(Graphical) User Interface development

[The Joker]

That looks really good.

Although I think the small map view should be larger, so the whole bottom line should be wider. Otherwise it is real nice.

Now we just need to put something in it...

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"If you are to hurt someone you better do it so good that you don't have to fear revenge."
- Machiavelli

GGS Website

[The Joker]

One more thing:

Since my mail is flooded with loads and loads of unread mails I have no idea if I can find the newest version of the UI anywhere.

So could someone please mail me (not via sourceforge, in stead use my mail adress bjarkestaunolsen@ofir.dk ) the newest version, including all graphics and everything else needede, so I can see it.

Thank you.

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"If you are to hurt someone you better do it so good that you don't have to fear revenge."
- Machiavelli

GGS Website

[ElmoTheElk]

I send the files to you! Have fun with it. (They include the newer graphics.)

Elmo

[korn469]

i'm going to check out the UI files and helpout on this front ASAP

korn469
[This message has been edited by korn469 (edited March 13, 2001).]

[ElmoTheElk]

Since I am still not 100% happy with my previous design, and I had some spare time, I made a new ingame-gui-designe. You can see it on the web site (here), or directly here:


(This is a mirror, since I noticed the web site is really slow lately...)

Please give reactions!

Elmo
[This message has been edited by ElmoTheElk (edited April 18, 2001).]

[VetLegion]

Very nice, especially three butons ... they look so clickable

[amjayee]

I like this a lot. It is very beatiful-looking, and quite original. I like especially the transparent effect in the panels on the right. This way. we could get a full-screen map view; the "floating" effect of the panels is really nice. I think we should go for this look! Have you thought of the menu screens? What should they look like? Should we have full-screen menus or floating menus like in windows? In most cases, I would like the full-screen menus more, only some small pop-up menus would be floating... but I'm not sure. At least the largest main screens, like the region menu, science menu, economy menu, should perhaps be full-screen, with the similar look as the map.

[chrispie]

EXACTLY the way I wanted to see the UI!! That's amazing elmo, I envisiged just this sort of thing for the game, menu's, but a world image which spans most of the screen.

I will look right now at putting this into the game, cos it's ace

[ElmoTheElk]

Thanks for the compliments, but now I hope YOU can program it...
I prefer floating windows. Mainly because they look better, but I also want to move them around so that I can loook what's under it. (I used this a lot in civ2).


ore later (working on a window example).

[The Joker]

WOHOOOO!!!!

That is amazing!

You know what bothers me about most open source programs and games? Their UI always look really unprofessional.

But GGS is by all means the EXTREME exception to this "rule". Thanks to Elmo.

I really like the news ticker/message board. It is great. I think there should propably be an info board somewhere on the UI, with lots of buttons and stuff to access all the different menus. But where could we put that? Would it be too much to put it beneath the big map? Or maybe if the news ticker and minimap to the right thicker, the news ticker wouldn't fill as much in the length, and there would be room for an info board beneath the minimap? I am not sure, just some suggestions to an already fantastic design.

I agree with Vet, BTW. The buttons look great!

And I agree with you, Elmo, that floating windows should be used for menus. I think this that you have made should be the "ground level" of UI, and then everything else are floating windows on top of it.

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"All that monsters fear is the day."
- Kashmir

GGS Website

[ElmoTheElk]

Jep, I was also thinking about that. To give a little example:



This should be the research screen you see here. Don't know f this system will be used, but it's just to give an impression. (also made a new mouse, which is pretty good think...)

About the panel:"I think we can make a lot more buttons right next to the map, ticker, etc. windows. Just like where they are now, but a little bit smaller and more then. Or do you think we have so much buttons there so that it won't fit? I don't think we have SO much buttons, I don't know what for! (We still use the system from the previous interface where the expanding panels pop up and show more.)

About the unit/city/etc. graphics. I'm not too good in it, except from copy and paste, and there are so many good artists out there,. I mean, you can found literly 100s of unit graphics for free, made by civ2 fans, so why not ask some high quality 2d artists if they want to make some for our project? They may like it!

[heardie]

heardie bows to Elmo

Great work!!

[amjayee]

Man, this is ace! The colors are really beatiful and the layout too. I'm very enthusiastic with this. About buttons to access menus, info boxes and such, perhaps we should have a pop-up menu which come forward when you press right mouse button, and there you could access the menus? It would be sad to obscure the beatiful screen with too many buttons and stuff.

[ElmoTheElk]

Thats a really good option! I LOVE the right-clcks popup menu's. Never seen them in a game though, how strange...

Maybe we should settle this later, because we have to know what sort of menu's we have and what you should be able to do with it. We haven't got this info right now...

Elmo

[VetLegion]

hey, am I only one who likes chrispies latest work??
If something needs doing for map routines, I can do it just name the thing. I know amjayee and Leland had some ideas but I am near to finished with this book I work with and a bit before schedule, so I have more time.

by the way, there were right-clicks in SMAC too. I am not against them, but dont see much in them either.