Help me please - with the desktop background

[Destan]

I can't figure it out.

I read the tutorials on modifying the desktop, but I can't seem to get it to work.

For example, I run a d20 Conan game. I'd like to use a wallpaper instead of the wooden background. Is that even possible given the tiling aspect of FG's background?

Here's a image:

https://rpgland.com/wallpapers/ageofconan/ageofconan113.jpg

Is there ANY way I can replace my FG desktop with that wallpaper?

Any time I try to add or change a pic, it always makes it very small and centered on the screen. Even when I head into the XML file and change the numbers...I, ah, still can't get it to work.

Bottom line: If someone can take that image and throw it into a desktop.png that works, you will have an adoring fan for life.

Thanks,
D

[Destan]

Addendum: If the tiling aspect of the desktop doesn't allow a dynamic full-size wall paper, is there any way someone can make the pic as large as possible and centered?

Edit: I suppose the chat box's permanent placement prevents a significantly large decal image, eh? Still...any help would be most appreciated.

[Casimir]

Well, I'm assuming from your description that you are looking for this Conan image to be the main background, and not the desktop logo, correct?

Assuming that to be the case, it sounds like you are placing the image in the wrong part of the desktop.png image file. The Conan image should be placed over the wood grain image.

Now - even if that is the case (i.e., you are placing it over the wood grain part of the desktop.png file), one thing you have to realize is that the FGII engine takes the background image and sort of "sets aside" a certain amount of it for use in scrolling the background image when the main FGII window is resized. This means that likely your image will be truncated when the window is smaller, while being mirrored to the right when the window is larger.

[Destan]

Right.

If I put it on the left side, in place of the wood texture, weird things happen. I'm assuming that's because FG can't handle an image that doesn't tile properly. In other words, the image on the left *has* to be a texture/pattern, correct?

So I'm thinking I can put it on the right side, but I just need to get it as large as possible without it being truncated all over the desktop.

D

[Casimir]

Actually - Spyke can probably show you how to do this. If I recall correctly, he has a "Spaghetti Western" skin extension for FGII that actually forces the background image to tile across 100% of the desktop. I can't seem to find the page it's located on though at the moment unfortunately.

[Sigurd]

Understand the file you are replacing. There is a tiling background (the wood grain), an overlay (the Dragon) and a slice on the far viewers right of the screen that is one bar suitable for placing icons on.


Your picture won't tile. It is probably possible to shrink it and replace the dragon with your picture. I say shrink it because the setup is elegant for multiple size windows. The centered image doesn't have to change position and the background can grow as big as the window.

If the background were simply a picture your computer would have to scale it to fit each window size. FG's solution is faster and less work for the cpu.

In your shoes I would build a tiling pattern from the colour palette of the main picture and then choose one picture element to edit out and replace the dragon with - perhaps the title (easy) or conan's face (more difficult).

Remember the dragon works because it is largely transparent. The desktop works because it is not too garish and doesn't distract from the play.


Hope that helps.


S

[Casimir]

Actually Sig, I think there is a way to accomplish it. Thinking about it I would bet that the image needs to replace the dragon, and somehow the XML coords fixed to maximize it to the play window size. That's a guess tho based on my own manipulations of the desktop.png image.

I have the Spaghetti Western desktop extension at home, not here at work unfortunately, and the background image fills up the entire window and will resize when the play window is resized without tiling or mirroring. It was either Spyke or Oberoton who created it... the only link I can find to it at the moment is down.

[Sigurd]

By all means share the XML.

For me, I found it really easy for my personal desktop to simply replace the images and keep the xml. That way I just change the frames.png with my own and I'm done.

If there is an extension that does this, get it into the WIKI.

[Casimir]

If Oberoton or Spyke haven't replied by the time I get home I'll check out the XML and the Western theme extension and see what it's doing to accomplish that.

[Casimir]

Ok - sorry to get anyone's hopes up. :(

The Spaghetti Western theme extension works that way because the desktop has been replaced with a VERY large picture - 1538 x 1024 in size to be exact. It's been a while since I looked at it in action and was mistaken thinking that the image resized when in fact it doesn't... the image it just so large that it covers a window size of almost 1600 x 1200.

Sorry for the confusion there everyone... my mistake.

However - that's one option that's available to you Destan - just make the image rather large... or the size that you expect the window to be on a regular basis. After looking at the extension and through the XML Sig was pretty much proved correct in his assessment.

[Destan]

Thanks for the research Cas! I appreciate it.

[Destan]

Here's an attempt at a screen shot of the new FG desktop. That workaround did the trick!

[Casimir]

Cool - glad you got it to work!

[tdewitt274]

Couldn't the Desktop be modified to handle a larger/smaller setup? I'm pretty new to the files, but looking around I found

graphics_frames.xml


<framedef name="desktop">
<bitmap file="frames/desktop.png" />
<middle rect="0,0,512,512" />
<right rect="512,0,97,512" />
<decal rect="612,0,512,512" />
</framedef>


The size of the desktop.png is 1123x511. This considered, you should be able to modify the above XML to fit the appropriate pieces. Disclaimer: None of the below has been tested, calculated, or verified.

All hypothetical, of course, but if you have a background image 25x25, you should be able to modify the Middle tag to "0,0,25,25".

If you have an extremely large image, you should be able to modify the Decal to the immage attributes starting from where your image is placed. So, for example, let's say that your image is 2000x1000. You have a background of 25x25. In theory, you should be able to set your Middle to "0,0,25,25" and your Decal to "26,0,2000,1000".

Further, you can place the Right anywhere in the file (we'll say 50x1000). Say you have it at 2027 (25 for the background, +1 for the decal, +2000 for the decal itself, +1 for the Right), but for some odd reason you have it further down (100 pixels from the top). You would be looking at something like "2027,100,50,1000".

All theory, mind you, but it seems to follow the normal clipping I've seen elsewhere (SVG?). Plain and simple, I think that the actual background might be statically set to repeat for the middle, center for the Decal, and right aligned for the Right. I couldn't find anything that references how these are set.

[tdewitt274]

Yep, it works.



<framedef name="desktop">
<bitmap file="frames/desktop.png" />
<middle rect="0,0,512,512" />
<right rect="512,0,97,512" />
<decal rect="612,83,512,512" />
</framedef>

You'll see from the Desktop.png that the dragon is further down. This is represented by the Decal modification above.

[Casimir]

Well yea tdewitt274 - that's how the Spaghetti Western theme extension works. In that particular situation, the decal is blanked and ignored, and a huge background image is used with the XML edited accordingly.

What Destan wanted to try to get to work was having a background image, or decal, actually resize as the window itself is resized so it completely fills the desktop background no matter what resolution the window is being rendered at.

[tdewitt274]

What Destan wanted to try to get to work was having a background image, or decal, actually resize as the window itself is resized so it completely fills the desktop background no matter what resolution the window is being rendered at.

I guess I didn't quite understand the full situation. Then I agree that setting the background to a compatible color and then having the main image the Decal would be the best solution.

Just started messing around with the program.