MWIF Game Interface Design

[Froonp]

I think it's not worth it.
Anyway, it's the same in the table game, you are not seeing / counting 2 hexes at the same time, you are doing it sequencially. You'll do the same here. See one hex, go to the next, go back to the first, see a third, etc...

[Zorachus99]

How will the flyout look when there are 'many' naval units in the hex?  Perhaps units should be displayed : 
 
1) Air
2) Land
3) Naval (with the ninth unit shown as a task force marker for cases of 9+ ??)

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Zorachus99

How will the flyout look when there are 'many' naval units in the hex?  Perhaps units should be displayed : 

1) Air
2) Land
3) Naval (with the ninth unit shown as a task force marker for cases of 9+ ??)

I currently have an upper limit of 9 units. More than that and none are displayed.

One possibliity is to not show the naval and oil/build point units if there are more than 9 units total in a hex. That way you can see all the land and air units. The trick there is to not include units being transported by sea (e.g., carrier air units). Opinions?

I am working on a naval Task Force display that can be used in ports or at sea. It is primarily intended for creating, reviewing, and modifying a Task Force (TF = a group of naval units that hang out together when in port and cruise the seas together). The TF Details form needs to be able to present all the naval units in a location (e.g., port, sea box section, setup tray) so the player can transfer units to and from the task force.

To that end, the TF Details form is half a screen wide, so two of them (e.g., Left and Right) can be shown at the same time. For example, Left = the setup tray and Right = a new task force, for use when creating a task force during setup. Or Left = an existing task force in a port and Right = all the other naval units in the port.

I see no reason why the same display can't serve a second purpose of showing all the naval units in a location (e.g., port, sea area section box). These will be zoom level 5 and show 5 columns with 10 units in each column. Columns were discussed months ago; they are:
1 - Carriers: CV, CVL, ASW Carrier
2 - Battleships
3 - Cruisers: CA, CL, CX, ASW Escort
4 - Submarines
5 - Transports: TRS, AMPH, Convoys

Each column except Submarines may contain units that have cargo on board, which will also be displayed in the column.

[Zorachus99]

The limit of air and land units in a hex is 7 (4 air, 3 land).  If you use simple markers for presence of naval units and resources you'll never have an overload condition.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: Zorachus99

The limit of air and land units in a hex is 7 (4 air, 3 land).  If you use simple markers for presence of naval units and resources you'll never have an overload condition.

During setup you can place 4 oil points in a hex. Plus forts and a synth oil marker (there may be others). Since each of these can be selected and moved I want to give the player the ability to select and move them.

But you are right. I could just make up something to indicate naval and "miscellaneous land". That goes against the fundamental design concept of showing individual units. There are hundreds of routines built around the concept of each unit having a counter and each counter being a unit. I am fighting upstream against that with task forces already.

EDIT: There are times when enemy air units are present in a hex.

[doctormm]

ORIGINAL: Zorachus99

The limit of air and land units in a hex is 7 (4 air, 3 land). If you use simple markers for presence of naval units and resources you'll never have an overload condition.

You can have more than 4 air units in a hex - stacking is increased by 1 for each ENG in the hex.

[Zorachus99]

Aha, I've never used Mif Option 7 in this way; always thought of them as the HQ bonus, not an independant one.  Good show! Thanks for the trick

[haromar]

you can also have a fyling boat which stack for free on coastal hexes etc. I suggest to start the flyout with land units (where the maximum per hex is always at most 3 units), then ac, where together with the 3 land units you could theoretically exceed the total 9 units limit. then go to either oil/ships/factories etc. if land units and ac exceed the 9 units limit (rare case but for pearl harbour or london not that unusual), the flyout should be in red. 

[composer99]

The actual air unit stacking limits range from 0-3 depending on the terrain of the hex and the port/city contained therein (ports & cities override the terrain limit).
 
You can then add +1 air unit for an HQ and +1 for an engineer.
Then you can add a flying boat on top of that as long as the hex in question is a coastal hex.
 
So, Gibraltar (mountain & major port), if loaded with an HQ & engineer, can have 2 corps/army size land units, 1 division-size land units, 5 planes plus a flying boat plane.
 
If the flyout only includes land and air units, you will never have more than 9 units.
 
Might I add that the flyouts look pretty nice.

[Mziln]

ORIGINAL: composer99

The actual air unit stacking limits range from 0-3 depending on the terrain of the hex and the port/city contained therein (ports & cities override the terrain limit).

You can then add +1 air unit for an HQ and +1 for an engineer.
Then you can add a flying boat on top of that as long as the hex in question is a coastal hex.

So, Gibraltar (mountain & major port), if loaded with an HQ & engineer, can have 2 corps/army size land units, 1 division-size land units, 5 planes plus a flying boat plane.

If the flyout only includes land and air units, you will never have more than 9 units.

Might I add that the flyouts look pretty nice.

So, Gibraltar (mountain & major port), if loaded with ONE HQ unit (counts as a land unit), can have ONE corps/army size land unit, ONE engineer unit (engineers are division size units), 5 Air units plus a flying boat unit.

OR

Gibraltar (mountain & major port), if loaded with ONE HQ unit (counts as a land unit), can have TWO engineer units (one as a land unit and one as a division size unit), SIX Air units plus a flying boat unit.

(Note: Planes = Carrier Planes. Air units represent more aircraft than Carrier plane units.)

Original: WiFFE-RAW-7.0.pdf

2.3.1 Limits

Land unit limits

Up to 2 land units can stack in a hex. Stacking limits are doubled in an off-map hex.

AsA/MiF/Polif options 2, 3 & 6: You can stack 3 land units in a hex if the 3rd unit is a division, artillery or supply. You can stack 5 land units in an off-map hex if the 5th unit is a division, artillery or supply.

Aircraft unit limits

The stacking limits for aircraft units not flying a mission are:

Minor port hex 2
Major port or city hex 3
Mountain, desert mountain
or swamp hex 0
Any other hex 1
Hex with HQ +1

MiF option 7: (ENG divisions) Each ENG (even face-down) increases the aircraft stacking limit of a hex by 1 (e.g. you could stack 2 aircraft in a swamp occupied by 2 ENG units). In off-map hexes, this increase applies after doubling.

Option 8: (Flying boats) Flying boats have a vertical blue stripe on their counter.

Flying boats can only stack in a coastal hex (even if the coast is only on a lake). You can only ever stack 1 flying boat in a hex, but this is in addition to any other aircraft there. For example, you could stack a flying boat plus 3 other aircraft in a major port; you can even stack a flying boat in a coastal mountain hex. Flying boats can fly missions into, or rail move through, non-coastal hexes. Engineers (MiF option 7) do not effect stacking limits for flying boats.

ATR flying boats (e.g. the BV-222) can only air transport units to or from, or air supply units in, coastal hexes.

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: composer99

The actual air unit stacking limits range from 0-3 depending on the terrain of the hex and the port/city contained therein (ports & cities override the terrain limit).

You can then add +1 air unit for an HQ and +1 for an engineer.
Then you can add a flying boat on top of that as long as the hex in question is a coastal hex.

So, Gibraltar (mountain & major port), if loaded with an HQ & engineer, can have 2 corps/army size land units, 1 division-size land units, 5 planes plus a flying boat plane.

If the flyout only includes land and air units, you will never have more than 9 units.

Might I add that the flyouts look pretty nice.

If you have 2 HQ and an ENG (hyper rare case never encountered) in a major port or a city, you can have 3+1+1+1 planes plus 1 seaplane.

[haromar]

Irregardelss of the frequency of such a possible case, the flyout should start withe the 3 land units followed by the AC. These are the most relevant inspected units. In the board game we also tend to put ships besides (not in) the hex so as to get them out of the way. Since with oil, railed factories and ships you will easily supersede the 9 unit/marker limit, I suggest to use a red "UUC" unit as the last 9th icon in such cases indicating the player that he's got to look at the UUC box. 95% of your hexes will do fine with the 9 unit limit. The other 5% hexes which will usually also either include ports, stored oil or railed factories, or bombed factories markers etc. will have a red "UUC" as the 9th symbol.

[Arron69]

ORIGINAL: haromar

Irregardelss of the frequency of such a possible case, the flyout should start withe the 3 land units followed by the AC. These are the most relevant inspected units. In the board game we also tend to put ships besides (not in) the hex so as to get them out of the way. Since with oil, railed factories and ships you will easily supersede the 9 unit/marker limit, I suggest to use a red "UUC" unit as the last 9th icon in such cases indicating the player that he's got to look at the UUC box. 95% of your hexes will do fine with the 9 unit limit. The other 5% hexes which will usually also either include ports, stored oil or railed factories, or bombed factories markers etc. will have a red "UUC" as the 9th symbol.

I find this a very good sujection.

Andi.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: haromar

you can also have a fyling boat which stack for free on coastal hexes etc. I suggest to start the flyout with land units (where the maximum per hex is always at most 3 units), then ac, where together with the 3 land units you could theoretically exceed the total 9 units limit. then go to either oil/ships/factories etc. if land units and ac exceed the 9 units limit (rare case but for pearl harbour or london not that unusual), the flyout should be in red. 

Useful. Thanks.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: haromar

Irregardelss of the frequency of such a possible case, the flyout should start withe the 3 land units followed by the AC. These are the most relevant inspected units. In the board game we also tend to put ships besides (not in) the hex so as to get them out of the way. Since with oil, railed factories and ships you will easily supersede the 9 unit/marker limit, I suggest to use a red "UUC" unit as the last 9th icon in such cases indicating the player that he's got to look at the UUC box. 95% of your hexes will do fine with the 9 unit limit. The other 5% hexes which will usually also either include ports, stored oil or railed factories, or bombed factories markers etc. will have a red "UUC" as the 9th symbol.

Changes to factories are incorporated into the map and do not appear as units. They might temporarily appear as units, for instance while you are placing them on the map or in the process of rail moving them. But once a phase is over, the mobile units are removed and the map image updated.

[bredsjomagnus]

It would be nice if you could set so that the flyout appears after a few seconds after hovering the hex. That way you don´t get alot of flyout windows that youre not interested in when you move the mousepointer over the map.
 
Just a slider or something that sets a timer.
 
/Magnus

[SamuraiProgrmmr]

If I understand correctly, you doubleclick and it works until you click somewhere.
 
I like the idea of toggling it on and it being instantaneous until turned off.  

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: bredsjomagnus

It would be nice if you could set so that the flyout appears after a few seconds after hovering the hex. That way you don´t get alot of flyout windows that youre not interested in when you move the mousepointer over the map.

Just a slider or something that sets a timer.

/Magnus

The hovering and waiting can get old real fast. It blinks off as soon as you move to a new hex - either disappearing completely (empty hex) or showing the contents of the new hex. The only difficulty I have noticed so far is that when reviewing a series of hexes you need to start at the bottom or the right, progressing up and/or left. That's because the flyout appears to the right and below the cursor (point). If you start at the top left, then the flyout gets in the way as you move.

We'll see what the beta testers say when I upload 5.07.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Here is a screen shot I composed for the Matrix web site (marketing). There are 11 of them total and I have one more to do. Once I have sent Sean the last 4 (he already has 7 of them) I expect he will post them all.

Title: Invasion at Anzio.

[Froonp]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here is a screen shot I composed for the Matrix web site (marketing). There are 11 of them total and I have one more to do. Once I have sent Sean the last 4 (he already has 7 of them) I expect he will post them all.

Title: Invasion at Anzio.

Cool down Steve, AMPH can't load MECH unit.
Unless you're playing without AMPH, and that AMPH are treated like normal TRS units.
Also, MECH can't invade.
Plus, invading from the 1 box is pretty much a suicide, especially on Anzio where you setup a strong German ARM with a second unit.