Changing color of grid lines system/combat view?
 

I have a very hard time distinguishing the color of the dark blue grid lines against the black starmap used in the system and combat maps, when the show grid options are on for system and combat views. I rely on the grid lines heavily for moving ships right where I want them and I want to make them MUCH brighter.

I tried altering the following files:

[SE4Dir]\Pictures\Backgrd.bmp (1.22 kb)
[SE4Dir]\Pictures\Dialogs\Rowgrid.bmp (1.28 mb)

As far as I can tell changing these *should* alter the color of the gridlines. However, even making the dark blue into something really bright (red, green, bright blue) doesn't seem to change the gridline colors in game. I've double-checked that I'm saving the files in the right place (made backups of originals), they have the right names/attributes/etc., but no matter how I change them the game doesn't even seem to use them.

I know I can just alter the brightness/contrast on my monitor, but I like those settings just the way they are for just about everything EXCEPT these silly dark grid lines. So, I want to change the grid line colors, not fiddle with the monitor settings. Am I not altering the right files? Do they need some sort of special attribute settings I'm somehow not saving properly?

Any help appreciated.

Re: Changing color of grid lines system/combat vie
 

I believe those files do not refer to the system grid or the combat grid, but rather to grids elsewhere in the GUI, such as the galaxy map. As far as I know, there is no way to change the color of the grids on the system map and the combat map. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/frown.gif

You could try an alternate Starmap.bmp image which provide greater contrast. Make sure to replace both the one in Pictures\System and in the appropriate subfolder of this folder, depending on which resolution you use. The small one in the system folder is used in combat and as the image in the small picture box on the right side of the screen, where planet images normally go for the selected planet. The ones in the 1024 and 800 folders are used as system backgrounds for the main game screen.

Re: Changing color of grid lines system/combat view?
 

I know it can be done. I had the same problem with the combat screen and changed it myself once. Let me see if I can remember which file it was, cause I thought it was the Backgrd.bmp and you say you've already tried that one. I'll get back to you.

Geoschmo

Re: Changing color of grid lines system/combat view?
 

Ok, well it looks like I was wrong. Boy, getting old sucks. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

I think now what happened was I had the same problem and tried to change it and could not and ended up cranking up the contrast on the monitor. It's been so long ago, I must have just misremembered it. Sorry if I got your hopes up.

Geoschmo

Re: Changing color of grid lines system/combat view?
 

Are you using LCT or CRT? I had no problems seeing the grid lines on an old CRT monitor, but on my *NEW* *IMPROVED* LCT, all I can see are the horizontal lines.

Fortunately, the monitor does display squarely, so I created a template that has marks on it to be able to determine the number of spaces between my ship and the enemy (for tactical combat).

For any other purpose, I turned the option on to display locations and distances and rely on that for movement purposes.

Re: Changing color of grid lines system/combat view?
 

If your video card supports adjusting the gamma, that might help. I never saw the "circuitry" in the window borders until I changed that.