"Live for Speed" - Game Skin Edition

Primaryman · 01-22-2007, 06:38 AM

When designing my first LFS profile I tried to do domething a bit different and the finish product was good but I felt it didn't really have a connection to the game. The style was quite generic and really could work with any sim so I decided to reskin that profile into something which everyone would immediately associate with LFS.

This new profile is designed to closely resemble the actual LFS game GUI and uses backgrounds and imagary any LFS player would find familiar. I have got the official OK from the game developers to use their graphics so everything is above board.

Get it here:

http://www.touch-buddy.com/forums/lo...ks.php?catid=4

The profile itself is almost identical to my earlier effort (I simply reskined the backgrounds and buttons, only took 1/2 a day) except I have decided to omit the Talk Tab with its full keyboard since I found it slower to use this than actually type. Here are some screens of the tabs:

If you download this profile and use it please check out the readme since it explains how to put your own custom CHAT messages into the profile rather than my default ones. Its pretty simple. If anyone really whants their own custom CHAT tab but doesn't have the software to create it just drop me a PM or post here and I'll make you one.

krel01 · 01-22-2007, 08:12 AM

Congrats! The profile looks very professional! Reminds me of a keycard
coming right out of the game box (as it was in early days)!

zorlac · 01-22-2007, 09:14 AM

Do you actually sleep at all? Thats three very good profiles in a very short time....

Primaryman · 01-22-2007, 09:46 PM

This one really didn't take that long. I find the thing that takes the longest time is the intial design, working out the key commands, programming all the macros and lots of testing. I had pretty much done all that in the other profile so all I did was reskin the buttons and changed the background and hey presto new profile. This was purely 2D and I lifted most of it from the game, hence why I emailed the devs for permission.

RacerTippy · 01-23-2007, 05:18 PM

Primary, I am stunned by your work. I have to ask, what do you do for a living?
I don't know if it's a US only expression or not, but "A rising tide floats all boats". Your profile it so beautiful I'm embarrased for mine, but it will only make me work harder to make mine somehow more pleasing and polished.

Tommy

Primaryman · 01-23-2007, 10:19 PM

Thanks for the kind words Tippy but like you say it was the quality of all the other authors work that really pushed me into producing my profiles. In particular was Ruggbutts F15 profile, that just blew my away, and inspired me jump in and do my Orbiter profile. I make my living as an Architect, 12 years in the game so far. I do enjoy design but I think my strengths lay in the technical aspect and I think that helps with this sorta stuff, and I do work on computers all day, so I use Cad, Photoshop etc.. all the time.

There appears to be two approaches to profiles:
1.) The simple button interface.
2.) Reproduction of real life interfaces.

Flight sims really seems to suite no.2, since the keyboard macros are generally reproducing actual mechanical systems. This is the approach I took with my Orbiter profile and what I tried to do for my first LFS profile. But in race sims alot of the commands are nothing you would find in a real car purely used to control the game interface. That is why I decided to redo my LFS profile as a simple button interface. The difficultly now becomes how do I make a simple button interface look as slick and stylely as those switch heavy cockpit profiles. I took the approach of trying to make it look as close to the game GUI as possible. Perhaps you should look a rFactor and use that as guide. The game writers hire very talented and expensive designers why not use their talent. Care has to be taken on copyright though, I got permission from the LFS devs to use all the images I ripped from the games folders but LFS isn't a freely moddable game like rF so it might be different.

Off course you can mix the two. Switch heavy realistic reproductions for the items that could be considered real world and buttons for the sim stuff. They can be seperated on different tabs or, like the MFD on my orbiter profile or the notepad on my first LFS, be included on the same tabs.

Gee what a rant. Oh well have fun thats the main thing.

01-22-2007, 06:38 AM	#1 (permalink)
Primaryman Junky Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 80	"Live for Speed" - Game Skin Edition When designing my first LFS profile I tried to do domething a bit different and the finish product was good but I felt it didn't really have a connection to the game. The style was quite generic and really could work with any sim so I decided to reskin that profile into something which everyone would immediately associate with LFS. This new profile is designed to closely resemble the actual LFS game GUI and uses backgrounds and imagary any LFS player would find familiar. I have got the official OK from the game developers to use their graphics so everything is above board. Get it here: http://www.touch-buddy.com/forums/lo...ks.php?catid=4 The profile itself is almost identical to my earlier effort (I simply reskined the backgrounds and buttons, only took 1/2 a day) except I have decided to omit the Talk Tab with its full keyboard since I found it slower to use this than actually type. Here are some screens of the tabs: If you download this profile and use it please check out the readme since it explains how to put your own custom CHAT messages into the profile rather than my default ones. Its pretty simple. If anyone really whants their own custom CHAT tab but doesn't have the software to create it just drop me a PM or post here and I'll make you one. Last edited by Primaryman; 01-22-2007 at 06:57 AM.

01-22-2007, 08:12 AM	#2 (permalink)
krel01 Dealer Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Germany Posts: 109	Congrats! The profile looks very professional! Reminds me of a keycard coming right out of the game box (as it was in early days)! __________________ Greetings krel01

01-22-2007, 09:14 AM	#3 (permalink)
zorlac Creator Join Date: May 2006 Location: Cambridge, UK Posts: 1,623	Do you actually sleep at all? Thats three very good profiles in a very short time.... __________________ (Setup: XP Pro, classic mode, LinITX 8" touchscreen (Client/Server), 19" touchscreen (Local), latest development version of TouchBuddy)

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01-22-2007, 09:46 PM	#4 (permalink)
Primaryman Junky Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 80	This one really didn't take that long. I find the thing that takes the longest time is the intial design, working out the key commands, programming all the macros and lots of testing. I had pretty much done all that in the other profile so all I did was reskin the buttons and changed the background and hey presto new profile. This was purely 2D and I lifted most of it from the game, hence why I emailed the devs for permission.

01-23-2007, 05:18 PM	#5 (permalink)
RacerTippy Junky Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: Orlando, Fl Posts: 44	Primary, I am stunned by your work. I have to ask, what do you do for a living? I don't know if it's a US only expression or not, but "A rising tide floats all boats". Your profile it so beautiful I'm embarrased for mine, but it will only make me work harder to make mine somehow more pleasing and polished. Tommy

01-23-2007, 10:19 PM	#6 (permalink)
Primaryman Junky Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Auckland, NZ Posts: 80	Thanks for the kind words Tippy but like you say it was the quality of all the other authors work that really pushed me into producing my profiles. In particular was Ruggbutts F15 profile, that just blew my away, and inspired me jump in and do my Orbiter profile. I make my living as an Architect, 12 years in the game so far. I do enjoy design but I think my strengths lay in the technical aspect and I think that helps with this sorta stuff, and I do work on computers all day, so I use Cad, Photoshop etc.. all the time. There appears to be two approaches to profiles: 1.) The simple button interface. 2.) Reproduction of real life interfaces. Flight sims really seems to suite no.2, since the keyboard macros are generally reproducing actual mechanical systems. This is the approach I took with my Orbiter profile and what I tried to do for my first LFS profile. But in race sims alot of the commands are nothing you would find in a real car purely used to control the game interface. That is why I decided to redo my LFS profile as a simple button interface. The difficultly now becomes how do I make a simple button interface look as slick and stylely as those switch heavy cockpit profiles. I took the approach of trying to make it look as close to the game GUI as possible. Perhaps you should look a rFactor and use that as guide. The game writers hire very talented and expensive designers why not use their talent. Care has to be taken on copyright though, I got permission from the LFS devs to use all the images I ripped from the games folders but LFS isn't a freely moddable game like rF so it might be different. Off course you can mix the two. Switch heavy realistic reproductions for the items that could be considered real world and buttons for the sim stuff. They can be seperated on different tabs or, like the MFD on my orbiter profile or the notepad on my first LFS, be included on the same tabs. Gee what a rant. Oh well have fun thats the main thing.