I am not a great GIMP user, but I’ve make 1280x960 resolution for VCMI (1280x1024 is my desktop resolution, but I prefer this one in games)
Can someone check it? (looks fine for me, but who knows)
BTW: Is there any naming scheme for files except “use unused”?
*[size=84]FYI : The filenames in the archive attached to this post are not compatible anymore with VCMI 0.74 or later. Also small adjustments have been meanwhile performed. For more details on these changes see my update below.[/size]
Just launched VCMI in 1600x1200 in window mode (My 17’’ screen does not support it). THAT is huge.
Can I find those wide empy button somewhere?(as animated .def)
It is used on most hi-res interfaces, but it does not have pressed\selected pics as well
On 22" it looks quite nice. Can’t wait for a resolution even closer to mine (1680x1050) - I think that will fit small maps completely.
And I second Warmonger: I also liked the new interface detail to fill the unused space.
Some suggestions (for the far feature) for this and higher resolutions:
If the ‘interface detail’ cannot be enlarged, then we have an used button. That could be used in the feature for a VCMI Menu for example (QuickSave, QuickLoad, etc). But in that case, I would put such a button under System Options and move the 2 buttons below lower (it would also be consistent with the current 1024x768 resolution). Plus I think it’s very intuitive to have End Turn as the last button. I’ve been playing this new resolution for a while, and I must say out of instinct I always go at the bottom of the right hand panel for the End Turn button, but now it’s not there anymore.
If we ever get a very talented graphic artist to make a nice H3 VCMI logo, that could be included in that ‘interface detail’ (not sure how to call it :p). But it should be a very well done logo (as if NWC itself would have done it), so the choice of fonts & colors is very important.
As for hero slots, as we can’t have more than 8 heroes on the map, perhaps the others can be used for garrisoned heroes, BUT only if somebody can design some slightly different buttons, to mark the fact that those heroes are somehow “locked” inside garrisons (for example their movement & mana bars could have an overlapping pattern of diagonal stripes)
That “interface detail” is actually part of minimap (just 1-2 minutes of resizing removed
most of unused buttons) There was text (W and E letters from compass) but I just have not one thing:
As for the buttons: My original idea was removing all unused buttons, but I’ve found that frame of the minimap is a just too small to replace all of them. I’ve switched buttons and updated first post. Now buttons just like in 1024x768
Hero slots: I have the same idea. But a bit different (and does not require new sprites) - just make garrisoned heroes pics grayed a bit (to mark that they are inactive). But this still require a new element to interface
I’ve tested the new version, with buttons like in 1024x768, and it works fine as well. Thx.
It was indeed a brilliant idea to use that part of the minimap. For the rest, until we get that “talented artist” we could have VCMI for example in there, in the same color and font type as the compass letters. They look like Times New Roman for me (or sth very similar), but I’m not sure about the color. I don’t have an artist’s eye, but I went for RGB 230.205.150 and I came up with this:
I have made some changes to the files in the o.p. archive in preparation for VCMI 0.74 release:
The .pcx files were renamed to match the resolution hierarchy from the 0.74 console
The new AdvMap4.pcx has the HeroList and TownList moved 1 pixel to the right for better alignment
I added the VCMI ‘logo’ presented above, as nobody had any objection to it in the meantime (however, as this resolution is “your baby” Ivan, let me know if you actually prefer that we leave it out)
The new files can be found as part of the new archive prepared for the 0.74 release HERE.
I think that having always the newest resolution “using unused”, without ever re-organizing the files, can end up in quite a chaos in the Data folder at some point. I prefer if we reorganize them hierarchically with every release (I can take care of this) and have only the resolutions developed between two releases “using the unused”.
Or else - and I’m not sure if this is a good idea or not - we could use digits above 20 (as I guess we’ll never have so many resolutions) for the newly created resolutions, until the integration in the new release. And the rule could be sth like this: if you’re creating let’s say 1280 x 800, then that will become the new 4th resolution, so you can create the new .pcx files with “24” in the end. That way it would ease my work a bit when putting the resolution pack up for a new release, but that’s it.
Of course, any idea on how to better implement a certain naming scheme is welcome anytime.
Maybe just name files same as resolution? This one will have these 3 files:
AdvMap_1280x960.pcx - unique for this res
ADRollVR_1280.pcx - same file can be used for any 1280x??? resolutions
ZResBar1280.pcx - same as above
Names become a bit longer but will make names quite self-explanatory.
I’ve thinking about ways of removing a lot of useless space on high res and finally made this one. Quite unusual (especially that rounded part) but all empty space was removed (no more 10-15 empty buttons and gigantic hero\town lists), a bit bigger minimap (it already became quite small) but there is problem:
If I’ll extend adventure map to remove those black space it will overwrite interface as well as minimap.
Would be nice if someone from devs will fix this. For example drawing all interface parts after adventure map, using transparency (to avoid AdvMap.pcx completely overwrite adventure map).
That could be indeed a solution. And of course ADRollVR & ZResBar files can be used for all resolutions of the same width. Btw, anyone knows what ADRollVR stands for?
Well, if we wouldn’t want to enlarge the minimap, than we could actually have something like this:
But an enlarged minimap complicates things, as the right side of the AdvMap would be too irregular (with or w/o transparency). But if the devs can confirm that an enlarged minimap wouldn’t be an issue to code, then we can start thinking of ways to better design the whole thing. And when I say that, I’m also thinking at the fact that unlike HeroList and ButtonList, the TownList does not have to be limited to 8, respectively 10 slots (but that’s another story:).
H3 .pcx format has 8 colors used only for transparency. So one of them can be used to show adventure map area (for drawing interface and determining what is below cursor). ATM one black color used for adventure map, minimap and some areas around buttons\lists so this may require small modifying existing resolutions.
Town list can be bigger than 8 but I just wanted to make it more nice + situations when you have more than 8 towns is not very common. But if this lists will have different size then up\down buttons for hero list can be removed by changing this buttons .defs on empty ones
Wow guys, your way of thinking is brilliant. That is perfect idea to change the world map for bigger in higher resolutions and make the all buttons’ window and status window smaller to uncover the adv. map. Developing new resolutions is really fast, I’m impressed, keep like this.
PS> In this moment I have less time for testing but I hope soon I will make up for new bugs/crashes.
