Hitchhiker's Guide To the Galaxy (GUIDE) - Update goes on last post.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

You know, Flibble's suggestion could really work in your favor if you actually extracted those clips from the series and used scotch's ogg theora plugin to overlay them in the spots where they should appear.  Obviously, this will limit you to what is shown in the series to some degree, but at the same time it would look pretty darn cool.  Also, I think Darth's redesign looks good, although the controls are a bit too similar.

[Dualnames]

Darth that's really a wonderful edit. Hope you don't mind me ripping off some ideas from your edit . I loved the movie too, despite all think it sucked big time.

Flibble(Wondering does the nickname have anything to do with Rimmer, a penguin and lunacy?):I thought of ripping the videos from the show when the ogg theora plugin made it's appearance. It's really a lot of trouble to go through this for two reasons

First I don't have high quality clips of the TV series.
Secondly The TV series don't have the same amount of video clips for all entries that appear inside the game version of the GUIDE.
Thirdly wanting to have the game contain a speech pack, the ogg files would make the game terribly large. Would the size worth it?

Darth:The edit you made has the clue from the movie that the GUIDE would appear as a book, which I've always wanted to use and my edit appears the GUIDE to be more of a circuit board.

Some buttons make me wonder what they do though..One is the arrow pad, and the return button next to the hitch logo.

As for scrolling arrows for text, must I say that this is AGS impossible or at least Hypertext module impossible. You can scroll pages but not text. If SSH adds it I'll make a stature for him though..

[Mr Flibble]

I didn't mean ripping the, but just copying the bright colours and simple animations. Of course those animations were professionally, and very cleverly, done, and may be too difficult to emulate in any way. Though I still think the Guide wouldn't be monochromatic : P

And on a side note, "What do we do to naughty boys, Mr Flibble?"
"Uncle Arnie fries 'em alive with his hex vision!"

[Trihan]

Follow the Rimmer-shaped blur!

[Trent R]

Here's my mockup.


~Trent

[Sam.]

The articles on God from the Original Guide and the Movie Guide.

Movie - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyYS-GzBSIg
TV - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcncPpQ8loA&NR=1

Both of them seem more modern that your version, I think the guide needs to be as modern as you can make it, I think the modular look makes it look too much like a gameboy and not like a useful modern swish gadget thing.

I think if I was reimagining the guide, as you say you are, not reusing, I'd model it on something like Amazon's Kindle, as this technology does seem to lend itself to becoming the guide.



or even one of the new lovely rolly screen thingies from phillips.




In a re imagining, and if by that you mean coming from a modern perspective, looking at a space age, then I think it's important to look at where technology is now, and try to extrapolate. Not necessarily to be accurate but to give it that sense of it being actually futuristic. Not clunky.

here is a bad drawing of what i mean, i kind of just drew a kindle in the end. but it was an accident.

[Dualnames]

[off topic]

My favorite quote from Red Dwarf, is by the day:

"Come on [name of princess here], there will be some time for explaining later, and hopefully some sex."

[/off topic]

Anyway, interesting ideas there Zooty, I get the feeling the GUIDE my way feels like a no-good piece of plastic.
So anyway I gave it a try.

Ressources:
Outline
Basic colouring


Version:


Not 100% happy with it, and some font changes are probably needed badly.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I think it looks fine and the fonts are clear and readable.

[Dualnames]

Bump, but I want to know badly..is the version two posts up, giving you any feel like the GUIDE as i see it, is just right ?

[Ghost]

Colours: clear, clean and easy on the eye, so check.
Fonts: Legible and *blue*, check.
Overall Design: Very functional and sleek, check.
I always *imagined* any Guide in existence to be battered, scratched and worn, but heck, go for that design, says I.
If anything: It seems clear that the Guide is now meant to be "flipped open"- the plain gray part in the middle could hint at this by having something like a hinge/shadow/detail.

Ah, thousand words vs.  picture...

[Hudders]

Did you forget the return key on the keypad? Or was that deliberate? 

There seems to be a lot of empty space on the guide. If it were designed for someone to carry everywhere with them, I would imagine that it would be the most efficient design it could be and that there wouldn't be the space below where it says "battery" for example. Just my opinion of course. 

[Dualnames]

Did you forget the return key on the keypad? Or was that deliberate? 

There seems to be a lot of empty space on the guide. If it were designed for someone to carry everywhere with them, I would imagine that it would be the most efficient design it could be and that there wouldn't be the space below where it says "battery" for example. Just my opinion of course. 

Now you got my into thoughts..wondering if you had a book short of gadget in a size of a small book, where would you put it to carry it?  And would you give a case or something like a string to help users?

Ford had it on his satchel.

[Ghost]

small book, where would you put it to carry it?  And would you give a case or something like a string to help users?

Some sort of cover sheets, possibly futuristic, non-scratchable fake leather. Or one of these things that trendy cellphone users clip to their belts to look like trendy cellphone users.

As for Hudders' comment regarding wasted space, I don't think there's too much empty space. The rectangular blank bit to the left, under the scrolling buttons, maybe. But hey, the Guide's supposed to talk, isn't it? Why not put a small panel there for a speaker?



I also included the "hinges" I mentioned in my last post, and tweaked the scrolling arrow buttons a little. The double arrow ones could simulate Pos1/End or Fast Scroll, whatever takes your liking (and works better, scripting-wise). To be honest, I think the battery display is overly large; it could safely be made into a smaller panel, and when you shift it to the right you could add a little more space to the entry list.

[edit]
As I look at it now, it looks a bit crowded. The battery panel could still be smaller, least you're going to use it for an extremely LARGE puzzle

[SpacePaw]

Now you got my into thoughts..wondering if you had a book short of gadget in a size of a small book, where would you put it to carry it?  And would you give a case or something like a string to help users?

O think it doesnt need anything to keep it in. It's future. Probably material that it is made of is not-scratchable anyway let them keep it just as it is

[Hudders]

would you give a case or something like a string to help users?

I don't think it would be too much of a stretch for there to be a wrist strap. Possibly one so small nobody ever uses!

[Dualnames]

Nice edit there Ford, come to think with realism there, why put a keyboard when there's a speaker?

[rbaleksandar]

'Cause speakers are mostly associated with output and keyboard - with input
I really love the last edit The only thing I can't quite understand is the battery thing and the bars on its right side. Are they supposed to show the speaker's volume?

[Hudders]

Does the guide even take batteries? I don't remember it ever being put on charge.

[Dualnames]

Does the guide even take batteries? I don't remember it ever being put on charge.

I'm assuming it is taking something like that. It can't harness power from brains..

Nice edit there Ford, come to think with realism there, why put a keyboard when there's a speaker?

EDIT: Btw I called Ghost Ford...man this is getting me...

[Ghost]

EDIT: Btw I called Ghost Ford...man this is getting me...

I feel honoured. Ford always was sort of a role model for me. Especially the boozing and the flirting.

...why put a keyboard when there's a speaker?

Beats me, but right when Arthur's given the Guide in the book and he uses it to look up the Babelfish, it's stated that the Guide speaks. And they type stuff to look it up. So realism beats... realism. Almost a trope.