*Note* The Serpents Spine expansion was released after I wrote this tutorial, and the next expansion (The Buried Sea) is due to be released soon. The Lodi Dodi UI versions will more than likely update after new expansions are released, so be sure to check the forum for new version updates.

I absolutely love this UI and could not imagine using any other. What I love about this newest upgrade to Lodi is the addition of 8 different color Lodi UI’s to use! Once you’ve logged in to EQ, chosen one of the color UI’s, and arranged your screen, the next time you choose a different color you don’t have to arrange your screen again. How cool is that?

First you need access to download the Lodi UI. Go to EQInterface and create a free forum account. Then proceed to the LodiDodi download page.

*If you have any previous installs of Lodi, it is recommended that you remove them. With this newest update of Lodi, you do not need to copy over any of the default files. Make sure you are not logged into EQ while following this tutorial.*

Step 1:

Unzip the file to any new location on your hard drive. It should look like this (click thumbnail for larger view):

While leaving that window open, go to your EverQuest/uifiles folder and open it. The only thing that should be in there is a folder called default. Right click and choose New/Folder. After you’ve made the new folder, highlite it and then right click and choose Rename. Name this new folder LodiBlack. You may want to rearrange both windows so that they are both open side by side. Copy all of Lodi the files from the folder you inzipped (not the folders, only the files) to the LodiBlack folder. It should now look like this (click the thumbnail for a larger view):

Now you get to personalize the UI In the folder you unzipped you will see 16 other folders. Lets begin with the first folder called Actions. Open that folder and you will see two other folders. One for Optional and one for Standard. You will need to pick one of these… here is a link to the UI creators page where he gives examples of each one (keep this page open so you can refer back to it):

http://lodidodi.home.comcast.net/graphics.htm

Keep in mind that these are old screenshots predating the newest Lodi. Scroll down till you see the actions example. I chose the Standard actions window, so I opened the Standard - Info Tab First folder. Highlite the xml file, right click and choose Copy. Now over in your LodiBlack folder right click and choose Paste. A box will pop up and there you will want to choose Yes so it will overwrite the existing file.

Go through all of the folders just like you did with the Actions folder. Copy/Paste over those chosen files and be sure to overwrite existing files. The last folder should be the UI Color Scheme where you will choose the Black one.. copy/paste those files over.

At this point what you have created is the LodiBlack UI with your personal preferences. This is more or less your base folder as well.

Step 2:

Now to make the remaining color UI folders:

Back out of your LodiBlack folder once and you should see both the default folder and the LodiBlack folder. Highlite the LodiBlack folder, choose copy and then paste. You will now have a copy of the LodiBlack folder. Once again, highlite the copy of the LodiBlack folder, right click and choose rename. Rename this copied folder to LodiBlue. Go back to the UI Color Scheme folder and copy over the Optional Blue files to your LodiBlue folder. Be sure to overwrite all existing files.

Repeat step 2 using the LodiBlack folder as your base to create the rest of the color UI’s. When you are done, your folder should look like this:

*Optional Step* I dislike the default spell gems, so I installed the popular spell gems by TKing (these are absolutely fantastic!). You can download them from LodiDodi’s site (scroll down the page till you see them) http://www.lodidodi.net/

Unzip these files to a new location on your hard drive. Copy/paste them into all 8 Lodi UI color folders and you’re all done

Now log into EQ and once your character is loaded, choose Options and under the general tab you will see where to change your UI. Just an FYI for those who’ve never played with UI’s before. Each time you load a new UI your screen will freeze for a second or two. Don’t panic, it’s supposed to do this. Have fun with your new user interface!

Here’s a 1280×1024 screenshot using LodiBlack (click on thumbnail for larger view):

If you have problems with the install of LodiDodi, please check with the EQInterface forums on the Lodi download page. You will more than likely find that someone else has encountered the same problem as you, and you should be able to find your answers there.

Hugs,
Artemis
Chickiedoo Dark’Sinz, Dark Elf Shadow Knight of Prexus