Love the games, hate the new interface

Craigs · #1 September 29th, 2009, 08:31 AM

Guys Ive always enjoyed your games, and I applaud your return to including the top-down vehicle view instead of the counter or side view. I know theres alot more effort involved in that.
But two things I dont like in the new titles; the new interface and it seems like now there is one "options" for all zoom levels instead of a seperate set of graphical options for each zoom level.
IMO the new interface is a pain, its cartoonish and takes up way too much space in the window that could be displaying more of the battlefield. I know you wanted to get away from the "select action - select unit" for the "select unit - select action" but I feel like the old interface was sleek and slim and didnt get in the way.
Ive noticed too at least in the AATF demo that if you set a graphical option for one zoom level it applies to all zoom levels. Maybe that wasnt intended but to me it seems like your dumbing down the interface, and I dont want fewer options I want more.
Would you consider adding a switch to allowing changing from new to old interfaces?

Patrick Proctor · #2 September 29th, 2009, 03:55 PM

The old interface is still there!

If you install AATF over an ATF game, and then use your old, ATF game shortcut, you can load the AATF scenarios into the ATF engine! 99.9% of the game is totally backwards compatible.

While I agree that the interface is more streamlined, I don't think we dumbed down the game. The new game has the same sim engine, under the hood, as ATF. In fact, AATF has a damage model that ATF lacks.

Craigs · #3 October 2nd, 2009, 10:43 AM

Oh no I didnt mean I thought you dumbed down the game, Im actually interested in how you changed the all-or-nothing determination for casualties.
What I meant was I thought you had dumbed down the interface, specifically that it seems you cant have different option settings for each zoom level anymore.

Patrick Proctor · #4 October 2nd, 2009, 04:03 PM

That was one of those features I thought no body used that I guess was more popular than I thought. Maybe in a later version, we will bring it back.

Craigs · #5 October 5th, 2009, 08:28 AM

Ive found it a good way to reduce clutter. I want to see the unit graphics when zoomed in, but as I zoom out I want to only see NATO icons and further out only the NATO icons for the platoons, not for individuals.

And I will say that despite what I said about the GUI, it does make things like calculating linear arty much easier. figuring mils on the fly was never my specialty.