MWIF Game Interface Design

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

ORIGINAL: abj9562

Regarding buttons. Since the buttoms seem to use an inset or inalid  property, perhaps a simple property change would lift them up and cause them to appear as buttons to be pressed like a keyboard instead of buttons flush to ythe form. I haven't dine any "screen painting" since my intern days many many years ago. Still I seem to remember it causes quite a dramatic difference  in forms without the need for additional graphics work.
At this point the cosmetic appearance of the buttons is no longer on my radar. What you see is what you'll get.

The issue discussed immediately above concerning the inappropriate use of radio buttons does need to be fixed though.
Steve

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Froonp »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
ORIGINAL: Froonp
Why not have it the same with Snow Units : A menu item on the unit pop up menu, where the attacker selects "Snow units" (By the way, "Winterized units" is the term that is more commonly used, not "Snow units" -- as there is also blizzard).
The use of snow units (blizzards usually involve a lot of snow[;)]) is associated with the attacked hex, not the individual units. If you are benefiting from the use of snow units, then all the snow units are vulnerable to taking losses. Engineers can be committed individually, with one engineer using its bonus, while a second one in the same attack does not.
Oh sure, you're right !

About the term, the rule is calling them "Winterized units" too (see 2d10 CRT).
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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My apologies for an extreme failure to spell check and edit my last post. I was in a rush and posted the comment without due diligence. I am disgraced. [8|]
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Neilster »

ORIGINAL: abj9562

My apologies for an extreme failure to spell check and edit my last post. I was in a rush and posted the comment without due diligence. I am disgraced. [8|]
We'll never forgive you [:'(] [;)]

Cheers, Neilster
Cheers, Neilster
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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If a failure to spell check is the worst thing I do in any day... Then it must be a good day indeed.
Integrity is what you do when nobody is watching.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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ORIGINAL: abj9562

If a failure to spell check is the worst thing I do in any day... Then it must be a good day indeed.

FAILL.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

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He He

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Cheers, Neilster

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

Here is the land combat resolution screen as I see it when I am making design changes. I wanted to show this so you could see all the buttons, which during play appear only 1, 2, or 3 at a time. The top center column of buttons appear prior to the land combat die roll(s). The column of buttons on the lower right appear after the combat die rolls.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

2nd in series. Here is what the player typically sees first. The current subphase is Select Combat, which has an asterisk and has a 'raised' presence in the strip of subphases. I would like to do something more forceful to indicate the current subphase, but there doesn't seem to be component that has the features that I want. I am loathe to spend time developing a custom made component just for this.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

3rd in series. Here is what the screen looks like after the German player selected Poznan as the first combat to be resolved. The CW gets to decide which CRT to use.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

4th in series. So I clicked on View Charts to see what the difference is between Blitzkrieg and Assault at +16.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

5th in series. Here I selected Blitz (the wrong choice). The program lets the CW make futile prayers to his gods before clicking on Resolve Attack, which causes the dice to be rolled.

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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Shannon V. OKeets »

6th and last in the series. As you can see, the attacker loses 0 units and the defender loses his only unit.

This is as far I as have gotten in my redesign of this phase. I want to display the actual die roll too, both before and after modification. I also want the Combat Details information shown earlier (when the Resolve Attack button is shown). Combat details also shows the use of snow units, engineers, and HQ support when those have been used.

My main purpose in posting all these screens is to let you know what I have decided about who decides which units take losses. RAW says that the 'owner' decides, but leaves open the question of which player on a side decides when multiple major powers have units that mght take losses. There is a line in the rules about randomly choosing units if the major powers can agree. I didn't want to do that, since it adds a lot of complexity to something that should occur rarely.

Instead I have decided to designate one player for each side as the decision maker based on the units involved in the combat. Priority goes to:
(1) the player with the most valuable land units in the combat (i.e., build points), or in case of tie,
(2) the player with the most land units in the combat, or in case of tie,
(3) the player with the most valuable units in the combat (this includes land and naval units for the defender), or in case of tie,
(4) the player with the most combat factors in the combat (attack factors for attacker and defense factors for the defender - neither are modified whatsoever).

If things are still tied, then the order is: mcGermany, mcItaly, mcJapan, mcVichyFrance, mcChina, mcCommonwealth, mcFrance, mcUnitedStates, mcUSSR


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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Froonp »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

2nd in series. Here is what the player typically sees first. The current subphase is Select Combat, which has an asterisk and has a 'raised' presence in the strip of subphases. I would like to do something more forceful to indicate the current subphase, but there doesn't seem to be component that has the features that I want. I am loathe to spend time developing a custom made component just for this.
Maybe use bold font, or another color, to do something more forceful to indicate the current subphase.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Froonp »

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
My main purpose in posting all these screens is to let you know what I have decided about who decides which units take losses. RAW says that the 'owner' decides, but leaves open the question of which player on a side decides when multiple major powers have units that mght take losses. There is a line in the rules about randomly choosing units if the major powers can agree. I didn't want to do that, since it adds a lot of complexity to something that should occur rarely.
How do you know who chooses, I mean, from the screenshots here, do you know just by the color of the Form and the little flag in the title bar ?
Maybe a line of text sur as "[Country] choose wich unit to suffer the combat losses", where [Country] is the name of the Major Power ?
Instead I have decided to designate one player for each side as the decision maker based on the units involved in the combat. Priority goes to:
(1) the player with the most valuable land units in the combat (i.e., build points), or in case of tie,
(2) the player with the most land units in the combat, or in case of tie,
(3) the player with the most valuable units in the combat (this includes land and naval units for the defender), or in case of tie,
(4) the player with the most combat factors in the combat (attack factors for attacker and defense factors for the defender - neither are modified whatsoever).

If things are still tied, then the order is: mcGermany, mcItaly, mcJapan, mcVichyFrance, mcChina, mcCommonwealth, mcFrance, mcUnitedStates, mcUSSR
It looks good to me.
For (1), do you sum up the BP value of all the units in the combat ?

Also, for the final tie, why choose an alphabetical sorting ?

Why not :
mcGermany, mcItaly, mcJapan, mcVichyFrance, mcUnitedStates, mcUSSR, mcCommonwealth, mcChina, mcFrance

Or, for the final tie, put the countries in the same order as their previous turn total Built Points produced ? So this gets the most "powerful" country get the choice.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by lomyrin »

Where would the die roll be shown when that option is turned on ?
 
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by csharpmao »

ORIGINAL: Froonp
ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

2nd in series. Here is what the player typically sees first. The current subphase is Select Combat, which has an asterisk and has a 'raised' presence in the strip of subphases. I would like to do something more forceful to indicate the current subphase, but there doesn't seem to be component that has the features that I want. I am loathe to spend time developing a custom made component just for this.
Maybe use bold font, or another color, to do something more forceful to indicate the current subphase.

Yes, as Froonp said, I think the asterisk is not visible enough.
For me, the best choice would be a color change, but I know that choosing a second color for each major power can be tricky.
Bold is a second choice, but better than the asterisk.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by bredsjomagnus »

I would like to do something more forceful to indicate the current subphase, but there doesn't seem to be component that has the features that I want. I am loathe to spend time developing a custom made component just for this.
 
Mayby just another color would do it?
 

 
Im trying to add image to show what it can look like.
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by bredsjomagnus »

But that did obviously not work.[:@]
 
How do i add image? The image is stored on my computer.
 
 
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RE: MWIF Game Interface Design

Post by Froonp »

ORIGINAL: bredsjomagnus

But that did obviously not work.[:@]

How do i add image? The image is stored on my computer.

1) Click the "Embed picture in post" checkbox below the zone where you typed your text, and them click the "Click here to upload!" link that is on the left of the tick box.

2) Browse to the folder where you have saved the picture and select it. The picture will upload to the Forums, and when it is finished, an OK button will appear. Press it, and you're back to you message.

3) Publish your message.
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