Graphical User Interface

A Graphical User Interface

A Graphical User Interface (or 'GUI' for short) is the part of a program which the user interacts with. Instead of commands which the user has to do to perform functions, they can click buttons and such forth to do perform functions.

Star Sonata's GUI

Original

Over the years that Star Sonata has been running, the game has had two major GUI's the first disappeared some point in 2002 (needs verification). For those who wish to see, yugioh managed to dig up a screen shot of it.
http://i677.photobucket.com/albums/vv131/Jeff_Bobbo/OldClient1GUI.jpg

Current

The current GUI has been around since 2005 according to Jeff, Jeff designed the layout, and then an artist made it. And has many improvements over the original, from quality and user friendliness.

Screen shot of the current GUI:

Client 2

Client 2 is the upcoming client, it has been reprogrammed to run with much improved graphics, giving 3D ship models, while still retaining the old 2D controls. The new client is made up of the image used, and XML files which define parameters for the layout. This gives the user great control over what their game play is like.

The current Client 2 GUI looks something like this: http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs1126.snc4/148848_1715607774246_1359767262_31904937_2025951_n.jpg

This is a screen shot of the client from later 2009, before they decided to redo the GUI: http://img329.imageshack.us/img329/4108/tradeix9.jpg

Modifications

Given that the GUI's were made up of images which users could freely edit, it wasn't hard for users to make their own custom GUI's. With client 2 and use the XML files by the client, this is even easier, and proves great ability and ease to the user. For client 2, this is known as skinning.

Notes and other information

It would be interesting to add, Adum made the purple/grey GUI while he was in Africa.
For the first GUI featured on this page, the files can be downloaded here.