[FEATURE] Options screen

[cambragol]

I am currently fooling about with adding options from the Fallout2.cfg file directly into the preferences screen. Not a big deal, but, I did run into an issue. Kind of.

The preferences via the Preferences screen are all applied/loaded/set 'per game'. I have added a toggle for widescreen (800x500), however, in testing, and through work on the code I realised that the toggle may not really belong on the preferences screen.

It almost seems like there should be an 'Options' screen, accessible though the main menu, where you could set overall game options - screen size, full/windowed, stretching, quality, widescreen etc. - things that are just applied to every game, and are applied on load - don't change during the game.

The main screen link to the preferences page is actually already labelled 'OPTIONS', and the link within game is already 'PREFERENCES' so maybe there was once a thought to take a split approach somewhere in the past.

In any case the issue for me is what other program 'OPTIONS' (i.e. not preferences) could fit on an 'OPTIONS' screen? Because as it stands I have about 5-7 candidates (mentioned above), which is hardly enough to fill a whole screen.

[cambragol]

Two different options/preferences screens seems a little much. Looking at possibilities for a 'widescreen' only enhancement of the preferences screen:

Just mocking things up to work my way through ideas.

[cambragol]

I did get widescreen switching working 'in game' - though it looks cool it really messes around with things, and a 'changes will take effect on reload' message might be safer.

The widescreen mode is configured through offset variables, stored in structs. 200+ offsets. Two modes, but could be adapted for more if desired (no need really though). All offsets can be output to config for modding.

widescreen.mp4

[mikeklaas]

Very cool stuff! I think it would be great to have more configuration available in-game, and it would greatly improve accessibility. Some general thoughts:

• Graphic settings are hard to change in-game, as you note. Even if some can be changed, things like resolution would be tricky. There's a reason so many games have separate config executables. That said, I think "will take effect on restart" is good enough. There is prior art for graphics config screens: https://imgur.com/MSUE18T

• I agree that it should be a separate screen from the OG Fallout screen (which could perhaps grow "tabs" or "sections"? The other way games often do it is a secondary menu to select "gameplay/audio/video/&c" option screens. That works, but we might need to break up the OG options screen for that to be functional.

• I've wondered if we could build a very lightweight screen that could be used to edit ini files in game as a substitute for hand writing each option. This would, for instance, display a checkbox for booleans, multi-select when appropriate, &c. (the comments in the ini would determine how it was rendered in-game)

[cambragol]

I am almost finished already. I opted to stick with the standard preference screen, rather than complicate things with two separate screens. I have added buttons that are accessible only in widescreen mode. They won't be available in default mode. I'll have a popup for when/if any 'graphics' setting are changed, to notify they will take effect on reload.

Currently lining up the new switches. There will also be two 'broken' switches that can be added too later, or will be there just for show.

Here is the current state, not mocked-up:

I thought to have a 'screen' that would display the effects of the various graphics settings, but I don't think it would suit the preference screen.

[cambragol]

I have this fully working now. However, the two 'broken' switches are not sitting that well with me. I can't think of any features to splice in there. Something from Sfall maybe? Startup options? Skip opening movies? Quickload last save?

Here is the current working screen:

[mikeklaas]

What does "Pixel - Square" do this in this screen?

[cambragol]

It limits stretching to whole or half pixels (in the case of retina/hi res screens), so that you get 'pixel perfect' stretching. With Aspect ratio on, you get stretching that attempts to fill the screen, and retains the original ratio, but pixels may be 'stretched'.

Here is stretching with aspect ratio on:

and stretching with square pixel on:

If you zoom in on the aspect ratio version you'll see some pixels are wider/taller than others. With square pixel stretching, all pixels are uniform (square)

[cambragol]

This is the current Preference screen:

The widescreen preferences can be restored by restoring defaults.

[cambragol]

• Graphic settings are hard to change in-game, as you note. Even if some can be changed, things like resolution would be tricky. There's a reason so many games have separate config executables. That said, I think "will take effect on restart" is good enough. There is prior art for graphics config screens: https://imgur.com/MSUE18T
• I agree that it should be a separate screen from the OG Fallout screen (which could perhaps grow "tabs" or "sections"? The other way games often do it is a secondary menu to select "gameplay/audio/video/&c" option screens. That works, but we might need to break up the OG options screen for that to be functional.

I'm not sure if that config screen counts as prior art, as it is not really OG... However, there is this:

Though, I am not sure this helps us here. It could for windows installs though, as part of an installer screen. macOS wouldn't need it of course. But these are not really related to an actual options/preferences screen.

I have grown the preference screen as you can see, with a new 'section' - Currently this entire section is absent in default mode, so we still have a OG version. But if widescreen is set, then the preferences section expands (on reload) and various setting previously accessible only through the fallout2.cfg are now able to be handled in game. Very 'average user' friendly.

However, once in 640x480 mode, there is no way to get back to the widescreen preference screen short of resetting widescreen to 1 in the fallout2.cfg file. Meh.

Hijacking the 'Combat Looks' switch (to restore widescreen) is a reasonable solution I think, as it didn't exist in Fallout 1 - it was a vault tech symbol. So reengineering it as a switch to unlock the widescreen preferences is an approach I may take, and not feel too guilty about.

However, this is for my own fork. If Fallout2-Ce is going to keep incorporating Sfall stuff, perhaps mirroring the prior art/approaches there is best. People 'get it'.