Early this month I introduced Cogmind's first new upscaled layout option, then immediately followed up with development of our second new option! While the other option (to become the new player default) is "Semi-modal," we'll now have a third and even more extreme "Modal" layout which, as you can see in the sample above, hides away the top-side consoles in order to reclaim more of the map view.
That sample screenshot happens to be taken with optional map zoom activated as well--although I think the upscaled grid size across the board means modal layout players are less likely to need or want to zoom the map, the function is of course available and the new zoom-related QoL will come in especially useful.
With the top-side consoles hidden, message/combat logs can be opened and read in full as usual, but for convenience they'll also show temporarily over the map (adjustable count and duration), as seen here with two columns of message log data:
A mix of message log (left) and combat log (right):
Above the map are the familiar buttons for interacting with what is normally visible in those consoles:
See below for some additional sample screenshots from the Modal UI layout (open images to full size if necessary).
Early game (zoomed, 1080p):
Late game (not zoomed, 1080p):
The same scene as above, but in 1440p and using one of several new fonts added to Beta 13 (Tamsyn):
If you want to see the Modal layout in action, earlier this week I streamed a run making use of it, actually the conclusion to my last stream that began with the other/Semi-modal layout:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XolIIvhIta0
All three UI layout options are available right from the top of the Options menu (requires a restart to take effect):
More information, as well as a summary of the Semi-modal layout, can be found on the dev blog in Part 5 of the the "Full UI Upscaling" series, "Completion and Demos."
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If you're itching to try these new layouts yourself, the good news is... they're coming next week! The results of testing have been very positive, and Beta 13 release is now scheduled for February 27th :D