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Minimal Layout

Create a clean, distraction-free interface with maximum text visibility.

Goal

Build a minimalist layout with:

  • Maximum screen space for game text
  • Essential information only
  • Keyboard-centric design
  • Low resource usage
  • Quick load times

Prerequisites

  • Basic Two-Face familiarity
  • Preference for simple interfaces
  • Keyboard navigation skills

Design Philosophy

The minimal layout follows these principles:

  1. Less is More - Only show what you actively need
  2. Text First - Game output takes priority
  3. Keyboard Driven - Reduce mouse dependency
  4. Performance - Fewer widgets = faster rendering

Layout Overview

┌────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                            │
│                                                            │
│                                                            │
│                     Game Text                              │
│                   (Full Screen)                            │
│                                                            │
│                                                            │
│                                                            │
├────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ HP: ████████░░ 82%  MP: ████░░░░░░ 40%  RT: 3  > [input]   │
└────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Step 1: Create the Layout

Create ~/.two-face/layout.toml:

# Minimal Layout - Maximum Text, Minimum UI
# Clean, fast, keyboard-driven

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# MAIN TEXT - Full Width, Maximum Height
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[[widgets]]
type = "text"
name = "main"
title = ""
x = 0
y = 0
width = 100
height = 90
streams = ["main", "room", "combat", "thoughts", "speech"]
scrollback = 3000
auto_scroll = true
border = false
padding = 1

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# STATUS BAR - Compact Bottom Row
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

# Health (compact)
[[widgets]]
type = "progress"
name = "health"
title = "HP"
x = 0
y = 91
width = 15
height = 3
data_source = "vitals.health"
color = "health"
show_percentage = true
border = false

# Mana (compact)
[[widgets]]
type = "progress"
name = "mana"
title = "MP"
x = 16
y = 91
width = 15
height = 3
data_source = "vitals.mana"
color = "mana"
show_percentage = true
border = false

# Roundtime (compact)
[[widgets]]
type = "countdown"
name = "roundtime"
title = "RT"
x = 32
y = 91
width = 8
height = 3
data_source = "roundtime"
border = false

# Command Input (rest of row)
[[widgets]]
type = "command_input"
name = "input"
x = 41
y = 91
width = 59
height = 9
history_size = 500
prompt = "> "
border = false

That’s it. Four widgets total.

Step 2: Minimal Theme

Create ~/.two-face/colors.toml:

[theme]
name = "Minimal"

# Clean, high-contrast colors
background = "#000000"
text = "#cccccc"
text_dim = "#666666"

# No visible borders
border = "#000000"
border_focused = "#333333"

# Vitals - visible but not distracting
health = "#00aa00"
health_low = "#aaaa00"
health_critical = "#aa0000"
mana = "#0066aa"
stamina = "#aa6600"

# Status bar background
status_bg = "#111111"

Step 3: Keyboard-Centric Keybinds

Create ~/.two-face/keybinds.toml:

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# CORE NAVIGATION - Always Available
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

# Cardinal directions
[keybinds."numpad8"]
macro = "north"

[keybinds."numpad2"]
macro = "south"

[keybinds."numpad4"]
macro = "west"

[keybinds."numpad6"]
macro = "east"

# Diagonal
[keybinds."numpad7"]
macro = "northwest"

[keybinds."numpad9"]
macro = "northeast"

[keybinds."numpad1"]
macro = "southwest"

[keybinds."numpad3"]
macro = "southeast"

# Special movement
[keybinds."numpad5"]
macro = "out"

[keybinds."numpad_plus"]
macro = "go"

[keybinds."numpad_minus"]
macro = "climb"

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# ESSENTIAL COMMANDS - Function Keys
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[keybinds."f1"]
macro = "look"

[keybinds."f2"]
macro = "inventory"

[keybinds."f3"]
macro = "experience"

[keybinds."f4"]
macro = "health"

[keybinds."f5"]
macro = "stance defensive"

[keybinds."f6"]
macro = "stance offensive"

[keybinds."f7"]
macro = "hide"

[keybinds."f8"]
macro = "search"

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# QUICK ACTIONS - Ctrl Keys
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[keybinds."ctrl+a"]
macro = "attack target"

[keybinds."ctrl+s"]
macro = "search;loot"

[keybinds."ctrl+g"]
macro = "get $input"

[keybinds."ctrl+d"]
macro = "drop $input"

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# SCROLLING - Page Keys
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[keybinds."page_up"]
action = "scroll_up"

[keybinds."page_down"]
action = "scroll_down"

[keybinds."home"]
action = "scroll_top"

[keybinds."end"]
action = "scroll_bottom"

# Half-page scroll
[keybinds."ctrl+page_up"]
action = "scroll_half_up"

[keybinds."ctrl+page_down"]
action = "scroll_half_down"

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# FOCUS
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[keybinds."escape"]
action = "focus_input"

# Toggle between main and input (since only 2 widgets)
[keybinds."tab"]
action = "next_widget"

Step 4: Minimal Highlights

Create ~/.two-face/highlights.toml:

# Minimal highlighting - only essential patterns

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# CRITICAL ALERTS
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

[[highlights]]
pattern = "(?i)you are stunned"
fg = "black"
bg = "yellow"
bold = true

[[highlights]]
pattern = "(?i)you have died"
fg = "black"
bg = "red"
bold = true

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# PLAYER INTERACTION
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

# Whispers (important)
[[highlights]]
pattern = "(\\w+) whispers,"
fg = "magenta"

# Your name mentioned
[[highlights]]
pattern = "\\bYOURNAME\\b"
fg = "cyan"
bold = true

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# COMBAT (Subtle)
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

# Hits
[[highlights]]
pattern = "\\*\\*.+\\*\\*"
fg = "red"

# Death
[[highlights]]
pattern = "falls dead"
fg = "yellow"

# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
# NAVIGATION AIDS
# ═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

# Room name
[[highlights]]
pattern = "^\\[.+\\]$"
fg = "white"
bold = true

# Exits
[[highlights]]
pattern = "Obvious (exits|paths):"
fg = "gray"

Step 5: No Triggers (Optional)

For truly minimal setup, skip triggers entirely. Or add only critical ones:

Create ~/.two-face/triggers.toml:

# Only life-saving triggers

[[triggers]]
name = "death_alert"
pattern = "You have died"
command = ".notify DEAD!"
priority = 100

[[triggers]]
name = "stun_alert"
pattern = "(?i)you are stunned"
command = ".notify Stunned"
priority = 100
cooldown = 2000

Alternative: Ultra-Minimal

For absolute minimalism, use just two widgets:

# Ultra-minimal - text and input only

[[widgets]]
type = "text"
name = "main"
x = 0
y = 0
width = 100
height = 92
streams = ["main", "room", "combat", "thoughts", "speech"]
scrollback = 2000
border = false

[[widgets]]
type = "command_input"
name = "input"
x = 0
y = 93
width = 100
height = 7
prompt = "> "
border = false

No status bars, no indicators. Pure text adventure.

Alternative: Vertical Split

If you want some separation without complexity:

# Two-column minimal

[[widgets]]
type = "text"
name = "main"
x = 0
y = 0
width = 70
height = 92
streams = ["main", "room", "combat"]
border = false

[[widgets]]
type = "text"
name = "chat"
x = 71
y = 0
width = 29
height = 92
streams = ["thoughts", "speech", "whisper"]
border_color = "gray"

[[widgets]]
type = "command_input"
name = "input"
x = 0
y = 93
width = 100
height = 7
prompt = "> "
border = false

Testing Your Setup

Performance Test

  1. Launch Two-Face
  2. Check startup time (should be fast)
  3. Scroll rapidly (should be smooth)
  4. Send many commands (no lag)

Functionality Test

  • Text displays clearly
  • Scrolling works (Page Up/Down)
  • Commands execute
  • Vital bars update
  • RT countdown works

Keyboard-Only Test

Try a session without using the mouse:

  1. Navigate rooms with numpad
  2. Use F-keys for common commands
  3. Type commands directly
  4. Scroll with Page keys

Performance Tips

Reduce Scrollback

Less history = less memory:

scrollback = 1000  # Instead of 5000+

Disable Animations

If supported:

[performance]
animations = false
smooth_scroll = false

Simple Highlights

Complex regex patterns slow parsing:

# Fast (literal string)
pattern = "You are stunned"

# Slower (complex regex)
pattern = "(?i)you\\s+are\\s+(?:completely\\s+)?stunned"

Fewer Streams

Combining streams reduces processing:

# All in one (fastest)
streams = ["main"]

# Separated (more processing)
streams = ["main", "room", "combat", "thoughts"]

Customization

Adding Status on Demand

Create a keybind to show/hide status:

[keybinds."ctrl+h"]
action = "toggle_widget"
widget = "health"

Temporary Expansion

For complex situations, temporarily switch layouts:

.layout hunting    # Switch to full layout
.layout minimal    # Back to minimal

Color Adjustments

For different lighting conditions:

Day Mode (brighter):

background = "#1a1a1a"
text = "#e0e0e0"

Night Mode (darker):

background = "#000000"
text = "#909090"

Troubleshooting

Missing Information

If you need data not shown:

  1. Add minimal widget for that data
  2. Use keybind macros (F3 = experience)
  3. Create triggers for notifications

Accidental Scrollback

Enable auto-scroll:

auto_scroll = true

Or use End key to jump to bottom.

Can’t See Status

Check border settings - borders might be same color as background:

border = false  # Hide borders entirely

Input Too Small

Increase input height:

height = 9  # More space for long commands

Philosophy

The minimal layout works best when you:

  • Know the game well
  • Prefer typing over clicking
  • Want maximum text visibility
  • Value performance over features
  • Play on smaller screens or terminals

It doesn’t work well when you:

  • Need constant visual status monitoring
  • Rely heavily on context menus
  • Are new to the game
  • Want rich visual feedback

Choose the approach that matches your playstyle.

See Also