gui layout #2

[Silentwings]

Since viewtopic.php?f=44&t=34662#p577676 generated unexpected interest, here's an updated set of images to showcase BARs current ui. The first image is the default. Again, comments welcome.

Thanks to all who replied before, it was primarily those suggestions which caused the last round of changes.

[MasterBel2]

(Re last post in other thread) Cool, I'll look into changhing the transparency.

I have to say I like #2 the most. However there is the issue of the minimap being down low - But I have to try it see if I get used to it. I still don't like how half the buttons are spread along the bottom of the screen - maybe try swapping with the minimap? And if the metal and energy bars could be not on top of eachother - or at least have a gap between them. It might be easier to read/interpret them that way.

Could you also give the command/buildlist a defined boundary? It has one in BA, I don't know if it'd be better or worse here. I just feel like something's missing, can't tell what.

I still don't really like the 'unit selected' box but I think that's because I'm not used to it. I still reckon it could at least be not as tall.

[Google_Frog]

I think your playerlist is too large. It takes up a large amount of screen space and the mostly-opaque background gives it more weight that it deserves. It is going to become very large for teamgames. It would be a good playerlist if you had to hold a key to see it. If you need the resource bar displays then I think you should do it with a much smaller version.

The top right of all screenshots is a bit of a mess. The resource bars are decent but the small windows below the bars look jumbled. Their silhouette is complicated, they have transparency between them and they are not aligned to each other. I don't think it is useful to know which song is playing and your volume controls are perhaps too large. However, whatever you do, I think you should put those UI elements (including the commander button) in a rectangle with a background matching the resource bars.

I like the second layout but I feel that the unusual aspect ratio of the minimap makes it hard to judge.

[Forboding Angel]

#2 is the best imo, but the commands being icons is silly. They should be text, like the text you have already.

[MasterBel2]

I'd agree on Forb that the buttons should be text not icons - they're confusing else. Maybe Both? But that would probably look too cluttered. Something to try though.

FPS, Time, and the Menu button - I'm not sure why they're on the same thing. Firstly: since they're not necessary for playing, I don't think they should have any real anything drawing attention to them, as long as they look neat. Time might be better bigger, standalone, right on the side. Bigger so it's visible. Can't really see it while playing. The menu button looks like it's selected/hovered over, aswell. FPS - that might be able to go under the time. Most people wouldn't use it though. I certainly don't.

The music - shouldn't really be with all the necessary stuff. Put it in the bottom right corner, or somewhere (problem with the bottom right corner is that it's where the playerlist is, and I like it there)

On the playerlist, sharing resources and viewing team's resources isn't something that is really important. I really think that that part of the playerlist should be hidden, and come up in the middle of the screen when a key, say 'h' is pressed. This would tie it into the unit sharing.

Maybe put the metal and energy in series not paralel? Top and middle since they're the most important thing? I would like it if the bar itself was designed to draw attention, instead of it's own border (this annoys me), and even the symbols for metal/energy. The fact that the numbers are closer to the middle of the screen draws attention to them.

It is possible to edit the GUI yourself right? I should have a play with it and put my favorite layout up.

P.S. what map is that? It looks cool.

[Silentwings]

Ty for comments all - the map is http://springfiles.com/spring/spring-maps/enclaves

It is possible to edit the GUI yourself right?

To some extent - you can see the options screen in the final image.

[Teabag]

[Forboding Angel]

Widget simulator 2016

[Ares]

I like the layout of everything in 2 but with the map in the same position as 1. (With the 2 style menus below)

[MasterBel2]

As in in image #3?

[Ares]

Hi just tried it ingame. I found the differences between ba ui and bar ui are substantial enough to make it feel like the positionings ive learnt from so long playing ba don't transfer very well - which I think is a shame and feels frustrating.

The resource bar in particular, my eyes always scan the familiar place on the screen and look for the familiar layout and I wish it was more similar and horizontally stacked across top rather than vertically. Also the text was harder to read than in ba, particularly in the centre of the bar.

The build menu is my favourite part, middle mouse works well and its nice everything is labelled. However, I'd like the layout and positionings to be closer to what is familiar (like the horizontal repeat on, roam commands etc in same order).

I think its nice to have build menu centred vertically, #3 makes the build menu too low down the screen, but the cloak/repeat on commands should be above this rather than below.

The share resource widget also seemed to take 2 clicks to achieve its goal now, before you could do it in 1 by just dragging the value to what you wanted which I think is superior.

My preference would be #1 with the cloak/repeat on commands above the build menu (more like ba). Please use your new build menu but transfer as much pre existing knowledge across from ba for the sake of ease adoption from the regular playerbase!!

[MasterBel2]

May I suggest, on that note by Ares, that the build options be smaller, and in a 'container' (on top of a semi-transparent gray box) As it is in BA? And if each unit could be imaged on a map, it would probably (hopefully) look better.

[Silentwings]

The share resource widget

Do you mean the on-click menu of the playerlist (which is the usual way of sharing resources)? Or setting the automatic surplus resource sharing thresholds within the resource bars widget?

Also the text was harder to read

Screenshot please.

[Teabag]

[Ares]

Here is how I would like the ui to look. However, I would like the specific commands (attack/stop) where possible to match up with ba so people with muscle memory automatically move their mouse to roughly the right spot after having played for so long.

I made build menu smaller so everything fits, but I think its was needlessly large before.

I would make the resource bars more familiar to what we are used to and really try to push widgets along top of screen horizontally.

The little red share marker share bar should be as part of the resource bars on the top of the screen, seperate from ally share metal/energy. Ally share energy should be in player list with same functionality as now with the slider to send 1000m or however much you like to that player.

The resource bar font is not easily readable and is too small, also the white colour against the pale blue and yellow background without a border makes it worse.

Also remember that the bottom of the screen needs to be free for the selected unit widget which shows the currently selected groups of units.

bar ui.png

(3.43 MiB) Not downloaded yet

[Teabag]

[MasterBel2]

@ares, I like it!. I think you can afford to make the buildlist a little wider though, and I'd still like the unit ID in the bottom left corner smaller. I'm now gonna play a game where I trial the Minimap in the bottom-left corner.

[Forboding Angel]

Once again, orders should be text. Icons mean nothing to anyone except people that never need to click on them anyway.