@Archaic Taking into account all your current knowledge on the UI, how do you think would it be possible to make it so you could open several inventory screens at the same time and drag items from one to another?
My extreme laziness precluded from giving you the compliments you deserved for this amazing piece of work. It is time to correct that. At first, I was pretty much unimpressed because brown is really not my color, but each new version added coherence and class to the game to the point that I think it would clearly be a shame to play without this mod. Keep up the good work!
As a request, but I doubt it would be easily feasible, would it be possible to offer some more customization during installation, like a choice between different colors for the background? I am sure this UI would look amazing in grey.
@Castorp - I appreciate your support and feedback. I'd like to offer different color options but that is a lot of work and time that I cannot afford at this point in the BETA. Maybe once the mod is complete I would consider making an alternative color options.
Preview of the Mage Spellbook for BETA 6: Remember this is a very early design concept and I still have a lot of changes and tweaks to make. I just wanted to give you guys a preview screenshot. Let me know what you think...
It already looks so great!! Youre making me happy, thank you! The circle doesn’t fit well, buts as you said WIP.
Would it be possible to change the drawings depending on the spell book level? That way its starts with pictures of novice magic and goes all the way up to something like arch mage magic pictures? Turning a page - having completely different pictures?
While this is a very fitting and high quality photography of a real(?) spellbook, I'd like to see the GUI stay in the 2D realm if possible. To some of us, switching between 2D and 3D menus all the time would cause a bit of an eye strain.
I just wish we could scroll between all the memorized spells... I sometimes have many many many spells for testing and I can never see exactly what i have memorized..
Wow, gorgeous! That's a great start! But I don't quite get the perspective or viewpoint (I'm no artist by the way) of the book. I can't actually express how I mean by it, but it looks a bit rounded.
@Schopenhauer That's actually a great idea. Too bad it can't be done
@Kamigoroshi - Thanks. The 3D your talking about is very minimal and I don't see any problems with it. Even the previous magebook has a small amount of 3D quality. If enough people agree that its a problem then I will consider doing the whole design over again in 2D.
@Archaic I wonder, is it possible to change the item description screen so that all the item information text and game stats show in a single, neat block so you don't need to scroll the text down to see the stats? Also, the font seems to be very large. What about changing to a font that is seen better on parchment background.
Love the new spellbook, a great improvement. I do suggest making the book feel more symmetrical, though: perhaps have the right-hand side a mirror image of the left hand side, having the skull and words underneath the memorized spell list? Just a suggestion: you know best here, after all.
Looks great.. Chances are, I'll be using this UI for my first BGEE run through unless an original BG1 style UI mod comes out in the mean time.. Looks doubtful
@Archaic, I don't think it's necessary to redo the whole concept in 2D. Making the metal parts more flat in appearance should do the trick as well.
Here, I made a few adjustments on my own to help you visual what I mean. The changes I did are minimal: mainly reducing the shininess of the metal objects with the good ol' healing brush and blurred some of the edges here and there.
Something I noticed is that the spell icon frames would look better if they were "burnt in" rather than "stamped on". Though this may be a matter of taste.
On a side note, do the spellbooks and priest scroll work with your transparent background? Or did you run into the dreaded UI bug? If the latter, would it be possible to give them unique backgroud images? For example, replacing the 'standard brown' with an classic wizard table (scrolls, candles, quills, ect.) would be very immersive for the arcane spellbooks.
Wow, this is really an improvement over the current one.
Two things I don't really like, though: - Spells in squares both for memorized and known spells. Maybe they should have two discrete graphical identities to make the use of the spellbook clearer? (If this was meant to be changed anyway, please ignore this part of my message) - The skull. Don't get me wrong, it looks amazing, but... It's not what I would have chosen for a spellbook. Too necromantic, it doesn't give a feel of 'magic' as a spellbook should. How about the symbol of Mystra, for instance?
@Archaic very impressive, I like the spell book shape and design a lot but I have to agree when people say about the symbols, I always felt like a mages spellbook would be very neat and precise rather than having pictures in it.
How about if you had the two plain almost symmetrical pages for known and memorized but had something like a fancy bookmark in the middle (in my mind I think purple or red silk with gold edges, but that's just me). Maybe even incorporate castorp's idea and have mystra's symbol embroidered or embossed onto the bookmark.
I hope you don't think I'm telling you your design is wrong, the above is just my idea of what I would make if I had the skill to produce it.
Thank you everyone for the out pour of feedback, amazing support and suggestions. I'm taking everyone's feedback in and trying to find a middle ground. Taking Saturday off to watch UFC on FOX and then I'll be back to the designs on Sunday. Thanks again!
Comments
Taking into account all your current knowledge on the UI, how do you think would it be possible to make it so you could open several inventory screens at the same time and drag items from one to another?
P.S. Nice work!
Keep up the good work!
As a request, but I doubt it would be easily feasible, would it be possible to offer some more customization during installation, like a choice between different colors for the background? I am sure this UI would look amazing in grey.
I agree. But one of the work conditions listed there is "sitting". Can @Archaic bear with that?
Remember this is a very early design concept and I still have a lot of changes and tweaks to make. I just wanted to give you guys a preview screenshot. Let me know what you think...
The circle doesn’t fit well, buts as you said WIP.
Would it be possible to change the drawings depending on the spell book level? That way its starts with pictures of novice magic and goes all the way up to something like arch mage magic pictures? Turning a page - having completely different pictures?
While this is a very fitting and high quality photography of a real(?) spellbook, I'd like to see the GUI stay in the 2D realm if possible. To some of us, switching between 2D and 3D menus all the time would cause a bit of an eye strain.
@Schopenhauer
That's actually a great idea. Too bad it can't be done
@ShadowSmuggler - me too man. i wish it was possible.
@Sylvus_Moonbow - Thanks man. I will probably work on the Priest Scroll next.
@Illustair - The book is warped its an ancient magebook design that made to look worn and aged.
@Goddard - Thank you.
Changed up the color tone and removed a few things...
@Kamigoroshi - I toned down the 3D just a touch - hope that helps...
Here, I made a few adjustments on my own to help you visual what I mean. The changes I did are minimal: mainly reducing the shininess of the metal objects with the good ol' healing brush and blurred some of the edges here and there.
Something I noticed is that the spell icon frames would look better if they were "burnt in" rather than "stamped on". Though this may be a matter of taste.
On a side note, do the spellbooks and priest scroll work with your transparent background? Or did you run into the dreaded UI bug? If the latter, would it be possible to give them unique backgroud images? For example, replacing the 'standard brown' with an classic wizard table (scrolls, candles, quills, ect.) would be very immersive for the arcane spellbooks.
Two things I don't really like, though:
- Spells in squares both for memorized and known spells. Maybe they should have two discrete graphical identities to make the use of the spellbook clearer? (If this was meant to be changed anyway, please ignore this part of my message)
- The skull. Don't get me wrong, it looks amazing, but... It's not what I would have chosen for a spellbook. Too necromantic, it doesn't give a feel of 'magic' as a spellbook should. How about the symbol of Mystra, for instance?
Otherwise, I'm impressed.
How about if you had the two plain almost symmetrical pages for known and memorized but had something like a fancy bookmark in the middle (in my mind I think purple or red silk with gold edges, but that's just me). Maybe even incorporate castorp's idea and have mystra's symbol embroidered or embossed onto the bookmark.
I hope you don't think I'm telling you your design is wrong, the above is just my idea of what I would make if I had the skill to produce it.