[TEC] Rendering / Resolution Question (Engine vs GUI)

[RushTheBus]

Originally Posted by BigWalleye

In my post above, I gave you three sources of information, none of which is in German. All are written in English. I have read and used all three of these sources in the past, and they have helped me to learn how to edit the menu_1024_768.ini for my personal use. I am sure that you could find them helpful also.

The presumption insinuated in your post is incorrect. I did read through those threads. As i stated, in an earlier post, they didn't help me (they may have helped you but we all learn differently)in terms of deciphering how the coordinates work in relation to where .tga files are located. If you understand how it work, then i would appreciate if you could give en example with some short explanations.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by RushTheBus

Just seems bizarre to me that with the level of talent here this hasn't been addressed before.

Give it time and it will happen . The game is now 10 years old and I am amazed at what is still being created.

It all starts with discussion such as what is going on here. And patience.

It was not long ago that this great mod was created:

Ahnenerbe WideGui 1920 x 1080 Final

[RushTheBus]

Originally Posted by ReallyDedPoet

Give it time and it will happen . The game is now 10 years old and I am amazed at what is still being created.

It all starts with discussion such as what is going on here. And patience.

It was not long ago that this great mod was created:

Ahnenerbe WideGui 1920 x 1080 Final

That's one of the best solutions to date IMO. That's what i was using to test everything on. Like i said, the biggest issue was figuring out how to adjust the Pos= values (ie: can you add 60% to the values when using 1440p or is there some other scheme). I simply cant figure it out (suppose it doesn't help that i feel under the weather today).

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by RushTheBus

That's one of the best solutions to date IMO. That's what i was using to test everything on. Like i said, the biggest issue was figuring out how to adjust the Pos= values (ie: can you add 60% to the values when using 1440p or is there some other scheme). I simply cant figure it out (suppose it doesn't help that i feel under the weather today).

Have you had any discussions with Ahnenerbe ?

[Tycho]

Well, if you don't understand menu_1024_768.ini, then what you will understand from hardcode stuff (because you speak about "decompile" and "assembler code").

Sorry, I really don't have free time to explain circumstantially the menu_.ini.
I only will give you one example with screenshots:

Let's say you want to move these orders elsewhere:

.
.
But, because many items in the menu_.ini are connected, and Pos= depend on this, let's follow these connections:

.
.
This leads to the following picture:

.
.
To move our orders to their new location, we do not need to touch them one by one.
All four orders are child to one menu group (green). We will change only Pos= for the green item.
Measure the distance from the red item to the new position for the green item:

.
.
Result:

[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by RushTheBus

The presumption insinuated in your post is incorrect. I did read through those threads. As i stated, in an earlier post, they didn't help me (they may have helped you but we all learn differently)in terms of deciphering how the coordinates work in relation to where .tga files are located. If you understand how it work, then i would appreciate if you could give en example with some short explanations.

Tycho has taken care of that for me. If you actually want to learn how to edit menu.ini, then try a few things, experiment, and see how the coordinate system works. It isn't rocket science. Lots of other people have learned how, and they will certainly be willing to help you learn. Some may be willing to work with you on this project. How much effort are you willing to invest?

[banryu79]

Originally Posted by BigWalleye

I think that is a great idea! I believe that in the past someone tried to make such a beast for SH4. Dunno how it turned out. You might want to start there.

I can very slowly program a GUI application in Java, but I don't know the file format logic of the Menu_1024_768.ini.
The hard part is finding someone that can both program a software with a Gui and that understands very well the logic of the Menu_1024_768.ini.
Finally, he/she has to be willing enough to actually implement it and test it.
I am relatively new to the game (started playing it about one year ago) but, as an ex programmer I am a bit surprise, considering the size and level of activity of the border community here, and the age of the game/mods activity that a similar tool has not yet been created.
To me it means it is a task considered too much difficult (not likely) or to much time-consuming (more likely) to undertake (after all we are speaking about a tool to improve Gui mods-feasibly, not about a direct improvement of the game itself)...
Just my two cents.

[RushTheBus]

Originally Posted by BigWalleye

Tycho has taken care of that for me. If you actually want to learn how to edit menu.ini, then try a few things, experiment, and see how the coordinate system works. It isn't rocket science. Lots of other people have learned how, and they will certainly be willing to help you learn. Some may be willing to work with you on this project. How much effort are you willing to invest?

I clearly did try a few things, i made it clear what i was able to achieve but also where i ran into the most problems. Again, this presumption that you continue to insinuate that i didn't / haven't tried anything (not sure if that's your intention or not) is mildly frustrating.

I appreciate the explanation Tycho, i'll start identifying those parent IDs and adjusting coordinates accordingly.

Banryu79, i also don't think there has been much of a need for it because many people seem to be running the game on older hardware. The other issue is the majority of people who have newer systems probably are running at 1920x1080. It's only going to become more of an issue (if people want to continue to play the game) as 4k panels become more and more common.

[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by RushTheBus

Banryu79, i also don't think there has been much of a need for it because many people seem to be running the game on older hardware. The other issue is the majority of people who have newer systems probably are running at 1920x1080. It's only going to become more of an issue (if people want to continue to play the game) as 4k panels become more and more common.

A point to consider is that 1920x1080 monitors have been available and fairly inexpensive for quite some time. Only in the past six months have (2) 1920x1080 mods made their appearance. Before that, none. That suggests that either there wasn't much interest or (more likely) a conversion is quite a lot of work.

I played at 1366x768 for quite a while. I considered doing a conversion myself, and was dissuaded by the amount of time I would have to spend not playing the game. I was ecstatic when VanJast released his (the first) 1920x1080 and it was for exactly the mod configuration I was playing. I suspect that it may be a while before someone makes a 2560x1440 mod. Or someone may just get a 2560x1440 monitor and an itch....

Originally Posted by banryu79

To me it means it is a task considered too much difficult (not likely) or to much time-consuming (more likely) to undertake (after all we are speaking about a tool to improve Gui mods-feasibly, not about a direct improvement of the game itself)...
Just my two cents.

@Banryu79: I suspect that your last comment is spot on. As I mentioned above, I believe there was some effort made on a menu.ini editor in the past, possibly for SH4. I haven't been able to trace it down. Does anyone recall anything about such a beast?

[Jeff-Groves]

Lots of good info linked in this thread.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...98#post1292498

Follow the links he has posted for scaling and such.


SH4 Menu Maker by jimimadrid.
Want a copy?

[RushTheBus]

Those threads are a goldmine. Unfortunately, i'm pretty sick at the moment so i don't have the willpower to read through every detail. Once i'm back on my feet i will for sure. Thanks Jeff!

[Jeff-Groves]

My pleasure.
When you get a 1600 X 900 done let me know.

[BigWalleye]

Originally Posted by Jeff-Groves

Lots of good info linked in this thread.
http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/show...98#post1292498

Follow the links he has posted for scaling and such.


SH4 Menu Maker by jimimadrid.
Want a copy?

Thanks, I'd love to get a look at it. It's one of the few things Plissken's doesn't have. (Of course, it's for SH4!)

[Jeff-Groves]

https://www.mediafire.com/?rofq31zpgwrzr8g