SE5: GUI design discussion..

[Fyron]

I'm aiming along the lines of a flow-chart type layout, but also have a few 'different' things that I might try. Do you think this might be a good thing?

That would be a bad idea. It would not incorporate tech levels very well, unless it was extremeley long.

[Suicide Junkie]

Regarding what you Last said in the #SE4 channel before you left,

I sent a modified Version to Aaron where the mid section of the ship components had scroll buttons to allow for more components without having to increase the window/ship hull size!
This was in response to Aaron saying that he thought that the Starfury inventory system would be too limited for se5. His main concern was the lack of space for components and or the huge amount of space that would be needed to show all the components at once!
Personally I like the idea of placing the components over a ship hull design. It has more of a rpg feel to it!

I wonder if it would be possible to have the ship models generated on the fly from components?

If you start with an empty grid (like the combat grid, say) and start placing components, then SE4 could pick "ship parts" from the shipset depending on the pattern of filled squares you're making, and draw that underneath. The 3D ship when completed could then differ between each ship class!
EG:
If you have a 2x8 block of design squares filled, then one shipset could specify that that looks like a chain of four green spheres, while another makes it into a capped grey tube.

[Puke]

i see, similar to mech customization in games like mechwarior, and earthseige, where custom weapons show up on the hulls.

i think this would be hard to do for a small devlopment house, and if it was done, would end up looking blocky and clunky.

as for the UI design, i agree that moveable windows that follow general MS Windows API concepts (such as PgDn moving one screenload, and clicking on the scroll bar (not button) moving one screenload, and wheel mouse support) would be usefull.

I am not sure how usefull a graphical tech tree would be, there would be lots of crossing lines, since it is moddable and will have to be generated on the fly based on whatever techtree people want to load in.

I am also not so sure about the ship overlay thing. One idea I had for this, was to have blocks available on an overlay for component TYPES. then you could expand these blocks to put in as many of any that type of component (controll components, weapons, armor, engines, whatever) that you need. this would avoid having to scroll over the ship image, which i think defeats the purpose of having fixed spots overlaid on an image. It would also give you all the space you need.

It would also, optionally, allow for higher detail on ship designs. perhaps you could have both starboard and port weapons bays, each which can hold any number of weapons (or perhaps limit what each block of component types can hold) and has different hit probabilities in combat. maybe different armor facings, or armor could aply globlay. of course, this is totally not required.

I would like to see most of the UI effort put into systems and planet displays. I would like for systems either to be very detailed with moving parts, and varying orbital periods, OR, i would like to see them abstracted into static, liniar, displays of the major objects in the system, possibly seperated into inner system, outer system, and maybe a rim/gateway area where ships enter from or where WPs hang out.

Planet displays could be given some work, as well. I wont go into too many details, but more effort could be put into them, with the number of fields available. alot of these are code suggestions, and not UI ones. maybe diamater, density (which in turn calculate gravity) and distance from star (which in turn calculates orbital diamater) maybe display orbital space for each body, so objects in a sector (if the sector concept is kept) could either be in deep space, in orbit of a planet, or in orbit of a moon)

before i get carried away, i will shut up.

[Suicide Junkie]

Zooming up a section of the ship when you click on it!
I like that idea.
The zoomed up areas should not have to be square, and should probably be determined by the hull type, and possibly racial bonuses

[Gryphin]

I'd like to be able to choose San Serif fonts for easier reading
I would like more contrast between colors in the numbers. I have a tough time with the color difference between the Minerals and Organics.
I would like Mono spaced font for the numbers so I can more easily read them
12340 takes up more room than
11111 with the current fonts.

I'd love a scroll mouse
I'd love more context sensitve help like is given by the buttons

Note the use of the word "I". I acknowledge I represent a very small minority of the players.

[Spoo]

I think more "relistic" systems would be a plus (moving planets, more empty space).

[Suicide Junkie]

Gryphin:
Can't you just overwrite the Fonts in SE4\Fonts with something more to your liking?