Kosmo's Tracking Window

[Naeiana]

Originally Posted by Kosmos

Is everyone happy with the font size when it's reduced, or do you want it smaller or larger?

Is the Auto-Resize feature nice? or do you prefer the static sized window?

From the amount of downloads it seems people prefer the resizing window?

Hi Kosmos.

1st.: Thanks a lot for this very nice feature, I love it

BUT.: Try yourself to read the text at 1600 x 1200 screen resolution - it is impossible - that counts for both the small and the mouseover enlarged text, I dont think it is the size that is the problem, I belive it could be solved by using another font - but, How to change that in the Auto-resize version ???

Sincerely yours
Naeiana
Woodelf Ranger on Spiltpaw

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Naeiana

Hi Kosmos.

1st.: Thanks a lot for this very nice feature, I love it

BUT.: Try yourself to read the text at 1600 x 1200 screen resolution - it is impossible - that counts for both the small and the mouseover enlarged text, I dont think it is the size that is the problem, I belive it could be solved by using another font - but, How to change that in the Auto-resize version ???

Sincerely yours
Naeiana
Woodelf Ranger on Spiltpaw

I do play in 1600x1200 resolution. I also have really good eyes and can read it just fine.

Couple of things that may help you. Keep a semi transparent or black background behind the text. those settings are all controlled by the normal windows background settings.

I appreciate the input. I may tweak this window in the future a bit.
I've got A LOT on my plate at work now, (and for 6weeks to come) so it doens't look like I'm going to get alot of mod time.
If you download the static window and search this tread there is a post by me that shows how to change the font size for it. to whatever you want.

In the future I'm try out some various versions with fonts that use shadowstyles if If I can. I want to try putting a black shadow on the font, so that its easy to read, but doesn require the entire background to be semi transparent.
I'll probably also try including a few new buttons that will allow you to adjust the font size larger or smaler, but I've yet to figure out how I'll do that.

Like I said just not enough time.

My emote window is calling to me badly for an overhaul!

[Lange]

Hey Kosmos,

I use your tracking window and it's just about perfect as far as I'm concerned. I did have an idea over the weekend though that might improve it slightly.

Currently, there is an issue when you go to actually track a mob that the selection highlite will move due to the font resizing and you'll end up tracking a different mob than you had intended.

Would it be possible to add a very short delay (I think 2 seconds would do it - maybe 3) before the font shrinks again? This would ensure that the selection you just made doesn't jump and you always get the mob you had intended.

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Lange

Hey Kosmos,

I use your tracking window and it's just about perfect as far as I'm concerned. I did have an idea over the weekend though that might improve it slightly.

Currently, there is an issue when you go to actually track a mob that the selection highlite will move due to the font resizing and you'll end up tracking a different mob than you had intended.

Would it be possible to add a very short delay (I think 2 seconds would do it - maybe 3) before the font shrinks again? This would ensure that the selection you just made doesn't jump and you always get the mob you had intended.

That is really interesting, I have used this mod ALOT, and I have not encountered that problem. The Selection should stick and never move, the 'text' size has nothing to do with the selection. The cell size and text size re-size together, so as far as I know there is no way that once a selection is made, it would get er.. bumped to another selection.

If I can get the time tonight I'll try and get mine to do what you are saying so I can understand the problem better, and see if I can find a work around.

I wouldn't expect an update any time soon though my plate is REALLY full right now with 'real life' stuff. I've got a whole mess of projects I would like to work on with UI mods, not to mention things I want to complete in game.
Just not enough time.

Thanks for the feedback by they way.

[Lange]

NP. Thanks for making the thing

Actually, though, this happens pretty frequently for me.

Specifically - I dock the window on the left. I'll mouse over to the window to pop the larger version, click on a target and then start mousing up to the arrow to track. If I hover too long over one of the other names, it will highlite that mob instead. To get around this I've taken to clicking the mob I want, mousing to the right, off the window until the font size drops again and then carefully moving my mouse up and over so as to get my cursor right over the arrow icon before the size pops again.

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Lange

NP. Thanks for making the thing

Actually, though, this happens pretty frequently for me.

Specifically - I dock the window on the left. I'll mouse over to the window to pop the larger version, click on a target and then start mousing up to the arrow to track. If I hover too long over one of the other names, it will highlite that mob instead. To get around this I've taken to clicking the mob I want, mousing to the right, off the window until the font size drops again and then carefully moving my mouse up and over so as to get my cursor right over the arrow icon before the size pops again.

I tried very hard to get my window to do this last night and I couldn't get it to do this at all. The only two things I could really think of was that perhaps it's scrolling on you. Arrow keys will make the window scroll as well as the middle mouse button. Thats the only thing I could think of.

[Lange]

I may have been moving when this occured, but WASD are my movement keys - no where near the arrow keys and I don't use the scroll wheel.

I'll try to play around with this and see if it's only occuring when I am moving. If so I'll move this to the request forums (I'd still love to have this working 'on-the-run' as it were) but, yeah, it's doing it on its own. I mean, the cursor IS over the incorrect mob but that's only because it is en-route for the tracking arrow. No mouse buttons, scroll bars or keys are pressed.

The only thing I can think of that it could be on my end is my wireless (radio) keyboard in conjunction, perhaps, with holding down one of the movement keys (W for example).

The oddity there, though, is that mousing off the window so it shrinks, then up and over seems to always work. Maybe because focus is shifted off the window so repeating the W doesn't matter?

Ahh, well. No biggie. Thanks for looking into it, Kos.

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Lange

I may have been moving when this occured, but WASD are my movement keys - no where near the arrow keys and I don't use the scroll wheel.

I'll try to play around with this and see if it's only occuring when I am moving. If so I'll move this to the request forums (I'd still love to have this working 'on-the-run' as it were) but, yeah, it's doing it on its own. I mean, the cursor IS over the incorrect mob but that's only because it is en-route for the tracking arrow. No mouse buttons, scroll bars or keys are pressed.

The only thing I can think of that it could be on my end is my wireless (radio) keyboard in conjunction, perhaps, with holding down one of the movement keys (W for example).

The oddity there, though, is that mousing off the window so it shrinks, then up and over seems to always work. Maybe because focus is shifted off the window so repeating the W doesn't matter?

Ahh, well. No biggie. Thanks for looking into it, Kos.

I am thinking this may be some sort of special driver issue with your mouse settings. I know some mouse driver software has a feature that 'toggles scroll' when you left click no a scroll bar.
For example in Internet Explorer you left click on the scroll bar and it puts you in 'scroll mod' meaning if you move the mouse up and down it moves the scroll bar up and down, it usually brings up a little icon to indicate you are locked in scroll mode. It's possible that when you click the name of the mob, your mouse is going into a 'scroll mode' so when you move it up, the selection follows (because basicallyt he whole window is a scroll bar), but if you move it to the right outside the window the selector box doesn't follow the mouse curser, then you sneak back in at the top to click the follow arrow..

I tried runnind around, using different keys, hell I tried everything to get the selection box to swtich to another name, without me actually clicking on the other name, and I just couldn't get it to do it.

Im' totally clueless on this one.

[Arismath]

Kosmos,

Love the mod, I keep my tracking up all the time and I am finding all sorts of interesting things that I know I would have missed.

One suggestion:
Would it be possible to initiate the tracking when I simply click the name in your window? If I have taken the time to zip over to the track window, expand the size and confirm the name, and click on the name to highligh its pretty certain I am giong to then click on the track button (or arrow in your UI's case). Why not take out the last step? Once I click that name in the track window have it immediatly start up my wisp trail.

This is my second time through EQ2, your mod makes playing my swashbucker even more enjoyable!

Thanks for the great work!

Arismath / Nimblefoot

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Arismath

Kosmos,

Love the mod, I keep my tracking up all the time and I am finding all sorts of interesting things that I know I would have missed.

One suggestion:
Would it be possible to initiate the tracking when I simply click the name in your window? If I have taken the time to zip over to the track window, expand the size and confirm the name, and click on the name to highligh its pretty certain I am giong to then click on the track button (or arrow in your UI's case). Why not take out the last step? Once I click that name in the track window have it immediatly start up my wisp trail.

This is my second time through EQ2, your mod makes playing my swashbucker even more enjoyable!

Thanks for the great work!

Arismath / Nimblefoot

This is all from memory so I'm not totally sure. I think the Tracking Display uses a 'table' rather than a list box, and I do not believe it has an 'OnSelect' event.
You would need a script that set the 'Track Button' on the window to 'Pressed' when you selected a Mob Name in the list.

Some way or another I think what you are asking is possible.
But, I'm not playing EQ2 any longer, and do not have an account, so I have no way to test any mods.

One other thing I had planned to change on the mod was to add a shadow style to the text. This puts a black outline around the text, which makes it MUCH MUCH easier to read, and would allow people to do away with the semi-transparent background, and still be able to read the text fine.


Its funny, i miss doing the mods, but i don't miss the game at all.
Waiting for Vanguard: Saga of Heros and Star Wars Empire at War,
nothing else out right now looks remotely interesting.
Out of about 15 people that I know in real life, only 2 are still playing EQ2 and many, many of the people I only knew online have gone back to EQ1 or other games.

Anyway thanks for the great feedback! I'm glad you like it, and All of my mods are open for add-ons etc.. so anyone who wants to change them or tweak them is more than welcome, and I will help out as much as I can.

[Lange]

I like that idea too.

Also, maybe this is still on test, but I thought it went live.. They have added the ability to go back and forth between name sort and distance sort! I haven't been able to get the window to do that, though.

I'm not sure how they implimented / will impliment this but I suspect it's two buttons so as not to remove the ability to do decending alpha/distance sorts.. If that's the case, perhaps you could split your sort bar into two distinct bars: one that switches between distance and name and one that switches between ascending and descending..?

[Lange]

Heh. Your post just went up while I was writing that.

Would an overlay button that tracks the highlite work? The window might have to be made static with a toggle large/small fonts for that and I'm not sure how the highliting would work. I think if we got lucky, the button would do nothing without a highlite and could be setup to click-through. Once something is highlited, though, perhaps that would be enough to initiate the track. That would make it behave like a double click... If we are so lucky and it behaves that way, that is.

At any rate, thanks for making this mod Kosmo. I will take a look at updating it but I'm afraid I'm not very good with this stuff - perhaps, ger, if you are still interested in the tracking mods you could take a stab at it..?

I did get some buttons to work in the xp bar mod I made but I couldn't get on-hover vitality to work so I'm pretty sure resizing and all this stuff is way above my head.

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Lange

Heh. Your post just went up while I was writing that.

Would an overlay button that tracks the highlite work? The window might have to be made static with a toggle large/small fonts for that and I'm not sure how the highliting would work. I think if we got lucky, the button would do nothing without a highlite and could be setup to click-through. Once something is highlited, though, perhaps that would be enough to initiate the track. That would make it behave like a double click... If we are so lucky and it behaves that way, that is.

At any rate, thanks for making this mod Kosmo. I will take a look at updating it but I'm afraid I'm not very good with this stuff - perhaps, ger, if you are still interested in the tracking mods you could take a stab at it..?

I did get some buttons to work in the xp bar mod I made but I couldn't get on-hover vitality to work so I'm pretty sure resizing and all this stuff is way above my head.

Its a little more complicated than that for this particular window.
I would only be guessing. Every piece of the UI, each window has it's own little 'issues' so it woulf require some testing.
You logic might be a little off. a transparent overlay button that is made 'click-through' won't get the OnPress Event since it's click through

[Kosmos]

Oh yeah and by the way Thanks Lange, I'm pretty sure you were the one that sparked the whole 'smallest track possible' thread that led to this mod.

[Penstar]

I vote we all chip in and buy Kosmos an eq2 subscription so he can test his mods, even if he doesn't play anymore.

Oh, and can I have yer stuff?

~Penstar of Qeynos
Swashbuckler, Lucan D'Lere

[Kosmos]

Originally Posted by Penstar

I vote we all chip in and buy Kosmos an eq2 subscription so he can test his mods, even if he doesn't play anymore.

Oh, and can I have yer stuff?

~Penstar of Qeynos
Swashbuckler, Lucan D'Lere

My girlfriend beat you to the stuff. lol

[Kosmos]

Modifications have been made to the tracking window.
Looking at the file compare created by Dolby, it doesn't look like it is much of a change.

I no longer have access to the game for testing or modificiations, so this will have to be done by someone else. Not sure which NPC's they are talking about.
Perhaps Red, and epic mobs can now be tracked.

- The tracking window will now list certain NPCs that were not shown before.

[timbert3]

Hello,
I am having trouble trying to have both EQ2MAP and this Kosmo Tracking mod to work at the same time. It seems enabling the tracking window mod disables EQ2MAP.
My eq2.ini file is listed as follow:

r_aa_blit 1
cl_ui_skinname EQ2MAP
cl_ui_subdir UI/
cl_ui_skinname Trackw
cl_ui_subdir UI/

Any advice?
Thanks

[Kosmos]

Hey people what's up! Just thought this would be a good time to say Hi.
Basically I'm back in school, working my arse off learning C#, ASP.NET, XML Web Services, SQL Server 2000, ADO.NET, etc...etc..etc.. and my mind is blowing up. Anyway, just though I would say Hi.

timbert3 it's been a while since I've even looked at any EQ2 Interface code.. so my advice may be a little off, but I believe you can only have one sub directory for interfaces still. I know I had mine working with EQ2Map while I was still playing, and my girfriend still plays and she still has no problems with any of Kosmo's Mods.

I guess I did an ok job of coding them so they wouldn't break, as far as I know they all still work after all this time, and patches. Yeah me.

Maybe someone else can help you on on this problem, I'm just too long out of the loop on this one.

[D3CLINE]

Any chance at all of getting a version of this with a slide bar on the side for scrolling up and down the list quicker?

[heketon]

I just want to confirm it still works with the map tool. This is the best tracking mod imho and i am using it to this day and it works great with the map tool or any other mod.

[krap101]

im having a little trouble hitting the sort bar. its like barely clickable and if i do get my mouse on it it just goes to the resizing of the bar.

[UdunWulf]

Ok I use Eq maps and it has this line in my .ini file
cl_ui_skinname EQ2MAP
cl_ui_subdir UI/
and obviously when I replace it with cl_ui_skinname Track the map doesnt work so how do i make them both work together tried just putting the track line in as well but only one works. Thanks in advance for the help!

[Deathbane27]

Originally Posted by UdunWulf

Ok I use Eq maps and it has this line in my .ini file
cl_ui_skinname EQ2MAP
cl_ui_subdir UI/
and obviously when I replace it with cl_ui_skinname Track the map doesnt work so how do i make them both work together tried just putting the track line in as well but only one works. Thanks in advance for the help!

Put both files in the same folder.

[Kosmos]

v2.1 Pending, adds in the name filter function.