SE5: GUI design discussion.. - Page 2

Suicide Junkie · #11 February 20th, 2003, 10:59 PM

Zooming up a section of the ship when you click on it!
I like that idea.
The zoomed up areas should not have to be square, and should probably be determined by the hull type, and possibly racial bonuses

Gryphin · #12 February 20th, 2003, 11:17 PM

I'd like to be able to choose San Serif fonts for easier reading
I would like more contrast between colors in the numbers. I have a tough time with the color difference between the Minerals and Organics.
I would like Mono spaced font for the numbers so I can more easily read them
12340 takes up more room than
11111 with the current fonts.

I'd love a scroll mouse
I'd love more context sensitve help like is given by the buttons

Note the use of the word "I". I acknowledge I represent a very small minority of the players.

Spoo · #13 February 21st, 2003, 02:33 AM

I think more "relistic" systems would be a plus (moving planets, more empty space).

Suicide Junkie · #14 February 21st, 2003, 02:51 AM

Gryphin:
Can't you just overwrite the Fonts in SE4\Fonts with something more to your liking?

CNCRaymond · #15 February 21st, 2003, 03:16 AM

I know that this question is one that Atrocities may have already asked, but what about ship modeling? How will it be done? What program will be used, and will players be able to make and use their own ship sets?

Gryphin · #16 February 21st, 2003, 04:01 AM

Suicide Junkie good point about substituing fonts.
Yes, I can. I tried once. I ran into a few problems. I have a vague memory of the mono spaced font was too wide. The Rads collum would overlap the Minerals.
I think the the San Serrif font was too big and overlapped other areas.
I'll have to try it again.

Instar · #17 February 21st, 2003, 06:30 AM

SJ: Dynamically creating the ship model based on components would be cool, but depending on how you want done, it could prove hard to do. If you have 200 component types, then you will be making a ton of 3D models, all of which have to be loaded in memory. However, at the same time, a lot of components are in fact redundant, (make all weapons look alike, and stuff like that) so it could be possible. But the way it is (the models are already done for Starfury as it is) Maybe SE6.... (now youve got me thinking on how it could be done without much overhead)

For the GUI, definitely implement mouse wheels. I dont know if you have played any SimCity 4, but the GUI for that gives it accessibility to many complex operations but at the same time keeps it simple. (I mean the actual city building mode GUI)
Also, the multiple skins would be nice, just like StarCraft did it.
The techtree you desribe sounds like Civ2 or Civ3's way of doing it. I liked it for Civ, but I dunno about SE5

Suicide Junkie · #18 February 21st, 2003, 06:57 AM

Instar:
I didn't mean on the level of components, but rather overall ship shape.
Take a Norak Dreadnaught, for example. Each of the wings could be a hull piece, and if the design of your ship has a block of components (no matter what they are) that are arranged in a similar shape (3 square components in a row, forming a 6x2 block, for example) then the model used for rendering that ship gets a Wing Piece in that position.

Probably still not practical to actually do, but fun to imagine.

Will · #19 February 21st, 2003, 07:29 AM

What I would really like to see in SEV GUI is a completely skinnable, XML based GUI. This just extends even further the ability for the gaming community to modify the look of the game. So someone could design a UI that resembles a ship's bridge, with the system map/area/whatever it's going to be in the center, an expandable galaxy map at the bottom center that overlaps the system map when expanded, information screens on the sides (perhaps even an info1 and info2... left click loads into the left screen, right click loads into the right screen), and command buttons along the top.

Or, somebody could create a UI that looks remarkably like a bachelor's living room from the view of the couch. TV has the system map, the poster of the swimsuit model changes to an info screen when something's selected, galaxy map can be toggled on screen with the remote, or you could put it in picture-in-picture... clicking the beer and pizza on the table inputs a cheat code for you.

So, in short, don't lock the GUI down to something specific. Allow fans to change the very layout of the interface, not just the colors/bitmapped graphics.

David, I know not very much ideas for you there, but if you get the contract, be sure to bug Aaron about the skinnability

Ruatha · #20 February 21st, 2003, 09:52 AM

I'd like somekind of 3D map. A grid instead of a 2d map.
As in Elite II Frontier. (I think it was that game)