Forums » Suggestions
I've watched VO's station interface evolve over the years I've played it. It's gone through ten or more revisions that I've seen, and probably three times that many behind the scenes.
And it still sucks.
There's still no logical flow from screen to screen, and neither intuition nor logic will avail you in your search for a specific function. What the newbie trying the game for the first time sees is page upon page of nested buttons, labeled with jargon. I've made this thread to post my ideas on an interface redesign, and ask other players to post theirs. This is an open session, and all ideas should be heard and discussed respectfully. Yes, even if you think they suck, because the author or someone else might be going somewhere interesting with it.
If you have an illustration program and want to post mockups, do that. If you merely wish to hold forth on concept or execution in text, do that. This is the place to address all aspects of the current station UI, and all the ways you would like to see it change in the future.
You don't need to discuss the entire interface at once if you don't want to, but you must propose a solution or suggestion of a solution for any problem you mention. This is not a bitching thread, this is a suggestion thread.
Reference
Any interface must permit the following functions (I think. If you come up with a better way that eliminates the need for some of these, post it!).
Note that I've grouped them in a way I see as logical. This doesn't imply that my way is the only logical way, nor the right way. Also, if you see a function I've missed, let me know. I have omitted help and also presets because they are just easy ways to access existing functions.
Chat
-Chat window with input line and input type selector
Commerce
-Buy/Sell Commodities
-Buy/Sell Outfits
-Buy/Sell Ships
-Buy/Sell Ammunition
-View Inventory
--Station Inventory
--Sector Inventory
--System Inventory
--Global Inventory
Ship
-Select/Activate Ship
-Load/Unload Cargo
-Equip/Unequip Outfits
-Setup Weapon Groups
PDA
-Map Display
-Nearby Ships
-Cargo List
Comm
-News
-Mission Board
-Notes
-Advancement & Mission Logs
-Character Info
Other
-Infopanel (location, credits, cargo, current ship, etc)
-Set Home
-Launch
-Options
============================================
Actual suggestions begin... now.
Basically I want to intensely simplify cargo loading and unloading by making it visual rather than text-based, intuitive rather than original. Ideally, I believe a UI should disappear as quickly as possible, leaving only the player's wish to "go here and do this", and having the UI accommodate them.
First off, text must be read and understood, then put to use. By contrast, a picture is instantly accessible. Moreover, it's accessible across languages, easing any future internationalization.
For example, a player can, due to twenty+ years of seeing symbols everywhere, pretty much instantly grasp that a wrench means "repair" and a bullet (in combination with a gun near it) means "ammunition". Similarly, there's no sense in throwing away a lifetime worth of UI familiarity for a few seconds of "oh, that's cool." While this doesn't mean the UI should look just like Windows XP or OS X, it does mean that you'll get better instant comprehension if close boxes are crossed squares in an upper corner, windows have a title bar, etc.
Here, for your perusal, is a mockup of a graphic-based cargo loader/unloader.
This is just a quick mockup with placeholder graphics, so please don't judge it on my lack of art skills.
One other thing I'd like to pursue is not making one screen do too much. When loading and unloading the ship, what concerns you is mass, not value. Thus, value and profit do not need to feature prominently in this screen of the UI. However, since the unload-and-sell buttons are there, the information should be available somewhere as a convenience. A tooltip would work perfectly.
So... What are your ideas for improving the UI? Let's hear 'em!
And it still sucks.
There's still no logical flow from screen to screen, and neither intuition nor logic will avail you in your search for a specific function. What the newbie trying the game for the first time sees is page upon page of nested buttons, labeled with jargon. I've made this thread to post my ideas on an interface redesign, and ask other players to post theirs. This is an open session, and all ideas should be heard and discussed respectfully. Yes, even if you think they suck, because the author or someone else might be going somewhere interesting with it.
If you have an illustration program and want to post mockups, do that. If you merely wish to hold forth on concept or execution in text, do that. This is the place to address all aspects of the current station UI, and all the ways you would like to see it change in the future.
You don't need to discuss the entire interface at once if you don't want to, but you must propose a solution or suggestion of a solution for any problem you mention. This is not a bitching thread, this is a suggestion thread.
Reference
Any interface must permit the following functions (I think. If you come up with a better way that eliminates the need for some of these, post it!).
Note that I've grouped them in a way I see as logical. This doesn't imply that my way is the only logical way, nor the right way. Also, if you see a function I've missed, let me know. I have omitted help and also presets because they are just easy ways to access existing functions.
Chat
-Chat window with input line and input type selector
Commerce
-Buy/Sell Commodities
-Buy/Sell Outfits
-Buy/Sell Ships
-Buy/Sell Ammunition
-View Inventory
--Station Inventory
--Sector Inventory
--System Inventory
--Global Inventory
Ship
-Select/Activate Ship
-Load/Unload Cargo
-Equip/Unequip Outfits
-Setup Weapon Groups
PDA
-Map Display
-Nearby Ships
-Cargo List
Comm
-News
-Mission Board
-Notes
-Advancement & Mission Logs
-Character Info
Other
-Infopanel (location, credits, cargo, current ship, etc)
-Set Home
-Launch
-Options
============================================
Actual suggestions begin... now.
Basically I want to intensely simplify cargo loading and unloading by making it visual rather than text-based, intuitive rather than original. Ideally, I believe a UI should disappear as quickly as possible, leaving only the player's wish to "go here and do this", and having the UI accommodate them.
First off, text must be read and understood, then put to use. By contrast, a picture is instantly accessible. Moreover, it's accessible across languages, easing any future internationalization.
For example, a player can, due to twenty+ years of seeing symbols everywhere, pretty much instantly grasp that a wrench means "repair" and a bullet (in combination with a gun near it) means "ammunition". Similarly, there's no sense in throwing away a lifetime worth of UI familiarity for a few seconds of "oh, that's cool." While this doesn't mean the UI should look just like Windows XP or OS X, it does mean that you'll get better instant comprehension if close boxes are crossed squares in an upper corner, windows have a title bar, etc.
Here, for your perusal, is a mockup of a graphic-based cargo loader/unloader.
This is just a quick mockup with placeholder graphics, so please don't judge it on my lack of art skills.
One other thing I'd like to pursue is not making one screen do too much. When loading and unloading the ship, what concerns you is mass, not value. Thus, value and profit do not need to feature prominently in this screen of the UI. However, since the unload-and-sell buttons are there, the information should be available somewhere as a convenience. A tooltip would work perfectly.
So... What are your ideas for improving the UI? Let's hear 'em!
the old UI was much better and more logical. and by old I mean the old green interface.
http://gallery.spenced.com/v/screenshots/vendetta/newstation.png.html
http://gallery.spenced.com/v/screenshots/vendetta/newstation.png.html
Just maybe to add to ctishman's cargo concept, once you click on load/unload/etc, a dialog box could pop up asking quantites.
A fairly good UI that I've been playing with is the new UI in Armored Core: Last Raven for the PS2. Well okay, it's not perfect, but here are some things to consider.
It's always bothered me that you have to use the "Commerce" tab to buy weapons and stuff, but need to switch to the "Ship" tab to load them, etc.
Well, nested menus can be a bit more confusing, I suppose, but this is what's logical to me.
-Cargo
--Buy
--Sell
--Load
-Hanger
--Ship Setup
---Assembly
----Ship Equipment
----Weapon Groups
----Select Ship
---Buy
----Chassis
----Power Cell
----Small Addons
----Large Addons
----Ammo
---Sell
--Paint
--Ship Name Entry
--Cockpit
This, of course assumes some features that don't exist presently...
So the "Cargo" (or "Commerce," whatever you like) only deals with matters pertaining to cargo. Buying cargo, selling cargo, loading cargo.
The "Hanger" (ie. "Ship") tab is more complicated, but I'd like to think that there is some sort of workflow here. It contains four submenus, "Ship Setup," "Paint," "Ship Name Entry," and "Cockpit."
"Ship Setup" contains three submenus, "Assembly," "Buy," and "Sell." The "Assembly" submenu lets the player modify existing ships by adding and removing weapons, changing weapon groups, and selecting which ship they want to use. The "Buy" tab allows the user to buy new ship chassis, power cells, and weapons, each organized into their own submenus. The "Sell" tab of course allows you to sell any of your purchased ship related items. What may be useful is a "Scrap Ship" button which sells your ship and ALL equipment loaded on it. There would of course be a "Are you sure you want to sell this ship as well as your eternal soul to the devil?" warning.
Little additional things for the "Ship Equipment" and "Buy" menus are the expansion of the existing "Port Description" dialog box. It currently just displays statistics of the port that you're modifying. It would be nice if when you change an item in a port (either weapon, power cell, or any new port added in the future), when the statistics change, they show a color change as well. For instance, if I switch a Neutron Blaster with a Railgun, the railgun does more damage, so the "damage" line turns blue, but as the railgun's rate of fire is worse, the "delay" line turns red. If a stat doesn't change, it remains white.
Once you change weapons or powercells, a dialog box displaying your ship's important stats would then change (with similar color changes) so that you can see how your decisions affect your ship as a whole (acceleration changes, etc)
Okay, so we've gotten past the really important stuff, and now I'm sure you're wondering what the "Paint," "Ship Name Entry," and "Cockpit" menus are supposed to mean. Well as I said, my ideas presume features not present in the game, but I feel that they would add a certain amount of atmosphere to the game.
Simply put, the "Paint" tab deals with the color of the ship that you're flying. That's not too far from what we have already, but here's what we don't have: the ability to change ship colors after we purchase the ship. I suppose that the way the economy works right now, you could buy a new ship with new colors, and load it out the same, but wouldn't it be cool to be able to change the colors simply by clicking a button?
Obviously "Ship Name Entry" presumes that you can name your ships, which of course, we can't do. And while this is admittedly a small feature, it adds atmosphere, just like nose art on bombers.
Finally, "Cockpit" is something that might not even be possible, and kinda gimmicky, but I think a cool feature. The ability to change the colors of the entire UI simply by going into a tab. A Serco could easily make their own Serco related UI simply by making shades of blue into shades of red, or the UIT could change the shades of blue into shades of yellow, etc.
AC:LR tends to lean more towards text menus, but as ctishman suggests, this can lead to confusion, so all of these could be graphically represented in tabs, or buttons, etc. I hope that my descriptions weren't too confusing, but for me at least, I think they'd be helpful for learning the UI, as well as being able to quickly navigate it.
A fairly good UI that I've been playing with is the new UI in Armored Core: Last Raven for the PS2. Well okay, it's not perfect, but here are some things to consider.
It's always bothered me that you have to use the "Commerce" tab to buy weapons and stuff, but need to switch to the "Ship" tab to load them, etc.
Well, nested menus can be a bit more confusing, I suppose, but this is what's logical to me.
-Cargo
--Buy
--Sell
--Load
-Hanger
--Ship Setup
---Assembly
----Ship Equipment
----Weapon Groups
----Select Ship
---Buy
----Chassis
----Power Cell
----Small Addons
----Large Addons
----Ammo
---Sell
--Paint
--Ship Name Entry
--Cockpit
This, of course assumes some features that don't exist presently...
So the "Cargo" (or "Commerce," whatever you like) only deals with matters pertaining to cargo. Buying cargo, selling cargo, loading cargo.
The "Hanger" (ie. "Ship") tab is more complicated, but I'd like to think that there is some sort of workflow here. It contains four submenus, "Ship Setup," "Paint," "Ship Name Entry," and "Cockpit."
"Ship Setup" contains three submenus, "Assembly," "Buy," and "Sell." The "Assembly" submenu lets the player modify existing ships by adding and removing weapons, changing weapon groups, and selecting which ship they want to use. The "Buy" tab allows the user to buy new ship chassis, power cells, and weapons, each organized into their own submenus. The "Sell" tab of course allows you to sell any of your purchased ship related items. What may be useful is a "Scrap Ship" button which sells your ship and ALL equipment loaded on it. There would of course be a "Are you sure you want to sell this ship as well as your eternal soul to the devil?" warning.
Little additional things for the "Ship Equipment" and "Buy" menus are the expansion of the existing "Port Description" dialog box. It currently just displays statistics of the port that you're modifying. It would be nice if when you change an item in a port (either weapon, power cell, or any new port added in the future), when the statistics change, they show a color change as well. For instance, if I switch a Neutron Blaster with a Railgun, the railgun does more damage, so the "damage" line turns blue, but as the railgun's rate of fire is worse, the "delay" line turns red. If a stat doesn't change, it remains white.
Once you change weapons or powercells, a dialog box displaying your ship's important stats would then change (with similar color changes) so that you can see how your decisions affect your ship as a whole (acceleration changes, etc)
Okay, so we've gotten past the really important stuff, and now I'm sure you're wondering what the "Paint," "Ship Name Entry," and "Cockpit" menus are supposed to mean. Well as I said, my ideas presume features not present in the game, but I feel that they would add a certain amount of atmosphere to the game.
Simply put, the "Paint" tab deals with the color of the ship that you're flying. That's not too far from what we have already, but here's what we don't have: the ability to change ship colors after we purchase the ship. I suppose that the way the economy works right now, you could buy a new ship with new colors, and load it out the same, but wouldn't it be cool to be able to change the colors simply by clicking a button?
Obviously "Ship Name Entry" presumes that you can name your ships, which of course, we can't do. And while this is admittedly a small feature, it adds atmosphere, just like nose art on bombers.
Finally, "Cockpit" is something that might not even be possible, and kinda gimmicky, but I think a cool feature. The ability to change the colors of the entire UI simply by going into a tab. A Serco could easily make their own Serco related UI simply by making shades of blue into shades of red, or the UIT could change the shades of blue into shades of yellow, etc.
AC:LR tends to lean more towards text menus, but as ctishman suggests, this can lead to confusion, so all of these could be graphically represented in tabs, or buttons, etc. I hope that my descriptions weren't too confusing, but for me at least, I think they'd be helpful for learning the UI, as well as being able to quickly navigate it.
there is only one problem with the existing UI.
it became over-complicated. my suggestion guys, KISS it. just keep it simple.
it became over-complicated. my suggestion guys, KISS it. just keep it simple.
Two comments for now, more later:
1. Notes HAVE to be in the PDA ...
2. View Inventory should have 2 dropboxes [for now], 1 for systems and 1 for stations; the default for both should be "All". A third dropbox can be added for sectors once multiple stations can be in a sector.
1. Notes HAVE to be in the PDA ...
2. View Inventory should have 2 dropboxes [for now], 1 for systems and 1 for stations; the default for both should be "All". A third dropbox can be added for sectors once multiple stations can be in a sector.
drdoak007: it became over-complicated. my suggestion guys, KISS it. just keep it simple.
Okay, fair enough, but in what ways do you think it could be simplified?
Okay, fair enough, but in what ways do you think it could be simplified?
While I'll agree, I found this interface a bit confusing (and still do!) I don't think it's *that* bad. I think most of the problem comes from us being used to the older interfaces. When we had the last change (IE the one if you select "No I do not want the new interface") I hated that one too. Same for this. It was much different than the original. But for n00bs joining, when this is the first thing they see, even if they're a bit confused at first (I think it could use more explanation ingame, but John's working on that?) they'll grow up with it and like it as much as we all like the first interface we played with.
Besides, I'm sure John/Ray understand that the original (the one from VO's release) was more simple, so they've obviously got reasons for the added complexity
Besides, I'm sure John/Ray understand that the original (the one from VO's release) was more simple, so they've obviously got reasons for the added complexity
While we're talking about UI, is there still no total mass indicator for your ship when adding/removing addons? or when selecting ships for that matter?
Smittens;
No, the biggest problem with this UI is the lack of intuitiveness. Not to bitch, but let's take a look at ship selection:
First you click on the button that takes you to the screen where you can select the ship you want to be shot down in. This button is labelled "Ship Select."
Once you have highlighted the ship you want, to get it to work properly, you are supposed to click on the button labelled "Select Ship."
Ship select. Select ship. This same problem is repeated in the buy cargo page. There are two buttons with identical labels: BUY, which takes you to the screen where you can purchase stuff to give to pirates, and BUY, which actually purchases the material. I'm no Einstein, but my last name isn't Gump, either, and several times I've launched without my damn cargo because I've clicked on the wrong button. Both buttons make identical noises, and both buttons are even the same size and shape.
Honestly, the Devs are busting their asses, but I think the priority on this needs to be bumped up higher. The UI is the primary interface with each and every newcomer to the game. Although they haven't been marketing hard, the word IS getting out there, and a bad UI can drive a lot of people from the game.
I would give this priority A, fixing the Strike Force priority B, and the dynamic economy an ongoing priority C, with all other items except grievous bugs at priority D.
There's my 3500c (inflation.
~D.
"Nigel"
No, the biggest problem with this UI is the lack of intuitiveness. Not to bitch, but let's take a look at ship selection:
First you click on the button that takes you to the screen where you can select the ship you want to be shot down in. This button is labelled "Ship Select."
Once you have highlighted the ship you want, to get it to work properly, you are supposed to click on the button labelled "Select Ship."
Ship select. Select ship. This same problem is repeated in the buy cargo page. There are two buttons with identical labels: BUY, which takes you to the screen where you can purchase stuff to give to pirates, and BUY, which actually purchases the material. I'm no Einstein, but my last name isn't Gump, either, and several times I've launched without my damn cargo because I've clicked on the wrong button. Both buttons make identical noises, and both buttons are even the same size and shape.
Honestly, the Devs are busting their asses, but I think the priority on this needs to be bumped up higher. The UI is the primary interface with each and every newcomer to the game. Although they haven't been marketing hard, the word IS getting out there, and a bad UI can drive a lot of people from the game.
I would give this priority A, fixing the Strike Force priority B, and the dynamic economy an ongoing priority C, with all other items except grievous bugs at priority D.
There's my 3500c (inflation.
~D.
"Nigel"
No offense Devs but I think you made it worse than before.. >_>;
I still feel... weird, using this interface, even though I've been using it exclusively for weeks. The old one felt more intuitive, yes. And by old, I mean the new UI when it first came out, not the old green one. SO the excuse that I'm only saying this because I'm used to it isn't valid.
I still feel... weird, using this interface, even though I've been using it exclusively for weeks. The old one felt more intuitive, yes. And by old, I mean the new UI when it first came out, not the old green one. SO the excuse that I'm only saying this because I'm used to it isn't valid.
one of my own UI threads (with crazy-intricate mockups):
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/14489
http://www.vendetta-online.com/x/msgboard/3/14489
The new UI is fine. It may need a little touching up but you gotta admit it's a step in the right direction. The old UI took a lot of getting used to also when it first came around.
One major advantage the new UI has over the old UI is the ability to access the PDA both from in station and in space. That is huge.
The rest is just a matter of flavor. I think some of the tabs and buttons could stand to be renamed in order to be more intuitive (good point about the "buy" and "select" buttons Klabbath, that was confusing for me also)... otherwise I see no problems with it.
One good point ctishman makes is that of having graphical icons, that would be a big help for our foreign players. However something like that could be added on top of the existing UI. Re-designing the UI from the ground up would be a mistake at this point IMHO.
Also, is any of this covered in the new tutorial? Perhaps we should all create new characters and run through it to try and get a newb's perspective before completely bashing the existing UI.
One major advantage the new UI has over the old UI is the ability to access the PDA both from in station and in space. That is huge.
The rest is just a matter of flavor. I think some of the tabs and buttons could stand to be renamed in order to be more intuitive (good point about the "buy" and "select" buttons Klabbath, that was confusing for me also)... otherwise I see no problems with it.
One good point ctishman makes is that of having graphical icons, that would be a big help for our foreign players. However something like that could be added on top of the existing UI. Re-designing the UI from the ground up would be a mistake at this point IMHO.
Also, is any of this covered in the new tutorial? Perhaps we should all create new characters and run through it to try and get a newb's perspective before completely bashing the existing UI.
I disagree, Phaser, the new UI's not fine. It's an improvement, but it's not fine. We shouldn't settle for "fine". Vendetta should put its best foot forward all the time, and that means an intuitive and easy-to-understand UI. The game is too cool to be packaged in a plain brown wrapper.
That being said, I have no idea whether my ideas are any good or not, but I've expanded on them a bit. I'll try to work up a whole set during the week, but alas my time is limited.
I won't post them here as images, I'll just link to 'em:
Series 1 : Station Interface
Welcome Screen
Drop-down chat channel closeup
Missions
News
Bounties
Navigation
Messages
I like having interactivity between the separate screens. When a specific mission is associated with a specific news item, there should be a link between them. I like having multiple ways to reach the same interface goal.
I dunno what "System Info" would say in the Navigation panel, but it would be neat to have some history or something about the system in there.
Come to think of it, there should be a Navroute Manager panel or something. Kinda like managing bookmarks in your browser.
Having some more information in the mission screen would be really helpful.
Ideally I think you should be able to have multiple missions active.
I also think that you should be able to team up on a mission without joining a group.
I think you should have to accept a Bounty "mission". When you do so, the person who has the bounty is notified that you're looking for them. I like the idea of listing the reasons WHY you have a bounty (The game events that led to your bounty in the first place.)
I'd like the messages function. Leaving messages for players at stations they frequent seems more... "real" than the /buddy message function. I dunno, just thought it would be nice to have a kind of "inbox" for players who aren't your buddy. I guess we'd need a reporting function for naughty messages.
Ships section to come next. I'll try to collect my thoughts.
That being said, I have no idea whether my ideas are any good or not, but I've expanded on them a bit. I'll try to work up a whole set during the week, but alas my time is limited.
I won't post them here as images, I'll just link to 'em:
Series 1 : Station Interface
Welcome Screen
Drop-down chat channel closeup
Missions
News
Bounties
Navigation
Messages
I like having interactivity between the separate screens. When a specific mission is associated with a specific news item, there should be a link between them. I like having multiple ways to reach the same interface goal.
I dunno what "System Info" would say in the Navigation panel, but it would be neat to have some history or something about the system in there.
Come to think of it, there should be a Navroute Manager panel or something. Kinda like managing bookmarks in your browser.
Having some more information in the mission screen would be really helpful.
Ideally I think you should be able to have multiple missions active.
I also think that you should be able to team up on a mission without joining a group.
I think you should have to accept a Bounty "mission". When you do so, the person who has the bounty is notified that you're looking for them. I like the idea of listing the reasons WHY you have a bounty (The game events that led to your bounty in the first place.)
I'd like the messages function. Leaving messages for players at stations they frequent seems more... "real" than the /buddy message function. I dunno, just thought it would be nice to have a kind of "inbox" for players who aren't your buddy. I guess we'd need a reporting function for naughty messages.
Ships section to come next. I'll try to collect my thoughts.
Let me preface this by saying that I'm a huge fan of VO and of Guild.
I'm really struggling with the interface too. Yes, there's tons good about it, and it has improved in many ways, but I struggled with weapon groups, unloading cargo, and purchasing add-ons. I've gotten more used to these, but I still have a hard time recalling how I got to a particular button, and I really have to be on the lookout for that button!
I realize that I'm accustomed to the old interface and may just be thick-headed, but I endorse what my colleague and fellow dinosaur ctishman has suggested, though perhaps not so emphatically as he has stated himself.
I'm really struggling with the interface too. Yes, there's tons good about it, and it has improved in many ways, but I struggled with weapon groups, unloading cargo, and purchasing add-ons. I've gotten more used to these, but I still have a hard time recalling how I got to a particular button, and I really have to be on the lookout for that button!
I realize that I'm accustomed to the old interface and may just be thick-headed, but I endorse what my colleague and fellow dinosaur ctishman has suggested, though perhaps not so emphatically as he has stated himself.
Leebs;
Of all the interfaces I've seen, yours is by far the best. I really hope the devs go with it.
~D.
"Nigel"
Of all the interfaces I've seen, yours is by far the best. I really hope the devs go with it.
~D.
"Nigel"
Lebermac, you rock.
And, oh, u owe me monies! ;)
And, oh, u owe me monies! ;)
Lebs, just reading the text in your samples made me laugh out loud!
Regarding the samples submitted by LeberMac, I think the navigation interface looks like it would cut down route planning by more than half. Also, the extended and highlighted descriptions really add a lot to the feel of the game.
I think the current interface is about 75% of the way there, but I think what Lebs has demonstrated is that parts the current UI needs to be integrated and streamlined (such as the navigation interface).
I tip my shot glass to you!
-- Gesard Thawn
Regarding the samples submitted by LeberMac, I think the navigation interface looks like it would cut down route planning by more than half. Also, the extended and highlighted descriptions really add a lot to the feel of the game.
I think the current interface is about 75% of the way there, but I think what Lebs has demonstrated is that parts the current UI needs to be integrated and streamlined (such as the navigation interface).
I tip my shot glass to you!
-- Gesard Thawn
What would be nice is if, after the Lua stuff is released, we could make our own GUIs / GUI modifications and then track their use. Also, different GUI configurations may be better suited to different play styles.
E.g. a trader may want to have all buy and sell options (including addons and ships) in the commerce tab to facilitate trading anything. However, a fighter may prefer to have a "Repair/Re-Arm" button on the primary row of tabs.
E.g. a trader may want to have all buy and sell options (including addons and ships) in the commerce tab to facilitate trading anything. However, a fighter may prefer to have a "Repair/Re-Arm" button on the primary row of tabs.
Hi, I appreciate the suggestions, please keep the coming.
That said, the interface is going to evolve from what is currently in place. I understand your points. The problem is, you guys are mostly making interfaces based on how things currently work, and I'm trying to plan out an interface system based on how things *will* work (taking into account new features). The old green interface was a lot simpler.. but so was the game at the time when we made it. And the plan is to add a lot more stuff before the end of the year.
There are some components, like drag/drop and more iconic reference mechanisms that I would like to make use of. But I am doing the best that I can as fast I can, with the minimum amount of development time (and to minimize development and debugging, I'm mostly making use of pre-existing UI features). A lot of the interfaces that could best make use of a more intuitive mechanism can be retrofitted later, and there's even existing design for some of them in that regard.
In case it wasn't clear from my previous posts, the "UI redux" is my number one priority, and has been for some time. I just finished redoing the HUD, which will probably also make some people unhappy (although probably less so, since it's not as drastic a change), and I still have a bunch of stuff left to do. The current "optional interface" is not very streamlined and has some tweaking to be done.. if it didn't, it wouldn't be "optional" :).
In the long run, we do want to have a completely modular, user-accessible system where you guys can build whatever interfaces you want. I don't know exactly when that will be. I have at least six months of high-priority development for everyone in the company, and it does not include our completely redoing the UI *again*, but if we can open up Lua access in that timeframe.. we will. I would greatly appreciate continuing feedback and suggestions on the new UI, as we go along. The fundamental framework will stay the same, but the individual interfaces (and their layout/positioning within that framework) is still fluid.
As always, everything in the game is a work in progress. I intend for the new interface to be better than it currently is before it goes into production, but I imagine there'll still be some transitional pain. There are a number of interfaces that won't be redone until after production release, including the Navigational interface (which is a major change, much bigger than I think anyone realizes, and also hinges on gameplay changes that haven't taken place yet.. like so much of what I'm doing). Other stuff, like the rather new-and-different Mission Board, have to be done before production release.
Big changes always require a lot of getting used to.. and we've got a hell of a lot on the horizon. In fact, more stuff was supposed to have changed by now, but life happens, we do what we can. Anyway, please keep the feedback and suggestions coming, especially as we drop in more and more stuff. I will streamline things the best that I can (I've already been trying to lay things out so the more commonly needed interfaces are only one hotkey away, even when in the UI.. but some of the interfaces aren't even there yet).
That said, the interface is going to evolve from what is currently in place. I understand your points. The problem is, you guys are mostly making interfaces based on how things currently work, and I'm trying to plan out an interface system based on how things *will* work (taking into account new features). The old green interface was a lot simpler.. but so was the game at the time when we made it. And the plan is to add a lot more stuff before the end of the year.
There are some components, like drag/drop and more iconic reference mechanisms that I would like to make use of. But I am doing the best that I can as fast I can, with the minimum amount of development time (and to minimize development and debugging, I'm mostly making use of pre-existing UI features). A lot of the interfaces that could best make use of a more intuitive mechanism can be retrofitted later, and there's even existing design for some of them in that regard.
In case it wasn't clear from my previous posts, the "UI redux" is my number one priority, and has been for some time. I just finished redoing the HUD, which will probably also make some people unhappy (although probably less so, since it's not as drastic a change), and I still have a bunch of stuff left to do. The current "optional interface" is not very streamlined and has some tweaking to be done.. if it didn't, it wouldn't be "optional" :).
In the long run, we do want to have a completely modular, user-accessible system where you guys can build whatever interfaces you want. I don't know exactly when that will be. I have at least six months of high-priority development for everyone in the company, and it does not include our completely redoing the UI *again*, but if we can open up Lua access in that timeframe.. we will. I would greatly appreciate continuing feedback and suggestions on the new UI, as we go along. The fundamental framework will stay the same, but the individual interfaces (and their layout/positioning within that framework) is still fluid.
As always, everything in the game is a work in progress. I intend for the new interface to be better than it currently is before it goes into production, but I imagine there'll still be some transitional pain. There are a number of interfaces that won't be redone until after production release, including the Navigational interface (which is a major change, much bigger than I think anyone realizes, and also hinges on gameplay changes that haven't taken place yet.. like so much of what I'm doing). Other stuff, like the rather new-and-different Mission Board, have to be done before production release.
Big changes always require a lot of getting used to.. and we've got a hell of a lot on the horizon. In fact, more stuff was supposed to have changed by now, but life happens, we do what we can. Anyway, please keep the feedback and suggestions coming, especially as we drop in more and more stuff. I will streamline things the best that I can (I've already been trying to lay things out so the more commonly needed interfaces are only one hotkey away, even when in the UI.. but some of the interfaces aren't even there yet).
...like the crafting interface and the cargo space management interface :D