to bind that many functions to fancy buttons now :) Since it has a Z-axis, I can use it for rolling.
The logfile has complaints about some OXPs. I haven't flown around that much yet, hopefully no big problems arise.
http://zanasji.googlepages.com/Previous.log
Stuff (to be) tested:
- Tried autodocking at a convenience store and a hoopy casino - didn't work. Intentional or not?
- Must test buying hyperradio from a planetfall(OXP) location and to see if that works... there was some problems on the previous version. Same for extended hyperradio license bought at a planet.
- PAGroove, Gritty Coriolis and other stations... do I get to see them all, or will they conflict with each other?
- Must try to buy Morrigan... or at least FIND one for sale. Had some problems in previous versions despite reaching an ultra high tech level station. Also, AI Morrigans didn't move.
- Fly around in Galaxy 1 with various eyecandy oxps installed. Famous planets, Neolite ships etc. etc. :D
All in all, it's good to know that new (test) versions keep popping up. It's clear that much of Oolite's charm comes from the various customization options, of which the various OXPs are the most readily available treats for a new player. There's a bit of frustration involved, too... but not too much imho! For example, I'm having a hard time flushing my cache, e.g. for those small hud adjustments. Oh well, back to running booze to rock hermits!
Configuring hud:
The hud.plist is in wonderful format! It's easily edited with e.g. notepad. I edited it a bit to change colours, sizes and locations of some of the default instruments, and added a custom test reticule image:
Code: Select all
{ // Custom image
image = reti.png;
width = 64;
height = 64;
x = -1;
y = -1;
alpha = 1.0;
},
http://i36.tinypic.com/16ibjvr.png
Now, the reti.png is a 64x64 image with a simple mask, so that only the red dot is shown. The x and y are, of course, small adjustments. The dot itself is 2x2 in size, with near-black edges to make it appear smoother. However, I'm asking, is this the best way to add a custom crosshair? As you can see, the builtin crosshair lines aren't "blurred" at all. Should I "draw" something with the hud.plist options, e.g. the draw_surround?
Btw, I'm using screen resolution of 1152 x 864. (I'll have to adjust the clock position a bit...)
On my old computer, I had a custom reticule .png that I (almost) copied from a screenshot I saw here earlier; it was a "christmas tree" - type crosshair, with horizontal lines that helped aiming at targets at varying distances. This really helped with aiming in the Python Class Cruiser. The bottom horizontal lines were for closer targets etc. :
Code: Select all
_|_
_|_
__|__
___|___
Some of the .plist files shouldn't be opened with notepad, however. Wordpad seems to display .plists which have different tabs(?) correctly. I've also tried the iPodRobot plistedit, but it has a wonderful feature that it fails in saving .plists that are small in size - resulting in a 0kb file!
Since I'm using hyperradio, I've found that some songs at http://www.elite-games.ru fit Oolite quite well.
The various sound packs are awesome too. I like to mix it a bit: the base set I'm using is custsounds.oxp, with some sounds replaced/added from some other sets, especially the amiga sound set. :)
Also, I've noticed that some posts here deal with keyboard configs. Well, with my new Saitek ST290, I don't have to bind that many functions to fancy buttons now :) Since it has a Z-axis, I can use it for rolling.
The logfile has complaints about some OXPs. I haven't flown around that much yet, hopefully no big problems arise.
http://zanasji.googlepages.com/Previous.log
Stuff (to be) tested:
- Tried autodocking at a convenience store and a hoopy casino - didn't work. Intentional or not?
- Must test buying hyperradio from a planetfall(OXP) location and to see if that works... there was some problems on the previous version. Same for extended hyperradio license bought at a planet.
- PAGroove, Gritty Coriolis and other stations... do I get to see them all, or will they conflict with each other?
- Must try to buy Morrigan... or at least FIND one for sale. Had some problems in previous versions despite reaching an ultra high tech level station. Also, AI Morrigans didn't move.
- Fly around in Galaxy 1 with various eyecandy oxps installed. Famous planets, Neolite ships etc. etc. :D
All in all, it's good to know that new (test) versions keep popping up. It's clear that much of Oolite's charm comes from the various customization options, of which the various OXPs are the most readily available treats for a new player. There's a bit of frustration involved, too... but not too much imho! For example, I'm having a hard time flushing my cache, e.g. for those small hud adjustments. Oh well, back to running booze to rock hermits!
