[WIP] Shade

[Arcanthur]

Hey guys, I've started development on my new theme Shade.  After several mockup iterations, learning how to use CTC, and having to start over completely, the theme is starting to take shape and I'm starting to develop a cohesive style that I can use for other view types.  Eventually I plan to complete my cart packs for at least a few systems to use with the horizontal viewtype.  In the meantime, I've made it so that any cart image should go nicely with the layout. 

Theme is WIP.  

*UPDATE*

Redesigned the Horizontal Cart View to reflect the design of the list view.  Both views are almost complete now.  

Edited August 11, 2022 by Arcanthur
updated video

[Suhrvivor]

Not minimal enough. The metadata between the title and the overview takes too much space.

[Arcanthur]

19 minutes ago, Suhrvivor said:

Not minimal enough. The metadata between the title and the overview takes too much space.

That leaves two options, remove the synopsis or the other metadata.  Here's what each would look like:

Alternatively, I could create a separate view with just carts and a title.  No fanart.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Arcanthur

[Suhrvivor]

The arrow on the left and right of the cartridge are too busy, maybe remove the circle around them and make them bigger.

Also, not a big fan of colored button prompts and colored controller icons for a minimal theme.  

Edited July 27, 2022 by Suhrvivor

[Lordmonkus]

The original design is best so far.

I like minimal themes as well but minimal does not remove everything, it means removing unnecessary shit and keeping the design simple.

[Arcanthur]

1 minute ago, Suhrvivor said:

The arrow on the left and right of the cartridge are too busy, maybe remove the circle around them and make them

Also, not a big fan of colored button prompts and colored controller icons for a minimal theme.  

Cool, I'll play around with a few ideas, though I suppose I should have not used the word "minimal".  I changed the title to minimal-ish, as I don't want the theme to be just a blank screen with icons.

[Arcanthur]

2 minutes ago, Lordmonkus said:

The original design is best so far.

I like minimal themes as well but minimal does not remove everything, it means removing unnecessary shit and keeping the design simple.

Thanks, kind of what I was intending when I titled it "minimal".

[Suhrvivor]

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.

[Lordmonkus]

I don't see a reason to make the text smaller, its for BB so presumably used on a TV while sitting on the couch, it's easier to read this way.

Just my opinion.

[Arcanthur]

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. 

[C-Beats]

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.

[Arcanthur]

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?

[Arcanthur]

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.

 

[zetec-s-joe]

liking the direction of this, good work

[Arcanthur]

On 7/29/2022 at 12:40 PM, zetec-s-joe said:

liking the direction of this, good work

Thanks, updated the first post with a video of where I am now.

[helloiamjack]

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

[Arcanthur]

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.

[zetec-s-joe]

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

But yeah, looks great so far

[zetec-s-joe]

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

[Retro808]

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.