I agree with all of @argent77 's points about the area map. I've mentioned several of them before in a different section. My biggest irritations are # 1, 2 and 5 - especially 5 because having fog on the map just makes it really hard to find anything - but the rest all seem like good points as well.
To add to @Mr2150 's journal list (which I agree with completely), there's also an issue where quest chains are marked as completed before they're actually done. For example, in the Ranger stronghold, the quest chain is marked as completed after you finish the first Ranger quest. But there are still two or three more left to come. It shouldn't be marked as completed until after the Umar quest. I'm not sure whether this is an engine issue or just a bug, but it should be fixed. And while we can mod away a lot of the journal issues, it's better to have them fixed in the main game for all those people who can't or don't want to mod. My brother recently started playing BG1 again and he says that he's just stopped using the journal completely, which is what I did before Mr2150 came along.
Finally, my brother asked me to mention a few issues with the color selection screen that make it difficult t use (and that I agree with now that I've actually thought about it). First, the colors don't seem to be listed in any kind of logical order. Second, the different color bars are so small that it's difficult to tell what color they really are until you click on them. Both of these together mean that finding the color you want can take way longer than it should.
I've added Quest chains to the list, buddy, and thanks for the kind comments.
I agree - many functions of my mod would be ideally created in the main game (eg things like the ability to filter the journal by completed/active) to make the journal more functional. I'm not saying I do it the best / most efficient way (because I know I don't) and I'm 100% sure Beamdog could come up with a smarter solution once they know our needs in that respect.
@Ratatoskr589 's comment on the color selection reminded me of something that's bugged me since the original BG. I don't know about anyone else, but I have a lot of trouble with picking shades of color when all I've got to go on is the color gradients shown in the square. I'd much rather see the solid color instead of the color-to-white gradient.
Here would be my list of issues with the journal @Ratatoskr589 - some solved by my mod, but a list of annoyances with the journal and the journal 'textflash' pop-up (TPU) nonetheless.
My list may be a bit more critical as I've played with it at length (even playing a run through of BG1EE + 1/2 of SOD solely to look at how the journal and TPU work in tandem).
- Cannot filter by completed / active / all quests - Hard to work out which quests are done because the font colouring is poor - 'NO OBJECTIVE TEXT' issue for BGEE and BG2EE (this is jointly a UI issue and an engine issue) - Conceptually it's a brilliant idea (small journal that you can have on screen at the same time as you are still 'live' in the game) but it can introduce a major bug that causes slowdown of the game. - Some people may prefer a larger journal that fills the screen (and pauses the game). - The graphics used for the 'background' of the journal feel completely out of place with the game. - Cannot filter/search quest entries, only journal entries and user notes - Cannot easily delete user notes, you have to go in and manually delete all the text - I think. - TPU doesn't find quests and journal entries - TPU sometimes presents entries that don't exist (this is more an engine issue) - TPU doesn't occur for some entries (this is more an engine issue) - ..... BUT, TPU status 'Journal Updated' is sometimes misleading if any of the previous two issues occur - TPU sometimes occurs too quickly to read / click on - TPU updates can often be sequential (eg if a quest is given and updated in the same conversation) - example talking to the mayor of Nashkel for the first time produces two updates. - TPU position is often in the way / takes up too much space - TPU position squeezes text and makes it unreadable.
I'm happy to start a new thread. Are there any other issues that people have with the journal? May as well get them all down here first...
I wanted to add a few comments, mainly about pausing and size, but this list already says it all. Makes you wonder what you have to do to earn a promote these days @juliusBorisov ...
@Mr2150 has made some great points about the journal, I would like to add my own thoughts/wish list.
The artwork has a style about it that I like. I think it has potential. It tries to look old, worn and beat up, that part feels right. It just looks/feels unfinished. Like an unfinished picture that the artist hasn’t had time to complete yet. It doesn’t yet match the rest of the game. The parchment is to “white”, it needs to be brought more in line with the tones of the original games.
I would like to be able to go into my journal from the inventory screen again.
Please bring it back to the center of the screen and enlarge it.
The game should pause when I’m reading my journal.
I'm genuinely surprised you like the graphics of the journal @Ravenslight - this is the background used currently:
For me, it evokes a ring binder - especially the part at the right, and while I like the 'random notes and scribbles' feel - you don't see that bit because the parchment covers it.
Your other points I think I had two already: "Please bring it back to the center of the screen and enlarge it. The game should pause when I’m reading my journal."
As... "Some people may prefer a larger journal that fills the screen (and pauses the game)."
So I'll add: - The parchment is to “white”, it needs to be brought more in line with the tones of the original games. - Ability to go into the journal from the inventory screen.
I don't have an opinion about the journal background, but I'll second being able to open the journal from the inventory page since I keep trying to do that even now.
I also like the idea of the journal pausing the game, but I'd like it to be optional (or be able to unpause after I open it). Sometimes I read the journal while my characters are walking really far.
Yes, I just like what they seemed to be going for. It might be really neat if it was made to match the game better. Like at the bottom where the pages kind of curl. It’s kind of hard to see that, needs more shading.
Anyway, I do think the journal needs it’s own thread. I don’t want to waylay this one from other ideas. You have already been working with it a lot. Maybe you should start one? I don’t know who makes that call.
How about a new topic in this forum section (and later Readmine feature request) where we would list all LUA related stuff that we wish to be unhardcoded into util.lua and ui.menu or expanded upon with new engine commands? Things related to modding UI that modders found limiting in the current implementation.
Here are my suggestions: 1. Unhardcode the "above head strings display" function into util.lua, in the same vain as "journal update" window is controlled by showTextFlash function rather than be hardcoded. This way we will be able to mod how long the above head text shows up on higher framerates (I think the game should do it by default although I've lost hope that Beamdog will ever acknowledge people using higher framerates, so doing it via mod is fine by me) 2. Already mentioned in worldmap topic - a way to adjust everything related to display worldmap icons via util.lua and ui.menu. Currently all of this stuff is hardcoded. 3. Add a way to read in-game variables from within the LUA code. While not exactly externalization this step would probably require adding new engine command that could be used in LUA files.
My personal wishes (I don't know at all how feasible it is to do): -unhardcode the actionbar. Allow elements on the main gameplay screen to consider character IDs, thus allowing to create personalized actionbar buttons. -Allow in the code to put the backpacks (inventory slots) of all characters into one single inventory screen (PoE style). This would need some kind of identifiers too.
I would like to have the character creation experience of a Baldur’s Gate game returned.
With the latest patch, some of the iconic button menus and associated sounds have been replaced with data base lists that light up with silent, bright red text fields as you make your selections for race, class, proficiencies etc.
All of this feels very distracting and out of character for a Baldur’s Gate game.
I very much like that button pushing ceased to be torture for the ears. Especially wih headphones on. That thrice cursed click sound was maddening. MADDENING!
In the OP, I mentioned that the red shades selections should be replaced with button graphics in the character creation screens, though it should be replaced everywhere really, as the red shade doesn't work aesthetically. Where the red shades are on parchment background (like in spell book), it should have a different graphics fitting on that background.
I would like to have the character creation experience of a Baldur’s Gate game returned.
With the latest patch, some of the iconic button menus and associated sounds have been replaced with data base lists that light up with silent, bright red text fields as you make your selections for race, class, proficiencies etc.
All of this feels very distracting and out of character for a Baldur’s Gate game.
I agree with that, a lot of UI sounds are still missing and need to be restored. For a list of the missing UI sounds that I've found, see: http://redmine.beamdog.com/issues/20548
And on that note, I'd like to see the missing character creation options (hidden classes, kits, alignments, and weapon proficiencies) returned as well. Hiding those is bad design for several reasons, but probably most importantly because it makes it harder for new players to understand what options are available to them.
I'd like to point out another UI-related issue that bothers me since v2.0. It's the level up screen which displayed the name and class of the character you're about to level up in previous versions. With patch version 2.0 and higher it doesn't show this information anymore, and since you can't cancel the process you have no way to find out.
This is how it looked like in v1.3:
This is how it looks now (v2.3):
I can see two options to improve the screen. 1. Add name (and class/kit) of the selected character to the level up screen (as done in v1.3 and earlier).
2. Reduce width so that the right side bar with the selected character portrait becomes visible.
Good suggestion. The right sidebar can't be seen though, because the level up screen is technically part of the character creation section, so it always rests on the black background. There could easily be a portrait added next to the name and class info though (I added that in my mod).
The button order is alright imo. The placement of the '+' button on the left side implies that the row of stars is expanded to the left. If you change the button order you would also have to relocate the row of stars to the right side, so that it can be expanded to the right.
It would be a shame if the portrait bar can not be brought back as it was in ver. 1.3
I’m used to being able to level up anyone in the party who needs it, all at the same time, using the portrait bar without having to leave the same window. I also miss seeing the portraits there as well.
It would be a shame if the portrait bar can not be brought back as it was in ver. 1.3
I’m used to being able to level up anyone in the party who needs it, all at the same time, using the portrait bar without having to leave the same window. I also miss seeing the portraits there as well.
The portraits were not visible on the level-up screen in v1.3 either - its just a black bar. Are you thinking of the record screen?
Comments
To add to @Mr2150 's journal list (which I agree with completely), there's also an issue where quest chains are marked as completed before they're actually done. For example, in the Ranger stronghold, the quest chain is marked as completed after you finish the first Ranger quest. But there are still two or three more left to come. It shouldn't be marked as completed until after the Umar quest. I'm not sure whether this is an engine issue or just a bug, but it should be fixed. And while we can mod away a lot of the journal issues, it's better to have them fixed in the main game for all those people who can't or don't want to mod. My brother recently started playing BG1 again and he says that he's just stopped using the journal completely, which is what I did before Mr2150 came along.
Finally, my brother asked me to mention a few issues with the color selection screen that make it difficult t use (and that I agree with now that I've actually thought about it). First, the colors don't seem to be listed in any kind of logical order. Second, the different color bars are so small that it's difficult to tell what color they really are until you click on them. Both of these together mean that finding the color you want can take way longer than it should.
I agree - many functions of my mod would be ideally created in the main game (eg things like the ability to filter the journal by completed/active) to make the journal more functional. I'm not saying I do it the best / most efficient way (because I know I don't) and I'm 100% sure Beamdog could come up with a smarter solution once they know our needs in that respect.
The artwork has a style about it that I like. I think it has potential. It tries to look old, worn and beat up, that part feels right. It just looks/feels unfinished. Like an unfinished picture that the artist hasn’t had time to complete yet. It doesn’t yet match the rest of the game. The parchment is to “white”, it needs to be brought more in line with the tones of the original games.
I would like to be able to go into my journal from the inventory screen again.
Please bring it back to the center of the screen and enlarge it.
The game should pause when I’m reading my journal.
For me, it evokes a ring binder - especially the part at the right, and while I like the 'random notes and scribbles' feel - you don't see that bit because the parchment covers it.
As... "Some people may prefer a larger journal that fills the screen (and pauses the game)."
So I'll add:
- The parchment is to “white”, it needs to be brought more in line with the tones of the original games.
- Ability to go into the journal from the inventory screen.
If that's ok?
Yes, thank you for adding those @Mr2150
PS
I hardly recognized you.
The picture I posted is that background graphic. The parchment pages sit on top of it... so you see:
That picture is also a good example - look how the graphic at the bottom cannot hold the text in Polish properly... so I'll add that to the list too
I also like the idea of the journal pausing the game, but I'd like it to be optional (or be able to unpause after I open it). Sometimes I read the journal while my characters are walking really far.
Anyway, I do think the journal needs it’s own thread. I don’t want to waylay this one from other ideas. You have already been working with it a lot. Maybe you should start one? I don’t know who makes that call.
I changed the line about the graphics that I already had to: "- The graphics used for the journal and parchment don't feel quite right."
That way it's a bit more generic and when we get to that point we can work how to make them work better.
Here are my suggestions:
1. Unhardcode the "above head strings display" function into util.lua, in the same vain as "journal update" window is controlled by showTextFlash function rather than be hardcoded. This way we will be able to mod how long the above head text shows up on higher framerates (I think the game should do it by default although I've lost hope that Beamdog will ever acknowledge people using higher framerates, so doing it via mod is fine by me)
2. Already mentioned in worldmap topic - a way to adjust everything related to display worldmap icons via util.lua and ui.menu. Currently all of this stuff is hardcoded.
3. Add a way to read in-game variables from within the LUA code. While not exactly externalization this step would probably require adding new engine command that could be used in LUA files.
-unhardcode the actionbar. Allow elements on the main gameplay screen to consider character IDs, thus allowing to create personalized actionbar buttons.
-Allow in the code to put the backpacks (inventory slots) of all characters into one single inventory screen (PoE style). This would need some kind of identifiers too.
With the latest patch, some of the iconic button menus and associated sounds have been replaced with data base lists that light up with silent, bright red text fields as you make your selections for race, class, proficiencies etc.
All of this feels very distracting and out of character for a Baldur’s Gate game.
And on that note, I'd like to see the missing character creation options (hidden classes, kits, alignments, and weapon proficiencies) returned as well. Hiding those is bad design for several reasons, but probably most importantly because it makes it harder for new players to understand what options are available to them.
This is how it looked like in v1.3:
This is how it looks now (v2.3):
I can see two options to improve the screen.
1. Add name (and class/kit) of the selected character to the level up screen (as done in v1.3 and earlier).
2. Reduce width so that the right side bar with the selected character portrait becomes visible.
I fully agree with the "Back" button.
I’m used to being able to level up anyone in the party who needs it, all at the same time, using the portrait bar without having to leave the same window. I also miss seeing the portraits there as well.
I was getting a bit confused by the new patch screens being discussed here.
Thank you.