So is it playable yet?

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: Zartacla
Matrix could also have announced that they were bringing in some people with a proven track record at adapting games for NetPlay to work on that aspect of problem. Even something small, like a fix to problem with the updater that prevent most of us from using the in game update tool would have been welcome - but wasn't even mentioned.

I didn't think a long list of issues would necessarily be helpful, but we are bringing in our technical director to look through the NetPlay side of things this week along with Steve and see if there's anything else we can do to help. WIF is programmed in Delphi and the code base is incredibly complex as well as having a long history with more than one programmer. We don't have any internal Delphi programmers and I expect getting up to speed with the code base as a whole would be a year long task. With that said, we do have expertise on network play and gaming and we'll be helping out there as much as possible.

Regarding the updater issues, I've raised those to the highest priority internally. Our production team is trying to duplicate those so that we can fix them ASAP. So far, we have not been able to duplicate them here and with the exact same updater technology, they don't happen with our other games - that's why it's not already fixed. They are investigating that further this week as well.

Regards,

- Erik

[Erik Rutins]

ORIGINAL: AxelNL

As you can see in the Tech forum Steve made a roundup of smaller bugs causing game-blocking situations. Erik said:

Steve’s immediate priorities are a few Critical bugs that will be relatively quick to resolve, before looking at some issues relating to Supply, Production Planning and Naval movement/combat

So I expect 1.1.7 to have the result of that round-up, and immediatly afterwards the focus on the last supply bugs.

What is different is that the aim is to complete a functional area. i.e. I expect that 1.1.8 should be supply-bug free. Or at least as free as possible with the extra support of having also a public beta, which is accessible to everybody.

So functional area cleaning and public beta's is new. And the priorities of the functional area's are (also from Erik's post):

... Supply, Production Planning and Naval movement/combat

Disclaimer: This is a personal opinion based on Erik's post. I am not representing Matrix or Steve.

Thanks Axel, that's correct.

[Centuur]

ORIGINAL: Zartacla

ORIGINAL: Missouri_Rebel

Or a crack UI designer to improve the parts of the UI that feel more like the backend of a software application than like a polished interface intended for consumer use.

Out of curiosity, what would be your improvements to the UI? I would have much preferred that the Main Form be displayed on top of the map but I believe Steve said it can't be done. What are yours?

mo reb

Edit: That and both a 'dragable' map and zoom to cursor. I already use X-mouse Button Control to use my wheel as zoom.

I have a few pages of notes on places where the UI needs serious work. Some of them I've mentioned in the past but for now I'm sitting on them until the functionality issues are ironed out.

The worst form is the production planning form. That one needs a top to bottom overhaul. There are other forms that are mediocre in execution but are inconsistent with each other or with the description in the $100 player handbooks. I've given examples in the past like displaying the carrier air units in the wrong place relative to their carrier units, or transports showing their loaded cargo above the transport in one form, and below the transport in another. Minor issues, sure, but this game has a premium price tag and this is just sloppy. Another is the process for using combat engineers. Start an attack with an engineer unit and the game tells you to use the "unit popup menu" to use the engineers combat ability. The only reference in the manuals to a unit popup menu refers to naval units. Once you figure out how to use the engineers you go through another hassle to select units the engineer confers its benefits on to. Other forms and phases require far more button pushing than is needed, like Naval combat when one side suffers no effects, yet has to go through the step anyway, or submarine combat when the subs have excess surprise points beyond what is needed to eliminate every enemy unit. Mandatory digressions where the closest legal hex is listed by coordinates instead of listing the port (and coordinates). This is particularly egregious when sending the French convoys home after Vichy is declared. Finding legal ports for the units would be far faster if the closest port was listed by name instead of/in addition to by coordinate. A draggable map would be nice. The pop up form listing units available in a given phase blocks the panel on the western edge of the map making mouse movement of the map a pain, and that form is in itself difficult to move. Non-intuitive process for ordering the map view list (not an issue for me now that I know how to do it but easily fixable for any new players that buy the game). Incomplete listing of combat modifiers in the combat resolution form. Especially important since in at least one instance the game doesn't follow the rules as coded, but rather a WiF FAQ not included with the game. The return to base phase not automatically centering on the next unit, particularly when you end the phase and start the next players RTB phase. No "return from whence" (that I've been able to find, at least) function in the RTB phase. Makes convoy escort duty a chore. Surprise point spending for sub warfare handled in a different order than other naval combats (Steve said he's fixing this one soon). HQ reorg form that doesn't show you which hex the units you're choosing from are located in - particularly problematic when trying to maximize your reorg value with multiple HQ's that cover overlapping areas. That's a small sample of my full list.

Sure, all good ideas and some of those have been mentioned too in beta testing. However, at this moment, I don't think there is going to be a major overhaul of the UI. Perhaps there will be some minor adjustments made, but after that I think that's it.
Priorities are elsewhere, until at least after all optionals and the AI have been coded and put in place. That's going to take a lot of time...
And there are all kind of other items which might be build in the game. I've only too mention the expensions Patton in Flames, America in Flames, Days of Decision. Who knows? But a complete UI overhaul? I don't think that's ever going to be a priority...

[AxelNL]

Judging GUI's have a subjective part which means you can't satisfy everybody. I think the production form can be much more more intuitive, but the rest does not bring me to have a negative feeling.
This discussion reminds me of replacing a character-based subscriber management system, where callcentre agents had to memorize 128 different character combinations to do their work. Took 3 months of training to be fully proficient with it. Replaced the system with a windows GUI which took only three days of training to help customers. Complaints started within a week: "we have to do so much mouse clicks"......
In this case the forms were discussed many years ago with the public, I believe. I think we missed our chance to influence them, although I hope that when the AI is released I can press a little button in the production form stating "let the AI handle this".

[Grotius]

I mostly agree with AxeINL. For a game this complex, I think the UI is okay. Peter's right that there are inconsistencies and clunkiness; I'll never like the Theme Engine; the Production Planning form is confusing as heck, especially the red arrow stuff; and I wish the Main Form were part of the main map. But for the most part, I like the look and feel of the game. I find it quite enjoyable just to move units around on the main map, and that's where I spend most of my time.

[bo]

ORIGINAL: Grotius

I mostly agree with AxeINL. For a game this complex, I think the UI is okay. Peter's right that there are inconsistencies and clunkiness; I'll never like the Theme Engine; the Production Planning form is confusing as heck, especially the red arrow stuff; and I wish the Main Form were part of the main map. But for the most part, I like the look and feel of the game. I find it quite enjoyable just to move units around on the main map, and that's where I spend most of my time.

And I agree with you Grotius and AxelNL, personally I have had not one ounce of trouble moving around the interface or at least I haven't, I guess I have been so rapped up testing port attacks, digression etc. over the last year I just have not taken the time to really look into it.

And Zartacla your ideas might be some of the best around for changing the interface, I dont question that but the moment I see you bring up the 100 dollars for any reason in any of your posts I try to analyze the post differently because it is hard to tell if your being helpful or still upset about buying a game that was not ready and throwing digs into your post. Not that I do not agree with you over the way the game was released, because I do agree with you, and so do other people.

If you would kindly leave out the 100 dollars and the negativity now and then I could learn from you and enjoy your posts more, not being negative in any way just a feeling I have, keep up the good ideas though [;)] Ok leave in the 100 dollars [:(]

Bo