Jump to content
LaunchBox Community Forums

Arcanthur

Members
  • Posts

    81
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    10

Posts posted by Arcanthur

  1. Hey guys, so after I finish up with my cartridge collections, I figured I would move on to systems with optical media.  

    Spent several hours coming up with a design to use so that I could create a unified style along all the different systems.

    Since ripping artwork from optical formats isn't as cut and dry as copying a cartridge label, my idea is to create a unique matching set for each system using clear logos, and fanart and / or official art if available.  These disc art sets won't match the official ones, but they will be very high quality and look great browsing large collections.  Also, I do plan on releasing the templates for every cartridge and disc once I'm finished, so if anyone wants to do any edits, they will have an easier time of doing it.

    The CD was designed from scratch so that the translucent parts of the disc are actually there.   I'm using @Dan Patrick's system logos for each system so they will look amazing and crisp.  Thanks for creating such an amazing set. 

    Here is a preview of where I am with Sega CD:

     

    100352092_SonicCD(USA).png

    2115778349_Snatcher(USA).png

    • Like 11
    • Thanks 2
  2. Just put the final touches on the AES cart design.  These will require custom labels, since there doesn't seem to be any high resolution scans of the carts.  Thankfully I've got a template made up that will make these a bit easier.

     

    SVC Chaos.png

    • Like 2
    • Unusual Gem 1
  3. Just wanted to drop in and give an update.  I'm pausing development for a few days on Shade to try and finish some of my 2D cartridge sets.  @dragon57 has graciously lent his time to help with getting them completed.  I'll have some more updates on Shade soon though.

    • Like 3
  4. 8 hours ago, Flopp1993 said:

    Jumping in, because I am suffering from the same issue 😞 I lost my theme data and now I just have the published theme, which I would like to somehow "import" to the community theme creator again.

    Ended up having to start over. I messaged y2guru about it and he is planning to reinforce save routines in CTC, so that hopefully won't occur in future releases.  In the meantime,  I suggest making regular backups of your theme folder.

  5. On 8/2/2022 at 7:39 AM, C-Beats said:

    Playing two videos at the same time requires use of FlowVideo control which I'm unsure CTC utilizes. If you're looking to make an exact copy for things like a reflection it's best to utilize a visual brush that points to the element to do so instead of playing an actual video. Both would require manually editing your theme XAML as far as I am aware.

    I'm able to get two different videos to play now, but when I try to make them the same video it doesn't play.

    I'll look in to the visual brush, does it allow for the "copied" video to have its own XY coordinates?  I'm also applying a blur and opacity mask. 

    If it doesn't allow for that, I can stick with the second video, though the effect is nicer to look at when it matches the selected video.

  6. Updated video in the first post to reflect latest changes.  Added a subtle blurred video effect behind the metadata.  I attempted to use the selected video (which works in the Community Theme Creator), but it appears BigBox doesn't like 2 of the same video being played at the same time.  Had to use random gameplay video.  Maybe it's a bug in BigBox, but I'm not sure.  I tried playing with z-order / and visibility conditions, but nothing would allow 2 of the same video to be played.

     

  7. 4 hours ago, C-Beats said:

    To do this you would need to create a theme element plugin and intercept the key presses using the plugin to do what you were wanting. It definitely isn't any easy thing to do well, but is possible.

    I was afraid that would be the case.  Unfortunately that kind of thing is beyond my scope, so unless somebody wants to partner up and help make my theme a bit more unique / feature rich, then I'll just be doing a more basic version.

  8. 1 hour ago, Retro808 said:

    This is looking good. The subtle transition from the game fanart to the video is nice. Just the right amount of fade/transition speed.

    Have you messed with the Text List View any? I am typically not a wheel user for game level and prefer text list (I do use wheels on platform and playlist level). So very curious how you might approach that view if you do at all.

    Thanks!  Yeah I definitely plan on doing some sort of vertical list view.  After I consider this viewtype feature complete I'll move on to the others.

    • Like 1
  9. 3 hours ago, zetec-s-joe said:

    Need custom sounds, pause and startup/shutdown menus matching too :)

    But yeah, looks great so far

    Yep, eventually I'll work on those too.

    3 hours ago, zetec-s-joe said:

    where the game title is, could make a space there for the clear logo instead of text? would suit the Netflix style vibe

    I thought about it but I'm not quite sold on the idea, though I might offer the option to use either.

    • Game On 1
  10. 1 hour ago, helloiamjack said:

    I think this looks great! Clean and professional, looking forward to hopefully trying it out one day!

    Thanks!  Just updated first post with the latest changes.  New metadata labels, and scrolling details text.

  11. Is there any way we can create buttons, or links to open specific portions of a theme?  Such as press up or down to highlight a button to open the settings menu, or go directly to the platform list?  Sorry if it's been addressed before, as I was trying to find a theming Wiki to see if there was something to reference but I couldn't find anything.

  12. Made the background a bit darker and tweaked some colors, and updated the header design.  I'd like to incorporate some form of tabbed interface if possible.   Preferably the tabs would be selectable, but if not, just a simple breadcrumb would be ok.

     

    121438434_NewTheme(Dark).png

  13. 1 hour ago, C-Beats said:

    Be careful when using input bindings in the UI. They work great for you, but if you are wanting to share the theme they may not correctly coincide with what the end users inputs are, or the controller they are using, and can cause confusion for users not in the know using the theme on that machine.

    If the "A" is just a text label, could we potentially call what the user has set for that input and display it?

  14. 1 minute ago, Suhrvivor said:

    I wasn't think about removing the other metadata but making it smaller, maybe a mixture of text and icons, you can put the full metadata in the details view.

    Yeah, I may incorporate some more iconography for the headings.  The problem with making the text smaller is readability from a distance.  Small text is fine on a computer monitor but when playing 6-10ft away it's not very legible, at least not for my old eyes. 

     

    BTW, I do appreciate the criticism.  Hopefully I don't come off as dismissive to your critiques. 

×
×
  • Create New...