New interface:

[Pieter Boelen]

I had a quick look, but couldn't yet figure out how the background is being made transparent.
So I don't know what to do about this.

Quick look number two yielded more results.
In PROGRAM\INTERFACE\itemsbox.c, find this code:

// KK -->
if (!bFromCharacterScreen) {
SetNodeUsing("VIDEOBASE",false);
SetNodeUsing("BACKSLIDE",false);
SetNodeUsing("SCROLLRECTANGLE",false);
SetNodeUsing("DOWNSCROLLRECT",false);
SetNodeUsing("DOWNRECTSMOOTH",false);
SetNodeUsing("TITLE",false);
CreateString(true, "ScreenTitle", XI_ConvertString(GameInterface.title), FONT_TITLE, COLOR_NORMAL, 320, 6, SCRIPT_ALIGN_CENTER, 1.0);
SetNodeUsing("CENTERRECTANGLE",false);
SetNodeUsing("CENTERBOUND",false);
SetNodeUsing("BACKGROUND",false);
SetNodeUsing("INFO",false);
}

Comment out SetNodeUsing("BACKGROUND",false); and the transparent background is solid again.

So... I now repeat my second question. In which instances should/shouldn't the background be transparent?

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I think if I'm going to wait for some input, I'll be waiting forever.
So I decided to rename the "Animation ON/OFF" toggle to "Dynamic ON/OFF".
It is on by default, in which case you'll have transparent itemsbox and item and character names on their portraits.
If you turn it off, the itemsbox gets a solid background and the item and character names will be removed
in the item-related interfaces as well as the Passengers interface.
Please try this in the next modpack release and let me know if you want anything else disabled with the "Dynamic interface OFF".

 

[Talisman]

It's very easy to change the QuestBook interface to attached look.
Should be easier to read, no? Snow White Sorrow is looking into improving it though,
so that the parchment look is retained.

I think this one ( transparent effect ) is the easiest to read.

SWS's parchment ones need to have a greater difference between the colour of the background and the text, for readability. Though I do like the effect.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I think this one ( transparent effect ) is the easiest to read.

I can imagine it is the easiest to read, though it doesn't look like a QuestBOOK anymore.

Anyway, you can easily change it to this yourself. Open RESOURCE\INI\NEW_INTERFACES\QuestBook.ini and find this:

[BACKGROUND]
bAbsoluteRectangle	= 15
position	= 0,20,1000,480
textureName	= interfaces\background\logbook.tga
textureRect	= 0,0,1.5,1.0

Change textureName to interfaces\background\addon.tga .

We did find out how to change the text colour, but I'm not sure what colour would look good and give good contrast with the parchment.
I changed it to just-plain-black, which looks horrible. Bright yellow, red or green might be readable, but are totally inappropriate.

 

[Talisman]

I think this one ( transparent effect ) is the easiest to read.

I can imagine it is the easiest to read, though it doesn't look like a QuestBOOK anymore.

We did find out how to change the text colour, but I'm not sure what colour would look good and give good contrast with the parchment.
I changed it to just-plain-black, which looks horrible. Bright yellow, red or green might be readable, but are totally inappropriate.

The parchment ones just need a bit more contrast - perhaps if the parchment was a bit more orangy ( old looking).

The problem is most likely my failing eyesight in the first place :

 

[Pieter Boelen]

Well, you can at least do as I posted above until we manage to improve it further.

 

[carmenara]

Thagarr is working on an alternative parchment; in book format, currently in finishing touches.

Oh and as a little tribute to Pieter, its a V. O. C. logbook!

 

[Thagarr]

Ok mates, just doing some playing, let me know what you think of this logbook.

And in game

 

[carmenara]

Looks good!

Try using my fonts setting from the earlier page - the ini file. You can edit

BACKGROUND]
bAbsoluteRectangle = 15
position = 0,20,1000,480
textureName = interfaces\background\logbook.tga
textureRect = 0,0,1.5,1.0

the bolded section, third number (Reduce the number from my logbook ini by a slight bit), so that the end of the text doesn't run "off" the page. Alternatively, try to shift the whole texture to the right so the flags on the left don't overlap the binding.

 

[Keith]

Nice Thag

Might need to make a slight shadow in the centre of the book

 

[Captain Maggee]

Does indeed look pretty cool Thagarr

 

[Thagarr]

Thanks mates!

Might need to make a slight shadow in the centre of the book

Yeah, I have been working on that Keith, just can't get it to look quite right yet!

 

[Pieter Boelen]

That DOES look cool, Thagarr! I do seem to notice some weird pixeling going on at the left page.
Maybe you'd need to smudge some surfaces a bit?

 

[Thagarr]

Thanks Pieter, yeah, I noticed that pixelating too, I think that might be from the parchment file I am using. I may have to try a different parchment and try again tomorrow, I can't seem to get rid of it. It also looks like it has a couple of weird channel effects going on.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I think just smudging with Photoshop could work?

 

[Thagarr]

I tried a bit, but the channel weirdness and the layering make it look a bit off. I have an idea for a different paper texture too. I'll give it a go tomorrow, time for food!!!

 

[Talisman]

Thagarr - That looks great

 

[Thagarr]

Thanks Talisman, I was having a bit of trouble with the binding, some pixelation and channels, but that was my own fault. I was trying to overcomplicate things a lot more than I needed to.

Anyway, I think I got most of that taken care of, here are the new screens and the tga!

In game :

And the tga.tx :

http://www.filefactory.com/file/a161471/n/logbook.tga.tx

 

[Kazeite]

Um... since the background is mostly light and is supposed to represent an actual written log entry, wouldn't it make more sense for the letters to be, y'know... black?

 

[Thagarr]

Yeah, probably Kazeite, I just hadn't got around to editing the INI settings yet.