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GUI and Colors

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
It was one of the Codex suggestions.
 

Fryjar

Augur
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
176
Hm, I didn't realize that you changed the dialogue syle at first.
The improved version does look a lot better and if you say that you are even now using a lot of "continues" then it is probably better to keep it this way.I guess no one is willing to see more than 2 continues in one response, since they really distract a bit from the dialogue flow.
Still, I think we need some extra flavour for the character and the dialogue screen (especially the right bottom of it). Maybe some art at the edges of the screen would do the job...

Edit: Regarding the Character Screen: I'm of the opinion that a character sketch would be a good background since that's after all, what this screen is all about.
So, I modified one of your art pieces a bit and moreover altered the colour intensity. This way, the figure won't distract from the numbers that much:
http://aod.scriptmania.com/mercenary.jpg

Moreover I'm of the opinion that the Letters of the Screen could be improved. So I modified that either (don't pay attention to the frame):
http://aod.scriptmania.com/aod5.jpg

What do you think?
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
Fryjar said:
Edit: Regarding the Character Screen: I'm of the opinion that a character sketch would be a good background since that's after all, what this screen is all about.
So, I modified one of your art pieces a bit and moreover altered the colour intensity. This way, the figure won't distract from the numbers that much:
http://aod.scriptmania.com/mercenary.jpg
Can't say I'm crazy about it, but we can try and see what happens.

Moreover I'm of the opinion that the Letters of the Screen could be improved.
...
What do you think?
Too Victorian?
 

galsiah

Erudite
Joined
Dec 12, 2005
Messages
1,613
Location
Montreal
Paranoid Jack said:
The old design is just easier on the eye with less borders in my opinion.
I was (and probably still am) in favour of the change, but I agree that having the responses directly below the NPC dialogue does tie things in nicely at a glance.

The new version has a more definite separation. Switching between NPC dialogue and your reply would be slightly more cumbersome. However, with some of the long NPC lines and long PC responses, the old setup might get very cramped / require many continues.

I don't see how you'd get the best of both worlds, other than possibly switching the NPC dialogue to the left, and the world view to the right. Perhaps that'll just seem a little silly, since the world view is kind of incidental.
The space under the world view is still less than ideal - some background design might help.

Just to illustrate (not saying I necessarily like it):
AoD_dialogue_left.jpg
 

Fryjar

Augur
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
176
I like the change.
It is certainly easier on the eyes, since you don't have to jump from one side of the screen to the other when you are responding to an npc, and somehow...it just looks better.
 

Paranoid Jack

Scholar
Joined
Jul 3, 2006
Messages
186
galsiah said:
Paranoid Jack said:
The old design is just easier on the eye with less borders in my opinion.
I was (and probably still am) in favour of the change, but I agree that having the responses directly below the NPC dialogue does tie things in nicely at a glance.

The new version has a more definite separation. Switching between NPC dialogue and your reply would be slightly more cumbersome. However, with some of the long NPC lines and long PC responses, the old setup might get very cramped / require many continues.

I don't see how you'd get the best of both worlds, other than possibly switching the NPC dialogue to the left, and the world view to the right. Perhaps that'll just seem a little silly, since the world view is kind of incidental.
The space under the world view is still less than ideal - some background design might help.

Just to illustrate (not saying I necessarily like it):
AoD_dialogue_left.jpg

No that is good, at least to me it helps a lot to have the dialog all lined up proper and makes the framing less distracting. Not sure how VD feels but having the PC/NPC conversing on the right vs. the left really shouldn't make much of a difference. Maybe moving the shot down on the right near middle above the menu next to the PC responses would give a larger block up top there by reducing the number of continues. What do you think?
 

Claw

Erudite
Patron
Joined
Aug 7, 2004
Messages
3,777
Location
The center of my world.
Project: Eternity Divinity: Original Sin 2
I just want to point out that the "free" space some of you are so keen on using isn't always empty.
There have been examples with more and longer pc responses.
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
galsiah said:
Just to illustrate (not saying I necessarily like it):
AoD_dialogue_left.jpg
Doh! Of course it's better. Thanks.

Penny said:
I'm sorry if this was mentioned before or if this particular bit of text won't even be in the final game, but in this screenshot it should be "weathered" bones, not "withered."
It's in the game, but what's wrong with "withered"? I'm not an expert, and my English leaves much to be desired, but I think that withered is a more fitting word:

with·ered (wthrd)
adj.

Shriveled, shrunken, or faded from or as if from loss of moisture or sustenance: “the battle to keep his withered dreams intact” (Time).
...
If you google the phrase, you'll see quite a few "withered bones", even on the Vatican website: "...is called to restore life to the withered bones of a human society corrupted by indifference."
 

PennyAnte

Liturgist
Joined
Dec 10, 2004
Messages
769
Location
Here instead of playing an RPG.
Withered is more appropriate to plants, like wilted. Weathered implies the bones were exposed to the environment, bleached over time through exposure to sun and rain, etc. It's a more appropriate word choice for this context.

EDIT: Note the "loss of moisture or sustenance" portion of the definition of withered. I'd say flowers withered, but bleached mammoth bones in the desert are weathered.

I also could say "Trust me, I'm a newspaper editor," but I'm not sure it would be enough. :)

EDIT 2: Weathered:
1. seasoned or otherwise affected by exposure to the weather.
2. (of wood) artificially treated to seem discolored or stained by the action of air, rain, etc.
3. (of rocks) worn, disintegrated, or changed in color or composition by weathering.

Weathered describes a state resulting from exposure. Withered describes a state resulting from a lack of nutrients or as the definition used, "sustenance," and almost invariably is associated with living things. Also, withered things are not necessarily dead, but can simply be shriveled, and you're writing about skeletal bones.

EDIT 3: One final addition:
If you want help copy editing text I'd be happy to volunteer.

EDIT 4: Ok, one more thought to help explain the difference. Insofar as withered implies "shriveling" and "shrinking," it's an inappropriate term for a calcified object like bone or for a substance like, say, granite.
 

AZ

Liturgist
Joined
Feb 6, 2005
Messages
467
The gui is a bit too bright, vazquez is right. Remember Fallout, Torment, the background was always dark. I was thinking about this problem too before.
Is there an option to hide the gui except the dialogs? I always liked if I could switch of parts of the gui I don't use, like I don't have to see the HP, AP, items when I just roam around. If it is "too much work", forget it.
 

Fryjar

Augur
Joined
Sep 6, 2005
Messages
176
Hm Vault Dweller, if you could release some more sketches and art for us to work with, then maybe we could create some more appealing backgrounds than we did before...

Another tought that occurred me: What about consistency?
I mean, during the course of this thread, there were several improvement suggestions regarding the overall style. But some of them were only applicable to one or 2 of the gui screens, but not all of them. So what will be done about that?
Aside from that, when will you decide about those art matters, or will there even be a poll?

One more thing about the cracked clay gui that I made for the ingame screen.
As you can see there were already some issues when it came to filling larger spaces since the art of your website with which I worked with, was quite small.
So, I would be curious how it looked on the character or dialogue sheet but I think it's not feasible in an appealing way without bigger pieces...
 

Vault Dweller

Commissar, Red Star Studio
Developer
Joined
Jan 7, 2003
Messages
28,024
Fryjar said:
Hm Vault Dweller, if you could release some more sketches and art for us to work with, then maybe we could create some more appealing backgrounds than we did before...
When we have time. (i.e. I need to go through a shitload of art files, pick something that could be used for the task, reorganize the screenshot section of the website, etc)

Another tought that occurred me: What about consistency?
It's important. We'd try to pick something that works for all interface screens.

I mean, during the course of this thread, there were several improvement suggestions regarding the overall style. But some of them were only applicable to one or 2 of the gui screens, but not all of them. So what will be done about that?
No clue yet.

Aside from that, when will you decide about those art matters, or will there even be a poll?
We'll do the black background and the faded art background shortly and then post them for discussion.

One more thing about the cracked clay gui that I made for the ingame screen.
As you can see there were already some issues when it came to filling larger spaces since the art of your website with which I worked with, was quite small.
So, I would be curious how it looked on the character or dialogue sheet but I think it's not feasible in an appealing way without bigger pieces...
We'd need to find a different marble texture and see if it works everywhere.
 

Hazelnut

Erudite
Joined
Dec 17, 2002
Messages
1,490
Location
UK
Vault Dweller said:
Edit:

Fryjar said:
I modified the ingame gui a bit:

Before:
http://aod.scriptmania.com/aod3.jpg

and after:
http://aod.scriptmania.com/aod4.jpg

Are the pictures displayed?
Hmm... not bad at all. Thanks.

No offense to you Fryjar, but that new version makes me wanna puke its so horrible... definitely not an imporovement to my eyes at least.


I do like the move of dialogue to the left - very good idea... especially as it's one I had a while back. :D

Hazelnut said:
Vault Dweller said:
mathboy said:
You said it would be different with longer speeches, in what way?
Just need more space for longer speeches, to fit them in.

I'd suggest moving the line between NPC and PC speech down so it extends the bottom border of the picture and let the PC have his speech options in the big empty space below the picture all the way to the right border of the screen. And have the NPC speech where almost all is now.
We've had something like that, but it didn't work very well for shorter conversations. It seemed unclear what you are replying to. It worked better without that picture, but a lot of people seemed to like it, so we'll have to figure something out. Or replace longer speeches with "bla-bla-bla... you are the chosen one...bla-bla-bla". That would definitely work.

Regarding using the full width for the options, so you can get one option on each line, why not try putting the picture on the right rather than the left so that the speech txt and the options are left justified. And if that's not enough, try moving the speech txt down so the start line changes depending on the speech length rather than the end line.

Gotta keep the picture IMO.

Oh, and if you dare to cut down the long speeches to "bla-bla-bla... you are the chosen one...bla-bla-bla", I'll..., I'll..., well, I'll sulk!!
From here BTW. hehe Must be the screenshot that gal did... and there was me thinking that words were more important than graphix! :P
 

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