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backgrounds

Creating Backgrounds​

AO2 Backgrounds (2.9.x+)​

All of AO Vanilla's backgrounds are DS resolution (256x192), although you will typically come across backgrounds with either a 4:3 aspect ratio or a 16:9 aspect ratio.

Starting in AO 2.8.x, backgrounds can be PNG/GIF/WebP and will support animations (such as the rushing water in 999's Third Class Cabin).

Starting in AO 2.9.x, backgrounds no longer have to follow the default naming system (as seen in the next section). Overlays can be applied by adding the suffix _overlay to the filename (i.e. - Cabin_overlay.png).

Additionally, since 2.9 backgrounds can have custom positions. The images for these positions should be the name of the position, and the overlay should be the name of the position with the suffix \_overlay. These will only appear in the positions dropdown if they are added to a file called design.ini in the background's folder. An example of a correctly formatted design.ini is as follows:

scaling = smooth
positions = pos1,pos2,pos3,pos4
judges = pos2,pos4

A brief explanation follows:

  • scaling: Defines the type of scaling to be use when upscaling this background. Default is fast, for nearest-neighbor. The only other option is smooth.
  • positions: A list of all the custom positions for this background, separated by commas.
  • judges: (since 2.9.1) A list of all the positions for this background that should have access to the judge controls. Note that "jud" will always have access to the controls regardless of this setting.

If the background is "AO2-compatible" (read: contains stand, defensedesk and prosecutiondesk), the position of the chat bar and chat box are fetched from ao2_ic_chat_message and ao2_chatbox in courtroom_design.ini, respectively.

AO2 Backgrounds (Pre-2.9)​

Prior to 2.9.x, the gs4 background is typically the default background, though the default folder acts as a fallback for missing desks.

Backgrounds typically contain the following files:

  • defensedesk.png
  • defenseempty.png
  • helperstand.png
  • judgestand.png
  • prohelperstand.png
  • prosecutiondesk.png
  • prosecutorempty.png
  • stand.png
  • witnessempty.png

If the background is AO2-compatible (read: contains stand.png, defensedesk.png and prosecutiondesk.png), the position of the chat bar and chat box are fetched from ao2_ic_chat_message and ao2_chatbox in courtroom_design.ini, respectively.

As of Client Version 2.8, you can define custom positions through design.ini.

AO1 backgrounds​

For the sake of documentation, it should be noted that some AO1-era backgrounds use different dimensions for desks. These desks' filenames are in Spanish (bancodefensa, bancoacusacion, estrado). (Why are they in Spanish if Fanat is Russian? I don't know!)

Instead of taking a full 256x192, these desks have a limited resolution, and the height of the viewport is also limited to just less than 192 pixels.

Support for these AO1-style desks was dropped in 2.8.

Some of this content was adapted from the Attorney Online User Manual written by OmniTroid. Credits to the AO2 Development Team for the original documentation