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Scrapulous

First Lieutenant
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Aug 30, 2011
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...and the mods on the steam workshop that seem to address it don't load. Is there a recommended mod that fixes this? I tried Font Overhaul and Better Readable Font Mod, and neither worked.

The default is a bold font for some reason, and also weirdly tiny, so it looks like all the pixels that should have been used for tracking were instead used up making the letters fatter - but not more legible. It makes the game look about 20 years old.

1600400732910.png


Notice the massive spaces between words in the first sentence but how the letters are practically smashed together in the words: "will take you to the Character View" is a great snippet: the "ta" of "take" are not distinct letters, for instance, but the "C" in "Character" is almost not obviously a part of the rest of the word. It's all very hard to read on my monitor.
 
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Thanks! But wait... am I inferring correctly from your response that the tutorial window font may not be fixable? I'll try those mods, but if that's the case, I don't really see a way forward.
 
Thanks! But wait... am I inferring correctly from your response that the tutorial window font may not be fixable?...

Outside the size issue, LOL, not necessarily. Not that i know.
Regarding "massive spaces" and "letters are practically smashed together ", sorry to say, but that sounds slightly exaggerated
and nitpicky by you. If that alone already prevents you to enjoy the game, then...i'm sorry.
In such case i can already predict that the game's unintuitive UI and game mechanics, including missing feedback and information
and misleading tooltips will drive you crazy and will be far worse than some perceived distance between letters issue.
The tutorial should likely be fine. What you linked here is a standard help window.

I can already tell that the first mod i linked isn't optimised for the help windows, for two simple reasons.
First, when the mod got released, this type of help wasn't even around nor the tutorial and second for compatibility reasons with
other mods, especially ones as Better Interface, which changes the frame sizes, but also simply for the work required.

Instead of relying on these help windows, i recommend to play in Borderless mode and search the Wiki for CK2 on topics you
have questions about. The search box in the Wiki is on the top right..
or you alternatively you can use links in the Guide Overview https://ck2.paradoxwikis.com/Guide_overview
 
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Regarding "massive spaces" and "letters are practically smashed together ", sorry to say, but that sounds slightly exaggerated
and nitpicky by you

Just as I trust that you're accurate when you say that it's easy for you to read what I pasted above, I'm afraid you'll have to trust that I'm accurate when I say that it's hard for me to read it.

Thanks for your suggestions. I'll try those mods and see if I can live with the help windows as they are. It might be enough, but one thing I find when coming into Paradox games after a lot of DLCs have been released is that the learning curve is pretty high, since each DLC tends to add a new mechanic that has to be mastered. That's why I think the tutorial and the help windows are important. I'll see what I can fix and what I can live with and what I can do using the wiki instead of the in-game resources.
 
Just as I trust that you're accurate when you say that it's easy for you to read what I pasted above, I'm afraid you'll have to trust that I'm accurate when I say that it's hard for me to read it.

Saying, "The default font is hard for me to read" is not something I would argue with someone about--if it's hard for you to read, it's hard for you to read, whether or not it's hard for me. "Default font is terrible", though, is a subjective statement and on with which people can reasonably disagree with.
 
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I use these three UI mods, which I would highly recommend in combination

Oh, fantastic, thank you. I'll try those.

"Default font is terrible", though, is a subjective statement and on with which people can reasonably disagree with.

Only if you think font design and typography are all art and no science, which is not the case. There are objective standards that can be used to judge fonts. For instance, once people are at a proficient level of reading, word recognition becomes as much about recognizing the shape of the word as it is about recognizing each individual letter. It's why things like font kerning and font tracking, which have to do with how close the letters are to one another, matter; too close and the letters lose their distinct shape, which starts blobbing the word and making it less recognizable. If the spacing is inconsistent, as in the font above, then it slows reading down considerably because you can't expect the same letter groupings to appear the same from word to word, which is another handicap in legibility.

In case you're interested (I find it interesting), here are a couple of sites where you can read about these things from professionals who no doubt explain these things better than I can:


"The most legible typefaces are also restrained. They are not excessively light or bold, weight changes within character strokes are subtle, and serifs, if the face has them, do not call attention to themselves. "

"Lighter typefaces are usually more legible than heavier weights of type. They allow for full, open counters and unmodified character shapes."

"Another potential drawback of serif typefaces is that the legibility of individual letters suffers when serifs have exaggerated shapes. Long serifs, those that are exceptionally heavy and those with unusual shapes all detract from legibility. "


If you think that a font that retards legibility can be successful (or "not terrible"), then we can agree to disagree that the font above is terrible. And in case what you wanted was to entice me into the realm of opinion: it's ugly, too.
 
I, for one, actually like the default font. I wouldn't use it if I had to compose a text but it fits to the game. I don't care if a font is objectivley bad (and I even agree that this one is, especially due to bad kerning) in a game as long as it fits to the game. Which in this case and my opinion is true.

Of course in a game like CK (or any PDS GSG) where text is one of the main means of transporting information the chosen font should be both legible and suiting to the game. The default font of CK2 is strong on the "suiting" axis while weak on the "legible" axis. The font the mod's creator has chosen is imho the other extreme. It looks (imho) too "clean" for a game like CK2. For a game set in the modern world it would be fine, though.

My favourite example would be the game Fugger II from the early 90s. It's the spiritual predecessor of The Guild series and only available in German:
1600764458134.png


That font is great for immersion, but hardly anything you would call "legible" - at least not from a modern reader's perpective. Yet I wouldn't want to change it.
 
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Only if you think font design and typography are all art and no science, which is not the case.

<snip>

If you think that a font that retards legibility can be successful (or "not terrible"), then we can agree to disagree that the font above is terrible. And in case what you wanted was to entice me into the realm of opinion: it's ugly, too.

I don't disagree (although I will stand by the position that how legible a particular font might be is somewhat dependent on the reader). My point was that a complaint that you find the font hard to read is more likely to get a positive response from the developers than a complaint that the font is terrible. Though it probably doesn't matter now for CKII, since Paradox isn't going to change the fonts at this point.
 
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I demand Carolingian miniscule with the full range of scribal abbreviations or I turn this car around and go home. :p

Guys, guys. It's a font. Stylistic preferences will always vary, as will eyesight and comfort level. There are also many other considerations here, for example certain fonts will work better with assistive technologies like screen readers. This is not something you're going to resolve by debate. Thankfully, the fonts are very moddable, so everyone's needs can be accommodated. :)
 
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