# With Steve's blessing I could make this theme! **URL:** \ **Category:** Suggestions\ **Created:** [September 20, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118 "2026-09-20T22:50:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![sidius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@sidius](https://aurora4x.com/u/sidius)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 10:50pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/1 "2026-09-20T22:50:46Z")
Earlier I posted on the Reddit page about a possible theme rework. You can check it here. [A Theme like this would be great for this game ! : r/aurora](https://www.reddit.com/r/aurora/comments/1wluo6a/a_theme_like_this_would_be_great_for_this_game/) 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 ! 💖 💫 Here’s a preview! ![iyok48ka2rqh1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/uploads/aurora4x/original/2X/6/66e22dbd997b35e80586745847fb5c1c6632a8d5.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![nuclearslurpee](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/nuclearslurpee/32/368_2.png) [@nuclearslurpee](https://aurora4x.com/u/nuclearslurpee)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2026, 11:24pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/2 "2026-09-20T23:24:12Z")
In 3.0 we will have the ability to customize colors and, I believe, icons. Not sure about background images but that would be cool to have as well! ---
**Author:** ![Droll12](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/droll12/32/392_2.png) [@Droll12](https://aurora4x.com/u/Droll12)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/3 "2026-09-21T00:21:57Z")
Given what Steve has already said he’s done I assume he’d need to do some extra work to also support arbitrary images as the background. It’s a cool idea though but I’d be curious to hear the technical details of how you intend to bypass the AuroraPatch need. ---
**Author:** ![AuroraSteve](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/aurorasteve/32/96_2.png) [@AuroraSteve](https://aurora4x.com/u/AuroraSteve)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 8:51am UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/4 "2026-09-21T08:51:21Z")
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. > [@Aurora v3.0.0 Patch Notes - Unreleased](https://aurora4x.com/t/aurora-v3-0-0-patch-notes-unreleased/49/34): > > Background Colour and Map Fonts I’ve added a Display Settings option that pops up from a button on the Tactical Map. You can set the background colour for the whole of Aurora and set a font for the Tactical and Galactic Maps. Any colour can be selected for the background. The fonts are restricted (for now) to five options: Microsoft Sans Serif (default), Segoe UI, Arial, Calibri and Verdana. The fonts only apply to the maps because different fonts have different text lengths for the same wor… > [@Aurora v3.0.0 Patch Notes - Unreleased](https://aurora4x.com/t/aurora-v3-0-0-patch-notes-unreleased/49/44): > > Aurora Colour Configuration As part of an effort to make themes an integral part of Aurora, all colours displayed on maps and in forms are now loaded from an XML file when Aurora starts. There are almost ninety different colour options within the XML, covering a huge variety of different areas. This includes map and form backgrounds, every display option on the tactical and galactic maps and the use of different text colours within forms. Each colour has red, green and blue values, which can … > [@Aurora v3.0.0 Patch Notes - Unreleased](https://aurora4x.com/t/aurora-v3-0-0-patch-notes-unreleased/49/45): > > Graphics Overhaul For v3.0, Aurora is going to look different. I believe there is general consensus that the yellow/blue combination is quite jarring for some players, which is why I introduced the custom colours above. I will be moving to a light grey / soft black combination but that can be changed at user discretion. There are likely to be alternative colour config files shared by players. I am also changing the general appearance away from the current coloured icons to a more consistent se… > [@Aurora v3.0.0 Patch Notes - Unreleased](https://aurora4x.com/t/aurora-v3-0-0-patch-notes-unreleased/49/46): > > Map Body Colony Cost Colour Bodies can now be shown by their colony cost, similar to the System View and using the same colours. The species used for the colony cost is selected on the Miscellaneous tab, although with the growing number of options I might re-arrange that. Here is a brand new game showing Earth with CC \< 2 and Mars/Mercury with CC \< 3. Gas Giants can be shown as a seperate colour too. Low gravity bodies can be included. The light blue is colony cost \< 3, w… ---
**Author:** ![Jarhead0331](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jarhead0331](https://aurora4x.com/u/Jarhead0331)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 12:21pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/5 "2026-09-21T12:21:52Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![nuclearslurpee](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/nuclearslurpee/32/368_2.png) [@nuclearslurpee](https://aurora4x.com/u/nuclearslurpee)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 1:58pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/6 "2026-09-21T13:58:41Z")
> [@AuroraSteve](#): > > 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. Consider me generally interested. ---
**Author:** ![Kaiser](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/kaiser/32/849_2.png) [@Kaiser](https://aurora4x.com/u/Kaiser)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 3:00pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/7 "2026-09-21T15:00:13Z")
I’m also really interested, the background posted looks very intriguing as long as it does not affect performance and so on. Hope Steve can add this option before the next month release. ---
**Author:** ![Boscodiogigia](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/boscodiogigia/32/2379_2.png) [@Boscodiogigia](https://aurora4x.com/u/Boscodiogigia)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 4:31pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/8 "2026-09-21T16:31:25Z")
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? ---
**Author:** ![AuroraSteve](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/aurorasteve/32/96_2.png) [@AuroraSteve](https://aurora4x.com/u/AuroraSteve)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 5:16pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/9 "2026-09-21T17:16:51Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![sidius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@sidius](https://aurora4x.com/u/sidius)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 10:34pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/10 "2026-09-21T22:34:46Z")
I can help design some really cool space backgrounds and nebulas! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![sidius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@sidius](https://aurora4x.com/u/sidius)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2026, 10:36pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/11 "2026-09-21T22:36:11Z")
Also im thinking if vector is supported? it would fit to scale in any resolution. ---
**Author:** ![buczbucz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@buczbucz](https://aurora4x.com/u/buczbucz)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 8:43am UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/12 "2026-09-22T08:43:57Z")
Would it be possible to go 1 step further and have different backgrounds for different systems? That would amazing! ---
**Author:** ![rom8n](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/rom8n/32/1888_2.png) [@rom8n](https://aurora4x.com/u/rom8n)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 5:33pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/13 "2026-09-22T17:33:24Z")
I’d maybe base it off the star type, with some variations. ---
**Author:** ![EchidnaNightmares](https://yyz1.discourse-cdn.com/flex011/user_avatar/aurora4x.com/echidnanightmares/32/1861_2.png) [@EchidnaNightmares](https://aurora4x.com/u/EchidnaNightmares)\ **Post date:** [September 22, 2026, 9:08pm UTC](https://aurora4x.com/t/with-steves-blessing-i-could-make-this-theme/1118/14 "2026-09-22T21:08:32Z")
Looks cool! I’d love a time machine to see how if implemented, other background image ideas come about through such a functionality.