Enhanced User Interface v1.29i

[Zyxpsilon]

Wow! Great work
DC_AdvisorCounsel: migth want to spread the icons apart a bit more
DC_DiplomaticOverview, DC_EconomicOverview (chest looks great), DC_EspionageOverview, DC_MilitaryOverview, DC_ReligionOverview: might look even better without the magnifying glass, especially at 45x45
DC_VictoryProgress, DC_WorldCongress: great!
MM_HexGrid: could use more contrast, how about coloring the grid the same color as on the map ? Actually I would prefer to re-assign the strategic view icon for grid, and design a new button for strategic view looking a bit like the map size selection buttons (with black instead of blue background)
MM_ResourceIcons: might look even better with both a happy face (for luxes) along with the shield (for strategics), might also want to try without the circle arrow
MM_TradeRoutes: this one I don't find intuitive, perhaps if the path looked more like the map's ? Or simpy 2 icons: the game's camel + cargo ship ?
MM_YieldsIcons: great !
DC_NotificationLog: the notification parchment ?
DC_Demographics & MM_HideRecommendations: no idea

PS: I will be out on a business trip next week

Alright, duly noted... i'll see what i can do!

1) Spread the Advisors Icons? Easily fixed... yet, a new framework would probably push them near the surrounding circular edges. It's a principle of visual balance (somehow) with these only.

2) The only reasoning behind the insert of Magnifying Glass overlays is that they could allow direct distinction between regular defaults (specifically, Espionage & Religion images are exactly the same as found in many PopUps) and DC versions. I'll simply take them off as requested. I felt Overview needed some kind of reference though.

3) HexGrid variations? No problem. Again, easily fixed.

4) Path of TradeRoutes (as shown during gameplay) are simply not as comfortable to deal with when resizing. Don't forget the very limited space for editing. I felt an X_Marks_The_Spot reference would do the trick. Strangely, i had reserved the Camel & CargoShip symbols for the DC_TradeRoutesOverview but i certainly could change the general layout of both while maybe taking the Double_Arrows symbol (City states quest) into account as well.

5) Parchment... i figured a new but similar image could be good enough in order to differentiate the DC list from the general calling Icon (PushPin on Z-UI). Weird thing too; Firaxis re-used the same Vanilla Icon for the MiniMap shortcut to Options-Button, btw

6) No idea? I still have some more. I was being curious -- only!

Have a nice trip... that'll give me more time to fiddle with the new tasks at hand.

 

[Mudrac]

does this refers to the city production selection list ? ordering & filtering is not yet implemented...

Yeah, actually that was my question ''Will buildings arranged in order, instead randomly, be implemented in a future version?''. Then I can wait.

 

[Zyxpsilon]

I'd like to make a fair observation about the design of the ribbon.

Superb info available at a glance, given. And yet i find the actual values, icons, tiny boxes, multiple features, etc -- you get my drift.

Here's a comparitive set of snapshots.
L-R;
1) Leader Screen
2) Regular map with a cluster of many items
3) Hovering above the default White Clouds-Fog.
4) Customized with Darker Grey Clouds.



See the obvious difference? The last snap on the right is very near from what i would suggest.
A semi-transparent Grey-Scale background layer **Underneath** the ribbon. Either below each entry or an auto-resizing box that could "surround" anything displayed. Something almost similar to what you're replacing -- the Score list.

Thus, two small requests as a result;
a) The right side would need some breathing room. Say a column of about 4 to 8 pixels wide that prevents the ribbon from touching the screen edge.
b) Maybe a slight correction to the Leader-Screen formatting that could allow the ribbon to display inside the actual scenery rather than partially "above".

Mind you, these are almost just aesthetic details. Nevertheless, if User-Friendly is a true objective - then glimpsing at the example box #2 above **IF** it has such an additional semi-grey layer would make everyone's eyesight much less blurry. My brain would thank you for the quicker vision scans it must make soooooooo often during a game.

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Anyone knows if some alternate Hex-Highlight values (different or darker colors) can be used to replace the Green and/or Gold Fill & Outline when we hover above City Banners?

I found this section in CityBannerManager.lua between lines #1234-1253 that seems to have the necessary Event calls;

Spoiler :

-- Show city plots
			Events.RequestYieldDisplay( YieldDisplayTypes.CITY_OWNED, city:GetX(), city:GetY() )

			for i = 0, city:GetNumCityPlots()-1 do
				local plot = city:GetCityIndexPlot( i )
				-- worked city plots
				if plot and city:IsWorkingPlot( plot ) then
					local hexPos = ToHexFromGrid{ x=plot:GetX(), y=plot:GetY() }
					Events.SerialEventHexHighlight( hexPos , true, nil, [B][COLOR="Red"]"GreenFill"[/COLOR][/B] )
					Events.SerialEventHexHighlight( hexPos , true, nil, [B][COLOR="Red"]"GreenOutline"[/COLOR][/B] )
				end
			end
			for plot in EUI.CityPlots( city ) do
				-- city plots that are owned but not worked
				if not city:IsWorkingPlot( plot ) then
					local hexPos = ToHexFromGrid{ x=plot:GetX(), y=plot:GetY() }
					Events.SerialEventHexHighlight( hexPos , true, nil, [B][COLOR="Red"]"GoldFill" [/COLOR][/B])
					Events.SerialEventHexHighlight( hexPos , true, nil, [B][COLOR="Red"]"GoldOutline"[/COLOR][/B] )
				end
			end

Another eyes-strain issue for me. Some custom colors comboset would be much easier to deal with.

EDIT_PS; Disregard the above. I think i may have found some indirect way to allocate other coloring schemas through proper editing of the Highlights.XML file from your Core folder.

 

[Zyxpsilon]

That would be great... There are two possible button formats I could use:

• or (my personal preference) 4-frame icons similar to CivilopediaButtons*.dds (they would have to "drop" from the top for the diplocorner ones, and from the right for the minimap ones)

Just to be clear before i delve a LOT deeper into creating all necessary 45x45 Icons and assets.

Looking at the edited screenshot below (Taken from a 1680x1050 monitor-btw)...

Spoiler :

Never mind how the current row shows up (from Pedia).
All are displayed as the default 45x45 framework XML system allows with a red tag underneath the Civ-Option indicating that they all would "Drop-Down" once selected. Right?
As you can also see, a *MUCH* wider bar (cluttered a bit) happens to be needed to contain each DC options (12 defaults +1 for InfoAddict on my setup)... will you still be using the "Push-Pin" to open/close this new panel? It would make sense, anyway.

MiniMap would use similar principles (for 5 options only, Thank God!) but with an inverted row?

I didn't realize the big 80x80 buttons would simply be **REPLACED** by new 45s while a specific (new) coding function will allocate proper displaying for these. If so that makes my task a LOT easier for a quick set of only 4 Icons (Espionage, Culture, Policies & Diplomacy).

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Oh... About the Policy/Ideology button.

It's a bit more complicated than it seems. The default encoded design uses the 80x80 NotificationIconFrame and a Feather+Parchment icon is **ADDED** at run-time as an overlay. Thus, we can't change the Notification(s) default sizes to accomodate the new framework without braking everything below! Arrrrgggghh.
Dunno if you're going to also find a workaround solution to this silly Firaxis code step... making the 45x45 function calls rather unique and acrobatic!

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Some other "Tests" with the resizing of Diplo-Corner buttons (Four).

I opted for this conversion method; 70% Bi-Cubic (Smoothed between 30 to 50 that depends of visual quality) and adding Contrast (5 to 15 that reproduce the original range). Then clipping the result as the final 45x45.

See below for two examples;



Approved??

Later on this evening! -- ** EDIT; Nevermind, i just finished the whole sets and used (45) in the DDS file names. Just grab the two Zips (BNW & GKV) below and rename any files if you need to...

EDIT; Zips removed... assets are now FINALIZED in post #857!

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Puer, i'm curious. What is the MOD that allows a row of tiny promotions to be inserted above Units?
As seen on this snapshot in your earlier comment.

 

[ExpiredReign]

That looks like the 'Flag Promotions' module from CEP.

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Oh -- from Thalassicus' Communitas packages... if it's **truly** modular and mostly compatible with other Mods (which has always been somehow risky in some cases!) i might give it a try just out of curiosity -- for now.
Thanks, ExpiredReign.

 

[ExpiredReign]

Modular? Not exactly, but feel free to use it if you wish.

 

[gimly_d]

Hi,
i download the eui_v1_21.zip as instructed in the first page but when in game i can't open the Production Tab in any city. I checked the dlc folder and found that in \UI_bc1\CityView the files ProductionPopup.lua and ProductionPopup.xml are 0 bytes. In the latest patch notes (1.21) it says that there was some work done to city view.
Could it be that something happend when uploading those files? Once i deleted those i got the vanilla Production tab in game.

I redowloaded the zip several times and those files are still 0 bytes so i don't think there is something wrong with my download.
Could someone reup those files because i think the are supposed to be there...

Great work btw!!!

 

[Zyxpsilon]

bc1,
Did you realize that the LoadScreen.xml has a color mismatch with the LoadingMeter text label?
BNW default version corrected the Cyan(s) glow for White(s).

Your code...

Spoiler :

<Image Anchor="C,B" Texture="Assets/UI/Art/Civilopedia/LoadingMeterTrim.dds" Size="300,64">
<AlphaAnim Anchor="C,C" Pause="0" Cycle="Bounce" Speed=".5" AlphaStart="1" AlphaEnd=".3">
<TextureBar Anchor="C,C" Size="287.36" Texture="Assets/UI/Art/Civilopedia/LoadingMeterHL.dds" Direction="Right" ID="ProgressBar" Hidden="0"/>
</AlphaAnim>
<Label Anchor="C,C" Offset="0,-1" String="TXT_KEY_GAME_LOADING" Color0="35,70,87,200" Color1="72,156,212,64" Color2="72,156,212,64" Font="TwCenMT20" FontStyle="SoftShadow"/>
</Image>

Their fix...

Spoiler :

<Label Anchor="C,C" Offset="0,-1" String="TXT_KEY_GAME_LOADING" Color0="255.255.200.255" Color1="5.10.10.255" Color2="5.10.10.255" Font="TwCenMT20" FontStyle="SoftShadow"/>

*PS; Again, this might sound like a silly detail but it's simply weird or (somehow) might feel clumsy to the crazy eyed perfectionists like me.

*PS2; Speaking of colors while i can have your busy attention on this specific subject.
The City-View and its leftside list_column of produceable items. When we select anything and it gets transfered in the Production box at the bottom... the code automatically inserts a "Queued" txt_comment underneath the items on that list. It would be easier to detect those if the "Queued" would be RED or somethin'.

 

[Opera]

I'm using version 1.21 and my production queue isn't cleared when a city finishes producing a unit. Instead, it produces another one of the same type. Is it related to options and I'm blind and can't figure it out or is it a bug? I'm using loads of civs by JFD alongside a few fixes, no major mods.

 

[northernscribe]

Does it work on macs?

 

[ExpiredReign]

See post #1 under 'Game compatibility'.

 

[Zyxpsilon]

bc1,
Getting some work done overhere while you're away!

A few hints on pre-task results... and analysis of probabilities.

First, see below ---


- The top buttons (for our DC & MM project) deploy in a Flipping pattern. So i call them Flips. F1 to F4.

- I suppose there will be two necessary but still differently colored sets. BNW & GKV (God&Kings + Vanilla, together since their assets are mostly identical). GKV have the usual Black + Blueish "Backgrounds". Although, BNW has a rather strange approach to design. Let's just say, it might appear inconsistant in certain areas. Blame it on the Gold frames and Emerald/Green grids and buttons, etc.

Soooo...

- F1 is fairly direct. Default Black (plus its nice glimpse of dark Blues) background. We add our Overlays. Done.

- F2 are more complex to decide. Do we need Notification or Diplo-Corner style Purplish for the Highlights? Or do we go for broke and plunge neck deep into creative juggling? Thus why i offer D3, G1 & G2 for inspection. You could also suggest another approach or coloring schema. My preference goes to G1 - no contest! Up to you.

- F3 & F4 just have a slight contrast added. Easily matched.

- As you know, the Gold IconFrames get also extensively de-saturated by Firaxis for their glowing effect (aka-F2). I simply HATE that overshot intensity. If i had a choice i would lower the gap somehow. Again, decision.

This possibly sums up the essential for production. Going from 80 to 45 in sizes will be a smooth ride.

I'd also add another observation. The Diplo-List can get VERY crowded if people have supplemental options via custom Mods. The default core_12's already fill up a wide area on-screen (as exposed earlier). Thus, i'd suggest an extra clickable button that expands to offer another row or layer of custom options. Or whatever else as a solution. I'll leave that in your capable coding hands.

In the meantime, i predict Germany will beat Argentina at the World Cup this sunday... and i will be busy with bc1's EUI tasks so that we can soon have a new Top_Panel with some cool stuff!

 

[Pfeffersack]

Does this mod also includes fixes on too small tooltips? I like to play with more then 12 civs, but as soon as going over 16 there is an interface problem with world congress votings - the voting results aren't displayed completely then, they tooltip simply gets truncated at some point. Or is enlarging tooltips just not possible?

 

[Zyxpsilon]

Ya know there are two things that still keep bothering me a little. No offense to the choosen features or design decisions taken already.

1) The City-States Icons on the Ribbon. The Ally cyan background is mind boggling. Some (if not most of them, btw) of the default symbols for their type simply can't be discerned from the sharp sky-blue that surrounds them. And -- since the gameplay engine allocates various re-coloring of these glyphs... the effect gets completely wacky.

* 1a) There would some reasonable fix(es) for this. Suggestion #1 (and no other); let them be black by default and attach a proportional frame similar to what Majors have. War/Red, Friendly/Green, etc. Ally/Cyan -- then.

2) In just one word; i seriously miss the (default) auto-drop-down selection listing for Research. I realize the objective was to prevent a single supplemental click to reach a decision or to access the tech-tree directly... yet, THAT precious list had a few strategic tiny advisory symbols that i absolutely yearn for again. Call it persistent memory of Vanilla magic. I've grown familiar of the easiness upon which this feature was given to players.

* 2a) Simple -- Give it back to me and to anyone who'd want it too! Or at least, make it optional from Game-Setup or somethin'. Besides, if i ever want (or wanted, btw!) to inspect the whole tech-tree, i still know where to click. Dispatching the current context (for selection) at the proper tree spot is a must have feature - given. It simply doesn't really matter to me that i once had to click twice for the same result.

Please?!?

 

[Zyxpsilon]

As i am getting ready to start working on the DC-MM icons while waiting for your essential Okays... i just made some new Hex-Highlights colorsets. Also fine-tuned your Greens and the RedOutline very slightly.

We now have Blues, Darks & Silvers that join the gang and can fiddle with some sharp contrasting or (better yet) smooth rendering of acute tile hints.
I took the initiative and also altered the spline_border_contour2.dds file & its tricky mask to better appromixate the default culture growth hex_design. It does look tighter on a map and is much less blurry.

Custom CityBannerManager & CityView versions are in the zip below to test them colors should you want to.

Dunno yet how or when or even, if... but i'd recommend a Game-Setup option for any of these probable combos. Ya know; Green/Yellow to Blue/Red or multiple other variations. Not everyone can edit the LUA gimmicks as they should need to. Offering visual cues during setup would help them decide what to use.

PS; Anyone else willing to gamble on such stuff -- if you don't know what you're doing exactly, leave the Zip alone. You've been warned.