| Author |
GUI Ideas (and other stuff) |
Enterprise
Chief Marshal
Raven Warriors
Joined: May 19, 2002
Posts: 2576
From: Hawthorne, Nevada
|  Posted: 2007-04-15 21:49
Okay.. theres nothing particularly wrong about the GUI we have now. I mean it does everything we want right?
Well I have some ideas to make it better (and perhaps even add a few elements to the game).
One of the core 'problems' I have is with gadgets. They clutter you up ALOT on big ships, so I have the first of my suggestions:
Essentially, divide the gadgets up for every ship. Where they display now, to the right of the screen (above all your ships health etc.) there can be 5 expandable buttons.
These buttons would be Navigation [Engines, JumpDrives], Weapons [All weapons, supporting], Support [Repair, AutoRepair, Cloaking, Generators etc.) Sensors [ECCM, ECM, Scanners, etc.), and Defense [Armor, Shields, etc.).
Example: [ http://img456.imageshack.us/img456/9617/guinewfp7.jpg ]
Each 'tab' would expand, and display the gadgets related to that section where they are displayed now. (sort of like a filter).
Next idea:
Systems damaged icons. One of the most bugger all things this version is when your systems are damaged, and its hard to tell one thing from another and it just clutters up your screen and.. ugh.
Okay enough whining about that. The solution? Drop down box. On the top right of the screen another 'tab' will be there. This tab will drop down a box which show you (by text, not buttons), which devices are damaged by percentage, the most severely damaged (and most important) at the top, and the least damaged and least important at the bottom.
By importance, I mean you set which gadgets are important and which not (by the above 5 tabs - Navigation, Weapons, Defense, Sensors, Support).
Example: [ http://img412.imageshack.us/img412/3904/guinewtp4.jpg ]
Also you might have noticed the [] around the new stuff on the bottom. These should indicate your current armor (percentage) and shield (percentage).
As for sensor strength.. this is part of the UI, so I guess I can put it here.
In an effort to make sensors useful again, I have this concept.
Simply enough, every ship has a sensor strength. This strength determines at the very start how far away you can detect things. Generally, the higher it is, the farther you can detect.
Anyways, the sensor strength bar will be like the energy and signature ones, with a number (thats always positive). However, you can click on it and it will display something like the nav map on your screen (in the center, but smaller).
On this map will be concentric circles radiating from your ship and colored.
The outermost band is how far you can detect ships with a positive signature.
After this, every band afterwards, any ship, planet, or object will yield increasingly detailed information, and any allied ships wthin that ships detection range will also see that detailed information.
Example: [ http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/7983/guinew2wu5.jpg ]
Essentially, the closer you are to their ship, and the stronger your sensor strength, the more you find out about them.
In the outermost band, you will simply detect them if they have a positive signature. By detect, all you will know is that there is an enemy out there. When hovering your mouse over it, a pop up will give you a rough estimate of what class of ship it is, by measuring its energy output.
In the next band (not to scale, just was an example, the radius of the outermost band is considerably bigger), you will get a name, and an accurate readout of its class.
In the next, the targets type of ship (not just class) is visable, and its hull, armor, and shield percentages now visiable. Its range from you will now be accurately expressed.
In the next, you and your allies in range will not have an accurate readout of its speed and its current heading.
In the second band closest to you, you will have a general display of its weapons (as in, 6x Torpedo slots, 3x Laser slots, etc.), as well as the general state of its systems (10% offline, 90% online), and its current energy value.
In the closest band, you now have all of the above, and its information will be known to you and all alliese in range until the target leaves your outermost band of sensors. Also, at this point, you will get a general idea ( sort of like a blob) of where that ship jumps to as long as its in your current range (more innacurate the farther the jump) that fades.
Some other things to bear in mind:
When selecting a target that has just come into the 4th outermost band, it will 'scan' the target (a progress bar under the selected ship). The higher the signature, the faster the scan.
This only applies to positive signature targets. Anything with negative or below appears as a blob on this 'sensors manager', and depending on how low the signature, it wont be detected until its in your innermost band. As such with this blob, the lower the signature, the more scattered the blob is.
Fleets of ships are easier to detect than single ships.
Natural celestial objects increase detection difficulty. Hiding on the opposite side of moons, gas giants, stars, fields of asteroids,will make someone with a positive signature harder to detect.
People without any sensors enhancements will have the detection capibilities similar to now.
---
So how does one increase detection range.
One word: scanner.
ECM will still lower signature, and ECCM will increase signature still. Scanners however, will increase how far you and your allies can detect something, and how much information you obtain on it.
Depending on the ship class, scanners would have a bonus effect. Scouts and Frigates will be the most ideal to use. The exceptions being Command Dreadnoughts and Command Stations.
Having more scanners does not add onto each other. The more you have, the effectiveness wears down. After your ship has more than 4, its almost moot to add on more.
However, other ships with scanners magnify the range. between those ships. So three ships arranged in a triange in a system can make virtually the entire system visible.
Effects on planets: Scanners will have the same sort of effect on planets as they do ships. The closer you are, the more information, down to the total output, the current morale, minerals, buildings, and so on.
Effects on cloak: Scanners will have ZERO effect on cloak, except at very close ranges (e.g. 150gu) which by then, its too late. At that close of a range, all youll get is a message 'Warning! Cloaked ship detected!", but thats it.
Effects when used in conjunction with ECCM/ECM: Scanners do not increase or lower signature in any way. This has useful properties. A command dreadnought with a fleet can mask its movement with alot of ECM, and have a few scanners to monitor the surrounding area, for example.
Example of pop up window: [ http://img338.imageshack.us/img338/3854/guinew3bq4.jpg ]
Thats about it I think... Tell me what YOU think.
-Ent
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Supertrooper
Marshal
Pitch Black
Joined: March 18, 2004
Posts: 1895
From: Maryland, U.S.A
| Posted: 2007-04-15 23:15
Got bored and made a half-arsed image with it..
I like the Idea though, a new UI does seem to be in order for DS with .484 coming, and yours seems to be a good idea..
[ This Message was edited by: Crim on 2007-04-15 23:15 ]
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Ospolos
Grand Admiral
Joined: January 31, 2004
Posts: 567
From: ON, CANADA
| Posted: 2007-04-16 17:27
Instead of that popup box, it should probally be extended by the bottom right panel anyway, if really needed alone, then under a tab button in the bottom right panel.
Good Ideas.
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Honoured,
Osp
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Enterprise
Chief Marshal
Raven Warriors
Joined: May 19, 2002
Posts: 2576
From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2007-04-16 22:15
Quote:
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On 2007-04-16 17:27, Ospolos wrote:
Instead of that popup box, it should probally be extended by the bottom right panel anyway, if really needed alone, then under a tab button in the bottom right panel.
Good Ideas.
|
|
I was thinking of it as a popup to the side (slightly transparent ish, small, with small text). Possibly even something you could bring up as a display that can be dragged and dropped around your screen for future reference.
Basically, just to be in your field of vision without having to take your eyes off your target. You'll be presented with ALOT of data to go on, so the bottom right section really is just for your average player, you see their health and whatnot. But if you want to know more.. well its there.
-Ent
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Ospolos
Grand Admiral
Joined: January 31, 2004
Posts: 567
From: ON, CANADA
| Posted: 2007-04-16 23:03
Quote:
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On 2007-04-16 22:15, Enterprise wrote:
Quote:
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On 2007-04-16 17:27, Ospolos wrote:
Instead of that popup box, it should probally be extended by the bottom right panel anyway, if really needed alone, then under a tab button in the bottom right panel.
Good Ideas.
|
|
I was thinking of it as a popup to the side (slightly transparent ish, small, with small text). Possibly even something you could bring up as a display that can be dragged and dropped around your screen for future reference.
Basically, just to be in your field of vision without having to take your eyes off your target. You'll be presented with ALOT of data to go on, so the bottom right section really is just for your average player, you see their health and whatnot. But if you want to know more.. well its there.
-Ent
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Oh now that seems like a good idea =)
edit: because at first I thought it would follow the targets 3d to screen position port icon, but if it may be moved around and handled for future references and such, then that would be nice.
Would also be neat if you could send that intel to other ships. I could see scouts "scouting" near by possible enemy positions gathering intel from their scanners, and relaying them back to the faction, or who chooses to, like the credits button or something. (If it was auto sent it would be annoying for those who don't want it, like orders). So Joe collects intel, and you want to see it, so you press some button to recieve it from that ship when the ship is selected. Normal ships would have the same feature, but maybe give scouts and stations the highest and most gathering scanner types... I dunno, thats just an add-on... =P
[ This Message was edited by: Ospolos on 2007-04-16 23:18 ]
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Honoured,
Osp
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Enterprise
Chief Marshal
Raven Warriors
Joined: May 19, 2002
Posts: 2576
From: Hawthorne, Nevada
| Posted: 2007-04-17 16:12
Makes sense Osp, thats really the point of it. Scouts and Frigates would be the most ideal to use, gathering information for your factions benefit. Stations too, of course.
Since the additional information itself is optional to view, I don't see a reason why it would have to be manually aquired. Though, that does make for an idea:
Anything within the information-gathering ship's scanner range would automatically recieve the information. People outside of it can request the information if they choose to.
-Ent
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