Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Interface needs a facelift

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Interface needs a facelift

    Just got GC yesterday, and I'm enjoying it so far except for fighting with the UI.

    One thing I wish developers of games for Windows platforms would do:
    STICK TO WINDOWS UI GUIDELINES!

    Why do all the textboxes in all the pop-up dialogs always put the cursor at the BEGINNING of the text, e.g., when you settle a system and are prompted for a name? The name should be highlighted so a simple BACKSPACE would erase it or the user could just start typing over it. Instead one has to press DEL to delete from the front. Is this supposed to be intuitive?

    Another thing--in negotiating trades, I find myself frequently trying to tune the money that changes hands "just right" so I'm not missing out on any revenue I could be getting. So I find myself hitting the "give X bc for Y months" over and over to determine the best mix that keeps the deal in the green. Would a couple slider controls have been too much to ask for?

    Finally, what's with the dialogs using the ESC shortcut key to accept them? When presented with a dialog that has a single "Done" button on it, the button should have focus and be dismissed with SPACE or ENTER, like any normal Windows messagebox. ESC is used for to cancel, not confirm.

    I'm just wading into the game, and it's looking like a real keeper. I'd just appreciate if game developers would use Windows standards and controls instead of reinventing them. They should adapt to the platform and the users, not expect the users to adapt to them.

  • #2
    Re: Interface needs a facelift

    Originally posted by dsteckel
    Just got GC yesterday, and I'm enjoying it so far except for fighting with the UI.

    One thing I wish developers of games for Windows platforms would do:
    STICK TO WINDOWS UI GUIDELINES!
    or OS/2 guidelines?

    Why do all the textboxes in all the pop-up dialogs always put the cursor at the BEGINNING of the text, e.g., when you settle a system and are prompted for a name? The name should be highlighted so a simple BACKSPACE would erase it or the user could just start typing over it. Instead one has to press DEL to delete from the front. Is this supposed to be intuitive?
    You can double click the name before typing to set the whole thing to erase when you start typing. But I agree, the highlight would be a nice touch for familiarity's sake

    Another thing--in negotiating trades, I find myself frequently trying to tune the money that changes hands "just right" so I'm not missing out on any revenue I could be getting. So I find myself hitting the "give X bc for Y months" over and over to determine the best mix that keeps the deal in the green. Would a couple slider controls have been too much to ask for?
    Or just type it in like in Civ3.
    - "A picture may be worth a thousand words, but it still ain't a part number." - Ron Reynolds
    - I went to Zanarkand, and all I got was this lousy aeon!
    - "... over 10 members raised complaints about you... and jerk was one of the nicer things they called you" - Ming

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Re: Interface needs a facelift

      Originally posted by The Templar


      or OS/2 guidelines?
      That's just great if you're playing it on an OS/2 platform and you're used to OS/2 standards, but why expect Windows customers to adapt to OS/2 standards?

      Originally posted by The Templar Or just type it in like in Civ3.
      Um, yes, thank you... That's very helpful. I enjoy doing that a dozen times as I try to find the right combination of credits and months. I enjoy doing that in Civ3 as well.

      Comment

      Working...
      X