About the GUI make it so that clicking on the transparent part won't trigger orders. How many times have i placed rows of buildings because i clicked next to the mex buildpic and not exactly on it...
Having all building possibilities shown at once is too much. Some units are able to build so many others that, if all of them are shown, it would fill the whole screen (unless you're running Spring through a projector on a wall).
The New GUI
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And why would that be a problem?Having all building possibilities shown at once is too much. Some units are able to build so many others that, if all of them are shown, it would fill the whole screen (unless you're running Spring through a projector on a wall).
Regarding the configuration, the build menu window could be designed/coded like this:
- the window can display one or more pages/sheets, where each page is a grid of custom width and height
- a build icon and/or 3d-model of the the building/unit is displayed in each grid cell (or as specified in the configuration, some cells can be empty)
- it should be possible to configure the size (width/height in pixels) of each grid cell
- the window can be positioned anywhere on the screen
- the window can be brought up using a hotkey (e.g. spacebar) or be always visible (sticky)
- it should be possible to make the menus context sensitive...i.e. different configurations and layouts of the grids depending on which build unit that is selected...
With a configuration like this it would be possible to create a "old-style" theme with a small window with many pages that is always visible on the left side of the screen.
Or, as I want it, it would also be possible to configure the window to be large and only contain one page with all possible build alternatives. It would only be display when needed.
The movement mode, firing mode, reclaim, res, restore, load, unload, all of these buttons should be on the gui at all times. I have having to cycle thru pages of stuff just to get to these things. I know the hotkeys, but there is none for movement type and some others. Also, it would be nice if the GUI allowed for hotkeys for buildings, like storage, wind gens, solars, and other commonly placed structures. Or at least enable us choose our own hotkeys for those things or enable us to make macros or something for it.
Perhaps just single column on the left screen would do, with small arrows on the bottom to swap pages. This wouuld apply to cons and factories. I like having my screen uncluttered.
Or on the bottom of the screen like ta: K
Perhaps just single column on the left screen would do, with small arrows on the bottom to swap pages. This wouuld apply to cons and factories. I like having my screen uncluttered.
Or on the bottom of the screen like ta: K
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Doomweaver
- Posts: 704
- Joined: 30 Oct 2004, 14:14
NO! NONE OF THEM SHOULD BE ON THE SCREEN AT ANY TIME!
Anyone who is familiar with TA should be using shortcut keys for these commands.
Obviously if you forget which key it is, you need a way to popup a 'orders' screen, but apart from that you should never be able to see all those orders.
The exception is On/Off, Ai's (The name) etc. Things like that should just be displayed permanently.
Anyone who is familiar with TA should be using shortcut keys for these commands.
Obviously if you forget which key it is, you need a way to popup a 'orders' screen, but apart from that you should never be able to see all those orders.
The exception is On/Off, Ai's (The name) etc. Things like that should just be displayed permanently.
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HellToupee
- Posts: 59
- Joined: 01 May 2005, 01:27
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PauloMorfeo
- Posts: 2004
- Joined: 15 Dec 2004, 20:53
I would love to see al options on the screen but consider, if al the options beeing shown takes up all the screen, you select a building for building and ... where do you place it? Even if it leaves a small are of the map showing, it would give us a very hard time placing buildings or assigning orders on the map.JeeZ wrote:...
And why would that be a problem?
...
For units:would love to see al options on the screen but consider, if al the options beeing shown takes up all the screen, you select a building for building and ... where do you place it?
1. You select the builder unit
2. You press the hotkey to bring up the build menu for that unit
3. You select the building to to build by clicking on it - the menu disappears immediately (or when the hotkey is released, this could be configurable)
4. You place the building on the map/screen
For buildings:
1. You select the building
2. You press the hotkey to bring up the build menu for that building
3. You click on the stuff you want to build as usual (and it is possible to add 5, 10, 100 or whatever number of units in a number of ways).
4. You release the hotkey when finished queing up stuff
As I said earlier, it should be possible to create a custom build menu (layout, contents) for each unit and building. Each item in the menu could be connected to a hotkey.
Order menus, AI menus etc could be created and used in the same manner. Actually, it would be nice if a single build menu could contain all of that stuff at the same time for a particular unit/building.
And as we all know by now, people have different preferences about what should be visible and not...so it must be configurable.
The default layout should probably be nice-looking and have most stuff visible etc to make it easy for new users. The game could also come with alternative layouts that are thinner and a better starting point (for further customization) for more competitive players.
When the GUI is fully customizable, presetted GUIs will be easy to build.
Actually, a customizable GUI will wipe out most of the remarks about "basic order buttens should be always show" or "No they won't!".
Let people self figure out how they wan't their GUI to look like. Thing to be needed would be a clear manual to that.
Actually, a customizable GUI will wipe out most of the remarks about "basic order buttens should be always show" or "No they won't!".
Let people self figure out how they wan't their GUI to look like. Thing to be needed would be a clear manual to that.
Oh yeah, my wish will be granted!JeeZ wrote:Each item in the menu could be connected to a hotkey.
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jouninkomiko
- Posts: 436
- Joined: 26 Aug 2004, 08:11
these are good ideas. the layout file for the main gui will be an external xml document, so a dedicated person should be able to modify this to suit their needs. the key thing will be to have a well defined naming scheme for key components, group them together, and then have a separate document that lays out the groups. we'll worry about that after v1
I hope we'll be able to tie things in that document to custom dll's or GroupAI's, using the HandleEvent(int type, void* data) style interface, better yet just give it a call everytime a button is rpessed with information about the button rpess and so on, then let the groupAI do the sorting, and provide us with a decent itnrface to do things such as create move set show/hide buttons and controls.
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Doomweaver
- Posts: 704
- Joined: 30 Oct 2004, 14:14
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jouninkomiko
- Posts: 436
- Joined: 26 Aug 2004, 08:11
If the menu didn't disappear it would probably hide the the place where you want to put your building on the screen.Why would the menu for a contruction unit disappear after a single click? I tend to que up at least several minutes worth of structures, does this mean I have to keep pressing a button to pop up a buildmenu? I mean, what's the point of selecting a con unit and not building?
But, why would it be a problem to "keep pressing a button to popup a build menu"? You have to compare this to have to move the mouse to the left hand of the screen and click on the paging buttons to find the build menu for the building you want to build...
Popping up the build menu using for example spacebar with your left thumb while selecting the building with the mouse in the menu that popups up should be much faster...especially since the icon for the building that you want to build will always be at the same place (coordinates) in the build menu...
Also, if you have a mouse with many mousebuttons you could bind the menu to one of these so you don't have to use the left hand for bringing up the menu.
One of things that made OTA great was the GUI, it was simple and intuitive. I didn't fully appreciate this until I found that my son could drive the game when he was just 4 years old.
I would expect any future replacement to keep the same priorities in mind, the progress would be in allowing docked/undocked , sticky/nonsticky menus etc as options.
I would expect any future replacement to keep the same priorities in mind, the progress would be in allowing docked/undocked , sticky/nonsticky menus etc as options.
. I was a bit worried (but didnt really believe :D ) that unnessesary work was being done.