SOMI:SE Show verbs/items if cursor at bottom of screen via AHK

[hansschmucker]

Nothing big, but this has bugged me enough to learn to use AutoHotKey (which is really brainf... for somebody used to C-like languages ) to fix it.

It doesn't really do anything spectacular and isn't very well written either (first try, remember?), but it gets the job done.

When you go to the bottom of the screen (within 32 pixel to be precise, if you need to change it just edit "edgeActivateBorder := 32" to whatever number you need) it will, depending on which half of the screen you're on either pop up the verb list (left half) or verb list+inventory (right half).

To use it, just install AutoHotKey and associate ahk files with it.
Then drop the code attached below into your Monkey Island Special Edition directory. Rename it to whatever-you-like.ahk (the .ahk part is important, the rest doesn't really matter). (Edit: Added a ZIP file that you can just download and extract, without renaming it)

When you now double click on it, it should open via AutoHotKey and immediately launch SOMI:SE.

Thanks to Derrick and his post on W&G Controls via AHK, which gave me the idea and also roughly told me how to do it.

WARNING: THIS MAY SKIN YOUR CAT AND SERVE IT TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER FOR BREAKFAST
I don't think it will, but you never know. Anyway, it comes with absolutely no warranty.

Any feedback would be very welcome

[hansschmucker]

So.... has anybody other than me tried it so far (the view count is broken, so the 0 next the links doesn't really mean anything)?

[Crono3]

Haven't tried the script, but I did use a program called X-Mouse Button Control to map the verb and inventory functions to the back and forward buttons on my mouse. Works really well.

[hansschmucker]

I could add that too... I assume these buttons work as forward/back buttons in the browser, correct? I guess they'll send the usual multimedia key events then (my mouse only has three buttons)

[prizna]

anyone think the will release new controls for verbs and inventory in an update?

[Irishmile]

I'm not sure why they just didn't leave them on the bottom of the screen to begin with the actual game play screen is the same exact size as the old game... now we just have black bars on the top and bottom..

[Itchrelief]

Originally Posted by Irishmile

I'm not sure why they just didn't leave them on the bottom of the screen to begin with the actual game play screen is the same exact size as the old game... now we just have black bars on the top and bottom..

The black bars on my screen are only about 20 pixels or so wide; definitely not enough space for all the verbs. When I switch between modes, the playscreen shrinks to make space for all of the verbs.

Perhaps there is mismatch between their available resolutions and your monitor's aspect ratio. If I switch from 1920x1080 (native resolution) in the game to 1600x1200, I get a noticeable black box around the game screen (video drivers are set to preserve aspect ratio and not stretch the image to fill the screen). It still needs to shrink the playscreen to fit the verbs, however.

[hansschmucker]

The game always runs in 16/9... because that's what all current generation consoles output for HD resolutions (there aren't even any HD standards for 4:3, basically you're expected to add black borders left and right if you really need it for legacy content). So if you're on a non 16/9 screen you get black borders top/bottom. The 20pixels or so come from PCs traditionally using a 16/10 AR for widescreen (although that's changing). On a 4/3 screen you can calculate quite easily how little of your screen is actually used

16/9 vs 4/3
->
16/9 vs 12/9
->
16 vs 12
->
0.75

25% of your screen will only show black for most games that are available on consoles as well.

[kksmith]

Right, the game is letterboxed. If you have a widescreen monitor, it isn't :P

I would have still prefered something easier to use though.

[RMJ1984]

Originally Posted by kksmith

Right, the game is letterboxed. If you have a widescreen monitor, it isn't :P

I would have still prefered something easier to use though.

I hate to break it to you, but there is indeed black bars in wide screen, i my self are running 1680x1050 16:10 widescreen, and voila i have pretty please black bars.

[Ash735]

The game was "drawn" for 16:9, which is Standard HDTV Ratio, most computer monitors are 16:10 so yes, you'll still get the black bars, but the game will fill the 16:9 as it's suppose to, so really it will leave the black bars on the top and bottom because it hasn't got anything to put there.

[hansschmucker]

I thought we had established by now that you will

[Ash735]

People keep asking why they have Black Bars, we must repeat the answer in as many ways as possible!

[hansschmucker]

OK then:
You see these magical black stripes above and below monkey island. Well, they're magical because not everybody can. Only you.

The reason is that many TVs and monitors ("widescreen monitors") are not good enough to show them, so they just cut them away.

Boy, are these poor souls missing out. You see, these stripes are not really black, they just appear black because your tiny mind would be unable to comprehend. In reality, they are windows into another, wonderful dimension.

[Aractus]

Originally Posted by hansschmucker

Nothing big, but this has bugged me enough to learn to use AutoHotKey (which is really brainf... for somebody used to C-like languages ) to fix it.

It doesn't really do anything spectacular and isn't very well written either (first try, remember?), but it gets the job done.

When you go to the bottom of the screen (within 32 pixel to be precise, if you need to change it just edit "edgeActivateBorder := 32" to whatever number you need) it will, depending on which half of the screen you're on either pop up the verb list (left half) or verb list+inventory (right half).

To use it, just install AutoHotKey and associate ahk files with it.
Then drop the code attached below into your Monkey Island Special Edition directory. Rename it to whatever-you-like.ahk (the .ahk part is important, the rest doesn't really matter). (Edit: Added a ZIP file that you can just download and extract, without renaming it)

When you now double click on it, it should open via AutoHotKey and immediately launch SOMI:SE.

Thanks to Derrick and his post on W&G Controls via AHK, which gave me the idea and also roughly told me how to do it.

WARNING: THIS MAY SKIN YOUR CAT AND SERVE IT TO YOUR GRANDMOTHER FOR BREAKFAST
I don't think it will, but you never know. Anyway, it comes with absolutely no warranty.

Any feedback would be very welcome

I haven't tried it. But it is how LEC should have designed it from the start - the inventory or verb list disappears as soon as you click something, but that's wrong. They should appear together, and then if you click something should stay until you move your mouse away from them. The original game was designed witha "sentance line" and the way that the SE presents the options is not intuitive enough to use it fluently like in the original game. Also they should have kept keyboard support - it's really annoying they didn't - I like to switch between using the mouse and arrow-keys.