Interface improvements

[kyrub]

Suggest, discuss:

• The information you get and how you get it.
  
• The way you could handle the game better.
  
• How can the interface be simplified to enjoy the game more, without taking away any content?
  
• How can the game be customized (to increase the replayability f.i.)?
  
• Which interface elements would immerge the player more into the game lore?
  

[kyrub]

PLANs
-----------

Game settings
- new continent size settings (current Large would be called Huge, Large would come in the middle between Normal and Large; maybe: Pangea setting = even bigger continents)
- make a new difficulty setting, called EXTREME for those who find Impossible frustrating, but Hard too easy. Same difficulty setting as Impossible, but the bonuses are only 300% (not 400%)

Interface overland
- F1 surveyor to have an option for disabling display of msg "cannot build near another city", to avoid exploit info about enemy cities
- side cursor to cycle in between your cities
- when mouse is pointing over your city, hovering text with City name / production
- when mouse is pointing over enemy city, hovering text with City name / owner?

Interface Combat
- Hotkey for ending turn

Display overland
- could unit tiles have a simple sign (like '+') to show if there are more units in the stack, or even how many units are there?
- could enchanted cities have an overland visible sign (negative/positive) ?
- to change which unit is displayed as "top", sometimes it is weird (when?)
-

Display combat
- could we see (or hear) how many units have been killed by a special attack (f.i. stone gazed, thrown)
-

Extra difficulty setting
- add 'AI aggressive from the start' option (cuts out 100 turns protective period)

Vizier usage?
- ???

[I like Serena]

I would really like a way to cycle through the cities.
Apparently you already implemented '>' and '<' once, but you retracted it.

I'd like to be able to find cities without garrison.
Often when a city was attacked by monsters, leaving it empty, I can't for the live of me find the empty city, which needs a new garrison.
In the end I keep opening each city in turn, until I've found it.
A key to cycle through the cities would help here.
Or visual feedback on the overland map to show a city is empty.
Or visual feedback in the city overview screen.

[b0rsuk]

A separate column for Unrest in Cities window would be nice. I'm currently playing Myrran klackons, I frequently pull some infantry this way or another and try to train them in battles. Keeping track of rebels is a nuisance. Garrison size would also be nice, although you'd have to use shortcuts for all extra columns.

In combat, placing "Done" next to "Auto" has potentially disastrous results. In most cases I prefer clicking instead of pressing "d", because I don't like that "d" moves the cursor. Current button layout:

Code:

Spell Wait
Info Auto
Flee Done

Note the Auto button is right in the middle, all buttons are adjacent to it. Worse, "Auto" doesn't ask you for confirmation, perhaps this should be changed first

Alternate layout:

Code:

Spell Wait
Info Done
Auto Flee

Here, frequently used buttons (Wait, Spell) are next to each other. Both are harmless. It would be harder to press Auto when clicking on "Done", and Flee asks for confirmation. Done and Auto are the only buttons which cause irreversible changes without confirmation.

[I like Serena]

In combat, placing "Done" next to "Auto" has potentially disastrous results. In most cases I prefer clicking instead of pressing "d", because I don't like that "d" moves the cursor. Current button layout:

I have a tip here: the "Space" key can also be used instead of Done with the bonus feature that the mouse cursor doesn't move!
And no risk pressing Auto (I know what you mean)!

[kyrub]

Yes, SPACE. And a story: I searched how to add the function for 1 hour only to find out it was there already.
b0rsuk, I won't do the change of buttons (although I see your point), because it is unwise to change something people are used to. There would be a lot of misclicks...

I totally forgot an old request from dragonsword: A hotkey that ends your turn without the necessity to click-through your units. That would really help.

More...? Combat interface is weird and slow.


@b0rsuk
Cities screen & unrest - I wanted to do it, the problem is I need to put the info somewhere, and I don't see the place...

[b0rsuk]

Then why not just remove the 'd' hotkey ? It's harmful. It leads people like me to believe they've found THE hotkey. Why would a game need two hotkeys for the same thing when one is clearly inferior to the other ? People who use 'd' would probably have motivation to look into Readme.txt, patch notes etc. You'd do them a great service.

In a company where I worked this kind of argument was used to justify keeping links in "Options" menu. It went like this: Options>Help>Blah>Blah. People are used to it... really.

[Catwalk]

- new continent size settings (current Large would be called Huge, Large would come in the middle between Normal and Large; maybe: Pangea setting = even bigger continents)

This would be really nice, assuming it's easy to do.

- make a new difficulty setting, called EXTREME for those who find Impossible frustrating, but Hard too easy. Same difficulty setting as Impossible, but the bonuses are only 300% (not 400%)

How about a setting for those who find Impossible too easy? :P

- F1 surveyor to have an option for disabling display of msg "cannot build near another city", to avoid exploit info about enemy cities

Where would this toggle be, on the Settings page?

- side cursor to cycle in between your cities

Excellent

- when mouse is pointing over your city, hovering text with City name / production

Excellent! Would this be available from the big map as well?

- when mouse is pointing over enemy city, hovering text with City name / owner?

Not much use, but no harm if it's easy to do.

- Hotkey for ending turn

I don't think it'd be a lot of use, I hope it won't be one you might press by mistake.

- could unit tiles have a simple sign (like '+') to show if there are more units in the stack, or even how many units are there?

Would also be really good

- could enchanted cities have an overland visible sign (negative/positive) ?

How about just a colour aura, regardless of whether it's negative or positive?

- to change which unit is displayed as "top", sometimes it is weird (when?)

Not important IMO, especially if the other change above is implemented

- could we see (or hear) how many units have been killed by a special attack (f.i. stone gazed, thrown)

I don't think this one is important or practical, but I have a different (and radical!) suggestion! When mousing over an enemy unit, display average damage done and taken, splitting it into various attack types if you like.

Great ideas overall!

[kyrub]

This would be really nice, assuming it's easy to do.

None of these changes is easy, some may be even impossible. But they seem worth the time.

Excellent! Would this be available from the big map as well?

The main map. That is the idea. This is quite fancy thing, so let's just be hopeful. Maybe the info could show up in the small area where the unit info or F1 is usually stored - if it is simpler, I'll do it that way.

Not much use, but no harm if it's easy to do.
I don't think this one is important or practical

Some changes are intended to improve the "game lore" feeling. The cities have names, but you never see them / think about them as named cities. The crazy types of attack never show you how they work. It is pity. (In the MoO patch, some people find the best feature in showing the name of enemy leader on the Race screen. No benefit, just game lore, sometimes it is the most important.)

How about just a colour aura, regardless of whether it's negative or positive?

I need some graphic that is already used in the game. You mean the node aura?

When mousing over an enemy unit, display average damage done and taken

Habla Espanol?

[Catwalk]

I meant add a combat advisor which will show you how much damage you should expect to inflict and suffer if you were to attack the unit you mouse over.

I don't know what to use if it has to be existing graphics. Node aura would be cool, but easily confusing.