[1.0.4] Historian (v1.1.1) - Dynamic Screenshot Captions [August 5th, 2015]

[Zeenobit]

KSEA Historian

Version 1.1.1 for KSP 1.0.4

Presented by the Kerbal Space Exploration Agency

Historian is a screenshot utility mod for Kerbal Space Program that adds fully configurable and dynamic captions and overlay graphics to screenshots to better describe the context of screenshots and record your Kerbal adventures.

Features:

• Adds a fully configurable overlay to your screenshots automatically when taking screenshots
• Supports pre-defined value placeholders to record various statistics about your flight situation onto the screenshot
• Supports multiple layouts and the ability to switch between layouts while the game is running
• Can be suppressed to not add overlay effects when desired
• Layouts can be modified while the game is running, allowing for instant preview of changes.
• Now supports Blizzy's Toolbar.

 

Download
KerbalStuff, GitHub

Documentation
GitHub

License
GNU General Public License V3

 

Please refer to the full documentation on how to modify existing layouts or add new ones.

Sample:

Javascript is disabled. View full album

Planned Features:

• Crew portraits
• Better configuration interface
• Layout inheritance
• Option to automatically hide the game GUI and restore it when taking a screenshot

 

 

Community Layouts:

I want to create a public repository of layouts so that users can share various layouts with each other.

Feel free to respond to this thread with your layout, and I'll share them below.

 

 

 

• KSEA* by Zeenobit
• TheCardinal's Layout by TheCardinal
• Wercho's Layout by Wercho

 

 

* This layout may contain custom graphics that may not be included with the layout. Edit the layout to use a different graphic, or request a link to the custom graphic from the author.

Edited January 5, 2016 by Zeenobit
Update 1.1.1

[hieywiey]

Oooh... Is it memory intensive? And the description makes it sound like it's a separate application, if so please make a Mac version.

[klgraham1013]

Downloaded.

[Enceos]

Does this mod support the Blizzy's Toolbar?

[MrHappyFace]

Oooh... Is it memory intensive? And the description makes it sound like it's a separate application, if so please make a Mac version.

It's a mod for KSP. It renders all of this stuff on top of everything during the frame that the screenshot is being taken. I wouldn't think it'd take much memory either because it's just some config files and a plugin that has to be loaded into memory.

[BrutalRIP]

sweet little mod.wish there was a way to set it all up in game though

[rabidninjawombat]

Oohh i really like this! Downloading now!

Specially like the option to include Mission flag in the screenshots! (as ive started making mission specific flags)

Ill second what other folks have said , an in game config UI would be nice

[rasta013]

Agreed - grabbing this now but since I'd change info many times for many different shots if I've got the ability to do so then I would throw my hat in the ring asking nicely for a UI config option as well. Great little addition for us screenshot junkies though! Nice job

[Zeenobit]

Oooh... Is it memory intensive? And the description makes it sound like it's a separate application, if so please make a Mac version.

As MrHappyFace pointed out, this is a KSP mod, and not a separate application. You can install it on your Mac KSP install just fine.

In regards to memory, the mod itself does not add to the memory usage. However, if you're using additional textures just for your screenshot layouts, those textures will be loaded by KSP. Otherwise, such as the case with the FLAG element, the textures are re-used from textures that are already loaded by the game anyways, and so Historian would have very little memory usage.

Does this mod support the Blizzy's Toolbar?

Not at the moment, but I do plan to support it in the next version.

sweet little mod.wish there was a way to set it all up in game though

Oohh i really like this! Downloading now!

Specially like the option to include Mission flag in the screenshots! (as ive started making mission specific flags)

Ill second what other folks have said , an in game config UI would be nice

Agreed - grabbing this now but since I'd change info many times for many different shots if I've got the ability to do so then I would throw my hat in the ring asking nicely for a UI config option as well. Great little addition for us screenshot junkies though! Nice job

While I understand the need for a GUI for editing layouts, it's pretty low on my task list. The main reason is that creating a nice, user friendly, and functional editor that doesn't reduce the freedom of configuration files is pretty costly in implementation for what it accomplishes. Maybe in future version I will revisit this, but for now, text files is the way to go.

However, for the next version, I'm planning to support selecting from various pre-loaded layouts. This should allow people to share layouts and use layouts as templates for other layouts. This means selecting a different layout for different screenshots would be a breeze, and people with more patience and talent can worry about making the actual layouts. So hang in there!

Meanwhile, if anyone has any suggestions for placeholder values, I'm all ears.

[BrutalRIP]

As MrHappyFace pointed out, this is a KSP mod, and not a separate application. You can install it on your Mac KSP install just fine.

In regards to memory, the mod itself does not add to the memory usage. However, if you're using additional textures just for your screenshot layouts, those textures will be loaded by KSP. Otherwise, such as the case with the FLAG element, the textures are re-used from textures that are already loaded by the game anyways, and so Historian would have very little memory usage.

Not at the moment, but I do plan to support it in the next version.

While I understand the need for a GUI for editing layouts, it's pretty low on my task list. The main reason is that creating a nice, user friendly, and functional editor that doesn't reduce the freedom of configuration files is pretty costly in implementation for what it accomplishes. Maybe in future version I will revisit this, but for now, text files is the way to go.

However, for the next version, I'm planning to support selecting from various pre-loaded layouts. This should allow people to share layouts and use layouts as templates for other layouts. This means selecting a different layout for different screenshots would be a breeze, and people with more patience and talent can worry about making the actual layouts. So hang in there!

Meanwhile, if anyone has any suggestions for placeholder values, I'm all ears.

Sounds like a good compromise to me:)

[smoore]

Amazing mod. You have no idea how hard it has been to keep track of what launch some of my screen shots went with. This solves that problem.

[nightingale]

This is pretty sweet, I think I may use it for the screenshot gallery for my next mod I'm putting together. I'd definitely want the ability to switch/reload layouts on the fly though. For reloading I'd be happy enough if doing the module-manager reload worked, since I assume you're going through the KSP API for the config node stuff.

[scerion]

Ooo..this is excellent. Will go great with a mod idea I have. Now just to get working on that.

Very lovely work Zeenobit!

[rasta013]

However, for the next version, I'm planning to support selecting from various pre-loaded layouts. This should allow people to share layouts and use layouts as templates for other layouts. This means selecting a different layout for different screenshots would be a breeze, and people with more patience and talent can worry about making the actual layouts. So hang in there!

I can dig it. Sounds like a reasonable compromise and a good way to keep resource usage down. Good idea!

[Zeenobit]

This is pretty sweet, I think I may use it for the screenshot gallery for my next mod I'm putting together. I'd definitely want the ability to switch/reload layouts on the fly though. For reloading I'd be happy enough if doing the module-manager reload worked, since I assume you're going through the KSP API for the config node stuff.

No need for a module manager or Game Database reload. There is no dependency between Historian and Module Manager.

Ooo..this is excellent. Will go great with a mod idea I have. Now just to get working on that.

Very lovely work Zeenobit!

Thank you!

Switching between layouts is almost done. Work in progress:

Edited May 20, 2015 by Zeenobit

[cpottinger]

Meanwhile, if anyone has any suggestions for placeholder values, I'm all ears.

First: This looks great - downloading now...

Second: How about an <inputtext> placeholder that accepts user input at the time the screenshot is made. That way we can enter descriptive text about the screenshot, so instead of your example pic just saying "Jebediah Kerman", it can say "Jebediah Kerman performing the first ever spacewalk and trying hard to keep his cookies down"

Third: CKAN

Edited May 20, 2015 by cpottinger

[zengei]

Third: CKAN

What about it? It's on CKAN.

[LitaAlto]

First, I am seriously loving this, even with the default options:

Second: What about adding value placeholders for crew names, or even their portraits?

[Zeenobit]

Second: How about an <inputtext> placeholder that accepts user input at the time the screenshot is made. That way we can enter descriptive text about the screenshot, so instead of your example pic just saying "Jebediah Kerman", it can say "Jebediah Kerman performing the first ever spacewalk and trying hard to keep his cookies down"

I've actually been thinking about this. The problem is that you would have to select the correct layout that accepts <InputText> just before actually taking the screenshot (cause you don't want to have to input text every time you take a screenshot, because that would be very annoying). In addition to that, the game would have to freeze while you type your text, and only on the next frame the screenshot can be captured (which might not actually be as big of a deal as I make it sound like ). These two problems are what made me toss this idea into the back burner for now.

Second: What about adding value placeholders for crew names, or even their portraits?

Good suggestions! I think they're doable!

[Zeenobit]

Version 0.2 is up!

Changes:

• Layout support
  
• Runtime switching between layouts
  
• Saving default layout
  
• Support for Blizzy's Toolbar
  

Check the OP for the details.

If you were using a custom layout, it will be removed with this version. You can back it up and modify it to match the new configuration. I promise this is the last time I do this.

[cpottinger]

I've actually been thinking about this. The problem is that you would have to select the correct layout that accepts <InputText> just before actually taking the screenshot (cause you don't want to have to input text every time you take a screenshot, because that would be very annoying). In addition to that, the game would have to freeze while you type your text, and only on the next frame the screenshot can be captured (which might not actually be as big of a deal as I make it sound like ). These two problems are what made me toss this idea into the back burner for now.

Perhaps then, an separate gui button or key-activated dialogue that accepts the text. That text is then used when the next screenshot is taken and then cleared. It may not be elegant, since the user would have to plan what he/she wants to input before taking the screenshot, but at least you would not need to try to pause the game, and quick "snapshots" are still viable, since the input text would be blank in those cases.

[Zeenobit]

Perhaps then, an separate gui button or key-activated dialogue that accepts the text. That text is then used when the next screenshot is taken and then cleared. It may not be elegant, since the user would have to plan what he/she wants to input before taking the screenshot, but at least you would not need to try to pause the game, and quick "snapshots" are still viable, since the input text would be blank in those cases.

That's pretty much the only viable solution which is similar to what I've been thinking about. So stay tuned!

[Zeenobit]

Version 1.0 is up! I think I implemented most of the major features I wanted to implement for its official release.

Features

• New placeholder values <Mach>, <LandingZone>, <Speed>, and <Custom>
  
• Support for custom text to be displayed
  
• SITUATION_TEXT element to display different text values depending on current vessel situation
  

Fixes

• Fixed the missing name for Blizzy's Toolbar
  
• Adjusted the precision of some placeholder values to make them look nicer
  

[cpottinger]

• Support for custom text to be displayed
  

Wahoo! Thank you.

[Selentic]

This is very cool.

One thing that doesn't seem to be working for me is using the "Name = * " line in the .layout files - the in-game layout selector displays the name of the file for the three standard configs (although it lets me change everything else about them as usual), and leaves any custom configs (created by making an new text file and changing it to a *.layout) blank, though they're still usable.