Carbon Theme Suggestions

[InsecureSpike]

have you thought of making a white based version? I know there was the original "simple" theme, maybe a combination of the 2? but better!

also a side note, my distressed/weathered logos are at your disposal if you'd like to try them, the only issue is they are .png

[No Hands 55]

@Rookervik Thank you! That is a big help! I didn't know it was all so straightforward as a xml file and folders with images. I will definitely begin working on my own! But for now I am just going to remove the border files and use the Pixel theme because i really like it without just those.

[Rookervik]

@pimpmaul69 @InsecureSpike

I am actually using the Windows EmulationStation to create and test themes. It's a lot easier. And way easier to take screenshots. :D If you have a windows machine, or I think linux or mac, too, you can load the themes into the desktop version of ES. It's a little struggle to get the es_systems.cfg created, but I can help.

I am actually planning on making a light variant to the Carbon theme on this major update. So far I plan to:

• Move gamelist to left side, for us left-to-right reading order users.
• Increase size of screenshot/boxart
• reduce metadata to: release date, genre, players, description (unless the only important information is # of players?)
• add support for kid friendly icons ( just for you, @Zigurana :-) )
• add ability to choose the color of the theme elements (overwrite carbon.xml with a different color version)
• add a light variant background that users can point to in the xml
  Note: we may think about no longer updating the "Centered" and "No Metadata" variants of Carbon.

[Zigurana]

@Rookervik: Thanks! You are the best! </ Tips hat>

[Rookervik]

@Zigurana

Hey Zigurana, I need you to get in touch with me, somehow, so I can have you test this out and see if the kid friendly stuff works. Maybe IRC?

[Rookervik]

Pretty much finished up the element moving and finished simplifying the xml. It's very easy to change the color of the theme now. It comes stock red just as it always has. Just find and replace a color and save it :D Kid Friendly icons are coded in, but I have no way to test if they show up in the right locations.

[Zigurana]

@Rookervik said in Carbon Theme Suggestions:

@Zigurana

Hey Zigurana, I need you to get in touch with me, somehow, so I can have you test this out and see if the kid friendly stuff works. Maybe IRC?

No problem, I can try it out for you. You can email me at my zigurana@gmail.com adress, lets take it from there.

Alternatively, if you just want to check the placement, you could add the icons as extra's, that way they should show up always, regardless of your ES installation.

For the element names, and a download of the old xarbon theme with icons, see here.

[caver01]

@Rookervik Here's a small one that is maybe even a quick fix: The ROM images that load in the games list are not centered. I appreciate that their original aspect ratio is preserved (not all themes do this) but lower-resolution images are pushed into the upper-left corner. It would be better if they could be centered.

It's a small thing, but since you are in there, might as well check it out.

EDIT - Come to think of it, maybe this is already taken care of with expansion of the image being displayed and repositioning of that element.

[Rookervik]

@caver01

That is definitely fixed now. I've learned a lot since I made Carbon. :D So rest assured, all the box art will be centered and scaled from that center point.

[caver01]

@Rookervik Thanks! Carbon is a great theme and keeps getting better!

[Rookervik]

As far as a light version of Carbon, that can't really be done easily with XML edits. New art assets actually have to be inserted and called in the code. So I would just have to make a new theme... which isn't hard. Just change the assets and edit the xml so you guys don't have to. I'm just toying around right now. Modifying the colors of the theme as it is. Probably needs to be white in the middle and grey on the borders. -shrugs-

[BuZz]

LOL @ titles ;-)

[Rookervik]

@BuZz

He'll never notice. :D

[edmaul69]

@Rookervik said in Carbon Theme Suggestions:

@BuZz

He'll never notice. :D

I really like this theme like this. Also, I need to find where to download those games from!! :D

[Rookervik]

Theme finished. This is what it looks like in ES.

Pretty bright (tho you can change the borders and the game highlight to whatever color you want. I just did OMGKILLMYEYES Blue.)

Good stuff? Bad? Suggestions? Haha

[chavatar]

@Rookervik
This looks really nice indeed to me. Clean and light and simple, think it makes more design sense to have layout this way round (gamelist left).

metadata: would like to see developer (perhaps make the number of players an icon with the others and put it there instead? hmm)
a little less generous whitespace with so much info to dsiplay? Hard to see from the screenshots I admit

Just asking: will unscraped games still be centre-aligned (cool by me) and could the retropie menu be left-aligned (as, in effect, it's pre-scraped)?

Anyway love it :)

[rbaker]

@Rookervik I love carbon. I based my control panel on carbon just so I could use it in the screen. Now I see this red design that matches my T-moulding. Brilliant. Just Brilliant. Thanks.

[edmaul69]

So what is this light theme going to be called? Just so i know to look for it when it becomes available.

[Rookervik]

@chavatar I think there is room to put developer into the metadata. I'll see if I can squish it in there. Unscraped systems are centered as usual. Retropie menu is just a system like all the others, so it is left-side-text as well.

Player numbers are represented as text only :-( That's not something we can change unless someone wants to program that in the source code.

REMINDER: I need someone to remind me to make a gamelist and box art so the Ports section looks like the Retropie Section

@edmaul69 I have no idea what to call the light theme. It doesn't use a carbon background (since it looks terrible in white lol) so... I dunno. Right now I have it called "carbon_light". I can probably name it whatever and it will be a separate download. Provided I can give Herbfargus enough cookies and back massages to get him to add it to the downloader <3

[Charco]

@Rookervik I like the positioning of the metadata on the left and the images on the right. Are screenshots the default image or will it be boxart?