MWIF Game Interface Design

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Here is the Communists setting up. That is done by the USSR player, so the colors are for the USSR.

The units can set up in proximity to LanChow and SiAn. Whichever hex they are placed in then becomes Communist Chinese.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Last in the series. Here is the Nationalist Chinese color scheme/theme

[Neilster]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here is the simple popup message form. You know, that annoying screen you have to click OK on even when things aren't OK.

You don't have to click OK to get rid of it. You can undo each corner with a flat-bladed screwdriver to remove it manually. [:'(]

These forms look good and there is something strangely satisfying about pushing those metalized buttons.

Cheers, Neilster

[composer99]

Lookin' good!

[GJK]

FWIW, a simple 3d bevel/shadow effect that I use for my counters that I do for VASSAL modules is a few single pixel width lines arranged like so (enlarged):



Which looks this on the map:



Too heavy on the drop shadow and the counters look like they're levitating above the map (such as in the 'North Sea' screen above. I think you discovered that when you posted that you went a bit heavy on it there.

Just my observation, but the other counters don't look beveled but like little square blocks, which may or may not be the effect that you're looking for.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

Interesting. I'll consider it. Scaling for 7 functional levels of zoom is always a problem.

Nice map.

[rtamesis]

ORIGINAL: GJK

FWIW, a simple 3d bevel/shadow effect that I use for my counters that I do for VASSAL modules is a few single pixel width lines arranged like so (enlarged):



Which looks this on the map:



Too heavy on the drop shadow and the counters look like they're levitating above the map (such as in the 'North Sea' screen above. I think you discovered that when you posted that you went a bit heavy on it there.

Just my observation, but the other counters don't look beveled but like little square blocks, which may or may not be the effect that you're looking for.

As Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous Kazakhstani reporter Borat Sagdiyev would say, "NICE!"[:D]

Seriously, that's really beautiful graphics work on that map and counters.[&o]

[Neilster]

These shoes is good for chase ladies!!!!


Editted by Moderator

[Neilster]

Check out the glamour on his right (or left, for that matter).

Cheers, Neilster


Edited by Moderator

[Neilster]

Our capital Almaty now have toilet!

Edited by Moderator

[Greyshaft]

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Our capital Almaty now have toilet!

Edited by Moderator

Neilster... I'm not exactly sure how to put this... I may have missed something here but it seemed that your post had nothing at all to do with MWiF, Matrix, Wargames, good taste or reality. Remind me never to view your attachments ever again.

um...when I say 'attachments' I am, of course, referring to file attachments... [:-]

[wfzimmerman]

for what it's worth, in all these forms, I keep wishing that the view of the units in the "action panel" was one or two zoom levels higher. They are too small and I do a lot of squinting.

[wfzimmerman]

ORIGINAL: Neilster

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

Here is the simple popup message form. You know, that annoying screen you have to click OK on even when things aren't OK.

You don't have to click OK to get rid of it. You can undo each corner with a flat-bladed screwdriver to remove it manually. [:'(]

These forms look good and there is something strangely satisfying about pushing those metalized buttons.

Cheers, Neilster

do we really need to have messages that require "Ok" confirmation but provide no alternative choioce of action? Couldn't we just have a "notifications window" where these informational messages scroll by?

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman
for what it's worth, in all these forms, I keep wishing that the view of the units in the "action panel" was one or two zoom levels higher. They are too small and I do a lot of squinting.

Oh, I agree. And I have thought long and hard about making the unit depictions larger (or to let the player set the size). But larger means fewer units displayed which is really unattractive - especially for the setup screen. My solution is to let the players change to medium resolution which solves the visibilty problem at the expense of fine detail.

I haven't written the code to automate the transition between high, medium, and low resolution as a function of zoom level. But when I do, I intend to let the players also choose a resolution setting to be used for all the forms. This would have the rather strange effect of being able to pick up a medium resolution unit from the setup tray/form and then as you move the unit/stack over the map (which is using high resolution) the unit depiction would magically change to high resoultion.

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman

ORIGINAL: Neilster

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets
Here is the simple popup message form. You know, that annoying screen you have to click OK on even when things aren't OK.

You don't have to click OK to get rid of it. You can undo each corner with a flat-bladed screwdriver to remove it manually. [:'(]

These forms look good and there is something strangely satisfying about pushing those metalized buttons.

Cheers, Neilster

do we really need to have messages that require "Ok" confirmation but provide no alternative choioce of action? Couldn't we just have a "notifications window" where these informational messages scroll by?

Hmmm. I could give these messages a temporal existence, so without any action by the player they would disappear after a few seconds. The downside is that the player might not have been paying attention and miss the message: "What was that? Was it important?".

[wfzimmerman]

the temporal issue is why the scrolling notifications window. it could just be a view of a subset of the (already heavily designed I know) game log.

I've seen this technique used effectively in Hearts of Iron (which has such an awful proliferation of notifications that there is a whole set of screens to configure how frequently they pop up). MWIF is not as badly off, but still, why pop up a message simply so that I have to bat it down?

[wfzimmerman]

ORIGINAL: Shannon V. OKeets

ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman
for what it's worth, in all these forms, I keep wishing that the view of the units in the "action panel" was one or two zoom levels higher. They are too small and I do a lot of squinting.

Oh, I agree. And I have thought long and hard about making the unit depictions larger (or to let the player set the size). But larger means fewer units displayed which is really unattractive - especially for the setup screen. My solution is to let the players change to medium resolution which solves the visibilty problem at the expense of fine detail.

I haven't written the code to automate the transition between high, medium, and low resolution as a function of zoom level. But when I do, I intend to let the players also choose a resolution setting to be used for all the forms. This would have the rather strange effect of being able to pick up a medium resolution unit from the setup tray/form and then as you move the unit/stack over the map (which is using high resolution) the unit depiction would magically change to high resoultion.

I like that. it gives a feel of deploying the unit...

[Shannon V. OKeets]

ORIGINAL: wfzimmerman
the temporal issue is why the scrolling notifications window. it could just be a view of a subset of the (already heavily designed I know) game log.

I've seen this technique used effectively in Hearts of Iron (which has such an awful proliferation of notifications that there is a whole set of screens to configure how frequently they pop up). MWIF is not as badly off, but still, why pop up a message simply so that I have to bat it down?

There are 50+ places where "informational messages" appear. A player acknowledgement is warranted inmost cases. The general categories where this occurs are:

1 - the player tried to do something that can't be done (no air missions remaining)
2 - the player asked for something that doesn't exist (no trade agreements exist)
3 - another player (remote location) has done something that is important and is being reported (Rumania Claim rejected)
4 - the program has done something automatically; these are very rare (the remaining air units moving to the air reserve).

I don't think these are especially intrusive. There is no need to maintain a running log of them.

[GJK]

ORIGINAL: rtamesis



As Sacha Baron Cohen's outrageous Kazakhstani reporter Borat Sagdiyev would say, "NICE!"[:D]

Seriously, that's really beautiful graphics work on that map and counters.[&o]

Thanks! I have a number of VASSAL modules that I've done and on each I redraw the maps and counters, it's fun. At any rate, MWiF is my most anticipated game, I've been following the discussions from afar for a while. I have the 4th (5th?) edition of the game but have never played it. I'm hoping that MWiF will give me a chance to learn the system and enjoy it.

[Neilster]

ORIGINAL: Greyshaft

ORIGINAL: Neilster

Our capital Almaty now have toilet!

Edited by Moderator

Neilster... I'm not exactly sure how to put this... I may have missed something here but it seemed that your post had nothing at all to do with MWiF, Matrix, Wargames, good taste or reality. Remind me never to view your attachments ever again.

um...when I say 'attachments' I am, of course, referring to file attachments... [:-]

You've never heard of Borat?

He was mentioned in the post before mine. He's got a movie coming out too. The Kazakhstan government hate this character but the more they try to muzzle him the more publicity they generate for him.

Cheers, Neilster