Epoch09 Theme Support

[eatkinola]

Epoch09 is a theme I've been messing around with for a few months. While I'd like to add some features, I decided to turn it loose to get some feedback from the community. Please use this thread to let me know if you have any problems or suggestions. More information about the theme, including how I'd like to expand it with community help, is on the theme's download page. Please note this theme requires you to place my custom library in the LaunchBox metadata folder; instructions are on the download page. I hope you find this theme useful; I've enjoyed working on it ... probably a little too much.

 

[gustarrini]

holy shoot!!!!

this is glorious, i love it!

[kerszr]

I love it! Keep up the great work! Here is some feedback.

THE GOOD:

-The television viewing the games looks great, probably the best part of the theme.

- The text and fonts are really great. They have alot of character.

- The concept itself is really cool

 

THE THINGS THAT NEED IMPROVING:

- some of the areas are just in black in white and have nothing moving in them so they look alittle uneventful. 

- For a theme about a totalitarian state, i would expect to have billboards, propaganda, viva la resistance graffiti.

 

 

[eatkinola]

1 hour ago, kerszr said:

Here is some feedback.

Really appreciate you taking time to give feedback. The TV image with its dusty screen is my favorite part, too! I think your suggestions are spot on -- it does need more interactive elements. The bunker views in black and white are that way by design, as I want to have a set of views that is simple and less taxing on a slower computer. The "outpost" views will contain the interactive design elements. Currently, there is only one set of these "outpost" views but I'd like to add more. Your comment about totalitarian states, billboards, propaganda, and graffiti conjured up a great idea. I'll have to hunt for some good backgrounds as a starting point, but that's great -- thanks for your suggestion!

[eatkinola]

For the next set of platform/game views, I'm thinking of a VR concept using these two images.  The woman would be the platform background; I've made her glasses translucent to display platform fanart, and I'm thinking I'll use the left side of the background to display the interface elements.  The sorry looking guy hooked on VR would be used for the games view.  No, I'm not talented enough to have created these images; found them anonymously posted online.  Any suggestions or comments are welcome.  I have a few other views stewing in my mind but could use some more inspiration.  Also, if you find any promising images, please let me know.  A set of cyberpunk images would be nice, but I've yet to find ones suitable for an interface.  I prefer 4k images to help the theme scale nicely up to that res. @kerszr: I've not yet found images for the concept you provided, but I really like your idea.  It made me think of movies like Equilibrium and V for Vendetta.

[SNAK3ATER]

On 5/4/2017 at 6:09 AM, eatkinola said:

For the next set of platform/game views, I'm thinking of a VR concept using these two images.  The woman would be the platform background; I've made her glasses translucent to display platform fanart, and I'm thinking I'll use the left side of the background to display the interface elements.  The sorry looking guy hooked on VR would be used for the games view.  No, I'm not talented enough to have created these images; found them anonymously posted online.  Any suggestions or comments are welcome.  I have a few other views stewing in my mind but could use some more inspiration.  Also, if you find any promising images, please let me know.  A set of cyberpunk images would be nice, but I've yet to find ones suitable for an interface.  I prefer 4k images to help the theme scale nicely up to that res. @kerszr: I've not yet found images for the concept you provided, but I really like your idea.  It made me think of movies like Equilibrium and V for Vendetta.

The platform Background VR idea is totally cool! How about instead of displaying the fanart on her glasses you display the platform videos? I think that would make the view more "interactive" and will give the illusion that the woman is using BigBox in VR mode (maybe another idea for @Jason Carr? LOL ) 

Just a thought of other ways you can use the backgrounds but I really like the way you're going and will try to help if I found any interesting images along the way

[eatkinola]

9 hours ago, SNAK3ATER said:

nstead of displaying the fanart on her glasses you display the platform videos?

Great idea. I'd have to horizontally flip the video so it'd be from her perspective -- not sure if I can do this, and would be backwards from the user's perspective.  I'll try it out.  Another idea is to display the clear logo backwards in the glasses.  Most users will have a set of clear platform logos.  I'm not sure many would have platform fanart.

[kerszr]

Any news on the ole Epoch theme?

[eatkinola]

6 hours ago, kerszr said:

Any news on the ole Epoch theme?

I'm working on VR-themed views for platform and games, using the screenshots a few posts up. Took a little detour while working on plugins but hope to get back to the views soon. Thanks for the interest. I've not been able to locate any screenshots to fit the vibe you mentioned, but please let me know if you come across anything.

[Maddoc1007]

How about a view through a partially fogged up respirator or gas mask

[eatkinola]

2 minutes ago, Maddoc1007 said:

How about a view through a partially fogged up respirator or gas mask

That's an interesting idea. I was thinking of something similar -- a view through a HUD as on a face mask; something Halo or Metroid Prime-esque. The interactive theme elements could be integrated into the HUD, and the background could be anything like a destroyed city, ravaged landscape, etc.

[neil9000]

Just now, eatkinola said:

That's an interesting idea. I was thinking of something similar -- a view through a HUD as on a face mask; something Halo or Metroid Prime-esque. The interactive theme elements could be integrated into the HUD, and the background could be anything like a destroyed city, ravaged landscape, etc.

Lol, interesting idea, you mean like this?

[Maddoc1007]

@eatkinola Yes thats what i mean and @neil9000 no not an induced coma lol

[eatkinola]

2 minutes ago, neil9000 said:

you mean like this?

Kids don't try this at home.

[neil9000]

1 minute ago, eatkinola said:

Kids don't try this at home.

Agreed!!!!! lol had to google it after the suggestion though.  

[eatkinola]

Pretty much have the second platform view done. For selected platform, will randomly loop through game videos -- to be displayed in the glasses. Platform selection wheel fades in to replace the date on the right, then fades back out again.

 

[laxedout]

hey thanks for the theme eatkinola! this is one of my favorites.

how hard would it be add a Video folder to the theme that would override the default launchbox video library. I would love to add my old school ads/commercial videos as the game vids. they would look really cool on that old dusty TV but they are not the videos i want to be using with other themes. any help would be appreciated.

thanks again for a cool theme.

[eatkinola]

10 hours ago, laxedout said:

add a Video folder to the theme that would override the default launchbox video library

You can just add this folder, in the same way it appears in the Default and CriticalCid themes.

10 hours ago, laxedout said:

I would love to add my old school ads/commercial videos as the game vids

While this override mechanisms works for platform videos (and platform banners, etc), it unfortunately does not work for games. I don't think you can use theme-specific game videos based on how Bigbox currently works. I'll check with @Jason Carr.

[Zombeaver]

I love the theme so far! I was messing around with it last night. I've got a couple suggestions.

I think these definitely need to go. They look really amateurish and don't really fit with the rest of the theme in my opinion.

Since the one face is built into the background image, I thought perhaps this was just the only version for this screen that you had available. In case that's true, I went ahead and did my own quick edit of it.

Secondly, I think both this screen and the one with the TV are begging to have some dust particles composited in. Something like this. If adding it as a separate layer isn't doable (I know absolutely zero about XAML mind you), I'd be happy to do a composite render that I assume could be used in place of the static image.

Lastly, and this isn't a big deal, but would it be possible for the TV view to use gameplay videos without the requirement that background videos be enabled? I was a little confused why they were just screenshots at first as I normally don't have background videos enabled.

Anyway, awesome job so far!

[CriticalCid]

1 hour ago, Zombeaver said:

 

Lastly, and this isn't a big deal, but would it be possible for the TV view to use gameplay videos without the requirement that background videos be enabled? I was a little confused why they were just screenshots at first as I normally don't have background videos enabled.

 

Background videos can be forced enabled/disabled on a per theme basis. You can do this in the ThemeSettings.xml within the theme folder.