GRAPHICS: Call to Artists!

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Tamerlin
Note: the latest all-in-one city screen is very pretty, if the center map could be a bit zoomed out...

Well, you can already view the map at different zoom levels, so perhaps it would be ensible to have two distinct zoom levels that the game remembers - one for the city screen and one for the normal view, so you could, if you wished, have a much more zoomed-out view whenever the city screen is open, or, if you prefer, just use the default zoom for both all the time.

[J Bytheway]

We also need to consider what happens to the 800x600 setup on higher resolutions. I guess it would be simplest if the various components be anchored at the corners, and recede into them as the resolution increases, but on the other hand it would be nice if the various components were still relatively close together so it's not necessary to drag the mouse all over the screen all the time.

[OnePresent]

OK Tamerlin, I'm with you now Hopefully once the design is complete the different sections of the dialog box will be differentiated well and a visual delight.

A zoomed out map view in the city dialog box would be OK by me. I just can't imagine how it would be programmed. How about the ability to zoom the map in and out within the dialog box? (and a button that makes fresh coffee would be nice)

As far as this dialog box at higher res I assumed it would be handled the same as the current one, dragable.

[Solver]

A zoomed out map view in the city dialog box would be OK by me. I just can't imagine how it would be programmed. How about the ability to zoom the map in and out within the dialog box?

Since the game has zoom levels already, I'm sure that coming up with a way to do that would be quite possible.

As far as this dialog box at higher res I assumed it would be handled the same as the current one, dragable.

Should we do that? If it's made fixed (not draggable), then at higher resolutions one will see more of the map in middle of it...

[OnePresent]

Originally posted by Solver
Should we do that? If it's made fixed (not draggable), then at higher resolutions one will see more of the map in middle of it...

Do you see the map part of the dialog box as a hole, with the background screen showing through?

[Solver]

I mean that even at higher resolutions, all borders would be occuiped by the control window, as in Hex's design, and that the higher the resolution, the bigger the hole in between would get.

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by OnePresent
As far as this dialog box at higher res I assumed it would be handled the same as the current one, dragable.

Draggable all in one piece, or in lots of different bits? The former would look a bit silly (with the hole in the middle and around the outside, and if the latter, where do we put the boundaries (obviously can't be answered until the design is more finalized, but something to bear in mind).

[Solver]

Well, what's the actual advantage of having it draggable - especially if it's as big as that? Even at 1280x1024, it would still take up most of the screen anyway....

[J Bytheway]

Originally posted by Solver
Well, what's the actual advantage of having it draggable - especially if it's as big as that? Even at 1280x1024, it would still take up most of the screen anyway....

But Locutus plays at 1600x1200...

[OnePresent]

Originally posted by Solver
I mean that even at higher resolutions, all borders would be occuiped by the control window, as in Hex's design, and that the higher the resolution, the bigger the hole in between would get.

Oh. That would be one helluva design challange.

No matter what we decide an 800x600 design needs to be complete, work great, and look great. If we want it to be a super expandable dialog box then we can address that issue next.

[Solver]

Yeah, in 10 years I'll play at 3096xsomething on my 35" flat-screen monitor-TV . Or maybe I'll still be using a 15" monitor at 800x600, more my style.

Heck this forum's active . I posted some 60 posts today...

[Solver]

Oh. That would be one helluva design challange.

It would, I suggested it knowing that I would in most likelihood not be the one having to actually implement it, though, what do you think .

[Locutus]

I tried to incorporate the build manager into the city screen as well (as in Hex's version). It works, but it gets awfully crowded on the righthand pane...


I think in larger resolutions it would be best if the screen could be split in two functionally sensible sections (e.g. resource collection and build queue/inventory) dock with two of the corners of the screen.

[OnePresent]

Originally posted by Solver
Well, what's the actual advantage of having it draggable - especially if it's as big as that? Even at 1280x1024, it would still take up most of the screen anyway....

If it's draggable, like it is now I can shove most of the dialog box off the screen. Say well off the right side of the screen with only the left edge of the dialog box showing. I find that useful now.

However, with a map in the box (especially a resizable map), draggability may be a mute point.

[Locutus]

Originally posted by Solver
Well, what's the actual advantage of having it draggable - especially if it's as big as that? Even at 1280x1024, it would still take up most of the screen anyway....

Only 36,7% of the screen actually.