Can we have the old main menu font back, please?

[Sir Jasper Trund]

Simple request, as title. The original game used a font named Lucida Blackletter for many of the game's menu buttons. The new version uses CentaurMT, which is just kinda bland.

Here's how the font used to look: http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/471805-age-of-empires-ii-the-conquerors-windows-screenshot-main-menus.png

Someone on reddit (name of nuketrooper) had a poke around with this and found that whereas it's possible to change fonts using the language text files, there's a string in the .exe that switches to CentaurMT whenever LB is detected, for no obvious reason. But it seems a note was found in the AoE2HD repository stating this change would be made, but not why.

Here's their look into it -

http://www.reddit.com/r/aoe2/comments/1w6c43/lucida_blackletter_restored_to_age_of_empires_ii/

So yeah, just for nostalgia purposes... it's an easy change, could we have this back? Or at least remove the code in the exe that switches it, so it's moddable :)

[Laptop]

The font looks pretty much the same to me... looks a little lower res on the original game menu, but seems to just look a little less pixaleted on the new HD version. They appear to be the same fonts...

[Sir Jasper Trund]

Originally posted by Laptop65:

The font looks pretty much the same to me... looks a little lower res on the original game menu, but seems to just look a little less pixaleted on the new HD version. They appear to be the same fonts...

They couldn't be more different - to clarify, I'm talking about the heavy, gothic font that appears on the 'Conquerors campaigns' etc buttons on the right of the screen and which, in the original, appears on other menu elements as well, such as at the top of game setup screens.

The other fonts ('Single Player', 'Multiplayer' buttons etc) are, as you say, the same now as always.

Compare these two screens -

http://www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/471805-age-of-empires-ii-the-conquerors-windows-screenshot-main-menus.png

http://www.gamespersecond.com/media/2013/04/age-of-empires-2-hd-main-menu.jpg

The reddit thread I linked also has similar screenshots for comparison

[Laptop]

Oh I see what you mean now...

Yeah, would be nice to have it back (or at least as a mod).

The font might be difficult for some people to read (i.e. dyslexia), that's why they might have changed it.

[Hagar]

Originally posted by Laptop65:

Oh I see what you mean now...

Yeah, would be nice to have it back (or at least as a mod).

The font might be difficult for some people to read (i.e. dyslexia), that's why they might have changed it.

Maybe also people who speak a language with a different writing script. I coud imagine someone who speaks Chinese but who knows some English might find the old font hard to read.

[Zetnus]

I actually tried to change the fonts by messing around with the en-language.txt

It seemed like an obvious place to start, and what I attempted was to replace every mention of any font with Lucida Blackletter. However, all I managed to achieve was to shrink the current font and make a few of the menu texts disappear completely.

[gagman]

seems the CD version get the fonts from the windows folder direct,
HD version use this fonts i guess: \Steam\steamapps\common\Age2HD\Data\fonts
maybe when play around there with renameing ect. than you will get the fonts you want.

[Sir Jasper Trund]

I've succesfully made a mod to do this, which I'll be uploading this weekend once I've made a few refinements.

My method involves updating the language.txt files as Zetnus said, but also unfortunately creating an entirely new font, indentical to Blackletter but with a different internal ID, that players need to install.

This is because HD edition is hardcoded to swap Blackletter with CentaurMD whenever the language files specify Blackletter. This was done prior to HD edition's release, and before the language.dll files were change to text files. It seems an odd thing to have done, rather than just change the fonts specified in the DLL.

Basically, I'd like the devs to remove that harcoded swap, and change the langauge.txt files specifications from Blackletter to Centaur. This would mean that the game would display exactly as it does at present, but also means that in future changing the font back to the original would be a super-easy task for modders and would not require installing duplicate fonts.

It's a pretty small change from the dev side, but would mean greater freedom for modders to customise towards some old-school nostalgia :)

Originally posted by HaryldBluetooth:

Originally posted by Laptop65:

Oh I see what you mean now...

Yeah, would be nice to have it back (or at least as a mod).

The font might be difficult for some people to read (i.e. dyslexia), that's why they might have changed it.

Maybe also people who speak a language with a different writing script. I coud imagine someone who speaks Chinese but who knows some English might find the old font hard to read.

This is precisely why I'd like the changes I noted above made - so this can be modded easily by people who want it, but kept the new way for people who don't.

[McLerristarr]

I also wonder why that changed. I had a look at the Wikipedia page for the font, and there doesn't seem to be any copyright issues around Lucida fonts. They're standard on Windows computers too.

[M. Emre]

Is there any updates on this topic? I really like old fonts.

[Zetnus]

Originally posted by M. Emre:

Is there any updates on this topic? I really like old fonts.

YES

Add
OLD_SCHOOL
to your launch options for this game.

To add launch options, do the following:

>Right-click on the game title under the Library in Steam and select Properties.
>Under the General tab click the Set launch options... button.
>Enter the launch options you wish to apply (be sure to separate each code with a space) and click OK.
>Close the game's Properties window and launch the game.

[M. Emre]

Thanks

[Riesbyfe]

Thanks for the tip :)