MiniCards Diplomacy UI Mod

[Soresha]

MiniCards Diplomacy UI Mod (v1.0)

The MiniCards Diplomacy mod has now been released properly:
http://vginterface.com/downloads...macyUIMod.html

There is no change to the mod itself from beta v0.2, however the mod now has a new readme file, proper project pages on Soresha.net and of course a proper entry on VGinterface.

The mod will be included in v1.6 of CoreUI3 which Techy will be releasing later today I believe... it's a bit "chicken and egg" really, one of us had to go first!

If other authors of full UI mods would like to include MiniCards in their releases (either as the default or as an option) then feel free to do so. Installing a collection of XML files such as this mod provides is not easy for many people I know.

Soresha

[Soresha]

I forgot to post the new pretty pictures...


MiniCards Strategy Window During Parleys (10/16 strategy slots at level 15)

Strategy Window, Library Window and Strategy Button

[techywarrior]

CoreUI3 v1.6 will be coming out tonight/tomorrow with MiniCards as an option in the Core Customizer along with a few other minor tweaks and fixes.

[Chantillary]

And this is what it looks like in APW at level 50:

[Soresha]

Thanks Chant! One day I may get there myself... one day.

[Soresha]

MiniCards is now in the latest version of CustomUI as well.

http://vginterface.com/downloads...-CustomUI.html

[Soresha]

I've started work on what will be v1.1 of MiniCards. Here's some piccies and info.

First, I've made a little presence status window. I found that particularly when I'm doing quests I need to switch gear to get the required presence, and I wanted to see at a glance what the effect of the gear I equipped was.

The presence window toggles on/off using the rod button on the strategy window. I expect people may want to have it showing whilst doing diplo, but will definitely want to hide it again when adventuring.




Then the larger piece of work is to tackle the parley window.

The design objectives for me are:
- use the mini cards
- make the window smaller, more compact
- create more room for the NPC name so it doesn't get cut short
- match the style of the strategy and library windows, i.e. use the handle not a full window with a title bar, and use the same, small bold font for all text.

I spent some time trying out different layouts just as mockups, and here's what I've ended up with vs. the default parley window.

NB:
- The strange words in between the cards are where it will say "Waiting for Opponent".
- The words in the bars at the top/bottom will be the NPC/your name.
- The names and the turns numbers won't have the dark backgrounds behind them, they will probably be in black text instead.
- The number on the parley indicator will be shrunk to the smaller, bold font to match the rest of the window.



What you see is just a rough mockup, I'll make a start on actually creating it soon. If people have any feedback or suggestions to give it would be most welcome, and now is the time to do so!

Soresha

[techywarrior]

I like it mostly but I think that the handle is a little strange. I know it's your mod and it doesn't really go with a particular UI but it seems out of place compared to the rest of the windows.

[Soresha]

Originally Posted by techywarrior

I like it mostly but I think that the handle is a little strange. I know it's your mod and it doesn't really go with a particular UI but it seems out of place compared to the rest of the windows.

The idea is to match the style of the stategy and library windows, and make the window a bit smaller by losing the title bar. During a parley, you've got the strategy, parley and dialogue windows open. So you've got a mix of styles anyway.

But I can see your point too, plus it's a squarer, blockier window rather than free-floating cards. So I'll try it out both as a window with title bar and without, and make that decision when I can really see what it looks like. Easy enough to do once the window content exists.

The parley window is an important part of the diplomacy gameplay, so it will need to be tried out properly in a beta version, to see how it really feels when in use. If any diplomats are interested in doing that, let me know.

[Taldaas]

Is it possible to replace the dots that show how much expresssion / flattery / etc you have with numbers? If so, I imagine you could make it a lot smaller than it is now while still maintaining all relevent information and probably an even better look.