[1.2.1.4]<--[1.0.6.0] QOL Suggestion: Close Dop-Down Menues when opened with click

[rxnnxs]

Just starting 1.0.6.0 and thank you for al the new Improvements!
Especially after all that bug hunting the UI Improvements and the Performance Options, especially the for me long wanted
"- added some extra game settings to allow disabling some rendering effects"

But two things nag me from the beginning, but now it is time to name them:
The drop down menues should close themselfes after clicking on the dropdown list itself.

And the help popup should have an adjustable time for a delay.
It overlaps everything. Or an option to disable it all the way. Just as the research pop up info window could use an adjustable timer.

One picture shows how hard it really is to see through it.

dropdown.jpg (24.76 KiB) Viewed 961 times

And when I click at the position where the dropdown list is opened, it should also close when opened.
This is not working right now. It closes only, when you select a option in the dropdown list. Thats is again more mouse movement than needed.
if you click on the dropdownlist when opened, it also plays the open sound and animates the opening of the dropdown list. I really see no use in this behaviour.

And this happened right from the start of the game while looking for the new extra game settings to disable some rendering effects.

dopw2.jpg (20.94 KiB) Viewed 961 times

I was looking under the Rendering Format, but there is nothing new,
new are the three options to disable weapon effects and two other options.


I hoped for an low end render format or a disabled star background or a 2D nebula sprite option.

Thank you for reading and hopefully implementing this options.

P.S.:
Besides disabling weapon effects, it would bew nice of a disable weapon sounds switch.
The launch sound of every single rocket is a pretty noisy thing (in space).
And while I could keep the visuals on, I would prefer setting the sound to off. I am going to change the sounds for sure, if easy to come by, but a switch is much easier to use

Please do not get me wrong. 1.0.6.0 is a very good update. It makes fun and is better than ever to work (play) with.
https://www.matrixgames.com/forums/view ... 9#p5020619

[100thMonkey]

But two things nag me from the beginning, but now it is time to name them:
The drop down menues should close themselfes after clicking on the dropdown list itself.

And the help popup should have an adjustable time for a delay.
It overlaps everything. Or an option to disable it all the way. Just as the research pop up info window could use an adjustable timer.

YES to both suggestions!!!

That the drop-down list do not "toggle" (one click opens it, a second one at the same place closes it) has been bugging me from the beginning too. With the amount of clicks on those drop-down lists in the game... well, you get the idea.

As for the info panels popping up all over the place, instantaneously, almost as if Elliot had managed to program them to open as soon as you even look at them, I'd like to see this:

- An option for a timer, as you suggested
- An option to define a modifier key (for instance "Alt"), that need to be pressed for the popups to show when placing the mouse on something that normally opens a popup. If such a key is defined, then hovering above something without pressing the key wouldn't open anything. And if the mouse is above something that would, pressing the key would display the popup. And while the key is pressed, moving the mouse above other "popup openers" would open the popups, without having to depress and press the key each time.
- Both options would be usable at the same time: specify a timer AND a key. The timer would determine how quickly the popups would show when the key is pressed.

These 2 options would apply to the tech tree, of course, but also to the control panel, the selection panel AND the galaxy map. The only UI section I'd leave as it is right now is the info bar on the top right of the screen.

In an ideal world, it would even be possible to specify these 2 options independently for the different UI sections... one can dream...

[rxnnxs]

Nice, good to hear that!

I made some more screenshots with explanation to represent what you and I mean.

And as another idea that came to me:
it could as well be implemented as a right click like in master of orion
Or like an F1 key (DW1)

Unfortunately the right click is reserved for other things in SOME menues. In many places, it acts the same as the left click, which shows that in those cases it could really be used this way.

Another little nuisance is the "ability" to drag the galaxy view while we are with the mouse pointer in menues. This is really not intended, but I guess the developers do not use the left click to drag the view that much.
Because if you stick to thedefault settings, the wasd-keys work in that way pretty good.
Maybe noone who should know knows about that?
And we, that use left click to drag just wait that this little overlooked not wanted "feature" will be gone some day?



Back to topic:
Here are the pictures I made.
The Unreal Engine features exactly this option:
If you want to have and excessive help window, you have to press Ctrl+Alt

likethisunreal.jpg (65.69 KiB) Viewed 912 times

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And here the pictures how it could work real well:

likethis3_exp.jpg (135.1 KiB) Viewed 912 times

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likethis5_exp.jpg (106.59 KiB) Viewed 912 times

[OrnluWolfjarl]

On the topic of right clicks. I really wish I could cycle backwards the automation status of ships with right click. From Manual to Automated, there's a bunch of other (unnecessary) options, and left or right click have the exact same effect.

[rxnnxs]

Yes, something like this would be very very helpful.
I also tried (we have the shortcut for the automation) using shift to go this way back, but of course it is not bound/bindable.
So we have, after giving a manual order, to set it back to auto, hit I think five times that key (I think unbound at factory settings) to get it back to auto.
Maybe even here a Ctrl-right click or Alt-right click would leave the setting untouched, that would also be nice.
And shift would queue the orders, hehe....

Instead pressing a key five times, I tend to go with the mouse down to the button, and use the drop down menu, because there the auto button is reached faster...
I dream also from many things.. I also have written down, down in the hall of wishes, and one of that dreams was to have a button for every (auto)-stance.

"We"(Me) also have the dream of the stay on auto option when giving commands somehow.. and the queue wish is still one silent one, whispering all over the forum.. waiting to be heard..
ahem, it was heard, and after this stable 1.0.6.0 (I hope it is stable and good as I feel it is..), THEN the time has come to go directly into polishing this diamond.

[100thMonkey]

So many UI / UX improvements could be done to DW2 (a ton of suggestions have been made already). But it seems to me that the two most pressing changes that would improve and enrich DW2 gaming experience the most are:

- mission queues
- fleet templates allowing multiple designs for the same hull/role.

I believe Erik has confirmed that both will be coming to DW2 in the future. Let's hope it's the near future...

[rxnnxs]

Now many things of those QOL features are with 1.2.1.4 still not made better.
I will summarize this wall of text into a tldr, but right now I am looking for another post that had an even better "Quality of Gaming" result if done right.

"Help Pop up explained: What is not that good.
It would be really nice if the help pop up could get a time delay.
Like in the research window."

Here the link to a video that shows what I mean:
https://youtu.be/1WZhiDYU-Ho