DESIGN: Graphics/Interface Requests Thread

[Ekmek]

Suggestions for changes in how CtP2 looks and interfaces (meaning tabs, pop ups, buttons)


1) Civ3 Interface
No box or tab on main screen only buttons and a minimap. But when you opened advisors the blocked out the entire mainmap, lack of hyperlinks, diplomacy didnt cover whole map, but you couldnt jump around either

2) CTP message system back in (optionally, of course) (J Bytheway)
(It allowed you to easily sift through everything of import that happened in a turn, and do so without taking up your main interface panel, which you could then use for other things.

3) interface elements of CTP1 (hexagonian)
(tab menus, messagebox icons)

4) Id like to see the screen centre on a city when i highlight it in the list (Maquiladora)

[The Big Mc]

i would also like the underwater teriform pallet back as well as a spece imp palet

[Tamerlin]

Re: Graphics/Interface Requests Thread

Originally posted by E
1) Civ3 Interface
No box or tab on main screen only buttons and a minimap. But when you opened advisors the blocked out the entire mainmap, lack of hyperlinks, diplomacy didnt cover whole map, but you couldnt jump around either.

Why are we always making references to the OTHER game?

I like the CtP2 interface though I know it can be improved.

For example, it would be great if I could access the city manager through the national manager by double clicking on a city name.

[Gilgamensch]

actually would be nice (and for the lazy)

In the national manager, if having the general information, it shall open the city manager with the expert-tab

And if you are in the production overview, it shall open the building-queue.

I think that could be nice.............

[Brundlefly]

Yes , definitely would be better with Civ3 interface

[Tamerlin]

Originally posted by Feephi
Yes , definitely would be better with Civ3 interface

NO!

[Ekmek]

Civ3 is always mentioned as a point of reference since thats the lastest of the genre and has the biggest following now. If we cherry pick the best ideas or see what people really hate about civ3 AFTER we make debug CtP2 (which is all Tamerlin wants ) we could work to make not only a better ctp2 but beat the snot out of civ3

[MrBaggins]

There is something definite inelegant about the CtP2 interface.

That isn't to say that there aren't good things. The Nation Manager is great. I like the build manager too.

Its just that the rest is quirky, and unintuitive. Unintuitive is one of the biggest sins an interface designer can make.

I think certain things like the city manager are far more clunky than they need to be. More information should be available all together, at a glance. You shouldn't need to flip tabs to see how other parts change, when you make changes.

[The Big Mc]

when adding new things to a build list an option to add to top or add to bottom

[Gilgamensch]

you made a good point there

You change science/gold in the nation-manager and you can see down the number of turns to research.

you change experts and nothing changes in the display, even if you selected the city to open it

But which information would you like to see more compressed?

OK, would be nice to see production/hapiness/gold/......./ on one screen, but I think it would take far too much space.

[Martin GĂĽhmann]

Originally posted by E
Civ3 is always mentioned as a point of reference since thats the lastest of the genre and has the biggest following now.

It has the biggest following but this does not necessarily mean it is the best. I think we should see what can be improved and we should also alternatives finally if you liked the CTP1 tabs than you should be able to use them without build manager. If you liked the Civ2 city screen than you can use it or alternativly we should exten the tab then so that the view on the city is free, but contain all the necessary information on one glance.

-Martin

[MrBaggins]

Anybody dislike the idea of a bigger, more inclusive city screen?

[Gilgamensch]

sounds nice, but we might have a conflict with 'message' length for the production. In certain languages, words might not fit in what has been given as space to display.

So we would need to take this into consideration. I think it will be mainly try and error

[MrBaggins]

ever heard of scrolling boxes? *smiles*

We need to get someone graphically inclined looking at mock ups.

[J Bytheway]

Considering that CTP2 was written to work down to low resolutions that we probably don't need to worry about so much any more, enlarging various dialogs to remove tabs seems like a good idea. It would, of course, be nice to leave the option of the old dialog for those who are still using 640x480 screens, but I guess it wouldn't be the end of the world if we didn't.