skinnable, portable widgets?

[Brandon Van Every]

Jack Diederich wrote:
> On Sun, Jan 26, 2003 at 10:26:59AM +0000, Brandon Van Every wrote:
>>
>> The primary application is for games.  I must be able to control the
>> look and feel of the widgets, so skinnability is a hard requirement.
>> Any recommendations?
>
> Yes, learn to deplore skins.

Ok, it is said that repetition is the key to all learning, so let's try
again.  Maybe you'll see a hole in my thinking, or maybe you'll realize
something about your own.

The primary application is for *commercial* games.  Every AAA quality title
out there invents their own look-and-feel because the visual artistry of the
game is fundamental to the gaming experience.  With the possible exception
of office timewasters like "Minesweeper," it is not acceptable to use
anything vaguely resembling an office application.  Generally speaking,
these in-house looks-and-feels come at the cost of reinventing the GUI
wheel.  The other possibility is to avoid the need for GUI widgets in the
game design itself, but that's not an approach you can take with all games.

Skinnability is an exceedingly valuable feature for this case use.
Skinnability and portability is, well, just a fantastic concept.

--
Cheers,                         www.3DProgrammer.com
Brandon Van Every               Seattle, WA

20% of the world is real.
80% is gobbledygook we make up inside our own heads.