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#47456 - 20/11/2001 11:16 Modify Player fonts?
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
I've noticed that some of the characters in the player default fonts are not antialiased - this is a bit inconsistent too.

For instance, in the small font that displays for playlist track: 3, 6, 8 and 9 are not antialiased. 0 is. In the larger font (elapsed time) the same numbers are. There are more instances, but I haven't written them donw and don't have the empeg with me right now.

I'd like to fix some of the problem characters. I've been antialiasing by hand with limited color selection for well over 10 years, so this simple bitmap font is trivial. Done for legibility, because right now I find it a bit hard for some of the characters.

Of course I need the bitmap file for the fonts. :) If anyone knows how to extract this data, please let me know. Alternately if anyone at empeg would be willing to let me fix up the bitmap and then submit for approval, they could put it in the next beta release.

Bruno
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#47457 - 20/11/2001 11:23 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: hybrid8]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31565
Loc: Seattle, WA
This is one of the very first things I wanted to do when I got my player.

I never figured out how to do it. The font files are pretty obvious, I just never deciphered the file format.
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Tony Fabris

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#47458 - 20/11/2001 11:32 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: hybrid8]
tms13
old hand

Registered: 30/07/2001
Posts: 1115
Loc: Lochcarron and Edinburgh
I dislike the accented letters in the small fonts; do you think they can be improved?
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Toby Speight
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#47459 - 20/11/2001 11:48 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: tms13]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5680
Loc: London, UK
I did tweak the e-acute and e-grave characters in v2.0 to make the e larger. Is it those you're referring to, or other accented characters?

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-- roger

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#47460 - 20/11/2001 12:04 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: Roger]
tms13
old hand

Registered: 30/07/2001
Posts: 1115
Loc: Lochcarron and Edinburgh
I was particularly thinking of e-acute and e-grave (these are fairly common in the Scottish and Irish parts of my folk collection). 'e' is a particularly difficult character, 'cos it's already got so much detail; there's not much room for the accent.

I guess that the brightest grey is still too dark to use alone for the accent?

I'm running 2.0b3, BTW.
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Toby Speight
030103016 (80GB Mk2a, blue)
030102806 (0GB Mk2a, blue)

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#47461 - 20/11/2001 13:24 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: tms13]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
I noticed the same thing. Also, at least some of them don't exist at all in some of the visuals that include text. I particularly like my "H sker D " tracks.
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Bitt Faulk

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#47462 - 20/11/2001 13:29 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: wfaulk]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31565
Loc: Seattle, WA
I particularly like my "H sker D " tracks.

That was supposed to have been fixed already. Which version of the software are you running, and which screens do you see this problem in?

I originally noticed it in my Blue yster Cult tracks... But they all look fine now...
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Tony Fabris

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#47463 - 20/11/2001 13:37 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: tfabris]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31565
Loc: Seattle, WA
In fact, I just checked it with "Hüsker Dü" by deliberately entering one of those ü characters into the artist field, then looking at the track name in the infotex visual. The little umlat over the u appears just fine.

I went to allmusic.com, then cut and pasted, to make sure I had the right character for the ü.
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Tony Fabris

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#47464 - 20/11/2001 13:42 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: tfabris]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
1.03 still. I know....

Infotex at least. I don't really know the names. I don't play with the visuals that much. I just thought it was funny.
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Bitt Faulk

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#47465 - 20/11/2001 14:04 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: tfabris]
TommyE
enthusiast

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 356
Loc: NORWAY
In Norwegian 'Hüsker Dü' (spelled 'Husker Du') means "Do you remember?".
There was a TV program here in Norway many years ago, where they played
and sang old songs. All people between 80 and death used to listen to it.

So now you know....

TommyE

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#47466 - 20/11/2001 17:45 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: TommyE]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
In America, back in the 60s, there was a board game called ``Hüsker Dü'', with the umlauts. It was basically a version of Concentration (where you have 25 or so cards face down, you turn one over, then have to find one that matches, removing them as you find pairs). This was sort of a pop culture reference to the guys in the band, and was where the name came from. I've heard other people from Scandinavia (I think there are very similar, if not identical, phrases in Danish and Swedish) claim that they thought the umlauts were generic heavy metal posing, like Spinal Tap (sorry -- there's no character for n-umlaut). Fairly recently, Pressman games started making Hüsker Dü again.
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Bitt Faulk

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#47467 - 21/11/2001 01:45 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: wfaulk]
TommyE
enthusiast

Registered: 08/06/1999
Posts: 356
Loc: NORWAY
Hehe, after having a look at http://www.pressmangames.com/huskerdu.html
I now understand. The ' ¨ ' over the u or U is not right, it us confused with a straight bar.

In handwriting many people, In Norway and I guess Denmark too, use a straight bar (like on the graphics on http://www.pressmangames.com/huskerdu.html) to show that they really mean a 'u'. (I think older people tend to do it more than younger people.My grandma learned to use the straight bar at school. I didnt')

I think that this means that the band 'Hüsker Dü' is written wrong... hehe
It should be 'Husker Du'.

Bug in Empeg solved.... hehe


TommyE

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#47468 - 21/11/2001 06:42 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: TommyE]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
That's weird. What would a `u' be confused with?

Also, I seem to remember that the original game actually used umlauts. Perhaps they corrected it when it was rereleased. Then again, I could just be wrong, as I can't seem to find a picture of the old box anywhere.
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Bitt Faulk

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#47469 - 21/11/2001 17:47 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: wfaulk]
smu
old hand

Registered: 30/07/2000
Posts: 879
Loc: Germany (Ruhrgebiet)
Hi.

That's weird. What would a `u' be confused with?

Well, "n", at least with the handwriting of my parents and grandparents, "u" and "n" could be easily confused, and they all use a straight bar to mark the "u". However, my primary school teacher (I am still (loose) friends with her, even over 15 years after I left primary school) used to use a straight bar instead of the umlaut (but you couldn't confuse her "n" and "u").

cu,
sven
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#47470 - 21/11/2001 21:49 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: Roger]
hybrid8
carpal tunnel

Registered: 12/11/2001
Posts: 7738
Loc: Toronto, CANADA
Roger, any chance I can email you about specific characters I was referring to with my original request? But again, I'd be willing to do the work myself for you to look at.

Bruno
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Bruno
Twisted Melon : Fine Mac OS Software

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#47471 - 22/11/2001 02:25 Re: Modify Player fonts? [Re: hybrid8]
Roger
carpal tunnel

Registered: 18/01/2000
Posts: 5680
Loc: London, UK
Yeah, send me an email. We'll either fix it, or I'll try to persuade Rob to let you have the font source files.
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-- roger

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