Modern Char Select with Custom SoD Logos

Grinkles

Grinkles

Developer
Staff member
EDIT: Download link has been removed as this has been officially patched in as of Summer 2017.​

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If you're playing SoD from a Titanium install, this is most likely the background zone that you see when you reach the character selection screen:

t7ijGSY.jpg

If you're playing SoD from the current Daybreak/Steam install (which is now doable thanks to the 2.5 client), your char select most likely looks more like this:

4MoxB96.jpg

In an effort to modernize SoD's char select, I've taken the relevant Live files, customized the logos on the archway and on the stone slab at the character's feet so that they read "SoD," tweaked the particle effects in the background somewhat, and compiled everything in a .zip folder so that anyone can use them. Here is the result:

a1TKU2O.jpg

The slab underneath the character is somewhat hard to see, so here's a .gif comparing the original logo with the customized logo:

NjEPD9Q.gif

If you would like to upgrade your login experience with this custom SoD version, follow these steps:

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INSTRUCTIONS/DOWNLOAD
  1. Locate the following files within your SoD directory and rename them as follows:
    • clz.emt > clz old.emt
    • clz.eqg > clz old.eqg
    • clz.zon > clz old.zon
      • This file might not exist for Titanium users; ignore it.
    • clz_chr.txt > clz_chr old.txt
    • clz_EnvironmentEmitters.txt > clz_EnvironmentEmitters old.txt
  2. Download the following .zip folder:
    • Custom Modern Char Select.zip (Filesize: ~8 MB)
      • EDIT: Removed link as this has been officially patched in.
  3. Open the downloaded .zip folder and move all its contents into your SoD directory.
  4. Open the game client, log in, and enjoy.
NOTE: If this causes crashes or you wish to revert to your original char select, delete the five new files and restore the original file names (refer to Step 1).

EDIT: For best results, pair with my Custom SoD Login and Loadscreen Art.

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Thanks goes to @AngryCow, @Ovisha, and @Haenir for answering questions I had regarding the char select screen, and special thanks to @Binsin for confirming it works on a Titanium install.

If anyone has trouble getting this to work, leave a reply here or PM me and we'll figure it out. And as always, any feedback is appreciated (even if it's just to say that it worked on your end).
 
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For DIRECTIONS/DOWNLOAD, skip to the GREEN TEXT below.​

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I've taken SoD's char select one step further recently with a new UI mod. I realize these mods are getting a bit scattered and out of hand, so I'll likely create a megathread in the future to act as a one-stop shop for users wanting to download multiple fixes/mods at once. For now, this thread seemed the best place to post this addition.
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Character selection and character creation have several shortcomings when it comes to UI windows. For example, look at this large screenshot of the char select screen and then the notes that follow (click the image for full resolution if needed):

LA9mL1u.jpg
  • Font size on buttons is small.
  • Huge EverQuest logo despite that our server's lore has nothing to do with that game.
  • Enter Tutorial and Return Home buttons will be forever grayed out because they are not used here.
  • Quit button is not incorporated into the window with the rest of the buttons.
  • Characters, Character Selection, and Enter World decals have pixelation and use a font seen nowhere else in the game.
  • Filigrees (border decorations) around every single window are distracting and unnecessary.
  • Characters: X/10 is the only text on the entire screen that isn't centered.
Character creation is worse:

UaF4Iz6.jpg
  • Font size on buttons is small.
  • Still has that gaudy EverQuest logo.
  • Decals (Race, Class, etc.) are pixelated here too and use the same oddball font not found anywhere else.
  • Create Character decal is not centered on its button.
  • Stat names are in all caps.
  • Order of stats in the Advanced window doesn't match in-game inventory/Fomelo order.
  • Stat value boxes and +/- buttons are not aligned with stat buttons. (They are all 2-3 pixels too high.)
  • Drakkin and Berserker icons are not grayed out despite that they have never been usable in SoD.
  • Name window has no border and obscures character's feet.
A lot of these are nitpicks, but presentation is important, especially to newcomers. The login experience is the first opportunity SoD has to show a player that it stands out from the competition, yet the char select/create screens are full of holdovers from the original game that don't do us any favors. :rolleyes:

Here's my take on the char select screen:

UQ2sZTk.jpg
  • Bigger font.
  • Shards of Dalaya logo replaces the old one.
  • Enter World replaced with Enter Dalaya.
  • Removed non-functional Enter Tutorial and Return Home buttons.
  • Incorporated Quit button with the rest of the buttons.
  • Characters: X/10 text is now centered.
  • All decals, logos, borders, and backgrounds match the aesthetic of the custom login and loadscreen art I shared earlier this year.
And here's a revised character creation screen:

EJKUsqa.jpg
  • Bigger font.
  • Shards of Dalaya logo.
  • Create Character decal now centered on its button.
  • Stat names are no longer in all caps.
  • Order of stats changed to match in-game inventory/Fomelo.
  • Stat value boxes and +/- buttons are properly aligned.
  • Removed unnecessary background from name window.
  • Drakkin and Berserker icons permanently grayed out.
  • As with char select, all decals, logos, borders, and backgrounds conform to a consistent aesthetic when coupled with my custom SoD login art.
  • Includes an install option for Classic or Luclin models in the Race box, depending on your preference. (Classic shown here.)
If you'd like to give this custom SoD char select/create UI mod a try, read on.

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DIRECTIONS/DOWNLOAD
  1. Go to [SoD Directory] > uifiles and create a copy of default.
    • This copy will serve as a backup in case you want/need to revert later on.
  2. Download the following .zip folder:
  3. Within the zip, open Put These Files in Default UI and place all those files within default (NOT within the copy you made in Step 1), overwriting when prompted.
  4. Within the zip, open If You Prefer X Races, Also Put These in Default UI (pick according to your preference) and place all those files within default as well (NOT within the copy you made in Step 1).
  5. Load up the client and see what it looks like for you!
    • Be sure to click the Create Character button to check out the creation screen too, not just char select.
Note: The copy made in Step 1 can be used to revert to the original if you so desire. Delete your default folder and simply rename default - copy to default. This should restore your default UI.​

For best results, I recommend also downloading the following:
  1. Modern Char Select with Custom SoD Logos (First post in this thread.)
  2. Custom SoD Login and Loadscreen Art
  3. Custom SoD Icon for In-Game EQ Button
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Let me know if you encounter any problems. Shout-out to @Binsin for confirming this works on a Titanium install!
 
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Just a minor update. Looking at the buttons at char select made me realize how silly the button order is. 99% of the time when a player comes to this screen, s/he is going to use the Enter Dalaya button, so I moved it to the top to be right under the character list:

Xyu994z.jpg

The download link in my previous post has already been updated. (Those who downloaded the previous version only need to extract EQUI_CharacterListWnd.xml from the new download.) If, for some reason, you preferred the Enter Dalaya button in its old spot, let me know and I can supply you with the old download.
 
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