SE5: GUI design discussion..

[David E. Gervais]

Hi,

I'm in the process of coming up with variations on the GUI layout for consideration in SE5. I'll be sending my examples to Aaron in the near future. I'd like to hear any thoughts about your likes and dislikes with regard to the se4 GUI.

For one example, I'm designing a new 'visual tech-tree' for the 'Research' window. I'm aiming along the lines of a flow-chart type layout, but also have a few 'different' things that I might try. Do you think this might be a good thing?

NOTE: any and all comments on the se4 GUI are for reference only. Also any ideas about possible se5 GUI elements you care to share are to be shared freely. I cannot guarantee that I'll implement any in my design suggestions, and the only reward you can expect if I do include any, is perhaps an honorable mention and the knowledge that you have contributed to what might make it's way into SE5.

P.S. I'll also try to frequent the gamesnet #se4 channel for some live discussions.

Thanks, and have a Great Day.

Cheers!

[Arkcon]

Well, let me be the first to mention what most people jump in with early.

Ahem.

More windows-like.

OK, I want to say that I really like the look and feel of the current interface, which some people don't care for. I really agree that the interface for SE5 should be distinctive from the OS environment.

But I do want when I click on the scroll 3/4 from the bottom, the list to jump 3/4 of the way, not to the bottom.

I do want the page down key to jump to the next screen full, not the bottom.

I'd like mouse scroll button implemeted.

Overlapping windows may be a good idea, if implemented well. I have every confidence that you and MM can do it well. But the endless overlapping windows was what I hated about Outpost.

I'd like to see some examples of what you're working on so I can give more specific comments.

Oh ... one more thing ...

You're working on SE5 already? Wow! You guys sure are diligent about pleasing your customers. I thought you'd coast at least one more year. If only every software developer cared as much.

[Mudshark]

I would like the ability to name each individual ship with a pull down window like you can with the class names.

[David E. Gervais]

Originally posted by Arkcon:
You're working on SE5 already? Wow! You guys sure are diligent about pleasing your customers. I thought you'd coast at least one more year. If only every software developer cared as much.

First, I'm just going to 'submit' some design ideas and examples to Aaron. As of right now I'm not working for MM or anyone else. I would like to get the contract to do the GUI Artwork for SE5, but I need to impress Aaron first. I also suspect that I'll not be the only artist submitting design ideas to Aaron. I'd like to hope that getting feedback from the end-Users (like you fine people here) will give me a bit of an edge to get the contract.

Second, it's my humble opinion that if Aaron has most if not all the GUI artwork done beforehand, the programming (coding) of SE5 will progress much faster. Also, I suspect that once Starfury is released, Aaron will be jumping full speed ahead on SE5. I believe I heard mention that he wanted Starfury to be finished by June 2003. That's comming up real fast. So I want to be ready!

Thanks for the list, it's a good start, even if most of the list has more to do with mechanics and gameplay. I'm mainly looking for comments on the 'visuals' I don't know how to draw a 'mouse scroll feature!' but I agree it should be implemented in SE5 (Gameplay features should be posted in the SE5 what's on your wish list thread!) And I thought I did a good job in naming this thread to keep it separate from the 'other' one!

Cheers!

[ February 20, 2003, 17:44: Message edited by: David E. Gervais ]

[Andr�s]

I'd like to see a GUI that resembles more SE3 than SE4.

[David E. Gervais]

Another example of my thoughts for the se5 GUI is this.. Different GUI graphics (not layout) for each race in the game. Possibly done using a combo of textured 'skins' and minor visual changes to the window 'frames'.

This would of course have the desired effect of oppening up this 'visual' aspect to the 'modders' As is, the mods are limited to planets/races/ships and 'objects' the GUI look per say has not been moddable.

I think this would be a nice direction to go 'visually' speaking of course!

Cheers!

[Lord Kodos]

One of the features I have planned for the ever in development perpetually coming, LR mod, is themed GUIs.

[Fyron]

I'm aiming along the lines of a flow-chart type layout, but also have a few 'different' things that I might try. Do you think this might be a good thing?

That would be a bad idea. It would not incorporate tech levels very well, unless it was extremeley long.

[Suicide Junkie]

Regarding what you Last said in the #SE4 channel before you left,

I sent a modified Version to Aaron where the mid section of the ship components had scroll buttons to allow for more components without having to increase the window/ship hull size!
This was in response to Aaron saying that he thought that the Starfury inventory system would be too limited for se5. His main concern was the lack of space for components and or the huge amount of space that would be needed to show all the components at once!
Personally I like the idea of placing the components over a ship hull design. It has more of a rpg feel to it!

I wonder if it would be possible to have the ship models generated on the fly from components?

If you start with an empty grid (like the combat grid, say) and start placing components, then SE4 could pick "ship parts" from the shipset depending on the pattern of filled squares you're making, and draw that underneath. The 3D ship when completed could then differ between each ship class!
EG:
If you have a 2x8 block of design squares filled, then one shipset could specify that that looks like a chain of four green spheres, while another makes it into a capped grey tube.

[Puke]

i see, similar to mech customization in games like mechwarior, and earthseige, where custom weapons show up on the hulls.

i think this would be hard to do for a small devlopment house, and if it was done, would end up looking blocky and clunky.

as for the UI design, i agree that moveable windows that follow general MS Windows API concepts (such as PgDn moving one screenload, and clicking on the scroll bar (not button) moving one screenload, and wheel mouse support) would be usefull.

I am not sure how usefull a graphical tech tree would be, there would be lots of crossing lines, since it is moddable and will have to be generated on the fly based on whatever techtree people want to load in.

I am also not so sure about the ship overlay thing. One idea I had for this, was to have blocks available on an overlay for component TYPES. then you could expand these blocks to put in as many of any that type of component (controll components, weapons, armor, engines, whatever) that you need. this would avoid having to scroll over the ship image, which i think defeats the purpose of having fixed spots overlaid on an image. It would also give you all the space you need.

It would also, optionally, allow for higher detail on ship designs. perhaps you could have both starboard and port weapons bays, each which can hold any number of weapons (or perhaps limit what each block of component types can hold) and has different hit probabilities in combat. maybe different armor facings, or armor could aply globlay. of course, this is totally not required.

I would like to see most of the UI effort put into systems and planet displays. I would like for systems either to be very detailed with moving parts, and varying orbital periods, OR, i would like to see them abstracted into static, liniar, displays of the major objects in the system, possibly seperated into inner system, outer system, and maybe a rim/gateway area where ships enter from or where WPs hang out.

Planet displays could be given some work, as well. I wont go into too many details, but more effort could be put into them, with the number of fields available. alot of these are code suggestions, and not UI ones. maybe diamater, density (which in turn calculate gravity) and distance from star (which in turn calculates orbital diamater) maybe display orbital space for each body, so objects in a sector (if the sector concept is kept) could either be in deep space, in orbit of a planet, or in orbit of a moon)

before i get carried away, i will shut up.