[Help needed - mini mod] Shifting skull icon from right to left

[Titan79]

Hi fellow modders!

I tried to do a very small modification by myself but I couldn't find the proper "triggers" to have it working as envisioned.

Basically, I wanted to move the small skull icon for dead characters from the right to the left of the portrait. The reason is that, this way, it would be possible to tell living and dead characters at a glance, especially when there are many portraits in the same window, without the need to put the mouse cursor over every one of them (take a look at the screenshots below to see an actual example of that).

Now, I've discovered that the file I'm looking for is ...\gfx\interface\overlay_char_dead2.dds; so, I've tried to make it wider and to put the skull at the far left of the new panel. Unfortunately, nothing changed in-game as there must be some other file which "fixes" the position of the skull regardless of the .dds file used for it (that's my wild guess, at least).

Does anybody know how could such a problem be circumvented? I know it's a very minor modification but I'd enjoy this UI improvement a lot. Thanks in advance!


Before:

After:

(I know that it's actually possible to see the skulls even in the first screenshot, but only because I didn't bother to find a character with some 8-9 or more siblings. In that case, it would get a lot harder to spot them if they'd be on the right, as you all probably well know)

 

[Arko]

you need to search through the interface files (domestic_dynastic.gui i guess) and simply change the position of the skull, no need to change the .dds file.

 

[Titan79]

Thanks! The required data seems to be right there, actually.

However, I can't figure out how does it work. There are many entries which have a "dead" line, which I assume is one I'm looking for: "liege_portrait_dead", "spouse_portrait_dead", ""character_portrait_dead" etc.

Now, among others, there is always a line like this: position = { x= 297 y = 140 } . The problem, though, is that I think these coordinates refer to the position of the whole portrait + skull, so I don't know what to do in order to isolate and move just the skull icon .

 

[Arko]

Thanks! The required data seems to be right there, actually.

However, I can't figure out how does it work. There are many entries which have a "dead" line, which I assume is one I'm looking for: "liege_portrait_dead", "spouse_portrait_dead", ""character_portrait_dead" etc.

Now, among others, there is always a line like this: position = { x= 297 y = 140 } . The problem, though, is that I think these coordinates refer to the position of the whole portrait + skull, so I don't know what to do in order to isolate and move just the skull icon .

-3rd one i'd say.

-there is one position to set where the portrait block is placed in the window.
-portraits themselves are probably blocks. one block here would be a set of portrait + frame + icons like skulls etc. the different elements have a position set inside said block. it is in this block that you need to change the x value.
i hope i am clear enough^^

 

[Titan79]

I was just about to delete and repost my above reply when I hit F5 . The new post should have looked like that:

---

Thank you a lot! The required data was actually right there.

All what was needed was to change the highlighted value to "0" to obtain the desired goal:

iconType = {
			name ="portrait_dead"
			spriteType = "GFX_overlay_char_dead_small"
			position = { x= [COLOR="#FFD700"]30[/COLOR] y = 30 }
			Orientation = "UPPER_LEFT"
			pdx_tooltip = "CHARACTER_DEAD_TOOLTIP"

Cheers!

 

[Arko]

glad to hear you succeed. welcome to the world of headache interface modding

there is no overlap with another icon at this place ?

the idea is nice, i will maybe borrow it for my mod if it works well

 

[Titan79]

Ha ha, thank you, but I already have a little experience from modding AoD, so I know what does it mean to suffer .

No, there is no overlapping or other unintended problems - the change works just fine, as it was meant to do. See the example below. I've left the bigger skulls in their place as I wasn't bothered by them at all.

Only the small ones needed a fix. IMHO, this change is so sensible that I wonder why PDS hasn't made it look so from the very start (probably in order to keep both skull icons in the bottom right corner of the portraits, but still).

Edit: now that I notice it, that's an impressive children score for a celibate (I know he probably acquired the trait in his late years, but it was funny to point out)