On-screen text built in,

ID:260646
 
Oct 27 2008, 11:37 am
I was thinking for the next version of BYOND or possible future updates that on screen text(possibly with options like alerts) could be built it without having to code it in, icon the text, etc. Along with this feature, there should be a way to choose a location on your screen for the text to go.

E.g: screentext("hello.","x,y,z",")

screentext being the built in proc.

"hello" being the message.(On the message you should be able to change the font, color, size, etc. with HTML.)

And "x,y,z" being the screen coordinates for the text.

Seeing this as an addition will make games look more advanced, and look better than ever. Their is already interfaces programmed which helps you customize the game but alerts aren't really that great, and on-screen text could make things like health, stats and other things way easier to code in along with on screen chat and messages.
Oct 27 2008, 11:42 am
You can already do everything you said by using either screen objects or an output control above the map and as such.
Oct 27 2008, 11:47 am
In response to Kaioken
Hmm. I didn't know that. Do you know any guides that could show me how to do it?
Oct 27 2008, 11:49 am
Element Hero creator wrote:
I was thinking for the next version of BYOND or possible future updates that on screen text(possibly with options like alerts) could be built it without having to code it in, icon the text, etc. Along with this feature, there should be a way to choose a location on your screen for the text to go.

E.g: screentext("hello.","x,y,z",")

I think it's a good suggestion and one I had intended for 4.0, but other things took priority. At any rate, Lummox JR has written an excellent, widely-used library that does what you want in soft-code: http://www.byond.com/developer/LummoxJR/DmiFonts
Oct 27 2008, 11:54 am
In response to Tom
Tom wrote:
Element Hero creator wrote:
I was thinking for the next version of BYOND or possible future updates that on screen text(possibly with options like alerts) could be built it without having to code it in, icon the text, etc. Along with this feature, there should be a way to choose a location on your screen for the text to go.

E.g: screentext("hello.","x,y,z",")

I think it's a good suggestion and one I had intended for 4.0, but other things took priority. At any rate, Lummox JR has written an excellent, widely-used library that does what you want in soft-code: http://www.byond.com/developer/LummoxJR/DmiFonts

Lummox JR's guide is good but not what I was looking for. The font for the text is too small, and isn't changeable without remaking the icons. Also, I wasn't really looking for on-screen chat bubbles, but thanks. And I hope that the on-screen text gets put into BYOND someday.
Oct 27 2008, 11:57 am
In response to Element Hero creator
Element Hero creator wrote:
Lummox JR's guide is good but not what I was looking for. The font for the text is too small, and isn't changeable without remaking the icons.

Is it *really* that hard to create a new .dmi and corresponding datum?

Also, I wasn't really looking for on-screen chat bubbles, but thanks. And I hope that the on-screen text gets put into BYOND someday.

Then don't do on-screen chat bubbles. Lummox's demo does them just to show that it's possible. You can use DMIFonts for whatever text-related purposes you want.
Oct 27 2008, 12:02 pm
In response to Jon88
Jon88 wrote:
Element Hero creator wrote:
Lummox JR's guide is good but not what I was looking for. The font for the text is too small, and isn't changeable without remaking the icons.

Is it *really* that hard to create a new .dmi and corresponding datum?

Also, I wasn't really looking for on-screen chat bubbles, but thanks. And I hope that the on-screen text gets put into BYOND someday.

Then don't do on-screen chat bubbles. Lummox's demo does them just to show that it's possible. You can use DMIFonts for whatever text-related purposes you want.

Your completely right but I was hoping for an easy way to get on screen text "without" the need for coding in and iconning things. It's completely possible on the current BYOND but features like font size, font style, and the text location(setting multiple different messages on multiple locations of the screen) aren't incorporated. Still, props to Lummox JR because that must of been crazy hard to code in.
Oct 27 2008, 12:14 pm
In response to Element Hero creator
Element Hero creator wrote:
Your [sic] completely right but I was hoping for an easy way to get on screen text "without" the need for coding in and iconning things. It's completely possible on the current BYOND but features like font size, font style, and the text location(setting multiple different messages on multiple locations of the screen) aren't incorporated. Still, props to Lummox JR because that must of been crazy hard to code in.

I'm not sure what you mean when you say this is doable but size/style/etc. aren't incorporated. The DmiFonts demo allows you to mix standard and italic text, so multi-style text will work just fine if you have the fonts generated for it.

Lummox JR
Oct 27 2008, 12:58 pm
In response to Element Hero creator
the need for coding in and iconning things

You do realize (or at least you would have if you read the read me/help) that DMI fonts generates the icons and the code you need for each font, correct? It's an outside .exe file Lummox programmed, and it should be in the library's directory.
Oct 27 2008, 1:10 pm
In response to Kaioken
There are some flaws, sadly, including that screen objects appear smaller when you change the client's view, and you have to limit window movement etc. if you do the output over the screen method. You also have to disable map drawing with DirectX (or is it openGL?). Labels with transparent backgrounds have some promise, though!