GUI changes?

[DennisBergkamp]

I've been messing around with the GUI over the weekend. I made the cards a bit smaller, and I really like this change (sadly, I haven't figured out how to allow to dynamically resize cards yet). Also, Chris suggested changing the order of the non-land permanents into: creatures (+planeswalkers?) | artifacts | enchantments, this really enhances the user-friendliness in my opinion, since it shifts all the cards that get clicked on the most all the way to the left: I've found there's not nearly as much scrolling required.

Another thing I've been thinking about is adding some backgrounds (or some kind of skins?) to the GUI itself. Maybe it's just me, but that gray just gets boring. Unfortunately, the play area is divided up into 4 panes, it's not quite as easy to just slap a background on there. And of course, it shouldn't be anything too obtrusive.

Anyway, I was wondering if you guys had any thoughts on this.

[Rob Cashwalker]

On top of making the cards smaller, how about decreasing the spacing slightly. I'm all for the change in order.

Backgrounds would be cool. One thing to check is if the panel backgrounds could be made transparent. Then it should be simple to just apply the background to whatever is behind the panels.

[DennisBergkamp]

Backgrounds would be cool. One thing to check is if the panel backgrounds could be made transparent. Then it should be simple to just apply the background to whatever is behind the panels.

Yes, I figured out how to do this already... at first I did not do this, so cards in play would actually be covered by the "back"ground. Anyway, all I need is some good images... I probably will not scale them either, since there are fullscreen and widescreen monitors out there, and the panels start out "scrunched" up if there are no cards in play.

I'm not sure how to reduce spacing between cards yet...

[Chris H.]

Some cards (Thoughtseize, Ancestral Recall) require you to click on the Life number and I some times find myself clicking several times trying to select the target of the spell.

I like the simplified interface. A simple non-intrusive marble like back ground might be nice.

The background gray used to bother me in the past before I learned how to download the jpg card pics. I now tend to concentrate only on the cards. Those darn plain-looking tokens can sometimes be a wee bit unattractive. I think everyone would like to see token jpgs but I do not know how difficult this would be to implement.

Good luck on figuring out how to dynamically resize the cards. And thank you for taking the time to look into these issues.

[Rob Cashwalker]

Tokens-

We just need to go through all token generating spells, and add a name to the token, even though its technically not correct.... Then forge should be able to find the token picture by name...

[GandoTheBard]

Tokens - you can replace just the token.jpg file and forge should use the image you put there. Then you can name subtypes as jpgs and forge will use them too, though there is some conflict there. And not all tokens are doable. This could be fixed of course.

Gui changes - yes please. In particular Id like the cards to be stackable if they are alike. Id like if you stack cards together, the game wont unstack them. Spacing is indeed off too. The other thread about order is important of course too.

Backgrounds - this definitely needs to be optional.

[Rob Cashwalker]

Tokens-

We just need to go through all token generating spells, and add a name to the token, even though its technically not correct.... Then forge should be able to find the token picture by name...

While I was going through the code looking for examples for the land bug Chris brought up in the TgtKPump thread, I found that some token code is written to set a name to the card, and some code doesn't. Saprolings, for example - Sprout Swarm sets the name as "Token", Vitu-Ghazi, the City-Tree doesn't set any name and Sprouting Thrinax sets the name as "Saproling"; all of them have card.setToken(true).

It does appear that as long as the code creates tokens named "Token" then a default token image could be used.. but for token card images like we have available to us now since 10th, all the token code would need to be brought in line with each other. BTW, notice that Llanowar Mentor puts Llanowar Elves tokens into play... and since they're named as such, the Llanowar Elves card image is used.

[DennisBergkamp]

I've gotten tokens working for a bunch of cards. I'm just changing the name of the token to the creature type (which I think is according to the rules anyway).
This way, we can assign cards to them in card-pictures.txt. I've tested this with Sigil of the Empty Throne for Angel tokens, and also Bitterblossom.

The problem is tokens like these two: http://magiccards.info/tokens/shadowmoor-010.jpg and http://magiccards.info/tokens/morningtide-001.jpg.
Or http://magiccards.info/tokens/2001-007.jpg and http://magiccards.info/tokens/2004-003.jpg.
I could maybe name them 44_giant_warrior.jpg and 55_giant_warrior.jpg, 33_beast.jpg and 44_beast.jpg?

[Chris H.]

It does appear that as long as the code creates tokens named "Token" then a default token image could be used.. but for token card images like we have available to us now since 10th, all the token code would need to be brought in line with each other. BTW, notice that Llanowar Mentor puts Llanowar Elves tokens into play... and since they're named as such, the Llanowar Elves card image is used.

The Goldmeadow Lookout can create a Goldmeadow Harrier Token, and there is a Goldmeadow Harrier creature. This can get a little complicated. I currently have the Goldmeadow Harrier Token jpg in my pics sub-directory. We currently do not have the Goldmeadow Harrier creature as a separate card in forge.

Goldmeadow Harrier
W
Creature - Kithkin Soldier
1/1
W, T Tap target creature.
Lorwyn Common

[Chris H.]

The problem is tokens like these two: http://magiccards.info/tokens/shadowmoor-010.jpg and http://magiccards.info/tokens/morningtide-001.jpg.
Or http://magiccards.info/tokens/2001-007.jpg and http://magiccards.info/tokens/2004-003.jpg.
I could maybe name them 44_giant_warrior.jpg and 55_giant_warrior.jpg, 33_beast.jpg and 44_beast.jpg?

I found a link for HQ token pics on one of the other CCGH forums. I took the HQ Goldmeadow Harrier image and scaled it down to the appropriate size for Forge.

The HQ token pics has 11 different elemental pics. Some of them have the same P/T. These pics are named Elemental.jpg, Elemental2.jpg through Elemental11.jpg.

I wonder how the other MTG programs handle this naming situation. We might want to follow in their footsteps in order to limit the amount of work that would be done.

[GandoTheBard]

You encrouch into grey territory here with this topic. I strongly recommend you stay away from actually using WoTC tokens though you can use the urls card-pictures.txt to let people auto download them, I think it would be better if Forge had its own nomenclature for tokens that is sensible and not dependant on external urls. IE naming the tokens in the code as CreatureType. Then when someone wants say elf tokens they merely download (or create) an image they want and name it elf.jpg. You skip all kinds of problems doing it this way. Well thats my 2.5 cents.

[Rob Cashwalker]

You encrouch into grey territory here with this topic. I strongly recommend you stay away from actually using WoTC tokens

It's no more grey than downloading the card pictures in the first place.... Besides, the source of a picture isn't the real issue. My pic generator could just as easily make tokens too. The real issue is that there are some tokens that seem to be universal - 1/1 elf warriors, 1/1 soldiers, 1/1 goblins. But beasts and giants come in a number of sizes and colors, and the associated image would need to match.

So set the name (unless rules-specified) to {color(s)}_{p}_{t}_{type}.

I'd also propose keeping a separate text file with the token info in it. Sort of in the format of cards.txt, so it can be parsed by my pic generator.

[DennisBergkamp]

You encrouch into grey territory here with this topic. I strongly recommend you stay away from actually using WoTC tokens though you can use the urls card-pictures.txt to let people auto download them, I think it would be better if Forge had its own nomenclature for tokens that is sensible and not dependant on external urls.

The tokens look so cool though and I agree with Rob, it's not much different from what we're doing already. Why do you strongly recommend against it?
Then again, the tokens on magiccards.info are in higher resolution, I either have to resize them and include them with the release, or write some code to have MTGForge resize and display them smaller, if the user manually downloads them.

[Rob Cashwalker]

Then again, the tokens on magiccards.info are in higher resolution, I either have to resize them and include them with the release, or write some code to have MTGForge resize and display them smaller, if the user manually downloads them.

From what I could tell, MTGForge already resizes all pics to the right dimensions, no matter what size the original file is.

Anyway, tokens seem to have been worthy of their own topic.. don't want to hijack the GUI topic....

[DennisBergkamp]

The card panels do, but the full-size picture on the right does not.