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View Full Version : On creating new fonts for strings.


ShadowTiger
12-12-2009, 02:42 PM
Had a strange thought. Would it be possible to create custom Fonts for use in Strings? Very general question warrants a very general answer, if you want. :p
pkmnfrk
12-12-2009, 04:46 PM
Had a strange thought. Would it be possible to create custom Fonts for use in Strings? Very general question warrants a very general answer, if you want. :p

Okay!

Yes, it's theoretically possible.
ShadowTiger
12-13-2009, 09:12 AM
Ah. Likely excellent. In theory, I am very happy with this. :D
jman2050
12-15-2009, 07:51 PM
The fonts are all generic Allegro fonts, so technically all you really need to do is follow Allegro's conventions.

What we don't have are any mechanisms for using new fonts, since right now ZC still uses data files for that purpose. There are still plans to make new fonts directly inserted into the quest file for that purpose.
ShadowTiger
12-15-2009, 08:38 PM
Indeed; I had assumed as such. I'm actually not asking if we can make some as fans: I'm asking if we can make fonts to use with the program itself, hard-codedly, to sit side by side with all the other fonts we can already use.
Gleeok
12-17-2009, 05:00 AM
Indeed; I had assumed as such. I'm actually not asking if we can make some as fans: I'm asking if we can make fonts to use with the program itself, hard-codedly, to sit side by side with all the other fonts we can already use.

The mono bitmap fonts are so tiny in size that I don't see why not.
ShadowTiger
12-17-2009, 12:23 PM
Cool. :) Thanks. Any particular specifications on what it needs to look like, or the format it needs to be in? I already have a few ideas to port in. (Always loved these (http://www.uo.com/archive/runic/index.html).)
Questwizard88
12-17-2009, 04:35 PM
I would assume the grabber could probably do it. I'd be happy if we could open the fonts.dat with it and edit away. Thing is, the grabber always fails to open it, probably because its compressed in some way that it doesn't understand. I had some ideas for fonts myself. I've got a qst with a whole bitmap font made by hand that I wish I could use in it.
jman2050
12-20-2009, 12:54 AM
I would assume the grabber could probably do it. I'd be happy if we could open the fonts.dat with it and edit away. Thing is, the grabber always fails to open it, probably because its compressed in some way that it doesn't understand. I had some ideas for fonts myself. I've got a qst with a whole bitmap font made by hand that I wish I could use in it.

The grabber fails because the DAT files are password protected.
Gleeok
12-21-2009, 08:55 PM
I believe they are all mono bitmap (If I remember right) fonts. (bmp or pcx) Mono being single - colored. Bitmap containing 256 glyphs ( starting from ASCII value 32..? ). I usually use TTF and never created my own so I might be wrong. I believe the format is very standard though.

I am however not entirely sure of just what might have to be changed to make them usable in zc. The subscreens, string editor, (string control codes?), etc. would have to be updated. Might be better to collect first then add them all in at the same time.