Quartz UI Theme
Seaxouri (Cais Breeze - Xegony)
DarkSir23 (Kendelar Darkharmony - Rathe)
originally by Statix Cinderblade - Xegony (1.6 and earlier)
Version 2.3
-------------------------
Introduction
-------------------------
I, Seaxouri, have been using Quartz for as long as I can remember. I have tried to switch off
to another UI, but find I just cannot. To that end, I have contributed some patches to the UI
in the past, long after the originators dropped off the face of EQ.
DarkSir23 had picked up the reigns for sometime, but around 2006-2007, he somewhat disappeared.
Patches trickled in here or there, but most folks were lost.
This update has updated UI configuration files for the 9/5/2007 patch. This patch was the one that
messed up a few windows in every custom UI. In particular it made the buff window and short duration
buff window look very funny. It messed up other windows on some peoples systems, depending on what was
in the UI config file. If your Quartz UI is messed up since 9/5/2007 and you have not fixed it yet,
follow the instructions under What Changed->Layouts below. I also removed all TargetRings and replaced
them with one called Vibrant, which is TBS updated.
Some folks complained about changing the looks of the casting bars. You can read more below under
Window Pieces.
Thanks for reading. Please read a little more before you attempt installation.
Happy Gaming.
-Seaxouri
September 25, 2007
-------------------------
Previous Update
-------------------------
The previous update, v2.2, was a relatively major overhaul. In it, I decided to give up on a few things that were part of the original interface. Some of these things are just too much work to keep going, for the little difference that they make. The files I have deprecated include:
- Character Selection Window
- Spell Book Window
- Container Window
- Inventory Window
- Item Display Window
- Skills Window
Because these are temporary windows (not displayed during usual play), and the default UI now provides improvements over these anyhow, it does not seem wise at this point to continue support for them. If anyone wants to jump in and update them, knock yourself out.
Almost all the other windows are still 100% functional, including every window that remains up while you play the game.
Version 2.1 was never really released. I consider v2.1 to be the work that Wansfall completed in Feburary 2007 in order to get Quartz back up and running.
For v2.2, I did a lot of things. One big thing I did, was to try and do a mergeback to the default files as close as I could. This means that the differences between the default files and the Quartz files are as tight as they can possibly be. This should help make it easier to maintain deltas down the road. Keep in mind that even the default files do not have a consistent 'style' to them, but now the Quartz overlay files look very close. Most of this entails bringing in new XML sections that were added in since the overlays were snapshotted. There was a lot of whitespace change that I reversed as well. Going forward, please do not beautify these files, because it makes
maintanence a pain for the rest of us.
-------------------------
What Changed?
-------------------------
As stated above, one big thing that changed was the deprecation of a few files. This means that those windows will now look like the default UI versions, however this should barely impact the UI as you know and love it.
Window Pieces. The casting bars, compass and all the buttons appear to you how they do as a result of the Window Pieces that you desire to use. I have included two folders named:
OldWindowPieces - contains 7 of the 8 window piece files, including old casting bars. Other windows will appear broken when using these. If you love the old casting bars so much you will die without them, use this set. If you figure out how to fix all the other broken windows that using this set causes, wonderful, let me know. I do not suggest using this set. Note that the 8th file was added later and was not part of the original set of 7.
NewWindowPieces - contains 3 of the 8 window piece files. With it you get the old compass, a 'brighter' version of the casting bars and all of the old Quartz user button styles (scrollbars, etc). I recommend this because its a nice blend of the old and the new. The default installation uses NewWindowPieces.
NoWindowPieces - If you wish to delete all the window_pieces.tga files, you will get this configuration. It will have the new compass, all new window buttons and the new casting bars, which are slightly darker than the ones I prefer.
EQUI_Animations.xml split. One of the design changes I did in v2.2 was to clean up this Animations file. However, there is a bug in Everquest whereby the Buff Windows use a hardcoded template called BlueIconBackground, rather than the template defined in the XML code. Since this template definition resides in the default Animations.xml file, I do not want to include the default Animations.xml file. Having our own mutated copy of this file has been a long standing reason why we break on patch updates. To keep our custom definitions separate from the default definitions, I have made a copy of the default Animations.xml file, placed it in the Quartz folder, and renamed it to Animations-default.xml. The *only* edits to this file should be the disabling of a definition you wish to override in the Animations.xml file. In our case, I *hate* the BlueIconBackground that is defined in the Animations-default. So I renamed it to OrigBlueIconBackground and then inside Animations.xml I defined a nice sexy BlueIconBackground. The idea is that we can periodically pull in the new Animations-default file, make a few minor changes, and we are working again. The correct way to fix this is for Sony to NOT hardcode this value, so we can override it, like they do for all the other windows. I personally think the folks working on a few of these windows are just braindead.
Spell Icons. There are old icons and new ones. A lot of the old icons are out of sync these days, and attempting to keep using them may wind up being futile. This version uses the new spell icons. If you really want the old ones back, flaws and all, copy all the files from Quartz/OldIcons into the Quartz
folder.
Casting Bars. I have a side by side bitmap of the three types of casting bars. Look in the Released->Quartz forum here on this site for posts dated around 9/25/2007.
http://www.eqinterface.com/forums/showpost.php?p=98180&postcount=452
Target Rings. Part of v2.1 contained some version of 3D Target Rings. I think it was some version of Fangar's target rings However, there was a patch some time ago that caused all 3d rings to appear inverted. The fix was to invert the tga file for your ringset. I have removed all ringsets from the
default Quartz installation, since it was not there in v2.0 anyhow. I have included a TBS enabled ringset called Vibrant for anyone who is interested in what a ringset is. To use a ringset, copy the folder contents up to the toplevel Quartz folder. Inside the game, type "/indicator on".
Layouts. The original Quartz layout was nice. However, for me personally it was not very functional. While I really liked all the extra features that Quartz had to offer, I found it difficult to use. For example, some people might like all the HP bars (group/target/player) grouped near each other, but having them all in the lower left corner requires a lot of eye movement while playing the game. I found that I look at the target window most often, so moving it nearer to the view area helped me. Then I found that I was changing my spell icons all the time, so having it up in the view area helped make it easier to see and manipulate (quicker access with the mouse). I found I needed more chat windows for raiding purposes. I didn't like the buff windows all consuming the upper right corner and having nothing on the left side of the screen, so I moved a bunch of windows around so that I had a consistent central viewing area surrounded by Quartz windows. The final result is highly functional to me, but looks quite different from the original Quartz layout. I decided to include my layout files, but I call it the 'Amethyst' layout, playing on the Quartz name, of course. To use a layout, look under the Quartz/Layouts folder and you should see some folders. Each folder contains a screenshot of the layout. If you like that layout, copy the UI_Character_Server.ini file up into your Everquest folder, and rename the Character/Server values. For example, my filename would be changed to UI_Cais_xegony.ini. If there are additional files in the Layout folder, copy them to the toplevel Quartz folder, overwriting the default version of each file. You should shutdown EQ while modifying the Layout files, just to be safe.
The included Quartz layout is based off the original but with a lot of new window settings that have come out since Quartz was first created.
Background Packs. The default installation uses the 'Classic Background Pack'. I have not tested the Red or Blue packs, however they should work since they are only tga files.
Mods. The original Quartz had several Mods you could apply. I have not tested most of these Mods, and its very possible most of them do not work. I left the untested ones in a folder called Quartz/Untested-Mods. The Mods that I personally use I did update, and those are under Quartz/Tested-Mods.
ActionsWindow. The original Quartz ActionsWindow had 6 quick clicks and a pet HP bar in it. With the addition of so many clicky wearable items in the game, 6 just didn't cut it. I made a mod to add 10 more quick clicks to this window back in 2005, which was included in v1.9 by DarkSir23. I have changed the default to use this 16 quick click version. I have also removed the Pet HP bar, because I found that it is not very useful to me. However, if you wish to add it back in, simply edit the EQUI_ActionsWindow.xml file, scroll down to line 1530, locate the line:
<!-- <Pieces>PIW_PetHPGauge</Pieces> -->
and change it to
<Pieces>PIW_PetHPGauge</Pieces>
Then you can issue "/load Quartz" from inside the game to reload the interface.
UI Manager. Because there is no source code included for this tool, I did not want to include it in this release. If you want to use the UI Manager, you will have to get it from the last release. I do not know how robust it is or what it might break, and without source code its hard for me to justify putting it in this release, knowing it might break someones installation. Besides, it won't work with the new Layout selections anyhow, and doing it manually is easy enough.
-------------------------
Installation Instructions
-------------------------
1) Delete the existing uifiles/Quartz folder if it exists. You can opt to rename the folder to something else, like Quartz.old, or Quartz.v20 if you wish to keep your old installation around.
2) Extract the new Quartz-v230.zip file into your EverQuest/uifiles folder. The zip file already contains the 'Quartz' folder, so you do not need to manually create this folder.
3) Copy the Layout files of the Layout you wish to use. Use either Quartz or Amethyst. See "What Changed ? -> Layouts" above for more details.
4) Copy any Mod files you wish to use. I would suggest only using Tested-Mods, but I have left the other Mods under Untested-Mods if you wish to dabble.
5) If you want to use the old Spell Icons and Spell Gem graphics, copy all the files from Quartz/OldIcons up to the Quartz folder.
6) If you wish to use 3D Target Rings, copy the desired ringset from Quartz/TargetRings up to the Quartz folder.
7) If you wish to use a different Background Pack other than 'Classic', copy the desired fileset from Quartz/Background Packs up to the Quartz folder.
8) Start EverQuest.
9) These Layouts are all configured for a 1280x1024 configuration. If you are using anything else, you are on your own. If you are a veteran Quartz user, you should keep your old Layout file around just in case. Set your resolution to 1280x1024 for now, even if you wish to use a different resolution later.
10) Type "/load Quartz" to load the Quartz UI. All the windows should be properly arranged. Check for any that are missing, you may need to unhide those windows manually.
11) Type "/indicator on" to load the 3D Target Ringset.
12) Create and posistion any chat windows you wish to add. Perform any fine tuning.
13) Camp out of the game all the way to the login screens. Restart the game. We do this to make sure your configuration files are saved properly. If you /exit out of the game, this will bypass proper saving of these files, requiring you to retweak everything again.
Additional Notes:
=================
It is common to have to Resize the chat windows, Move the Named buff box, or move the mp3 player. They are intended to be in the wrong posistions so nothing gets lost or is too big for the screen, just Unlock the box by right clicking on the border or on the box itself then move it to
your desired position.
In v1.9.1 or newer, if a section of the UI appears missing (near the bottom right corner), you will need to assign a key to Hotbar 2 (I use Ctrl-H) through Options -> Keyboard -> UI, then activate Hotbar 2 and move it into place.
-------------------------
By default, Quartz comes configured as following:
Type: Caster
Color: Classic Grey
Buffs: With Buff Names
MP3 Player: Installed
ActionWindow: 16 Quick Clicks
Pet HP Bar: Hidden
-----------------------
Older Extra Information
-----------------------
To change features, look in the "mods" directory. Here you will find the following folders:
DashBoard-Inventory : Contains an Inventory Screen that will superimpose over the HotButtons window. You'll need to set the Alpha and Faded for the Inventory Window to 100 for this to look ok.
BuffWindow-WithNames : This folder has the vertical Buff Box with named Buffs listed. (d)
BuffWindow-WithoutNames : This folder has the horizontal Buff Box with icons only.
GroupWindow-Short : Use this If you are a caster class (with a spell bar), or a
melee class with a Combat Abilities Window. (d)
GroupWindow-Wide : Use this if you do not use spells or a combat abilities window.
SDBuffWindow-WithNames : A new textured Songs window for Quartz (d)
Hotkeys-Single : Older Quartz Style - One Page of Hotkeys, no support for
the new ones added in Depths of Darkhollow.
Hotkeys-Multiple : Two pages of Hotkeys available by default, one above the
other. Pages 3 and 4 are like the default UI. Make sure you assign a key to open HotKey Window #2, then move it to its expected location. (d)
QuartzMusicPlayer-1280x1024 : This is an optional mod for the everquest mp3player for the 1280x1024 resolution, meant to go above or below the
main chat window. (d)
QuartzMusicPlayer-1600x1200 : Same as above but for the 1600x1200 resolution.
ActionsWindow-Normal : Actions Window with 6 "Clickables". See below for details (d)
ActionsWindow-16QuickClicks : Same as above, but with 16 "Clickable" boxes.
* There is no mp3player mod for 1024x768, it simply won't fit. BUT if you want to use the mp3player mod somewhere else on the screen (like at the top) you can still use either of the two mp3player mods.
To use these new xml files you need to goto the desired folder and copy the .xml file within to the uifiles/quartz folder replacing the file that was already there. (Windows will prompt you to replace the file if its already there, just hit yes.)
To change the background pack, look in the "Background Packs" directory. Here you will find the following folders:
Quartz Classic : This is the default. Originally designed by Statix.
DS Blue : This is an alternate background pack, by DarkSir23. (Unique to Quartz 1.7.1 and above)
DS Red : Another alternate background pack, by DarkSir23. (Compatible with Quartz 1.9 and above)
To use these new backgrounds, simple copy the contents of the directory (A bunch of .tga files) to the uifiles/quartz directory. You will be prompted to replace the existing file. Hit yes.
Clickable Items: At the upper right of the dashbar, are 6 clickable inventory slots. By default, these are preconfigured with the Leg, Feet, Left Finger, Left Wrist, Right Finger, Right Wrist slots. You can customize these by opening the EQUI_ActionsWindow.xml file. Search the file for Clicky1, Clicky2, etc. I've commented what you need to change to modify the
item that is shown. See Appendix A at the bottom of the ReadMe.
---------------
Getting Help
---------------
BEFORE YOU EMAIL ME please make sure your question is not already answered at http://www2.dragonpro.com/quartz
Hope you enjoy the theme
DarkSir23
[email protected]
If you are having troubles, you can also email
[email protected] and I will try and help where I can.
---------------
Update History:
---------------
v2.3
* Updated Layout files for 9/5/2007 patch
* Split Animations.xml file for hardcoded bug in BuffWindow
* Removed outdated Target Ringsets. Added Vibrant ringset.
* Added back old casting bar option (see Layout images)
* Updated all Layout images to display options
v2.2
* XML overhaul to mergeback as close to 'default' files as possible. Should
make it easier to maintain future patches.
* Moved old spell icons into OldIcons folder
* Moved untested Mods into Untested-Mods folder
* Moved tested Mods into Tested-Mods folder
* Removed some files that were duplicates of default
* Added some 3D Target Ringsets
* Updated/Added Layouts
v2.1
* Added fixes from Wansfall at eqinterface.com.
v2.0
* Removed reliance on default_old directory.
* Added Installer application.
* Finished Prophecy of Ro compatibility (Aura Window and Blocked Buff Windows)
* Cleaned up the template for installing. Most of UI should be autoconfigured by
installer.
v1.9.2
* Fixed missing file problem in 1.9.1 archive.
* Added seaxouri's 16 Quick Clicks mod.
v1.9.1
* Fix for 2/21/06 EQ Patch (Prophecy of Ro expansion).
* Added expanded Bank Windows.
* Added multiple Hotkeys (finally).
* Minor updates to the background files.
v1.9
* Fix for 5/11/05 EQ Patch.
* New DS Red Background Pack Added.
* Added Mail Icon.
* New Pet Window (Buff Window Style) added.
* Old mods for Actions Window removed (pet buffs).
* 6 configurable clicky slots added at upper-right of dashboar.
* Minor updates to the background files.
v1.8.1
* Added even more Buff Slots and Bard Song Slots.
* Fixed UI Errors on load.
* Added Crystals to Inventory Mod.
* Fixed Item Graphic problems.
v1.8
* Added OOW Additional Buff Slots.
* Added OOW Additional Spell Gem.
* Added an optional place for a list of pet buffs. New ActionsWindow is avaialable.
* Removed Quartz2Blue background packs, as I couldn't update them to match the new
OOW Buff Window.
v1.7.2
* Integrated Dorkenthor's TargetOfTarget mod into the Target Window.
* Added optional Inventory Window.
* Combat Abilities Window Added. Takes the same position as the Spell Gems for casters.
* Changed the optional non-caster group window to GroupWindow-Wide, for people without Spell
or Combat Ability Windows.
v1.7.1
* Integrated the Quartz Blue background pack by Tadayasha.
* Integrated an all new DS Blue background pack by DarkSir23.
* Rewrote a lot of the instructions.
v1.7
* Added Group Leadership AA Bar to Player Window.
* Added Mana and Endurance pool/max numbers to Player Window.
* Changed Sta label to End label.
* Modified Flashing Attack Indicator for Player Window.
* Added Target indicator box w/ con color around the target portion of the target window.
* Added LFG Button to Group Window.
* Added a third chat window to the default config.
* Minor tweaks to make the UI compliant with the current requirements (Got rid of the "Your XML files are incompatible" error every time you zone).
v1.6
* After the Jan 9 2003 patch the selectorwindow and pet window had to be tweaked slightly to comply with something verant changed (this was causing the 'your everquest files to not match' garbage to come up every time you zoned.
* Made changing mods easier, and removed the config.bat that doesn't work on XP.
* Added in a Quartz mp3 player mod
looks nice!
* Quartz 1.6 comes with the patch released after version 1.5 so it is completely up to date.
* Gave the Short Duration (songs) buff box a texture.
v1.5
* Fixed the Stablity (Likelyness for verant patches to NOT break UI) by a large amount by reconfiguring how Quartz gets its graphics/templates, the only way it should break is if verant adds in a new 'required' window like RaidWindow.xml, which is a quick fix.
* Quartz should now easily work with other mods (such as the spellbook graphics mod
* Fixed the Non-Caster spell casting bar thing that made me thing those emails were from crazy people.
* Improved the GUI memory useage: This should cause Quartz to lag alot less on those systems with poor videocards that don't adapt to alphatransparency all that well
For more information on how these changes will affect other mod's and/or how Quartz gets its attributes (all UI makers should follow this design) please goto http://skins.machin-shin.net
v1.4
* Fixed Crashing due to Oct 16th 2002 patch due to verants massively useless and unoperational patch for loadskin
v1.3
* Fixed Crashing due to Aug 14th 2002 patch due to verants modded animations file.
* Fixed Sta label
* Fixed class/diety alignment so they don't get clipped
* Tracking window should be visible in a default 1024x768 install now
* Added in a new buff box option 'Version with names shown in the screenshot'
* Added a new Config.bat file for changing between caster/noncaster and configuring buff box.
v1.2
* /bazaar crashing bug has been fixed
* Noncaster groupwindow now has a casting bar
* The actions window is Moveable but has a light border around it (i had this removed at one point, i don't know why its back)
* The bazaarsearch window has been removed (it was made to make the bazaar window bigger and has nothing to do with the crashing but its invalid since you can resize the bazaar window with the new patch)
v1.1
* Fixed Pet window overlapping the actions window causing it to not function.(Thanks Geo)
* Added in default coordinates for 1024x768, 1280x1024, and 1600x1200.
* Player window resized properly so that the blinking red outline didn't merge into a chat window
* Used the correct bazaar xml file
.
* Player window stat labels (str,sta,etc) were repositioned so they wouldn't be clipped off in game.(Thanks Geo)
* Fixed the 1x1 buff positioning problem in 1280x1024
v1.0
* Initial Release