Modding the login screen ("map file", "sector" etc)

[Shamax]

Since there is a certain bug (or a temporary change) in the game that I'd rather not play with until it's fixed, and since the forum activity has been low lately, I've been a bit bored and decided to play around with modding the game's login screen.

First, I'll explain my philosophy behind the mod.

Currently, the login screen uses nothing more than a single texture/image for its background. Such a texture will always have to be a certain predetermined resolution. Make the image resolution too low, and it'll look blurry at higher resolutions. Make it too high and it'll look pixelated at lower resolutions. This is why I like the login screens that use an in-game like level/map for a background. Whatever the resolution is set to in a setup, that is what you'll see on the screen. Then add smaller GUI windows/buttons on top of it to make it complete.

These two login screens from two known MMORPGs are quite inspirational in achieving that animated and live look to it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zwjm4WesWjY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhuJp9sdCTU

First thing I tried was adding this code (as a main parent widget) to loginwindow.xml and removing the regular background image that it normally uses:

Code: [Select]

<!-- Background view -->
<widget name="BackgroundView" factory="pawsObjectView" >
       <frame x="0" y="0" width="1024" height="768" border="no" />
       <map file="/planeshift/world/podium/" sector="room" />
       <distance value="4"/>
</widget>

This works with the "podium" being displayed full screen and everything else working as intended (no GUI images yet). However, the podium itself is too high in the middle and there is no way to change the camera position, except to move the "frame" coordinates themselves, which causes an unfilled gap at the top.

For this reason, I wanted to try a different map and sector. However, even using the proper map files and sectors from zoneinfo.xml, most of them don't work. One of the few that does work is:

Code: [Select]

<map file="planeshift/world/hydlaa_plaza/" sector="hydlaa_plaza" />

Howevere, it only displays an empty room with checkered (untextured) walls.

I suppose that's because even the regular podium has to be included/preloaded into the game itself and it can't just access regular maps at login?

Anyway, I wanted to know what other map files and sectors work, aside from podium and room, and if it's possible to load other sectors like "bronzedoors", for example or if such a modification would require changing the game's source code itself.

Thanks.

[stfrn]

Hmm, interesting... well, I applaud you for trying to imporve things

Which parts of the WoW and warhammer logins do you like? WoW is just an animation playing over and over with a good song playing... We have a good song here, but it is a little old, and no animation of course

The warhammer one, seems much like our character selection... do you just want ti to be full screen? That could indeed be done the way you are trying. The podium would have to be loaded with more content, possibly having various maps(or rooms in the same map) with differernt backgrounds depnding on race, etc.

Seems like a lot of work for artists however 

[Ralleyon]

hydlaa_plaza and various other maps have some things preloaded for them in hydlaa_common. Try with npcroom and see if it works, I think that sector comes with the retail package, everything builtin. After that it's only a matter of creating and populating a similar map and exporting it into crystalspace readable format.

[Induane]

I know how easily it would be done with PS in its current form but such a screen is definitely a possibility.  Here is the ole login screen for PT, you can't see the animation here but the grass blows with the breeze, and things sway a little to give a live feel.   We also use crystalspace for our 3d engine - that its just  a simple world file preloaded as the backdrop.

[Shamax]

Thanks for the replies.

What do I like best about War and WoW login screens? Everything! They are dynamic, have depth, and are just plain cool.

[Erisnas]

While I hate to revive such an old topic I do have a few ideas to add.  My main one is one that I have done personally with my own PC.  For the preloader I have set a simple video to be played as the system boots up at first.  As the video goes on I have it fade into my desktop wallpaper.  Now I was interested if a similar idea could be applied to the PS loader.  I am sure some people could turn out a decent exhilarating video.  This would then fade into the log-in screen.  Now the log-in screen image itself may have to be edited for a more seamless merge, but it would depend on the video.  I have a few more I shall post but I need to work out if they are possible on a game like this.