Interface suggestion

[Instinct]

*This interface won't be aviable in this Addon, if you want to know about the interface which will be aviable for Addon, click here! (http://digitalmindsoft.eu/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=53&t=127)*


After the Addon interface is changed, we made ourselves thoughts about how to improve it in future. And want to know your opinion about it, because changes like suggested below will take much time and manwork until it is finished. Not to speak about fully balanced and tweaked.


So I'm going to explain you our idea:


If you move your mouse cursor over your target, when selecting your squad, the enemy will be highlighted as normal:


The difference now is, that you are able to to press the right mouse button over it and hold it.
Now your action interface will pop up!


Now while holding your mouse button pressed you can choose your wished action by moving the mouse cursor
over the needed action and drop it:

And voila your squad will do it immediatelly.

Your movement was to the target, one mouseclick and a micromovement with your mouse over the button.
That's all.
Cancel order can be done by pressing on cancel button, or drop the mouse cursor in the middle of the buttons, so none gets activated.


Ofcourse all this can be spread to other enemies:


The interface will only show the possible actions.
You can go on spread this even to own units: Healthing, gather ammo, take cover etc.
Also to neutral units: Examine, blow up and so on.


*This screenshots are not ingame, they just represent our ideas and are made as an example!*



Share us your ideas and your opinions and vote please!

[Tigerkiller]

Nice. If that is in the addon ill be very happy, it would make easier to target a enemy, instead of having to move your mouse up and down just to kill a soldier, taking so much time that a vehicle comes along and kills your one and only sniper. :pacman:

[C0ntrol]

In Multiplayer you could add a possibility to spot enemies with that circle thingy, which by the way looks cool to me :D And back to the spotting. Example. You know how annoying it is when you see a little flash of a tank at your minimap. Well I suggest that there would be a possibility to spot that unit to keep it visible in your minimap for, lets say 5 to 10 seconds. This would give more time to reload and shoot for your anti-tank/tank units.

Another possibility would be that if some of your units has a binocular, this particular guy would then, after spotting, move to an area where he can see the unit you spotted and keep him in his sights until ordered to do something else or being attacked by enemy.

[TTorpedo]

Sounds very good to me!

2 tiny sugestions:

a) In the middle of the circle (in the new interface) you can add the distance to target...or better a percent value ( or just a color circle green/ yellow/ red...) indicating the real possibility's of damaging the target with that given weapon/ action... it just might be to soon to blow your cover !

b) When you clik your enemy (Left click as usual) nad nothing else your squad just assumes the atack order as default and will act acordanly shoosing the best weapon well just like it does now (the only exeption is that the player his pin-pointing the target for them)

[Instinct]

I don't see an easy way to implement percentages, as I see only one way how the game could suggest a good or bad situation and that is distance too target and weapon range.

I also tried around with percentages and I think it overfills the interface and they can't be calculated exact anyway.
So I made a suggestion, showing the chance in 3 different colors, red, blue, green. Standing for the chance to hit by target distance and weapons range:

http://www.digitalmindsoft.eu/outcoming/interface/05.jpg

[TTorpedo]

:D you´r fast

[Wasteland Warrior]

I also tried around with percentages and I think it overfills the interface and they can't be calculated exact anyway.
So I made a suggestion, showing the chance in 3 different colors, red, blue, green. Standing for the chance to hit by target distance and weapons range

Which color represents the best chance to hit - blue or green? It might be easier to understand if the colors red, yellow, and green were used, with red being no chance, yellow being some chance, and green being the best chance. Actually, if you could use more than 3 colors, that would be even better....

[Instinct]

It can be done, but visually yellow will take most attention.
It's just a matter of experimenting and developing. We are trying to have a specific aim, how it will be look like at the end can't be said, there is a long time of testing and tweaking between it.
So colors are the slightest problem :)

[C0ntrol]

How about the spotting idea..? :rtfm:

[Instinct]

Do you think its faster to sign an unit and than shooting on it, instead of just shooting on it?
Btw, if you carefully listen to the sound or watch the bushes, you can get an idea where it is and kill it without seeing it. A nasty trick of me :lol:

[Wasteland Warrior]

Do you think its faster to sign an unit and than shooting on it, instead of just shooting on it?
Btw, if you carefully listen to the sound or watch the bushes, you can get an idea where it is and kill it without seeing it. A nasty trick of me :lol:

I would answer, but I don't really understand what you're asking. Are you asking if we think it is faster to first sight a target and then shoot it, or do we think it is faster to shoot where we think a target is, before it is seen? It is obviously faster to just fire your weapon before targets are actually spotted :?

Somewhat related perhaps, I think visual range in FoW is horribly too short. It would seem as tho max visual distance in FoW is only 30m or so, which is just ridiculous!! Weapon ranges are also ridiculously too short in FoW, but that's a different discussion 8O

[Instinct]

So far as I understood, spotting feature was ment to keep a already seen target on minimap or still visible for short time.
My question was if this doesn't take too much time, as it is of use.

[C0ntrol]

So far as I understood, spotting feature was ment to keep a already seen target on minimap or still visible for short time.
My question was if this doesn't take too much time, as it is of use.

Well if you got a slowly loading tank such as IS-2, myself I would find spotting useful. Atleast the binocular idea would be cool :) Spotting targets for artillery or something.. *sneaks out of the conversation quietly..* :roll:

[Gen.M.R.Maiornikov]

man that is really nice interface. :roll:

[Tigerkiller]

I think there needs to be a new interface option that would be very useful. A option called aggressive movement would allow your soldiers to move to a certain point, while taking out any enemies along the way. Could this be added to the game? It would certainly be useful. :pacman:

[unsobill]

great stuff instinct although i'm not using any of those buttons - AI just makes it almost impossible to use - AT nade throwing animation is so slow right now - could it be redone ? just plain nade throwing nothing fancy - no 20 seconds pause between selecting grenade and then another 10 second on throwing it ?

as for attack move, it does sounds great, also ATTACK GROUND button would be great - and lets change the way ATTACK works, where soldiers/tanks open fire on maximum allowed distances they have, and not running point blank to enemy and ...throw a ?grenade? after clicking attack on that enemy - it should be - Attack command given - AI shoots (find cover if shot at back- randomly generated event i think -meaning if AI feels that it could survive the firefight DONT seek cover) - if AI has no range, move in caution way to cut the distance and as soon as enemy in range, or in viewm open fire right away - no delays on anything - ON TOP OF EVERYTHING - can we have AI hold ground button(Move mode) ON on default, and if you please can HIGHLIGHT more stuff when pressed HIGHLIGHT ITEM button - like abandoned mortars, AT guns.. ? and cut delay between given commands...

[[lmsyhmic]]

Don't forget, friendly interface - Repairing, Bandage, Refueling, Ammo? ect?

[kapulA]

Not for it.
Micro is the thing I like about these games and tbh,it's turning into a brain-free RTS,just like all the others currently available...

[Inkompetent]

Not for it.
Micro is the thing I like about these games and tbh,it's turning into a brain-free RTS,just like all the others currently available...

This is about making a streamlined interface that is easier to use and that doesn't need a Ph.D. degree in "Human-Computer Interaction" to use effectively.

The current UI is bulky and slow to use, and they can keep all functions, just make it easier to use the common ones.
It doesn't have to badly made to be advanced.

[sMull]

I really like the new interface idea, it not only looks good but it will be useful.

[skym]

And I think the best game needs the best uinterface.

[Rayzor]

Change the "Grouped Units Bar" location. Instead of having them paraded down on the left side of the screen. It could be remedied to have them smaller and place them on top of the unit's interface. I found it quite annoying that if I had a large group of units, these buttons would be paraded down on the left side screen negating my Point and range of view.

[wawaee]

I think the "grouped units bar" is just fine to me, but it needs better pictures :P

[Rayzor]

If you're in control of a large group of soldiers in squads or even individually, it becomes annoying to have to scroll-down and look for the specific "soldier/squad" you want. You can key assign them but, once you have more, it becomes annoying to select your units just lilke that. Scrolling down through your multiple squad bars in the midst of battle, you can pause it but it just cuts the time and the action once you're there.

I like my men, I just don't rush them and have them all killed regardless of how many squads I have. What am saying is something should be done about the soldier-bar interface, that easy access and selection of preferred squads could be better.

[Rafo]

I agree with Rayzor, it should be more simplified etc and its just stupid when ur soldiers die and they seperate and are no longer squads and you get 20 icons for individual soldiers and its a real pain to search for a specific unit as the pics are ... well... bad as they are the same... well you get waht i mean... :shady:

[wawaee]

If you're talking about a big group then i also agreed with you , it is hard to find out using the group bar just to locate the troops you wanna use...you have to scroll up and down... :roll:

[Instinct]

True, I need to think about it, any ideas how to make it better?

[[lmsyhmic]]

Honestly guys, I liked the units being at the top of the screen, in SHoww2 a lot better. The Silhouette system is nice but not very helpful. I need bigger emphasis on my units and the type of unit they are.

[Cpt Nixon]

In Multiplayer you could add a possibility to spot enemies with that circle thingy, which by the way looks cool to me :D And back to the spotting. Example. You know how annoying it is when you see a little flash of a tank at your minimap. Well I suggest that there would be a possibility to spot that unit to keep it visible in your minimap for, lets say 5 to 10 seconds. This would give more time to reload and shoot for your anti-tank/tank units.

Another possibility would be that if some of your units has a binocular, this particular guy would then, after spotting, move to an area where he can see the unit you spotted and keep him in his sights until ordered to do something else or being attacked by enemy.


HELL NO I hate that your hidden unit shows up as it is! I woulod liek a unit to stay hidden until it is actually seen! You can shoot blind in a direction, that is fine, but wee need to keep our units truely hidden until truely seen!

[Cpt Nixon]

Not for it.
Micro is the thing I like about these games and tbh,it's turning into a brain-free RTS,just like all the others currently available...

TRUE TO THAT!


About interface - if hotkeys can still be used instead of the circle thingy then I'm good. But I think if you are going to gather fuel you need to do it micro for sure. Like in real life running out of gas is a pain in the ass, so be it in Faces:) Also a distance reading nect to the firing reticule would possibly be nice .

[Jozor]

Like in real life running out of gas is a pain in the ass, so be it in Faces:)
Thats just obsurd, this is a game, not real life, Its stupid to have to keep ordering a soldier with a jerry can to go from A to B over and over when ur fighting a battle with say 10-30tanks and 50-100troops.
If a tank were to run out of fuel or ammo, the crew arnt gunna sit around if there is a fuel truck near by.. there should be a waypoint link that you can do to transport fuel or ammo from vehicle A to vehicle B. A Soldiers does have the capacity to understand "take fuel from Truck A and give to Truck B", if not well, I think we'd all be under german rule due to having to take so much extra time to refit a whole armoured devision.. "you go oil, now fill can from vehicle a, now fill vehicle b!" repeat for every soldier on the base and you've just got 20litres in each vehicle!

There should be more to make large scale battles more easyer, than making them obsurdly frustrating to fight and re-equip your fighting force, as it is on a large battlefield on things like BattleZones with the budjet system, its better just to let your vehicles get blown up if they run out of ammo, than re-equip them.

[Cpt Nixon]

Like in real life running out of gas is a pain in the ass, so be it in Faces:)
Thats just obsurd, this is a game, not real life, Its stupid to have to keep ordering a soldier with a jerry can to go from A to B over and over when ur fighting a battle with say 10-30tanks and 50-100troops.
If a tank were to run out of fuel or ammo, the crew arnt gunna sit around if there is a fuel truck near by.. there should be a waypoint link that you can do to transport fuel or ammo from vehicle A to vehicle B. A Soldiers does have the capacity to understand "take fuel from Truck A and give to Truck B", if not well, I think we'd all be under german rule due to having to take so much extra time to refit a whole armoured devision.. "you go oil, now fill can from vehicle a, now fill vehicle b!" repeat for every soldier on the base and you've just got 20litres in each vehicle!

There should be more to make large scale battles more easyer, than making them obsurdly frustrating to fight and re-equip your fighting force, as it is on a large battlefield on things like BattleZones with the budjet system, its better just to let your vehicles get blown up if they run out of ammo, than re-equip them.

HAHAHAHA LMAO. I still think gas should be a pain in the ass but I see your point

[Slapping Penguin]

I agree that micro managing makes this game special HOWEVER!

Micro should not mean annoying. Their should be numerous easy ways for soldiers to take care of themselves. Guys, this game is already special. By adding simple standard RTS controls will only improve not take away from existing things.