[Mastakilla]

Hi,

I'm currently using the default Estuary skin, but I want to change this because I'd like to have custom main menu items for documentaries. However, when searching for another skin with custom main menu item support, I noticed that all other skins I've tried are missing the "overview" for Movies and Episodes in the main menu (marked in yellow below). I really do like this overview to see what was recently added, what episodes I'm the process of watching or which movie I watched partly.
The other skins that I checked for now (Aeon Nox, Aeon Tajo, Amber), in general, have a really bad main menu compared to Estuary, where you can easily see the available options on the left, without having to scroll horizontally. They even have main menu items that dont even fit in the menu (Aeon Nox auto scrolls them and Aeon Tajo adds "..." after an incomplete word, which totally unusable. The Amber main menu looks pretty nice, but I don't like the horizontal main menu items and it is missing the overview...
Sometimes also the other menus (like settings) are also really bad (Aeon Tajo menus often look like a MSDOS menus instead of a GUI, with a really bad overview and buttons that are practically invisible).

So I'm wondering:
1) What's the name or proper description of this main menu overview? So that I can try searching myself which skin has this too...
2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?
3) Any advice of skins I should try? I'd like a good and usable main menu, if possible with vertical listing and a nice "overview" like Estuary. No crappy setting menus. A good listing for large collections.

Thanks!

[Karellen]

1) What's the name or proper description of this main menu overview? So that I can try searching myself which skin has this too...

What you have highlighted is the Estuary Home Screen.
The top row are Categories, also known as Nodes
The other rows are Widgets

2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?

Correct. Stops working after v18

3) Any advice of skins I should try? I'd like a good and usable main menu, if possible with vertical listing and a nice "overview" like Estuary. No crappy setting menus. A good listing for large collections.

Many skins have an option for Vertical menu instead of Horizontal Menu. Try those skins again but switch to Vertical Menu mode.
Following are screenshots of Amber and Aeon Nox Silvo using vertical menu and widgets enabled. Other skins can do a similar...

Amber


Aeon Nox Silvo


(ignore the missing posters as this is from my test setup and those movies no longer exist on my system)

[jjd-uk]

2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?

Correct. Stops working after v18

Incorrect, it was updated for Matrix v19 by someone from Kodinerds german forum there is a support thread here at https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=366400

[Karellen]

it was updated for Matrix v19 by someone from Kodinerds german forum there is a support thread here

Great. Thanks!!

[the_other_guy]

2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?
it is the plugins out of date if you update plugins most of still works
you will need to update addon.xml 
<import addon="xbmc.gui" version="5.15.0"/>



I'd like to have custom main menu items for documentaries. However, when searching for another skin with custom main menu item support, I noticed that all other skins I've tried are missing the "overview" for Movies and Episodes in the main menu (marked in yellow below) this can be done with any skin that uses skinshortcuts you just need to goto video library> playlist

[Mastakilla]

First of all apologies for the late reply, I got sidetracked and lost track of this thread I'm afraid...

1) What's the name or proper description of this main menu overview? So that I can try searching myself which skin has this too...

What you have highlighted is the Estuary Home Screen.
The top row are Categories, also known as Nodes
The other rows are Widgets

2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?

Correct. Stops working after v18

3) Any advice of skins I should try? I'd like a good and usable main menu, if possible with vertical listing and a nice "overview" like Estuary. No crappy setting menus. A good listing for large collections.

Many skins have an option for Vertical menu instead of Horizontal Menu. Try those skins again but switch to Vertical Menu mode.
Following are screenshots of Amber and Aeon Nox Silvo using vertical menu and widgets enabled. Other skins can do a similar...

Amber


Aeon Nox Silvo


(ignore the missing posters as this is from my test setup and those movies no longer exist on my system)

Thanks for the advice / explenation! I'll look into it...
 

2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?

Correct. Stops working after v18

Incorrect, it was updated for Matrix v19 by someone from Kodinerds german forum there is a support thread here at https://forum.kodi.tv/showthread.php?tid=366400

2) I also found posts about Estuary Mod Skin, but am I correct that this skin in no longer maintained?
it is the plugins out of date if you update plugins most of still works
you will need to update addon.xml 
<import addon="xbmc.gui" version="5.15.0"/>



I'd like to have custom main menu items for documentaries. However, when searching for another skin with custom main menu item support, I noticed that all other skins I've tried are missing the "overview" for Movies and Episodes in the main menu (marked in yellow below) this can be done with any skin that uses skinshortcuts you just need to goto video library> playlist

Both look a bit too adventureous for the family mediacenter but thank you very much for tips!