Well, I think I figured out the problem: the alpha channel. I was having trouble setting the black area to actually be transparent, which was causing my issue. Your versions of the various t.king books worked just peachy, Pure. It was my own versions I was having problems with (I wanted to try to do it on my own).
Icon placement is going to be hell, period. I like the default layout, personally, so I just editted the spacing. It was the mem/scribe bars and done button I changed. I'm also thinking of adding in some of the other buttons...and just making them a hotspot on the books.
The only thing that bugged me about your versions was that on the righthand side, and along the bottom, there are small pieces of the book cover missing. Now I just look at it as wear and tear
All in all I thank you for showing this could be done. It allowed me to use a special spellbook graphic while retaining the normal book look for other books. It also helped me learn a bit more about adding special, custom graphics to a particular window without messing with the EQUI_Animations file.
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As for the video cards, although I feel for those without a big enough income to upgrade regularly, you can get some great deals through pricewatch and eBay stores on a quality card. Believe me, I have a very low income and I manage to upgrade at least once per year. Currently my main PC runs a GF 4 Ti4600 (paid $250 vs. $400+ retail price)....nothing to sneeze at and has no quams about pumping out 512X512 textures. My secondary is a GF 3 Ti 200 (paid $100). Both are overclocked to hell and water-cooled ;p Texture size definately was not an issue for me.
Didn't mean to brag, that was not the intention, and I hope you didn't take it that way. just mentioning upgrading can be done even on a tight budget. You just have to hunt for the deals.