82 replies to this topic

[altharic]

 
Well it is an FME community, it would be nice if people were prepared to put some effort in occasionally. I accept that as the coder I'm going to be doing the lions share of the work, but creating some artwork, or helping with layouts, or whatever is always appreciated.
 
I can only do so much myself. If you really want to see Scorp4 support, then help me get through all the stuff on the way to Scorp4 and you'll get it a lot sooner.
 
The GUI is ESSENTIAL for full screen, there is no way to have full screen without an on screen DirectX drawn GUI. That's not me being a pain in the arse to you, its a cold hard fact of the way the emulator was designed and coded.
 
We had a simple GUI before, that black and orange thing that was in there, and it looked hideous.

The gui is indeed essential however $&%#y eyebleeding back drops are not.

[niallquinn]

 

Then why don't you and the great deal of others make a front end for it and release it? that way you can put me on ignore, and my skin, and pretend I don't even exist.

 

Once the skin packing tool is ready there will be nothing to stop you or any one else making it look exactly as they wish.

 

So there is a skins tool on the way?  Champion -  XP, Office 2003 lookalike it is then.  Yay.

 

 

NQ.

[fuzion]

Seriously the current gui isn't that bad. Clearly not stopping people enjoying the emulation.

J

[altharic]

Seriously the current gui isn't that bad. Clearly not stopping people enjoying the emulation.

J

If it 'isn't that bad' then clearly you see room for improvement?

[fuzion]

You could apply that logic to almost anything, everything can be improved upon to a certain degree.   I would much rather see Guitar cracking the techs that will take amber to the dizzy heights of playable BWB Video emulation.  

 

Surely we can agree that a GUI facelift isn't as important as the emulation and Guitar has stated that he will release a 'skinning' toolkit to make skinning the gui possible.  I'm sure people will create basic skins in time and release them on the forums.

 

J

[altharic]

So best course of action is make it grey and functional then mess with it once the emulation is done.

[Geddy]

I guess we can agree that yes, however again it's an ideas thread.  Not an ideas thread related to just the tech cores or hopper sounds etc.  It's the whole shebang and the GUI comes under that.  ATM it is horrible and difficult to use because of the font and colours.  Looking at DC's Line Up one it appears to be little better.  Like I said look around at modern programs (Guitar wants Amber to be modern) you will not see garish GUIs you will see sleak clean functional user friendly designs.  *I* personally would like something like the later to be in Amber to make it for me at least (and many others) a more user friendly experience.  

 

You would not build a super car that everyone wants then make the controls neigh on impossible to use would you?

[fuzion]

I did create something that I would like to interact with, it's on the very first page, it's simple and sleek, however probably not everyone cup of tea.  I did mention to Guitar that I had limited time at the minute, so couldn't really get stuck in with it full on.

 

J

[Geddy]

Ah yes, now that would be much better J.  Clean, easy on the eye and functional.

 

I guess if there are going to be skin tools then I'll end up making a DAT for Amber skins lol.

[fuzion]

I certainly will look into developing this skin further when the tools are released.  I guess it will be a simple change skin option in the emulator then load it up etc. 

 

J

 Yes, I imagine in time there might be a lot of skins to dat up

 

J

[Daryl]

I did create something that I would like to interact with, it's on the very first page, it's simple and sleek, however probably not everyone cup of tea.  I did mention to Guitar that I had limited time at the minute, so couldn't really get stuck in with it full on.

 

J

 

Is this the one fuzion?

 

 post-1913-0-34819400-1394648932.jpg   324.37KB   2 downloads

 

Because if it is, this is perfect!

 

It is simple, modern, clean, clear and crisp and not overpowering you in the slightest - I do hope you can find the time with it, and ask Guitar to add it, along with DC's if he so wishes so as we can have the choice of GUI at the beginning... 

 

...this has much more the modern Windows and the Mac OS X/iOS look about it, and is simpler in design too!

[fuzion]

Yes fella, I will definately finish this design off and release when completed no problems at all.

J

[altharic]

Better than the default one

[niallquinn]

Yep, with my eyes, that would suit me a load better as well to be honest.

 

Or if that's not going to happen, I'll settle for the skinning tools, and I'll create a basic JAFC Lithograph style one.

 

 

NQ.

[fuzion]

The skinning tool should be a great edition.  But it's the same old story and believe me I have go through this every day with my line of work, the bottom line is, you really can't please everyone.

 

J

[Guitar]

You would not build a super car that everyone wants then make the controls neigh on impossible to use would you?

 

Have you seen the steering wheel on a modern F1 car? But I take your point.

[Geddy]

 

Have you seen the steering wheel on a modern F1 car? But I take your point.

 

I said that everybody wants... lol

[Geddy]

See looking at Fuzion's design and comparing it to what we have and the 'line-up' the big difference is the designers approach.  Fuzion has no personal agenda regarding the final product, he designs for the 'customer.'  DC however has a personal agenda.  He wants his skin to look like Line Up mpu3 etc.  He wants it for HIM primarily.  He wants Amber his way, he wants his name on the credits and up in lights, he wants to be involved with another coder.

 

This is how you get a product that does not fit most people's needs, because it has been designed with one person's agenda in mind.  Hope you get my point.

[Deathclaw]

Yes fella, I will definately finish this design off and release when completed no problems at all.

J

 

Just like many other things in this world I think that nobody really understands this. I don't mean that rudely, but, taking one look at your skin there unless Nick totally changes the code your skin won't work.

 

Right now the emulator has a set of PNGs (around 100 in all). It reads where the text is and where the blocks underneath it go, so, unless the emulator is changed your skin, right now, would not work.

 

All I have done is take the default set of PNGs the emulator reads and changed the colours and the font. That's all you can do. If you start to make changes on where the emulator looks for the artwork you will break it. And the only person who could change that is Nick, but, right now if he released the tool to pack the skin then all you would be able to do is what I have done, and that's to basically replace the existing graphics Amber uses.

 

If you move the writing off to the right then the emulator will not know where to look for it. I hope that makes sense.

 

I also don't think people realise just how long it takes to 'skin the emu'. It's probably about ten times harder and more time consuming and involved than making a DX.

 

Right now with how the emulator works and what we would have if a skin tool were to be released now your design would not work dude.

 

It's going to be down to Nick to change that. I don't even know if he can change it so that it would be universally changeable so that any skin with any layout would work. The entire code structure reads pixel placement and position. If you move that it won't work.

[Deathclaw]

See looking at Fuzion's design and comparing it to what we have and the 'line-up' the big difference is the designers approach.  Fuzion has no personal agenda regarding the final product, he designs for the 'customer.'  DC however has a personal agenda.  He wants his skin to look like Line Up mpu3 etc.  He wants it for HIM primarily.  He wants Amber his way, he wants his name on the credits and up in lights, he wants to be involved with another coder.

 

This is how you get a product that does not fit most people's needs, because it has been designed with one person's agenda in mind.  Hope you get my point.

 

None of the structure of the emulator nor how it works have been changed to fit any 'agendas'. I really don't know where you come up with this stuff !

 

Nick sent me a pm months ago asking me for my help with Amber. He wanted me to help him get MPU3 running properly and a couple of layouts made for it so that he could test it and get it all running correctly. I said no. I do not want to get involved in this bollocks again.

 

Then he asked me again, so I had a bit of free time and agreed. I made a layout, MPU3 is now running perfectly (finished, basically.)

 

Just like pretty much every one else I didn't like the skin so I asked him if I could change it. He said yes, but, leave the structure alone (and I know why now).

 

If it helps you any Geddy I won't release my skin nor my layout/s. If that makes you happy then I am more than willing to oblige, because, over the past couple of days you seem to be getting a bee stuck in your bonnet as to why I am helping Nick.

 

So, just like last time when I designed the alpha and segs (and told him not to tell any one, completely contrary to what you seem to think is going on here) if you (and I will ask you, seeing as you are the one causing so much unrest over it). If you do not want my skin for the emulator or my layout/s let me know.

 

Given that no one else is speaking up I will leave it completely up to you, and will gladly demonstrate how little I care for all of this attention.