Monday, March 9, 2015

Revised User Interface

In the next game release the game will change to use a widescreen layout, 1067x600, instead of the current 800x600

Also the general look and feel will alter to a more modern, flat style. While not my preference, as in I am not a fan of the Metro style for Windows 8, I am still going with it from discussions at the Futanari Palace.

To give an idea here is a mockup. The game will not be exactly this, but quite similar. The icon bar may differ than this mockup. As will some of the icons for the tabs.


Also some older slaves will not use the full screen area for images. XML based slaves will center and display fine and most background images in the game are updated.




Comments/Feedback
While most people generally like the new layout some people have said they do not like the new layout, in some cases saying it is cold or too much like a phone app, or anachronistic for a fantasy game.


The game will support altering all the colours you see in the screen and will support altering the icons for the tabs etc you see (maybe not in the initial release)


You are completely welcome to suggest alternate layouts if you feel something would look better BUT I am only going to use a single final layout, I will not be coding the game to support alternate layouts! Still suggest away, either by posting a link to an alternate version here in a comment or in the thread at the Futanari Palace.

82 comments:

  1. just out of curiosity - and not to sound too impatient :-) : any date for the next release? thanks cmac. I really appreciate the hard work

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  2. I'm with you on not liking the windows 8 style but it makes sense to listen to feedback.

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  3. Thanks for enabling widescreen display.

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  4. Thanks for your efforts. It is possible to change the colour into more "wood and paper- stone style" like. Since the game is supposed to be in a medieval setting and the modern look kills the atmosphere.

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    1. The colour schemes are configuable by editing the file configuration.xml as they are now,. Actually you will have finer control in the new version.

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  5. dont like kind look like the screen is scream a me you 2 years old cant think hopefully you can change the color that migth help do allway happy to hear you doing new thing wiht the game

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  6. The layout is fine, but the white-on-cyan colour scheme makes me think of a mobile phone app and the icons are way too modern; the little stereotypical house and clean, rounded "Aa" in particular. Maybe you could have an open book symbol for the text?
    Just my opinion anyway, even if it ends up like this, I'm sure I'll get used to it.

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    1. As I note above the actualy colours are editiable if you do not like a particular scheme.

      Some of the icons are also different in the final draft, notably the Aa icon is a book

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  7. I am with the other the style seams fine, but the colors are a bit strange. is it possible for you to keep the current color pattern?

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    1. As I replied above the colours are editable

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    2. Nice!
      Sorry that i didn't read everything

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  8. I really like the new look

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  9. Are You going to release a full torrent?(I mean the whole game)
    Or will it be an Upgrade?

    Considering that some game properties have most likely changed I would really want to have a fully functional torrent just to avoid any kinds of possible bugs that may occur (or am I just to paranoid?)

    There were some bugs with the hauseholds and other minor glitches after my last upgrades, so i think that a full version debuged by the creator would be the best for existing and potentaill new users.

    Just saying what's on my mind and sorry any kind of errors in my writing.

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    1. Ya i downloaded the torrent file about 3 mouths ago and have been trying to seed but I never see any peers asking for it. I have a horrible ratio.

      Its hard to find the download location in futanaripalace. https://www.futanaripalace.com/showthread.php?31525-Slave-Maker-Downloads seems like the logical place but I can't find a link for 3.4.03 anywhere even when I check all of "cmacleod"'s posts.

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    2. Version 3.4.03 (Beta and upgrade only)
      https://mega.co.nz/#!ZwAhASJZ!4rnAlzIBp1uMOi5-pyBLdO0BIVh0iXxP-2Pnz87oVlo

      For the original commenter, all releases of the game include a torrent of the full game + filehost downloads, and will have upgrade versions as well

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    3. My apologizes for being a pain. I'm normally pretty good at figuring stuff out. Back tracking a person's post is normally the easy way to find stuff but it didn't work this time. I'm very patient and I have other things to do, that is the main reason I haven't asked for the link directly.

      Thanks for the link and all the hard work.

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  10. I'd just like to second not being a fan of the Windows 8 style, nor of those default colors.

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  11. I'm sorry but this looks like generic shit. I mean even if you can change the default font and the colours, the general feel would be more in line with a sci fi themed game then a fantasy one.

    Will it be possible to mod and at least make new texture/theme packs?

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    1. Please see my replies above, the colours are editable

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    2. Thanks, I did.

      I meant would it be possible to replace the actual elements like icons, the texture backdrop for the windows or the font used?

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    3. The fonts are too difficult to customise, and I am not changing the font used by the game anyway. The game basically uses Arial almost everywhere (Verdana in some cases but it is being phased out, but it is almost the same anyway) Some places it uses Times New Roman and those have not changed, but may also change to Arial

      Icons are possible but not sure if I will do so in 3.4.03

      I do not use any background textures anymore (and only did in a limited way before for the lowest background) All are flat

      Buttons will not be customisable except you will be able to change colour and font colour

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  12. Sorry if this is off topic. In my current installation, the docks vanished for all slaves. Is this a known bug and do you know what to do about it? Or do i have to re-download the game?

    Also i wanted to express my joy about seeing this project alive and kicking. I look forward to the new interface. While i really liked the old one, i think a clean design is never a bad thing.

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    1. This is a bug in one of the beta versions, try the beta 3.4.03 I posted above

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  13. looks very nice XD can't wait for it to come out~

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  14. I appreciate the idea to go widescreen. And a facelift once in a while is always a good idea.

    But this look and feel??? Really? If you were programming some smartphone app for car rental or a navigation system, such a flat and modern look might be appropriate.
    But you're working on a fantasy game. It doesn't have to - well, it shouldn't - look modern. Shouldn't the look and feel improve the game's atmosphere instead of being just functional? This new look is modern and sterile and imho a total mood killer.

    Sorry for not being totally happy. Nevertheless, your hard and unceasing work is greatly appreciated.

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    1. If you would like to suggest an alternate layout please feel free, either post here or in the discussion thread at the futanari palace

      The currently layout is what was suggested and discussed there, and after all the currently layout is sort of similar just using buttons not icons etc

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    2. First of all, I hope, I didn't sound rude. If so, my sincerest apologies.

      And from what I've read so far, most people like that new look. And, well, most of all, YOU have to like it. If you are happy with it, then it is okay. You put a lot of time and effort into this game and offer it for free, so who am I to complain.

      Concerning fonts: From what I've read above, you want to use Arial and you don't want to use background textures. Arial is a good choice, because it is easy to read. It looks quite modern with its lack of serifes, but sure, readability trumps playfulness, especially if you have a lot of text or data :-)
      I don't know if it would look good to write in italics - at least texts, not neccessarily all those stat labels. The tilted letters would at least suggest at handwriting (a little bit at least).
      Maybe you could consider a more playful font just for buttons? Here readability is less of a problem.

      Concerning colors: My idea would be not to use colors that look outright chemical and candy colored. Most fantasy games I know try to mimick wood, stone or other "natural" surfaces. Without background textures, maybe you could try colors that look like those already used a thousand years ago, colors that hint at wood, stone, animal hides, blood and other "natural" colors and pigments.

      Concering buttons: In a fantasy game buttons should in my opinion look three dimensional, looking like something solid to push. Could you imagine the door to a dwarf kingdom being opened by a touchpad? In a scifi game that would be totally okay, but in a fantasy world I rather expect to push a button that is a solid piece of stone or wood.

      Concerning the tab icons: The first two (collar and whip) are fine. The house icon, while not looking bad, is in my opinion a bit too used and "preoccupied". Seeing it, I automatically associate "internet" and "homepage" with it, but not neccessarily "house of my character". Do you have a different house (cottage, castle, ...) available?
      The "Aa" tab is in my opinion a bit problematic. First, it is the only tab with letters instead of symbols, which clashes a bit with the style of the rest. And especcially here Arial is in my opinion a bad choice, it emphasizes the modernity too much. Several games I know use in similar places symbols of things like quills, parchment etc. And if you want to use letters here, it would be a place where I would be tempted to use a rather playful and archaic font.

      I don't know what options and limitations you have with Flash/Actionscript and with Win8, I never worked with those products, so I don't know if what I've said is feasible or usefull or makes much sense. It's just some suggestions from a fan :-)

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  15. That looks awesome!

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  16. OK...but....and your health ?

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    1. Thanks for asking, a bit of a cold for the last while. Otherwise, I think I will stop mentioning my health issues. I appreciate peoples comments but I am tired of health issues and discussing them

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  17. I'll wait and see until this gets released before I make final conclusions about the new layout, but I kind of like it. The older one still had the layout for when there was both less features and had hardly changed.

    And honestly, the older one did look...lets say...cobbled together. It made the game look a lot more amateurish then it actually was.

    So yeah, I'm in support of this. It's always nice to get a new look, and I've been playing this game for a LONG time, (Since 2010 basically) , and the look was the same for 5 long years (with new features of course).

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  18. Maybe some sort of fancy border would give that fantasy feel people want?

    I hope lagg is decreased with the new layout, because the new layout looks... faster lol.

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  19. I would definitely prefer that the icons be names instead, or be labled icons or toggleable on that point.

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  20. NOOOOO DON'T IRON IT FLAT! DON'T GIVE IN!!! IT'S WHAT THEY WANT!!! http://vignette1.wikia.nocookie.net/flcl/images/c/ca/BD_720p_8743569210.png

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  21. If people don't like the layout maybe make theme layouts that they could choose from and make if they wanted

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  22. I Think Multi Chioce of theames whud be nice

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  23. After looking it long enough to get used to it, it's not so bad, I only have one complaint: words should never, ever be replaced with vague and arbitrary icons unless function demands it or it's absolutely obvious what the icon means. Being forced to memorize a pretty little icon because the English alphabet was just too plain and boring for the UI designer's artistic vision really, really rustles my jimmies.

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  24. The new one is nice, but maybe a few more rounded edges. That way it's less windows 8-y and a bit less "offensive" s to speak.

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  25. this is a different Question why was Ami from Sailor Moon changed from Sailor Mercury to the current version I don't know but her previous one seemed more interesting.

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  26. Just a thought; would it be possible to include another option to switch UIs for those that like the new look and those that don't?
    1067*600 sounds a oddly precise and a bit weird. I'm used to 1366*768.

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    1. The current game is 800x600 at 4x4 ratio. For compatibility with previous slaves the easiest change to 16:9 is to increase the width only, so change to 1067x600

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  27. I like the new setup for where everything is, and i really like the function of having tabs having sub tabs to remove some of the UI clutter. I Think the style of it is all wrong though. Like everyone has said before it doesn't fit the style of fantasy setting of the game, even if you change the colors it wouldn't feel right for the game. It would fit more with a future of scifi setting like TiTS then in your game. You should keep the new functions but change the form of it. Go with something that feels more three-dimensional and less flat. Go with a style you like and you feel fits the game better, but i would recommend going forward with the changes to the UI setup

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  28. would it be to hard to give an option to switch between the two styles for the user because personally i really enjoy the current style

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  29. Well I think less white would be better. This looks too bright to play in night. :D
    And thank for your work !

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  30. Change the colors to something more fantasy-ish, like many have said. The rest is great! Maybe some tweaks here and there in the future, but the UI is one of the biggest update-worthy parts of the game.

    And damn, it looks like you did a fantastic job of consolidating the menus. Can't wait!

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  31. I'm okay with the layout, but not the colour scheme.
    I think the colours should be replaced with deeper shades (basically the shades we have now) and all the bits of plain white should get coloured in.
    It just doesn't strike me as very comfortable to look at for prolonged periods of time at present.

    Otherwise, it's a pretty good initial version.

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  32. First off: Thanks for all the great work.
    I would say that, just like most of the time in UI development, customization is your best friend. Thus my suggestions somewhat focus on giving easily implementable options:
    Most importantly, the new design is far too clean cut. As a simple solution I would propose overlaying something to act as a single piece frame to cover all the white parts while also giving a coherent appearance to the separate areas. As an additional benefit such a frame would be easy to toggle off or modify if somebody doesn't like it.
    The strict separation of the lines in the main field is harder to cover up without hindering readability, however I think that it is the main contributor to the very modern and 'anachronistic' look of the new UI.
    Possibly implementing the option to use another separator like dissipating lines instead would recover some charm. Such a separator could also easily be modified.
    If no better method can be found, I would appreciate if you implement an option to hide the readability support as part of UI customization.
    As a last point you should separate the main window from the assistant window with a visible gap or via the frame like proposed above.

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  33. Thank you for the new interface first.
    and now
    - The slave is missing the reputation bar.
    - Also the Assitant icon is to close to the image, the colors of the 2 images can ocasionaly bite each other(maybe a 3 pixel space between the images).
    - Liked the older darker color better, specialy the calendar looks strangely modern considering that it plays in a mediaval setting.

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  34. A few words to live by:

    If it isn't broke, don't fix it.
    New and improved is not necessarily better.
    Change, strictly for the sake of change, is a prescription for disaster.

    Cmac, this is YOUR game. If YOU like tabs and buttons, so be it. To Hell with what anyone else thinks.

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    1. I agree with this. Once you start pleasing everyone else and not yourself you start losing interest in the project and then where will we be? Personally I have zero problem with the current UI and I'm a little baffled that it would be a big enough issue for others to push aggressively for a change. But then I routinely see people waste tremendous energy over things that are complete bullshit simply because some random idiot told them it was a big deal. American politics is filled with that kinda brainlessness.

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  35. I was fine with the old one, but as long as we can pick the colours in options from a selection, it should be ok - but i'd not want to play with that colour scheme.

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  36. Please, just make the new ui less modern / more fantasy.

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    1. Thats true too - that UI really is at odds with the games setting - can the elements be squared off and textured to make them more ye-olde fantasy like?

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    2. The current UI is not fantasy really, it is a similar but more cluttered feel to the new design

      Still I hear your complaint, it is just difficult to work out how to do it without making it hard to read or messy.

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    3. Is something like this possible?

      http://cimuz.com/images/posts/postmodern-cowboy-wooden-ui-design-12-elements.jpg

      I think it's a fine compromise between fantasy and classy modern, and I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find and apply a nice wood texture and get a few buttons to go with it.

      Hell, I'd be glad to make you some if you give me the details.

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    4. #2
      Just to give you an idea, even this would go a long way imho:
      http://s14.postimg.org/6tupes0w1/SMInterface_Share2.png
      http://s14.postimg.org/jcbavcxvj/SMInterface_Share3.png

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    5. I like the second option (the share3.png) you posted--it looks nice, and the woodgrain texture helps keep with the fantasy feel, while the layout is easy to read and provides nice contrast (important for colorblind users, don't'cha know! -_^). One suggestion would be to put small captions below the icons on the top row of buttons just so that new users (or ones like me that haven't played for a while...) can easily see what button does what. Alternately, if icon + caption clutters up the buttons too much, maybe you could have mouseover tips for each button instead?

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  37. I really like the new UI. Keep up the great work!

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  38. Do You already have a release date in mind, or will You release it once all is done?

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    1. I want to get one out as soon as possible, but realistically I am not clear when that is

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  39. A simpler solution would be to release the next version with the new UI and at the same time release a patch for those who prefer the old one or vise versa

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    1. It is difficult to keep the code separate for that as the gui changes are fairly wide ranging. Also I really would prefer to have one layout

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    2. On a side note I am currently playing as a vampire wound it make sense to be able to feed of the minor salves as an action in intimacy on talk to them.

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    3. Think you can add it on the nest release?

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  40. Please consider giving more room to the assistant/SM screen, as discussed here: https://www.futanaripalace.com/showthread.php?47689-Suggestions-Thread-for-version-3-3-or-later&p=1059107&viewfull=1#post1059107

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    1. Changing that area (resizing or moving it) can break a number of existing slaves and assistants and require quite a lot of work to fix. So it is simplest for this release to leave it in the same exact place and same size.

      Similarly the main window is staying in the same place and height it is just wider

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    2. Sad, but thanks for replying.

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  41. The new UI is nice but a bit of depth would make it better it looks just flat now. Doesn't have to be fancy just some borders or shadows can go a long way.

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  42. Given the area in the corner has the space to show it, I'd appreciate a Training Day counter. Something like a Current Day/Total Days format. Shouldn't be that hard to add in; you've already got a calendar and the seer telling you this, but I'd rather not be taken out of the main game to see how long I've got left.
    Playing as a Freelancer, it would simply either not be there or show as Current Day/Infinity as they have no time constraints.
    Also, whoever said that the assistant image is currently too close to the main window is absolutely right. Space, shadows and shading are simple but effective.

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  43. slavemaker : magic/medieval setting and a good dose whips and chains
    A "modern" soft rounded interface with lots of baby-blue, pink and other pastel colours fits like a burka on a slave trainee.

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    1. I loved princess trainer by akabur, fyi Jasmine + burka + slave training was awesome.

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    2. That blue-greenish color looks like toothpaste. That and the soft rounded interface make it look like something one could find in a hospital. And it is not good if your porngame reminds you of a stay at a hospital. Just sayin'.

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  44. I have two suggestions to add to the game:

    1. Implement a way to can organize our slaves on the page that appears after click on Talk With Your Slaves, it's very annoying you do have a lot of slaves and need to keep looking for one on the large list.

    2. Implement a way to keep using the slaves who have their love accepted and got the "bought back ending" as main slave (The slave maker would be able to switch between the slaves that got the bought back ending and the current slave on training).

    PS: Sry for my bad english, it's not my main language.

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  45. I like the look but I do hope an appropriate looking color is worked out. On a side note I wanted to thank you for your continued work on the game. I play many H games but yours is one that I frequently return to so again thank you. It is really refreshing to see someone staying dedicated to their game and not leaving it at the curb like so many others, I truly appreciate your work

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  46. The latest "bug fix" of 3.4.3beta1 introduced more bugs than it fixed. Also the display did not scale up anymore, making the text hard to read. If this is what the next release is going to look like, could you include a toggle to make it work like 3.4.2 and earlier?

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    1. Sorry I will not be including an option to use a 4x3 display

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    2. What issues did you have with 3.4.03 that were not layout related?

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  47. my advice: you can keep this new "design" but should put a new "skin" on icon ,more like old paper or parchment to be more "fantastic" and less "smartphone"....

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