Sections

Intoduction and the files

The chat box panel and Filters box

Text size, Font type and Scrollbars

Notes of other things relating to the chat text

Example of a moved chat panel

Intoduction and the files 

VALVe changed the chat for all Source games a while back, this is now updated May 2009, and agin May 2013 for SteamPipe. You can also use the below info for other Source games, just replace the game folder address "dod" with the game folder of your mod... like "cstrike" for CSS.

Place the files and their correct mod folder addresses ...

• Day of Defeat Source
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Day of Defeat Source\custom\tut_hud\resource\chatscheme.res
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Day of Defeat Source\custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\basechat.res
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Day of Defeat Source\custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\chatfilters.res

• Counter-Strike Source
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Source\custom\tut_hud\resource\chatscheme.res
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Source\custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\basechat.res
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Counter-Strike Source\custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\chatfilters.res

• Team Fortress 2
• C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Team Fortress 2\custom\tut_hud\resource\chatscheme.res
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Team Fortress 2\custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\basechat.res
  C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\SteamApps\common\Team Fortress 2\custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\chatfilters.res

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The chat box panel and Filters box

 

custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\basechat.res

Moving the chat box around is done via editing the basechat.res file found in \resource\ui and the 'xpos", "ypos", "wide" and "tall".

Like any panel in the VGUI files "xpos" controls left and right positions and "wide" and  "tall" control width and height.

 

 

NOTE: Another file in the past /scripts/hudlayout.res "HudChat" section still has some controls for chat boxes but settings in this section are now redundant and do not work.

 

Positioning while in game in most cases is possible, (see this section on how) some changes require a restart of the game, especially any changes to "scheme.res" files like the clientsheme.res. Some will only require a map change.

General Positioning of the items inside the chat box

custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\basechat.res

custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\basechat.res has the settings you need to move and manipulate the main panel.

 

General color and fonts and some size control of items

custom\tut_hud\resource\chatscheme.res

custom\tut_hud\resource\chatscheme.res has the settings you need to adjust fonts, colors of panels, input lines, scroll-bar size.

 

* Important! Please note that the color or the chat font itself and team colors cannot be changed, this is not controlled by the game folder files. CSS and dods are Orange, TF2 is a Grey but they can't be changed. The input line font color is changeable !

Control of the Filters box

custom\tut_hud\resource\ui\chatfilters.res

Usually you will not need to touch this, mostly the box will suit most people and the color scheme you adjust for the main chat box will be the same.

 

---

Text size, Font type and Scrollbars

 

(Use Notepad ++ to view/edit these files)...

 

Changing the Chat Text Size and Font.

 

It is about half way down the chatscheme.res file... \resource Folder.
Look at the first group in that section called "ChatFont"...

"name" "Arial"
"tall" "10"
"weight" "700"
"yres" "480 599"
"dropshadow" "1"

If mine is too small just increase all the number values beside "tall" ....
"name" = The Font type.
"tall" = The Font Size.
"weight" = increase will mean bolder font.
"yres" = The screen res or more acuately, the Height of a set of screen resolutions. The above one is for 480x600.... that's why there are 5 different sizes, for 5 different screen resolutions, all based on the "y" resolution...the height. Make sure you do all of them or at least the screen res/height you use.

"dropshadow" = That thin black outline (shadow) around the letters in the text... "0" turns it off.

Changing, Size and Position of the Chat Text and box.

 

This can be modified by finding the "HudChat" section in the basechat.res file in the resource\ui Folder. The settings below are from my dods version 8 HUD but sould be OK for all mods...

}

"HudChat"
{
"ControlName" "EditablePanel"
"fieldName" "HudChat"
"visible" "1" ....................// ( "1" = visable "0" = not visable)
"enabled" "1" .....................// ( "1" = enabled "0" = not enabled)
"xpos" "2" .....................// (The width position from top left corner of the box)
"ypos" "315" .................// (The height position from top left corner of the box)

"wide" "250" ................// (How wide the chat box is)
"tall" "100" ................// (How high the chat box is)
"PaintBackgroundType" "2" ...// (default "2" this makes rounded corners on the panel.)
}

Once you have changed that section you may like to adjust the sections below it. See below for the changes (in white) I made for the rest.

Be careful with the "ChatFiltersButton" section and "HudChatHistory" section settings, too much adjustment and they will go out of the allowed area.

}

"ChatInputLine"
{
"ControlName" "EditablePanel"
"fieldName" "ChatInputLine"
"visible" "1"
"enabled" "1"
"xpos" "34"
"ypos" "447"
"wide" "213"
"tall" "2"
"PaintBackgroundType" "0"
}

"ChatFiltersButton"
{
"ControlName" "Button"
"fieldName" "ChatFiltersButton"
"xpos" "2" //"247"
"ypos" "84" //"84"
"wide" "30"
"tall" "11"
"pinCorner" "2"
"visible" "1"
"enabled" "1"
"tabPosition" "0"
"labelText" "#chat_filterbutton"
"textAlignment" "center"

"dulltext" "0"
"brighttext" "0"
"Default" "0"
"PaintBackgroundType" "2"
}

"HudChatHistory"
{
"ControlName" "RichText"
"fieldName" "HudChatHistory"
"xpos" "2"
"ypos" "2" //"5"
"wide" "246"
"tall" "75"

"wrap" "1"
"autoResize" "1"
"pinCorner" "1"
"visible" "1"
"enabled" "1"
"labelText" ""
"textAlignment" "south-west"
"font" "ChatFont"
"maxchars" "-1"
}
}

 

Chat box Scroll-Bar

The scroll-bar is a area where you can trim it down a bit, look at "resource\chatscheme.res" , find around line 133...
"ScrollBar.Wide "17"

This is the width of the scroll-bar, Think it is too wide? Drop it down to "5" (5 is very small) and have another look, 12 is also a good size.

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Notes of other things relating to the chat text

 

Another left over function (for dods only). In the past, when you changed the chat text it used to change the text in the Kills, Death and Capture Notices.
This will not happen anymore but VALVe have left the "ChatFont" section in the clientscheme.res file.

This now only changes the kills and deaths and some of the scoreboard now in dods.

---

Example of a moved chat panel.

You can radically change things if you like, here is an example in Day of Defeat:Source, moved to centre, resized in height and width, filters button moved.

 

Some items just don't respond in this file, like moving the input line to the top of the panel...just will not respond to the settings in section "ChatInputLine" "xpos" works but not "ypos".

You can still change most things, but just be warned some do not respond.

 

Below is the code from the file resource\ui\basechat.res that will produce the effect in the image above, note you also need to visit the resource\chatscheme.res and change...

ScrollBar.Wide                    17   to  12  ( ScrollBar.Wide                    12 )

 

Code:

"Resource/UI/BaseChat.res"
{
	"HudChat"
	{
		"ControlName"		"EditablePanel"
		"fieldName" 		"HudChat"
		"visible" 		"1"
		"enabled" 		"1"
		"xpos"			"265"  	[$WIN32] //"10"
		"xpos"			"42"	[$X360]
		"ypos"			"382"  //"275"
		"ypos_hidef"		"245"
		"wide"	 		"320"  //"280"
		"tall"	 		"90"  //"120"
		"PaintBackgroundType"	"2"
	}

	ChatInputLine
	{
		"ControlName"		"EditablePanel"
		"fieldName" 		ChatInputLine
		"visible" 		"1"
		"enabled" 		"1"
		"xpos"			"5"  	[$WIN32] //"10"
		"xpos"			"42"	[$X360]
		"ypos"			"395"    //"395"
		"wide"	 		"265"  //"260"
		"tall"	 		"2"
		"PaintBackgroundType"	"0"
	}

	"ChatFiltersButton"
	{
		"ControlName"		"Button"
		"fieldName"		"ChatFiltersButton"
		"xpos"			"273"  //"225"
		"ypos"			"72"    //"2"
		"wide"			"45"
		"tall"			"15"
		"autoResize"		"1"
		"pinCorner"		"0"
		"visible"		"1"
		"enabled"		"1"
		"tabPosition"		"0"
		"labelText"		"#chat_filterbutton"
		"textAlignment"		"center"
		"dulltext"		"0"
		"brighttext"		"0"
		"Default"		"0"
	}

	"HudChatHistory"
	{
		"ControlName"		"RichText"
		"fieldName"		"HudChatHistory"
		"xpos"			"5" 	[$WIN32]  //"10"
		"ypos"			"5"	    [$WIN32]  //"17"
		"xpos"			"10"	[$X360]
		"ypos"			"10"	[$X360]
		"wide"	 		"310"  //"260"
		"tall"			"5"    //"95" "75"
		"wrap"			"1"
		"autoResize"		"1"
		"pinCorner"		"1"
		"visible"		"1"
		"enabled"		"1"
		"labelText"		""
		"textAlignment"		"south-west"
		"font"			"ChatFont"
		"maxchars"		"-1"
	}
}

 ...paste that in the whole file then save it.

 

 

 

dod/resource/UI/BaseChat.res now controls x/y ...