2009-10-20, 04:08 AM
I know this sounds silly, but I need something, and it's something anyone of you could do one way or another. So I could really use the load off my back.
I don't care if you do it in ASCII art somehow or html or annotated screenshots or svg graphs or what.
But what I need, is a map of the menu system. And to a lesser extent all the other UI stuff like events and the game startup screen.
Something like...
+----------+
|Menu
+----------+
+-------
|Items->
+-------
|Equip->
And what else...
I need this so I can make a configuration system to help people edit the menu with a new tool I'm working on.
So like if you wanted to change the name of some menu element, you could do something like:
menu.equip.*.holy.name = dark
Just a lame example. You should also be able to move things around. I might even support an alternative xml type system in the end. We just need names for things basically. Ultimately anything will be possible. For example knocking off entire menu and replacing it with al new one. Or adding extra information / taking away useless kind. In fact that is what I intend to be doing with the Joypad menu (I will map what I gotta to get to the joypad and whatever I need personally but I'll be counting on one of you to help map the rest!!)
So anyway, even though it seems like a terribly meta task. After the system is in place, the guide will be an invaluable resource for helping people use the configuration file.
I have my menu names all rearranged for my project, so I don't even have Tom's translations readily available to me. For this, the shorter the mapping names the better. The map of what the menu looks like is also very helpful, because that's how we can tell what menu we're in for certain.
PS: Even if you don't want to change the menu radically. One of the coolest things this will open us, is the option to make really personalized menus for your game. Like being able to put art behind the menus that really works. You'll even be able to move the menus around to compliment whatever art you have.
I don't care if you do it in ASCII art somehow or html or annotated screenshots or svg graphs or what.
But what I need, is a map of the menu system. And to a lesser extent all the other UI stuff like events and the game startup screen.
Something like...
+----------+
|Menu
+----------+
+-------
|Items->
+-------
|Equip->
And what else...
I need this so I can make a configuration system to help people edit the menu with a new tool I'm working on.
So like if you wanted to change the name of some menu element, you could do something like:
menu.equip.*.holy.name = dark
Just a lame example. You should also be able to move things around. I might even support an alternative xml type system in the end. We just need names for things basically. Ultimately anything will be possible. For example knocking off entire menu and replacing it with al new one. Or adding extra information / taking away useless kind. In fact that is what I intend to be doing with the Joypad menu (I will map what I gotta to get to the joypad and whatever I need personally but I'll be counting on one of you to help map the rest!!)
So anyway, even though it seems like a terribly meta task. After the system is in place, the guide will be an invaluable resource for helping people use the configuration file.
I have my menu names all rearranged for my project, so I don't even have Tom's translations readily available to me. For this, the shorter the mapping names the better. The map of what the menu looks like is also very helpful, because that's how we can tell what menu we're in for certain.
PS: Even if you don't want to change the menu radically. One of the coolest things this will open us, is the option to make really personalized menus for your game. Like being able to put art behind the menus that really works. You'll even be able to move the menus around to compliment whatever art you have.