AstroCat Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I used Vin's animated text v1.12 in CMSF here: http://www.battlefront.com/index.php?option=com_remository&Itemid=314&func=fileinfo&id=1076 ...and made my own version for CMBN if anyone wanted to try it out. Although its still a work in progress, still trying to find the best little symbol combo for Cowering. I felt a little weird about uploading it because its so close to Vinnart's but here it is if anyone wanted to check it out. All credit goes to Vinnart for coming up with the idea. strings.zip 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnart Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Awesome Astrocat! I tried to manipulate the text file from the demo to make, but it was not in outlined format like the strings file in your Zip. It was a jumbled mess. Every time I changed the game would crash.. Not sure what was going wrong. That must be the text file from the full game, which is nice outline format like CMSF’s. Now that you have extracted, and I can get at it I made a version close to my original. When I went through the process of creating I did much testing, and trial and error, and found that certain things pop out more with less, and some things pop out more with more. The symbols catch the eye more if they are alone, and have no words attached, or the symbols will stand out more if at the end of the word such as with the medic symbol. Having symbol in front of the word kind of defeats the purpose from standing out from words alone. This is the KEY to why this method is SO effective. You want the symbols to stand out, and when they do one does not even need to pay attention to the words at all. Here is a version from my original, but with the NEW addition of Astocats symbol for cowering. I like this one you came up with, and makes the cowering stand out better I think. I did however add a more animated word for cowering . I would like to post this one to the repository, and of course give credit for your symbol addition, as well as Veins original “casualty cross” concept. Now there is a case of less is more. I found out that having the cross both in front and after the word was more distracting than how Vein first had it, which was just after the word. In my last version I went back to the single cross. Again thanks for cracking into this so we can have for CMBN. I got so used to having it that I hated playing without it.Vin's animated text (original v1.2).zip 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baneman Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Ok, looks interesting, but what does it mean ? I'm guessing that the "------" symbol is cowering ( lying flat ), what are the others ? I downloaded both, but I don't see a readme "glossary". Cheers 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnart Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Good point Baneman. It is not hard to figure out by just looking at the animations that the symbols are portraying, but you are right in that I should include a glossary. The text is in indent paragraph format with the leaders having 1 space indent, and in brackets to show separation of the teams in the squad. I did realize I forgot to indent "Gunner" in this zip after uploading it. I will fix before upload to repository, which will be v1.21. Here are the pure symbols that replace words making them stick out to the players eye: (------ = firing \*^*/ = aiming /////// = moving (???) = hiding All other symbols are attached to the end of only more significant words/actions such as: Meidc (+) Deploying (D) ect... All the rest of the actions that are of lesser importance such as "spotting", 'waiting" ectt... stay just as words making the more important symbol actions stand out. All one must really do is glance at the symbols which is faster than reading text to get a picture of what is happening with the squad. This is a very easy mod to change for ones own taste. To do so just unpack, make your changes, then repack and place in "Z" folder. Please feel free to play around with it. If anyone has one has any further symbol ideas please post your ideas so that they can be considered for inclusion. Perhaps we should have a symbol contest for "cowering". It is interesting that both Astrocat and I have struggled the most with a symbol for this one, but I think the current one he came up with is not bad. Here is shot from CMSF game, which is basically the same as CMBN with minor changes. Give it a try. I thinK you will find it usefull. __________________ Vin a.k.a. player call sign: VINMAN in other wargaming communities. "Be Like Water." Bruce Lee. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroCat Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Good point putting the symbols after the text, I moved mine over. Although for now I'm keeping the text in there as well, since my resolution is wide enough I got the screen real estate (1980x1200). Also trying double for Cowering because I am not sure single is enough /_\ vs //_\\ ... still seeing which one I like best, also trying: COWERING /_\, which actually might be the one for me, for now. Oh and to straighten out the text file I needed to open it in another app such as Wordpad that will do the formatting. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Wenman Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Guys have a look here as one version seems to be causing some problems in the editor http://www.battlefront.com/community/showthread.php?t=97164&page=2 P 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AstroCat Posted May 21, 2011 Author Share Posted May 21, 2011 Is that from CMSF or his new one? Here is my latest version...strings.zip 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnart Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Yes, the one from CMSF is not compatible. It screws up all the names. Use only the ones on this board. I will be posting a version to repository that is like the one for CMSF with just a few monor changes from v1.12, but compatble for CMBN. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baneman Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Thanks for the info - lol, can't believe I got the only one I thought I knew, wrong. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnart Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Good point putting the symbols after the text, I moved mine over. Although for now I'm keeping the text in there as well, since my resolution is wide enough I got the screen real estate (1980x1200). Also trying double for Cowering because I am not sure single is enough /_\ vs //_\\ ... still seeing which one I like best, also trying: COWERING /_\, which actually might be the one for me, for now. Oh and to straighten out the text file I needed to open it in another app such as Wordpad that will do the formatting. yeah, I did much experimenting, and definitly found a line should be either just symbol, or have symbol after the word make it stand out best and makes this look much less cluttered. I was thinking of tying the cowering varations as you have, and will do some experimenting with them before I post to repository later today. This one just came to mind: OH SHT! (X). Try and see what you think. The funny thing is that what looks good in regular text as you are seeing here may not nessecarily work with the luminous green text. Sometime less is more, some time more is a distraction. Sometimes more works better. I think another exapmle of more as a distraction is the reloading ® since it happens so much more in CMBN, but who knows perhaps having that action stand out is more important, but for now I am removing ® as something not as important to stand out. Too many symbols is no good either. If all words had a symbol it wouldn't be as effective since nothing special would stand out. Thanks for the wordpad advice. Didn't think of it as always use notepad for this type of file. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
c3k Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 I like how this makes it very eye-catching to notice the leaders within the squad. Nice mod. Ken 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnart Posted May 21, 2011 Share Posted May 21, 2011 Ok, the CMBN compatible file v1.21 is now up in the repository. These are the minor changes from my zip file on this thread: *Cowering is now OH SHT! (X) I found the X icon seems to fit good, and is clean looking. All you have to do is galnce, and if you see a bunch of (X) you know something is not good which already fits into the CM icon world. *Added brackets and indent to Gunner as this is one of the more important positions, and he is the C team leader. *Removes ® from reloading. At the moment I find the action of lesser significance. By having less symbols it makes the more important symbols stand out IMO. * Keeps Astrocats symbol for surrender which is (!o!) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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