Drakah

The main change in the animations file was the window default bordering having it use a custom tga file to repeat larger width borders that has more graphical detail than just a 6 pixel repeat by default. This way, the unskinned windows will have the EQ2 border as well. The other little change was the round button that scrolls your window, being a little larger, staying as a circle when you scroll. Still have yet to do a cursor though, dunno if that will be an end result option yet.

Should not be hard for even the most novice to keep the animations file updated as I have commented the Start and End of the edits made, and moved it all to the top of the Animations file.

__________________
Regards,

Drakah
shakahr.com
Remember...it is only a GAME

Taleisin

love the progression on this... I can't wait to convert it. I just have one question though, will the EQII button have a function in this UI?

Elezibeth

Maybe...maybe not.

__________________


Elezibeth Amnell • 29th Season
Journeyman Druidess of Tunare
Brewing Mistress • Skill 132
100% unRetired
--
Elorien Evenstar • 23rd Season
Exploring Ranger of Tunare
Simi-Retired
--
ACUI / EQ2UI Project Designer

Drakah

/snicker =p~


BTW, for those who like to edit the graphic files, it should not be too hard to edit the background bording parts to inlay your own graphic strip where the black area is. (add in your own guild graphic, favorite image, etc.)

Haliken

Ah, makes sense. This was probably the largest thing holding me back when I helped with ACUI and was initially looking at this UI's graphics because I refuse to edit EQUI_Animations.xml.

If you decide not to have a custom cursor or buff backgrounds, consider moving the graphics for the borders to custom definitions in EQUI_Templates.xml and just have the default templates use the custom animations from there. It'll waste a little memory (RAM) but EQUI_Templates.xml is updated a little less often than EQUI_Animations.xml and will probably (gambling a little bit here) let you go longer without having to update the UI.

Enok

Drakah

Can't do that since the window parts that make up the default windows are static template tags for the unskinned windows.

The only other way is to make a new template, which I have always done, and skin the ones I am editing, but then you have that handful of people saying "How can I skin my Bazaar window like the Target Window?" .. I do not feel like going threw that mess... this way everything will be skinned automatically in every window.

Drakah

In fact, you know what...screw the Animations file (hits delete). Most of the main windows won't need that border anyway, just the chatwindow mainly... so I am going to keep the coding flow as I have always did, Without the Animations file. Muahhaa

Kunis Marfury

1. i did not understand a single word of your conversation !
2. you make me feel like i should come back to EQ... this UI make me want to play ! (damn EQ break ! never worked for me )

__________________

Haliken

I think we're not on the same page here.

- All the windows use a <DrawTemplate>
- All <DrawTemplate>'s are in EQUI_Templates.xml
- All <DrawTemplate>'s use graphics defined in EQUI_Animations.xml
- Simply add custom <TextureInfo>'s and <Ui2DAnimation>'s to EQUI_Templates.xml and then have the default <DrawTemplate>'s use the custom <Ui2DAnimation>'s
- This will make all default windows use your custom <Ui2DAnimation>'s because they use the modified <DrawTemplate>'s and this way you avoid having to change EQUI_Animations.xml but get the same effect

The only <Ui2DAnimation>'s that I can think of that are special in EQUI_Animations.xml that are used directly by the game and not used through a <DrawTemplate> or loaded by a screen piece by name are:
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_DefaultCursor">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_CursorResizeEW">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_CursorResizeNESW">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_CursorResizeNS">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_CursorResizeNWSE">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_CursorDrag">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "BuffIcons">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_SpellIcons">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "BlueIconBackground">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "RedIconBackground">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_SpellGems">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_DragItem">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_DividerLeft">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_DividerMiddle">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_DividerRight">
<Ui2DAnimation item = "A_DividerVertical">

And I'm not even 100% sure about the ones past the 6 cursor <Ui2DAnimation>'s, but anything not listed there is used by name in the XML and so can be bypassed elsewhere in some way or another.

Anyway, if you decided to scrap modified templates being applied to the default windows, this is a moot point.

---



I've been playing for 5 years. Every 9 months I take a 3 month break, usually around Christmas/New Years. I only have 1 char; total play time 340 days, 5 hours, and 13 minutes. Modding the UI has been the reason I've gotten back into the game after a 3 month break twice, so if this UI has you interested so much, come back and play. What's the worst that could happen? ^_^

Enok

Ruffic

LOL. I took a break once, but I still followed up on reading patch information and updates at CastersRealm. Can you really consider yourself on a break if you are still keeping informed on the game? Granted you aren't playing, but still....

Drakah

OHohoh... ya that's true, that is another way, just never dug into that XML part since I considered that an "Animations file" and steered clear of it.

Its ok though... I now have it coded not to use any "touchy" files... so when there is a Patch, this UI will have a 1% to break

Good idea though, I'll keep that idea on the back burner

Elezibeth

You know you want to come back... LOL.

Every so often I take a small break from EQ, normally this is when I get my UI ideas and start working hard on a design which pushes me back into the game to try and figure out how it'll work.

Ellyana

Forgive me Elezibeth.. but how exactly are the ideas behind ACUI and EQ2 ui's yours?
You are basicly copying someone else work. Thats not to say you and the coders havent done a good job and made nearly exact facsimiles of other games UIs....

What exactly is your part in the creationof these Ui's?


P.S. looks good Drakah!




This is not a flame. So please dont get defensive... Im just curious.

__________________

Elezibeth

Hey there.

A great deal of the items you see in these shots are created by hand in Photoshop and not using elements from the actual games themselves, add that to the need to create totally new windows and that is the creative process.

Hope that answers your questions!