Is this a good PQ4 style?

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I think the right font is perfectly readable (maybe Garage needs glasses?) and doesn't look girlish.  With such a big project, it's really going to hurt your development time and energy if you are stumbling over a small part of the game, so I really wouldn't recommend trying to find a 'cop font' or scanning your handwriting to make one.  There are thousands of fonts out there that will do the job if you aren't happy with what you've already got, and I don't see why cops need to write strangely because they're in law enforcement .

[Knox]

ProgZmax...you are totally right...I guess I get so caught up in it all I can sometimes focus on something that just isn't "that important"...I like the right font better aswell, personally.

[xenogia]

I'll just wait patiently for the tutorial, your talent astounds me everytime I check out this thread.

[GarageGothic]

I think the right font is perfectly readable (maybe Garage needs glasses?)

Oh, I definitely do need glasses And I didn't try viewing the picture in 1024x768 resolution (if that's what you've settled on) so probably it'll be perfectly readable in game.

[Knox]

Hey Xenogia,

Im working on that tutorial, but I dont have much extra  time these days so Ill do my best!

PS: Here's another pic of my main feel for the gui's, etc...

[GarageGothic]

Looks extremely professional. And the way you've used the rank emblem throughout, including the cursor, is very elegant. I don't understand the third icon from the left right (I'm an idiot) though, is that the currently held inventory item?

[Knox]

Oh, the one with the red "o"...? Its the score...when you roll your mouse over it, text shows up underneath so people know what they are (patrol, examine, interact, interrogate, current inventory item, gear, score, settings and quit).

I think the score icon might be redundant though, since I already have the score posted in the upper-right hand corner of the screen.

[GarageGothic]

Yeah, despite what I wrote, I meant the third from the right, so that's the one. I would agree it's somewhat redundant to display the score there. Perhaps it could be a notepad icon that takes you to a list of the current objectives?

So the one in the middle is the current item then? Because of the grid I thought it was to go to the map screen. But I guess most of the time it will display an item, so that should settle any confusion. Nice touch with the 911 max points btw

[Knox]

Hi,

I was fiddling around with the PanelGUI and I was wondering which direction you guys think is the better one...

Version A


Version B


I was thinking Version A is better...

Also, if anyone wants to do a paint-over for suggestions, I think that would help me a bit...I feel its like 80% there...it lacks something but I cant tell what...

Thanks!!

ps: I am still going to get the community a tutorial on tips for some stuff...I apologize for the wait...It will come, I promise

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

Please don't double post. 

As far as the versions go, I don't think you need a 'text only' option as long as there is a voice volume slider that can be set to 0, which you already have.  A default setting 'might' be useful to some people, but I wouldn't use it for audio settings.  Overall I think I prefer the top version, mainly because it has the smaller badge with the game title above it.  Both are readable and easy to understand, so it's really going to come down to preference.

[Dervish]

I think I prefer option B becuase the background image and some of the fonts in a seem really muddy and there seems to be too mcuh going on in the background.  B seems very clean but there are some things I like about A so maybe a meshing together of the two would be the best.  but I like the overall font, images and layout of option B more.

[Darth Mandarb]

I like version B.

It's less "busy" and easier to read/visualize (for me).

I'd recommend getting rid of the blue/stars behind the sliders though (it's a bit distracting) and just stick with the metallic vibe in the background.   It's crisp and clean and appealing!

This project has a very nice feel to it.  Keep up the good work!

[Knox]

Ok so I agree with you guys, version A is too "busy"...too much scratches, etc...Thanks for your replies. Sorry about the double post, I wish I could delete them myself, sometimes its by accident

For a test, I removed the threaded metal, and toned down the scratches...I placed the blue circle back, but kept the flag in the background...removed the stars too. The options at the bottom have been removed (they are not necessary, agreed!)
I recolored the buttons to match version B better aswell. Is it "better" now with these changes, or is B still better?

People seem to prefer version B's font...and feel, so depending on the next comments, perhaps I will simply just stick to version B! In the meantime Ill try to get best of both versions.


Thanks for your help.

[Shane 'ProgZmax' Stevens]

I quite like it!

[Ryan Timothy B]

I forgot how nice your GUI's were.  I really like the newest version.

Curious, where do you get these metal textures?  Are they from the net, or do you make them?  I really like the feel they give your GUI's.  I also like the thin lines forming boxes around your buttons on the left (perhaps trying to make them a little darker would give a greater impact, but I could be wrong).

[Phemar]

Slight thing that bugs me: The text above the sliders seems to be a bit too low down, almost as if it's falling off the label.

[Gilbert]

That's because the lower part of those "metal plates" are very dark I presume. I think it wouldn't hurt to lighten them up a bit though.

[tzachs]

Also, does anyone know of a good program that converts video into 256 colors and divides the animation into individual cels? Back in the 90's I heard Sierra used to use a program called "Movie 256" that permitted this but I cant seem to find anything like it (but I will continue trying!).

Hi, if you're still looking for a software, I developed a small software that can do exactly that (it only works on avi files though):
Edit My Movie
Just pick gif as the file format (since gif is always in 256 colors).
You can also tell the software to not extract all of the images, just those that advance the animation to a certain amount (otherwise you'll get a ton of images), just look at the readme for instructions.

And for your GUIs, I must say everything you touch turn into gold. I loved all of your GUIs, but if I have to choose, I think I still prefer version B which has a clean look and I find it more suitable for a GUI.

[Darth Mandarb]

I think I'm in the minority here ... but I [still] find the flag/blue/stars behind the sliders quite distracting!

I am also not a fan of the game's title sitting above the badge like that ... it feels pushed in there!  I liked how, in Version B above, you had the flag behind the badge with no title.  That looked really sharp.  If you could get that flag (behind the badge) waving that would totally rock!

[Knox]

Curious, where do you get these metal textures?  Are they from the net, or do you make them?  I really like the feel they give your GUI's.  I also like the thin lines forming boxes around your buttons on the left (perhaps trying to make them a little darker would give a greater impact, but I could be wrong).

Ok, Ill try darkening it a bit, or finding a way to add more contrast.

Here's some tips for creating those thin line boxes:

1) In Photoshop, take the Rounded Rectangle Tool...tweak the values so you get the corners how you want them (radius).

2) Then make a Stroke with that selection...choose the thickness of the stroke you want

3) Then add a bevel + emboss effect with a drop shadow (I almost always use the same settings, and the drop shadow at 90 degrees)

4) Once thats done, I put the border in grayscale, and do a "Color Balance" on it. For the midtones, shadows and highlights, I make sure they have the same values of Red and Yellow...to give it a nice gold-ish effect.

Then its just about playing with the Highlight/Contrast tool with gradient fades for those metal-ish glints.
I can provide pics if you need it!

Most textures I find that are really great are from here: http://www.cgtextures.com/

I would suggest getting an account, totally worth it! Nice hires stuff...

Slight thing that bugs me: The text above the sliders seems to be a bit too low down, almost as if it's falling off the label.

That's because the lower part of those "metal plates" are very dark I presume. I think it wouldn't hurt to lighten them up a bit though.

True, Ill send a 3rd version soon for feeback!

I am also not a fan of the game's title sitting above the badge like that ... it feels pushed in there!  I liked how, in Version B above, you had the flag behind the badge with no title.  That looked really sharp.  If you could get that flag (behind the badge) waving that would totally rock!

You know what, I kinda put that there to test it out...and the more I look at it, the less I like it. Ill try something else to see...good idea for the flag waving!

Thanks, back to work!