Alternate Top Background

[Déjà Bru]

I will not glorify it as a true mod by posting this in that forum. It would be insulting to those guys over there whose work is so invaluable.

No, this is too simple to be a mod. Instead, it's a suggestion: Replace the top_background.png file in your skin with a plain bar of the same dimensions (2500 x 184 pixels). If you don't mind black, you can use the file that I attached below.

Briefly, to do this switch, you must download and install the files of the skin of your choice in Add-Ons Central. (Note - in Windows, you may need to have started OOTPB as administrator to do this properly; right-click the game start icon, choose Properties, Compatibility, and click "Run this program as an administrator.") When finished, end the program.

In Windows, go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Out of the Park Developments\OOTP Baseball 17\data\skins, open the folder of the skin of your choice and for which you downloaded the files, and then open the images folder. Rename the default file to something like top_background_OLD.png and copy the new top_background.png file into that folder.

Then, go back up one level to the skins folder and delete the file named "skin.bin." This is important to do or nothing will change.

Start OOTPB (as administrator). It will take a while to rebuild the skin.bin file. When it's done and the game opens, take a look at a player profile and see how your logo and player pic pops!

The developers meant well in putting a picture of a ballgame in the top border, but I found it distracted more than added interest. I love this look instead:

[EOOQE]

Yup , same Idea i found out for my custom backgrounds and Skin as seen here in a few examples.
The transparency of the top_background.png can easy be adjusted via photoshop or as i did 100% transparency and do complete new backgrounds for each team.

Combined with backgrounds for each team and league and some custom logos the possibilities are endless more or less

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by EOOQE

Yup , same Idea i found out for my custom backgrounds and Skin as seen here in a few examples.
The transparency of the top_background.png can easy be adjusted via photoshop or as i did 100% transparency and do complete new backgrounds for each team.

Combined with backgrounds for each team and league and some custom logos the possibilities are endless more or less

Yes, I saw your thread in the mods forum and I thank you for your efforts. I will be a customer, soon!

[Déjà Bru]

The problem with a modded black top background, as well as the dark grey default, is that some historical logos were designed without a neat surrounding white edge or embedded on a field of white. Hence, they will disappear into the background or look a bit sloppy.

I got around this by designing some wood-grain top backgrounds that go with the classic skin but will display such logos more prominently and cleanly. Below is a before-and-after. The idea came from the logos are displayed in a similarly light-colored wood grain field on the team menu in the classic skin.

Below are three that I designed in various shades of brown. While I am not completely happy with the wood grains matching those in the rest of the classic skin, I am happy with the light-colored one. If you want to try your hand a bit, here's where I learned how to do this in GIMP:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQW80EE_K4

Remember that the file you choose must be named top_ background.png for it to work. See the procedures in OP.

Here's the before and after:

[PSUColonel]

Will this work with any skin?

[Déjà Bru]

Originally Posted by PSUColonel

Will this work with any skin?

Well, you can do this procedure with any skin, and you can use these files with any skin, but obviously they are going to look best with the classic skin.

But you can make your own top_ background.png file easily in GIMP or some other photo-editing program. It really is as simple as I said above, "Replace the top_background.png file in your skin with a plain bar of the same dimensions (2500 x 184 pixels)." Just make a plain bar with the color of your choice.

[Déjà Bru]

By the way, this version now of my top_background.png file matches the wood grain of the classic skin better, I think. I am really happy with this light-colored version that not only pops the logo but covers up those random white pixels which appear on the edges. Those were left over when the logo modders make the background transparent; sometimes the program does not do a perfect job in selecting the entire background.

Anyway, I really like this version:

[Déjà Bru]

It pops logo and pic. Pops!

[Cujomatty]

I was trying to figure out how to find that top panel forever last night. Thanks for this.