MLGnom wrote:

What I am requesting is the ability to create game-mode specific sub-folders inside a skin's main folder for the game types. This is partially due to the fact all game modes use the same elements over and over again, which in some cases (especially osu!mania's implementation) this tends to result in a poor looking feel.

The Reason.

With the four different game types that osu! posses:

1. Standard
2. Taiko
3. Catch the Beat
4. Mania
5. Any future additions.

You can come into a minor headache when it comes down to ensuring that a certain skin element will look equally as nice in the other modes, examples as follows:

1. Some standard skin sprites in Taiko don't look as appealing. (spinner-circle.png)
2. In CtB during kiai time, lighting.png for some skin sets looks weird.
3. Standard skin elements look really awkward when mixed into mania.

The Need.

Have you ever tried to do a complete skin set for each game type inclusive of hit sounds?
The osu! template itself just so happens to have around 300 files when you include the audio files on top of the image count, this is without including hit-bursts as an animation object either.
As a skinner with plenty of experience, it is monotonous searching through all of these files just to pinpoint one which requires an alteration to fix up how it looks in-game.

The Purpose.

To eliminate all of this hassle by allowing the non-standard game modes to possess their own sub-folder, eliminating all of the clutter from the main skin folder leaving only the standard gameplay mode's skin set and audio samples with the necessary .ini file in tact.

Example of how the folder could look like

This would give even new skinners more of an opportunity to want to make skinning elements specific towards a certain gaming mode. Some may want a minimalistic skin for standard but something a little flashy for Taiko as an example.

Ideally this would minimise the need to pollute your osu!skins directory with different skin sets just for a game mode specific, as it would all be packaged in one lovingly neat folder.

Well, that would be all for now, I might add some more to this later or further clarify certain aspects but this should get the point across.
I would like to hear what the community has to say about this potential option.

MLGnom wrote:

osu! could check for folders and load only these that exists for specific game mode, if they don't - skin should be loaded as always. This might be countermeasure for older skins.

MLGnom wrote:

osu! could check for folders and load only these that exists for specific game mode, if they don't - skin should be loaded as always. This might be countermeasure for older skins.

Luna wrote:

MLGnom made a neat post explaining why this makes sense:

MLGnom wrote:

What I am requesting is the ability to create game-mode specific sub-folders inside a skin's main folder for the game types. This is partially due to the fact all game modes use the same elements over and over again, which in some cases (especially osu!mania's implementation) this tends to result in a poor looking feel.

The Reason.

With the four different game types that osu! posses:

1. Standard
2. Taiko
3. Catch the Beat
4. Mania
5. Any future additions.

You can come into a minor headache when it comes down to ensuring that a certain skin element will look equally as nice in the other modes, examples as follows:

1. Some standard skin sprites in Taiko don't look as appealing. (spinner-circle.png)
2. In CtB during kiai time, lighting.png for some skin sets looks weird.
3. Standard skin elements look really awkward when mixed into mania.

The Need.

Have you ever tried to do a complete skin set for each game type inclusive of hit sounds?
The osu! template itself just so happens to have around 300 files when you include the audio files on top of the image count, this is without including hit-bursts as an animation object either.
As a skinner with plenty of experience, it is monotonous searching through all of these files just to pinpoint one which requires an alteration to fix up how it looks in-game.

The Purpose.

To eliminate all of this hassle by allowing the non-standard game modes to possess their own sub-folder, eliminating all of the clutter from the main skin folder leaving only the standard gameplay mode's skin set and audio samples with the necessary .ini file in tact.

Example of how the folder could look like

This would give even new skinners more of an opportunity to want to make skinning elements specific towards a certain gaming mode. Some may want a minimalistic skin for standard but something a little flashy for Taiko as an example.

Ideally this would minimise the need to pollute your osu!skins directory with different skin sets just for a game mode specific, as it would all be packaged in one lovingly neat folder.

Well, that would be all for now, I might add some more to this later or further clarify certain aspects but this should get the point across.
I would like to hear what the community has to say about this potential option.

MLGnom wrote:

osu! could check for folders and load only these that exists for specific game mode, if they don't - skin should be loaded as always. This might be countermeasure for older skins.

In addition to this, I'd like if these skins not only affect in-game elements, but can be used to (for example) create different song select screens for the different modes. The part above is the most important one, though.

Drafura wrote:

I support this

Manchineel wrote:

Drafura wrote:

I support this

I second this.

qlum wrote:

I would very much like them to be separately selectable as well, you have a general skin for osu! and common elements and you can separately select skins for the other gamemode. The big issue would be how about the older skins, how do you get them working in the new system?

RBRat3 wrote:

I like the idea of using different skins for modes but im more interested in just binding a skin to a mode in options rather than modifying the file/folder structure. Possibly easier and faster to implement in the short run and it gets you to the same place.

RBRat3 wrote:

1. Simple bind the UI to a skin also or just use standards. Can all be handled in the skin select screen using mode switches kinda like this http://puu.sh/2ZxB5.jpg with a toggle somewhere to enable/disable skin binding.

RBRat3 wrote:

2. You're not loading 4 skins at once. This functions similarly to what beatmaps already do when they include skinned elements only difference being is that you bind a specific mode default skin to it rather than a global one.

RBRat3 wrote:

3. Putting things in subdirectories doesn't necessarily make things easier there will always be the "wtf is this again?", also there is already a best effort to prefix elements. Skinning has never been a pain to me because I use search functions and large thumbnails with a preview panel, I get by just fine...

baraatje123 wrote:

Just make it Taiko-xxx.png, ctb-xxx.png and mania-xxx.png for the non-mode specifics (combo number/score number/spinners (Std/Taiko)

Luna wrote:

ppy pls