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Babamilo
Babamilo
Join Date 03/2008
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Changing UI from the ground up. Possible?

March 6, 2008 10:34:56 PM from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
Hey, I was wondering if its possible to delve a little deeper into how the scripting behind the UI works. That is, change how different screens interact with each other, adjust the events that call them etc.

Basically, I want to remove that stupid robot movie that plays when you research a new tech.
Instead I want to add an icon that drops down at the right side of the game area, similar to what happens when a new planetary improvement is completed or a ship is built.

Anyone know if thats possible?
modding
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Babamilo
foxthree
Join Date 06/2007
+11
Reply #1 March 7, 2008 10:07:39 AM
from Stardock ForumsStardock Forums
yes its possible but it wiont be easy its not hardcoded.
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Babamilo
pndrev
Join Date 05/2007
+30
Reply #2 March 7, 2008 10:20:30 AM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
The extent you want is not possible IMO.

You could replace the movie with something else (it's standard .bik format, if I'm not mistaken), but the link between events and the right-hand symbols is hardcoded.

Most other screen elements are in object desktop format, so they, too, can be edited. There are a couple of mods in the library that remove the 'glare' on the minimap, for example.
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Babamilo
Babamilo
Join Date 03/2008
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Reply #3 March 7, 2008 11:27:18 AM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
Yes I found the mod that removes that "glare" - another minor annoyance with the UI to be sure.
However my biggest problem right now is how the game keeps interupting gameplay. Most events that are logically tied don't execute right after another.

Consider the example when a research project finishes. With a research project almost done I once completed a turn, decided to restart the game and got *all* the way to the loading screen for the next game before that research thing was done.
The robot movie showed when I was clicking next on the race abilities screen. The screen where you select your next research project didn't even show till the NEXT GAME WAS ALREADY LOADING!

Safe to say the new game crashed then, when it was eventually done loading. So as you can imagine, I would love to have a way to streamline the UI a bit more.
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Babamilo
Zyxpsilon
Join Date 02/2006
+80
Reply #4 March 7, 2008 1:53:30 PM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
I've also been looking for a VALID (meaning genuine SD coders supported and actually working to my satisfaction, btw!) way to edit the appropriate dxpack files - including the above 'Robot' in research result; in this particular case i would very much enjoy to go backwards in time where in GC1, a rather simplistic (BUT, a lot more faster to deploy) half-size popup windows served this function quite well.

Babamilo is certainly right when s/he says that true customization of the entire UI would be such a relief; there's a number of areas where slick & fast modifications could enhance the gameplay experience as a whole. Besides, some people may consider certain features useless or plain silly annoying (IN THE LONG_TERM!!).

So, SD whadda'ya say (again... since this has been suggested a number of times in the past by plenty of us - incl. once by me) could you at least give us an indication of such possibility.

If not, then we'll HAVE to stare at that waving Robot for an extra 25 minutes (on average) per each games we play, for every techs discovered, all over, twice and multiply these numbers too.

I could ask PLEASE once more... but i already did - and that didn't register in someone's (in charge and able to take the decision to work at this problem.) mind then.

Just DO it: even if it means tougher in-code re-compilings.

- Zyxpsilon.
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Babamilo
Alfonse
Join Date 02/2006
+12
Reply #5 March 7, 2008 6:40:10 PM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
I once completed a turn, decided to restart the game and got *all* the way to the loading screen for the next game before that research thing was done.


Well, clearly that's a bug. When you start loading a game, should first dump the current game and all its threads.

They need to fix it, but to avoid it, you shouldn't start loading a game when you're still processing a turn.

So, SD whadda'ya say


Considering that the stack selection bug (where if you move a unit in a stack, you are still selecting the stack even though you should be selecting the unit you just moved) was in the game since release and hasn't been fixed yet, I wouldn't hold my breath on a fully customizable UI.

And if they do implement a fully customizable UI first, then their priorities are a bit... misguided.
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Babamilo
Babamilo
Join Date 03/2008
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Reply #6 March 7, 2008 7:43:12 PM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
I once completed a turn, decided to restart the game and got *all* the way to the loading screen for the next game before that research thing was done.


The point I am trying to make here is, that you can easily take multiple actions between those 2 screens. Even go so far to start a new game in the most extreme case. Still, even while playing normally its annoying. Because you already started focusing on something different when that research screen interupts you like an afterthought.

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Babamilo
gallagher118
Join Date 07/2005
+3
Reply #7 March 7, 2008 7:58:55 PM
from GalCiv II ForumsGalCiv II Forums
Well, clearly that's a bug. When you start loading a game, should first dump the current game and all its threads.

They need to fix it, but to avoid it, you shouldn't start loading a game when you're still processing a turn.


Yup. I think this is also part of the Cntrl N problem. I've noticed that even if I exit out to the main screen and restart a game there seems to be zombie threads going. Once I started a new game, and had a prompt from the previous game come in.

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