[Theme] Art Book

alphatoanant

Update 8/1/17

Art Book can be installed through the ES Themes section in the latest version of Retropie now (you can still install manually from github as well)
Added new custom systems to help support the custom collections feature coming soon in Emulation Station

The list of new custom systems added:

atari
capcom
dataeast
finalfantasy
konami
namco
nintendo
pokemon
sega
snk
sonicthehedgehog
squaresoft
taito

HurricaneFan

@alphatoanant Is it possible for you to add a few more custom systems?

Midway
Williams
Super Mario
Star Wars

alphatoanant

@hurricanefan yes for sure.

Super Mario is in place now (its called "smb"). Was wondering if I should rename it to supermario though.

Will look at getting Midway, Williams and Stars Wars done

HurricaneFan

@alphatoanant Oh, I totally missed the Super Mario one. Renaming it might help other people.

Thanks for all the hard work you've put into this theme!

pjft

@alphatoanant Super Mario or Mario (since there were Mario games that weren't "Super"). Either works, though. :)

TMNTturtlguy

There is a new thread that just started about this, check it out, on my phone so sorry for no link to it.

alphatoanant

Thank you for your feedback @TMNTturtlguy, @HurricaneFan and @pjft

I made the following changes:

renamed smb to mario
renamed tloz to zelda
renamed sonicthehedgehog to sonic
added midway
added starwars
added irem
added hudson
added sunsoft

All are up on github now

Working on tracing the Williams logo next to make an SVG

meleu

OK guys, I confess I'm a little late. But I would like to say: @alphatoanant , hey dude! great job on this theme. Looks very clean and elegant!

HurricaneFan

@alphatoanant You tweaked Super Nintendo and Nintendo 64 boxes. No more overlap! I love it!

meleu

@alphatoanant is this theme available in esthemes? (RetroPie-Setup)

HurricaneFan

@meleu Yup, it's available in the theme list now.

alphatoanant

Update 8/3/17:

Added additional custom systems - cps1, cps2, cps3 and williams

alphatoanant

@meleu thank you for your feedback and nice words. Very much appreciated!

@HurricaneFan just added williams - still playing with layouts but getting there =)

EvilDindon

Hey,

Just wanted to say that I plan using your theme on my pi for everyday use !

The more simple and clean it looks the more awesome it is !

Don't want to criticise other themes but the most of them are "too much".

Your theme go to the essential and that's the best and more convenient for browsing thru systems and games.

For mame games (arcade), I'm using, instead of the boxart, hi quality .png flyers and it looks great ! ;)

I would suggest you trying to add the new "marquee" images, since retropie themes now can use them :

"image"(boxart or screenshot)
"marquee" (for me I use hyperspin wheel .png logos)
"video"

It may be redundant though, because the logo can be seen on the boxart, though.

What I would try is to increase the video size a bit, reduce the boxart a bit, and add the "marquee" (logo) image on top of the video snap.

Here is a really quick mockup of the layout I'm suggesting, using the "marquee" image (video view) :

alt text

Finally, wanted to say that the carousel is a bit "sad", there's no color at all.

Simplicity is good, but here is what I suggest (just a suggestion mate, not criticism ! ;)

alt text

Just turning that underline in red and adding a hi quality redrawn controller logo. Still simple, but the result suits better my eyes at least !

Cheers from france,

Mike.

PS : just in case, here are nintendo controllers hi quality found on the net and cut out (png's not svg's)
nintendo controllers

EvilDindon

This post is deleted!

greekmanx

@evildindon I 2nd both those suggestions they are a great addition and just enough to spice it up while still keeping it simple

alphatoanant

Updates 8/4/17

Added new custom systems: batman, castlevania, disney, frogger, wonderboy
refactored all system logos (reduced filesize on a few)

Thank you for your feedback and ideas @EvilDindon!

I love the cleanness of your mockup and it gave me ideas about how to handle marquees on video views. My going in approach for the design was to showcase the art of each game's box or flyer and I am working out how to bring marquee's into that look while keeping the visual focused. And your point about the marquee maybe being redundant was one of the reasons I hadn't started on it yet =). I am not totally sure I will add marquee support but definitely looking at it.

For system view I love your controller idea. I am also playing with the concept of adding a screenshot of a popular game for each system to (as you pointed out) bring in color. So I am going to play with both now =) I don't have a timeline yet but its next on my list after finishing up a set of custom system logos being discussed in this thread (https://retropie.org.uk/forum/topic/12024/themes-custom-collection-standardized-naming)

Thank you again and looking forward to more of your feedback. I'll keep you up to date.

pjft

If I may, what I really like about this theme is the simplicity and elegance of the design. The system view is, for lack of a better word, classy. It can stay on in any place and is discreet yet memorable, elegant yet it has all it needs.

While I wouldn't object to adding color or a screenshot, as it's your theme, I feel its strength lies in what it doesn't have.

I will likely stay with the plain black and grey version of the theme for the foreseeable future, alternating with other themes depending on the occasion. :)

alphatoanant

@pjft yes this is my back and forth on it and why I am focussing on logos first =)

The initial intent for system view was for it to be like what you see as a first page in a simple stark coffee table book (the basic view approach as an extension that design as well).

So as I play with designs one of my main checks continues to be... can I leave this on a tv in a room and not have it feel out of place, does it feel subtle, not overwhelming.

Thank you for saying this "I feel its strength lies in what it doesn't have." - its exactly what I am aiming for.

pjft

@alphatoanant By all means.

If it's worth anything, my wife prefers your theme to any of the others I have on by default. She feels all the others are too flashy, so I imagine that if I'm to have this set up always on, this will be the only approved theme :)