This concept is based on one of the dark themes that was on the old forum using AuroraPatch but i can figure out a way of making it by bypassing it entirely. Obviously i wont work on it without Steve’s say so as its his game but with his blessing i can work on it if there’s enough demand for it… As always thanks Steve for spoiling us with this game! Keep up the great work and i cant wait for 3.0 !
See these posts for the graphics changes in v3.0. Adding an option for a background image is very easy if there is a general interest in that. I used to have one in early versions of Aurora, but it made the map icons harder to see.
While this look is attractive and it would be a nice option to have, for me, it would be somewhat immersion breaking. The spartan interface and display screens are like utilitarian computer displays. To me, it’s like looking at a monitor aboard the bridge of a vessel or at a station in some command center. This is the aesthetic I embrace. Making the display look more like something you would see in a game like Stellaris is a step back in my view.
Again, not knocking this. It looks good and there is certainly an audience for it, but personally I prefer a more authentic or simulation look over the more traditional game style map background.
Thank you @AuroraSteve . It would be great if you could add the option to use background images while playing. I was also wondering whether it would be possible to add multiple backgrounds and have the game randomly select one whenever a new system is generated. This could add much more variety and atmosphere to the star systems.
Imagine having a collection of 100 background images or even more: each system could have a slightly different colour palette, appearance or visual theme. I think that would be awesome. What do you think? Will be a problem for the game handling it?
Technically, it is straightforward. It is just replacing the form background. I used to have this functionality and removed it because it makes it harder to understand what is happening when there are a lot of icons on the screen.
Whatever image was the default would have to stretch to fit the resolution of the user, so it would be blurry for some people unless cropped to the right size, which means it would be down to each user to find the best image for them, or for people on the forums to create them for specific resolutions. Also, finding 100+ images that all add background flavour without interfering with the display would be tricky.
Bear in mind it is literally a two minute task for me to add my own background and I don’t do it
If you find a suitable image, I can show you what it would look like.
