Interface Improvements

Gary Grigsby’s War in the West 1943-45 is the most ambitious and detailed computer wargame on the Western Front of World War II ever made. Starting with the Summer 1943 invasions of Sicily and Italy and proceeding through the invasions of France and the drive into Germany, War in the West brings you all the Allied campaigns in Western Europe and the capability to re-fight the Western Front according to your plan.

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DTomato
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Interface Improvements

Post by DTomato »

The WITE interface is better since the beta, but there is much room for improvement in terms of cutting down on excessive mouse clicks, information overload and general hassle. For a game of this size and complexity, an easier interface can make a huge difference in the fun factor.

So I'd like to start a list of suggested interface improvements. I'll start with an easy one. If I set target priorities for an air mission, and I want to concentrate on just one target set like airfields, ports, interdiction, etc., then I have to manually click on each other target type to set them to None. Is it possible to have a button that sets all target priorities to None?
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Belphegor
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Belphegor »

I like that. Or, could it at least see and match recon values set for the same hex coordinates? hate doing it twice.
marion61
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by marion61 »

I would like to see the commanders report be a little more friendly. I'd like to be able to mouse select a group of units in the commanders report, especially the air groups. Clicking back and forth between selection screens the report always returns to the top and you have to scroll all the way back down each time. It would be nice if it went back to where you started. And when you select an airgroup from it, instead of closing the report screen when you close the air group detail, have it go back to where you were before.

On my first turn I usually go to the Air Doctrine screen and set the targets for my air thru that so that each time you create a new AD, it uses those defaults.

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DTomato
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by DTomato »

ORIGINAL: meklore61

On my first turn I usually go to the Air Doctrine screen and set the targets for my air thru that so that each time you create a new AD, it uses those defaults.

The problem is that you still have to click on each individual target type to set it to Ignore. It would be much easier if you click one button to set all targets types to Ignore, and then just click on the type that you want to strike.
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Dante Fierro
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Dante Fierro »

Good idea. Although the interface is one of the best I've seen and much kudos to the developers, like Michelangelo, when asked when he would be done painting the Sistine Chapel, his reply was "I will never be done, at some point I will just stop." [:D]

Here's one UI chrome idea:

-When selecting a unit, it would be nice to be able to immediately right-click on the unit to get the information detail, instead of having to mouse over to the panel and do it. (Less mouse movement)

DTomato
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by DTomato »

Is it possible to have a sortable East Front box? It would be great if units could be sorted by their combat strength.
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Dante Fierro
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Dante Fierro »

Another UI idea:

In most computer game programs, hitting the "Esc" key will immediately popup the panel that allows you to quit/save/load game. I even find myself in WitW hitting the Esc key and nothing coming up, and then being slightly annoyed I have to click on the Admin tab, etc.

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Dante Fierro
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Dante Fierro »

There are a few static tables in the manual that might be useful if they were available in-game. For example, the National Morale table or the admin cost table. A separate button on the Info Screens perhaps that would have some of the more useful tables listed in the manual available?
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jhdeerslayer
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by jhdeerslayer »

ORIGINAL: Dante Fierro

There are a few static tables in the manual that might be useful if they were available in-game. For example, the National Morale table or the admin cost table. A separate button on the Info Screens perhaps that would have some of the more useful tables listed in the manual available?

Optimum rank for leaders for specific HQ type is a table I'm always referring.
DTomato
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by DTomato »

Any chance the moderators could put this thread as a permanent sticky up top?
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Belphegor
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Belphegor »

The commander's report. It's marvelous. But I'm wondering if we can make it a little more databasey.... so we can interact with the data a bit more.

My use case:

I go in and want to rest all RAF Bomber Command Crews with a Morale level under 60. So I click on the air tab, and bomber command. Sorting by morale is fine but I have to rest each group. If I could enter search/filter criteria in a box (restrict the language) so for example

M<=60
Morale less than or equal to 60

would filter whatever is onscreen at the time leaving all that's left as a result the groups in question which could be set to rest with the existing interface.


I understand this is likely pie in the sky but I'll add it as a feature request anyway.
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Duck Doc
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Duck Doc »

This one is far out there: would love to be able to right-click unit in info box and be able to annotate it, i.e. have a little text box where I could leave a little note saying something like, "Withdrawing on turn 9" or "After landing attach to X Corps" or whatever I would like in order to help me keep things straight.
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Radagy
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Radagy »

It would be useful to have a hot key shading the hexes one district color for each Air HQ. Right now you only blue have (currently selected HQ) and pale green (rest of the world). Cycling the same hot key I would like to see bars telling me how many fighters, bombers, recon groups you have on each base.
In fact, what I'm implying is that too many clicks are needed to get info about your Air Force.
Commander's report is a great tool, but having those info depicted on the map would greatly improve gaming experience.
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Seminole
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Seminole »

The commander's report. It's marvelous. But I'm wondering if we can make it a little more databasey.... so we can interact with the data a bit more.



I'd love to be able to export what is the on active CR screen to a .csv
"War is never a technical problem only, and if in pursuing technical solutions you neglect the psychological and the political, then the best technical solutions will be worthless." - Hermann Balck
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Balou
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Balou »

ORIGINAL: Belphegor

I go in and want to rest all RAF Bomber Command Crews with a Morale level under 60. So I click on the air tab, and bomber command. Sorting by morale is fine but I have to rest each group. If I could enter search/filter criteria in a box (restrict the language) so for example

M<=60
Morale less than or equal to 60

+1.

So far I am doing this one manually for every squadron every 2-3 turns, but it's time consuming and really boring. Would be a real improvement to see an option to filter by values for a selected column and make changes for a whole set of units in a 1-click move.
“Aim towards enemy“.
- instructions on U.S. rocket launcher
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Radagy
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Radagy »

Set soft factor: current fatigue, so that checking fatigue would be easier than looking at the Commander's Report Screen
Davekhps
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Davekhps »

Logistics Phase Event Log: the criteria you select to display gets reset with every save game re-start. Would be nice to save your settings with the scenario save.

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Radagy
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by Radagy »

Drag&Drop features to assign multiple SU at once or to change HQ organizational matrix.
DTomato
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by DTomato »

Is it possible to see details of units in the East Front box before we transfer them? Ideally, the regular TO&E screen?
DTomato
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RE: Interface Improvements

Post by DTomato »

Can the strategic bombing target list be made sortable, so that the biggest factories are on top?
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