Your sample project doesn't include the pro version so there are no parameters set up for an outline font. But just looking at the font image files, it doesn't make sense to me. I'm looking at "cyborgSister_28" and its outline version, and I can't seem to figure out the rule for how they are lined up. I thought it made sense that the outline version would line up perfectly with the font, but your file looks completely different.
Also I manually added a negative number in the code as the parameter box doesn't accept them, and it does decrease the spacing. However, it cuts into the letters and creates a gap of the same width as the spacing, very similar to my screenshot above. I think the two issues may be related.
Is it possible that the way the fonts are rendered doesn't allow for the individual letters to overlap? Because in your examples, I can see that you've set up the fonts in such a way that they don't. While this is fine for regular fonts without outlines, the gap between letters becomes too big when there is an outline, especially when it's a tiny pixel font like I'm using (it becomes a 4 pixel gap betweeen each letter)
I'm bad at explaining so I'll show you an example of what I'm trying to achieve:
I'll also attach my font files in case you want to take a look at those:
The sample project does not include the Pro version of the plugin file, because it is paid. But the plugin parameters of the pro version is on the sample project. Is just a matter of you copy and paste the plugin file inside the plugin folder of the sample project, then activate it on the plugin manager. After the plugin file is inside the sample project, you will be able to double click the parameters and see what is inside. But if you try to open the parameters before the plugin file is on the plugin folder, it will reset the parameters.
The outline font works like two exactly bitmap.png files on top of each other. Therefore, they must have the same file size(width and height), and also the same "letter" size inside the image editor. Taking the example of the CyborgSister_28_outline file, using GIMP as the image editor.
Below is the layer of the font without outline:
Now, this is the layer of the font with outline:
Now, you will export each layer, individually. In a way that you will have two files.png so you can assign into the plugin parameters:
When the text is been drawing on the RPG Maker, the plugin code will first draw the font file without the outline, then after that, it will draw the outline font file above it, making the letters look like this:
This need to be done this way, because the letters as drawn as an image, not as text(which is the default). And so, the plugin must treat the outline and non-outline files individually, in case you want to change the outline color or the font color individually.
So, on your image editor, you need to take into consideration when creating the font file, that both font versions must have the same size. The outline type will not be drawn on rpg maker, as an outline over your font. But instead, as a file on top of another.
Now that I'm talking to you, I can see why you are confused. Other than taking a look at the sample project, the help file is missing those kinds of information. I will update it with all this info. Let me know if this explanation helped you :)
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About the negative space, I will have to play with it myself to see if there is a solution for that.
Thank you so much for taking your time to work with me on this issue! I finally understand how the outline fonts work now, I've adjusted my font and it works properly as long as the spacing isn't negative. I tried setting the spacing to -2, and it almost works! The only issue is that the outline cuts off at the end, like this:
At least it doesn't cut off on both sides like it did before, but this plugin would be perfect if this can be fixed :)
As I see on the code, Indeed there is no way for it to work with negative spacing between characters. it will broke some things.
But also, I'm not sure if I understanding you correctly anymore. You said on your last reply that without negative spacing, there is no way to achieve it. Achieve what exactly? If you sent the Space Between characters to 0, the fonts should not be clipped at all.
I guess it is best if you send me a sample project on discord replicating the issue, so I can take a look and figure out what is wrong.
My discord is: hakuenstudio
