Z-UI Recoloring Assets
- Thread starter Zyxpsilon
- Start date
I understand it might all be confusing somehow... i'll try (again).
1) Nope. There are only TWO folders in the installed (within the game itself) mod... Extra-Files & Z-UI. Soooo--
1a) To use the whole Interface changes... you need to move all the files (390) from **that** Z-UI folder to a new Z-UI folder in the location described in the Readme and illustrated by the "Steam-Folders_MOVE-TO.png" image. I'll even join a copy right here for anyone else to see...
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Fairly direct and obvious, don't you think?!
If i were to type the entire true path - well - just - here...
((Your DRIVE letter)) : ((any sub directory (or not!) that was used when Steam installed itself at your demand))/Steam/steamapps/common/+ what's ON the image above.
1b) The Extra-Files can stay where they are or you can use them as long as the Readme instructions are followed precisely.
Let's quote these right here also...
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Once more, simple. Which certainly answers your point #2), i believe.
3) Nope. And i thought i was clear about it in the Readme file.
another Quote, okay?
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Don't worry, be happy... everything will be alright.
1) Nope. There are only TWO folders in the installed (within the game itself) mod... Extra-Files & Z-UI. Soooo--
1a) To use the whole Interface changes... you need to move all the files (390) from **that** Z-UI folder to a new Z-UI folder in the location described in the Readme and illustrated by the "Steam-Folders_MOVE-TO.png" image. I'll even join a copy right here for anyone else to see...
---
---
Fairly direct and obvious, don't you think?!
If i were to type the entire true path - well - just - here...
((Your DRIVE letter)) : ((any sub directory (or not!) that was used when Steam installed itself at your demand))/Steam/steamapps/common/+ what's ON the image above.
1b) The Extra-Files can stay where they are or you can use them as long as the Readme instructions are followed precisely.
Let's quote these right here also...
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---7) Mostly minor edits for various fine-tunings of XML rendering. If you want to use any of them, don't forget to backup the original(s) somewhere (after all.. you might also change your minds!) and replace it with mines.
7a) CultureOverview.xml__ -- this file changes the alternating green columns to grey for a good reason; the GreatWorks Icons have been re-colored as well and i always found the Magenta numbers didn't glow properly on that too sharp background. Location? this folder is slightly below Z-UI in -- UI/Art/InGame/Popups. Remove the double__Underline tags to mimic the exact replaceable file.
**NOTE; Art shouldn't have been written there. I'll give you that. My mistake... but really, InGame folder doesn't move in the PC when people read some instructions!!
7b) TradeRouteOverview.xml__ -- edited for similar reasons as the above. Same Location. Same renaming step.
7c) Civ5XP2_Opening_Movie_en_US.wmv -- since the Skip_IntroVideo option doesn't actually prevent a partial display of about 15+ seconds (2K+Firaxis+SteamWorkshop animated Logos) anyway. By replacing the default movie file (from the game root folder) with this, you'll simply get a quick 5 seconds worth of a static image without sound effects.
7d) Advisors_Colored(v1) + Greyed(v2) folders -- these were distributed in the past as a standalone MOD that could display advisors for each unique eras in every category. But, the default lua file was altered extensively by Firaxis and thus broke the functionality of that old mod. I have inserted three of them (#456) in the Z-UI folder for the only valid (#123) items. Edit, replace or simply discard anything as you want.
7e) Alternative_Art folder -- secondary choices for some files. Simply remove the ending double__Underlines and ID number to replace the corresponding primary file in Z-UI.
Once more, simple. Which certainly answers your point #2), i believe.
3) Nope. And i thought i was clear about it in the Readme file.
another Quote, okay?
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--- So... DO NOT activate this mod from the Mod browser section of the game.
Don't worry, be happy... everything will be alright.
If any two copies of the same (DDS) files are present in the ART (or any renamed sub-directory) folder (and supplied by both my mod and another), there sure will be a conflict that the code engine would have trouble handling. I suspect the newest file(s) could be used "automatically" but i never had this situation to test the actual effects. Although i doubt it would be serious enough to brake anything since someone can always delete any such conflicting files directly from Windows Explorer.
Back & Forth is correct. Any manual changes (copy/move/delete/add/remove) to the provided list (two of them in that case) of DDS should allocate loading priority to every single instances of images **IF** only one version is located in one folder but not the other.
One easy trick... play a regular game without any mods. You will notice that all Z-UI assets are still totally active & your Interface is extensively altered as intended. Take note of the essentials by trying to memorize which elements seem most important to you. It could be the Notification Icons, the Popups, anything.
Now, start a new game. This time, load up the MOD that **YOU** think may have graphic resources that could conflict with any Z-UI versions. And keep watching -- if nothing changes then there probably isn't any double accessing to the same file(s).
Better yet, just compare two Mod folders (of Art, etc) and simply see if there are some duplicates. In which case, you'd need to "delete or move away as backup" one but not the other. It's your choice.
Back & Forth is correct. Any manual changes (copy/move/delete/add/remove) to the provided list (two of them in that case) of DDS should allocate loading priority to every single instances of images **IF** only one version is located in one folder but not the other.
One easy trick... play a regular game without any mods. You will notice that all Z-UI assets are still totally active & your Interface is extensively altered as intended. Take note of the essentials by trying to memorize which elements seem most important to you. It could be the Notification Icons, the Popups, anything.
Now, start a new game. This time, load up the MOD that **YOU** think may have graphic resources that could conflict with any Z-UI versions. And keep watching -- if nothing changes then there probably isn't any double accessing to the same file(s).
Better yet, just compare two Mod folders (of Art, etc) and simply see if there are some duplicates. In which case, you'd need to "delete or move away as backup" one but not the other. It's your choice.
bladex
Emperor
- Joined
- Oct 29, 2010
- Messages
- 1,358
i don't really like the idea of it being active all the time though. would be great if you could turn it on and off in mods. but that's prob not possible?
the mods i use that alter interface are :
resources gone wild II
echoes of ages
and i think the corporations mod changes stuff too
the mods i use that alter interface are :
resources gone wild II
echoes of ages
and i think the corporations mod changes stuff too
You're right, it just can't be turned ON/OFF at will. But this isn't really my fault... Firaxis UI designer(s) created it in such a way that run-time alterations are simply impossible except for an indirect solution like what my Mod does. Although i'm somehow puzzled by your statement that it's problematic to deactivate my stuff when all is needed is to safely move the Z-UI folder and all its files away from the Game directory. If someone wants it again, they just have to move it back exactly where it was!
IIRC, Echoes of Ages indeed *does* provide a few UI elements that might interfere with my versions... but (once more) it should be relatively easy to select which of two similar DDS files you'd want to keep.
The advantage of Z-UI method is that anyone can just delete whatever they don't want from its folder and nothing else will be impacted by such a drastic choice.
Example; my Eras custom splash-screens and their "Reality" images. Delete them and the Vanilla defaults will return exactly as they were. Same process with the whole set of files can be applied very easily.
Oh well... its your decision(s).
IIRC, Echoes of Ages indeed *does* provide a few UI elements that might interfere with my versions... but (once more) it should be relatively easy to select which of two similar DDS files you'd want to keep.
The advantage of Z-UI method is that anyone can just delete whatever they don't want from its folder and nothing else will be impacted by such a drastic choice.
Example; my Eras custom splash-screens and their "Reality" images. Delete them and the Vanilla defaults will return exactly as they were. Same process with the whole set of files can be applied very easily.
Oh well... its your decision(s).
Nutty
Deity
Often mods that add new popup windows will use the base game .dds files to construct their custom UI, in which case it will silently use the updated UI files here. If they don't (for instance, in the case of my City States Leaders II mod), then just the added windows won't match the rest of the color scheme, but I don't know that that would be a reason not to use this mod...
Sooooooo true... which is why such kind of projects are extremely complex to handle from the get-go. If anything they involve huge numbers of assets, multiple compatibility issues, unforeseen conflicts of custom resources and what else.
My motto is simple -- Do what you must!
As you probably know i might be better at creativity than coding. I dream of some cool Background images for THE Ideological Tenets button like square-boxes. Yet, i don't really have the necessary skills to tackle (in reasonable time) LUA and/or XML. This is a great obstacle to anyone hoping to Mod our beloved Civ5... heck - just witness how i was eventually forced to abandon the ambitious if not impossibly hard to realize LeoPaRd!
Recoloring default files is (certainly) an easy task (well, for me at least). Having the sensitivity and the knowledge to strike worthy results is a whole different jack-in-a-box of surprises in itself.
WHoward tiny tools (UI series) is a perfect example. I *had* to alter a few small things directly in his XML frameworks. TXT fields were kept cyan while i needed them to follow BNW corrected whites and -- so -- on.
Hell, lately i've been scrutinizing anything i can get my hands on;
-- EVC luxury icons (for his Economic Victory condition) were flashing tiny-biddy-silly white pixels around the otherwise neat Firaxis picture. --Plouck-- i since created alternate backdrops and offered them to him in his thread.
-- It goes on and on and on!!
The magic in combining "conflicting" mods together falls more into a category of people's willingness and how resilient they truly are at finding the "Right Ways" - so to speak. My own goals are clear - DO, ENJOY, SHARE.
And now... onto bc1's EUI custom Buttons! While keeping an eye for the lucky (CFC) modder-coder that will (on one glorious day) offer his help to bring Ideology & its Dark Tenet boxes in full colors by adapting just one LUA & just one XML files for me -- and us all.
My motto is simple -- Do what you must!
As you probably know i might be better at creativity than coding. I dream of some cool Background images for THE Ideological Tenets button like square-boxes. Yet, i don't really have the necessary skills to tackle (in reasonable time) LUA and/or XML. This is a great obstacle to anyone hoping to Mod our beloved Civ5... heck - just witness how i was eventually forced to abandon the ambitious if not impossibly hard to realize LeoPaRd!
Recoloring default files is (certainly) an easy task (well, for me at least). Having the sensitivity and the knowledge to strike worthy results is a whole different jack-in-a-box of surprises in itself.
WHoward tiny tools (UI series) is a perfect example. I *had* to alter a few small things directly in his XML frameworks. TXT fields were kept cyan while i needed them to follow BNW corrected whites and -- so -- on.
Hell, lately i've been scrutinizing anything i can get my hands on;
-- EVC luxury icons (for his Economic Victory condition) were flashing tiny-biddy-silly white pixels around the otherwise neat Firaxis picture. --Plouck-- i since created alternate backdrops and offered them to him in his thread.
-- It goes on and on and on!!
The magic in combining "conflicting" mods together falls more into a category of people's willingness and how resilient they truly are at finding the "Right Ways" - so to speak. My own goals are clear - DO, ENJOY, SHARE.
And now... onto bc1's EUI custom Buttons! While keeping an eye for the lucky (CFC) modder-coder that will (on one glorious day) offer his help to bring Ideology & its Dark Tenet boxes in full colors by adapting just one LUA & just one XML files for me -- and us all.
Some old stuff!
LeoPaRd mod shortcut on the left; sadly, this project was stopped on its tracks for reasons beyond my control. Maybe it was TOO ambitious since i'm not very good (or sufficiently knowledgeable) at LUA encoding.
Next is the usual TurnTimer-Meter edited in six colors for the clocking circle.
The seven colored triangular Icons button was created for a supplemental feature of (another mod) Z-Eras+Center. I intended to supply everyone with a much more complex analysis of every Eras (somehow a cool extension of the current splashscreens in Z-UI). Abandonned for similar code troubles as the above.
The tiny (with #27) Button at the bottom is from the CivWillard mod by Anno (IIRC). Too bad it hasn't been updated to BNW standards... cuz, i'd certainly use it again.
LeoPaRd mod shortcut on the left; sadly, this project was stopped on its tracks for reasons beyond my control. Maybe it was TOO ambitious since i'm not very good (or sufficiently knowledgeable) at LUA encoding.
Next is the usual TurnTimer-Meter edited in six colors for the clocking circle.
The seven colored triangular Icons button was created for a supplemental feature of (another mod) Z-Eras+Center. I intended to supply everyone with a much more complex analysis of every Eras (somehow a cool extension of the current splashscreens in Z-UI). Abandonned for similar code troubles as the above.
The tiny (with #27) Button at the bottom is from the CivWillard mod by Anno (IIRC). Too bad it hasn't been updated to BNW standards... cuz, i'd certainly use it again.
Nutty
Deity
My write-up didn't get you started? Have you created the icons yet?
Still thinking, examining, scanning, glimpsing, juggling - ya know!
Currently busy with bc1's EUI custom icons in fact. Once that project is finalized, i will certainly try to analyze your hints somehow, possibly fiddle a bit with some tricky encoding but i'll be VERY honest with you - i doubt i ever will be able to handle whatever is necessary by LUA attempts at true results. I'd rather have someone commited to take care of the whole encoding side while i simply create the graphic assets.
Nevertheless, once ready to start i'll be introducing a formal plan in its own thread where *A* coder could eventually be assigned to our mutual project.
Wishful thoughts? I might even be YOU, Nutty!
Yep... refer to post #62 above where i mention that specific typo also.
Perfection is such a silly concept when we realize how troubling our own mistakes can be when they continually come back to haunt us -all.
Nutty
Deity
It would help if you made a mock-up...Wishful thoughts? I might even be YOU, Nutty!
Probably another mod... but there's also a ONE turn gap for proper rendering of these new colors. This is a gameplay engine function (almost a flaw, btw) that picks default texture(s) once and replaces it with mine as soon as people click *Next Turn*.
I sure will do some graphic stuff (you know me, right?) as examples. And even, post some results once the Project thread is started.
When the very first design is ready, i'll insert it here for you. But anything further doesn't belong in a dedicated Z-UI flow of informations.
