GUI Mock-Up

If a UI with this sort of functionality is introduced into the game and some sort of basic support for these 3dconnexion (I guess I can't link websites) is implemented, this will quickly become one of my favorite games. Balance concerns entirely aside, the UI is the largest detriment to this game. It feels like I have to fight it just to play the game, weather its scouting, panning around systems/planets or finding idle engineers/factories.

For me the absolute must is at minimum a way to properly move around planets (joystick support), a way to find idle engineers and facts, and a jump to planet interface, with the point you jump to being customizable. I would find it acceptable if I had to define camera positions 1-0, but a dedicated interface like yours would be vastly preferable.

I don't see a need for you to view other planet's build power/idle engi/idle combat units, or idle combat units in general, if the UI could stuff more info in about just the planet I'm on I would prefer that, tabbing through a few planets to see whats going on there is fine by me. However, some sort of notification when there is a new fight on another planet (like your nuke launch notification, which I'm a huge fan of) is a big issue for me as well. As it is PA spends far more time hiding massive amounts of info, because you can only see about a 6th of the planet you are on and a single time right now, and with the options for tens of planets..... there needs to be a way to counteract the nature of spherical maps, and a UI like yours is the only way to do it.

Because it is a lot of work. And it seems not easy.

It was a rhetorical question. I know it takes a lot of work and some features to get that to work probably aren't in the game yet.

It has been a massive amount of work just to collect all this data from you guys.
I don't mind doing the legwork if this means that we might get a better UI at the end of it all.


Trying to organize it into categories have been difficult as well.
I kinda live and breath this stuff, combining it all into useful groupings wasn't too hard.
But just doing the mock-up is kicking my ***. Like been at this for solid few days already.
And that's just graphical only.

Doing the programming to make everything talk to each other is an entirely different level.


This isn't going to be an easy job for Uber.

after you, if I were that good of a modder it'd be done by now, I love it!

see how long you last with pole lock, I give you a week, tops. you really do need to look around and your base may not be the most readable with north facing up.

Thank you! I'm having such a hard time finding people that agree with this!

I think that's a given, but then again it's better to say all these things. I thought random generated maps on ladders was a given too, turns out not really..

Read my previous post. This question was rhetorical - I wan't expecting an answer on it. I was expressing that I like the mock up and would like to see something similar in the game one day.

i saw previous post it's okay, it was only posted an hour before mine and didn't show up then, but only after i posted. It's not a problem, in light of your post, what I say goes along with the flow. not to be read as an opposition, but as an agreement.

Ahh..Misunderstandings everywhere

I unfortunately only have 1 monitor and I only have space for 1 monitor. I'm afraid that if I split my screen several times I will lose oversight. I'm also not to keen on closing to many of the UI features.

So I wondering would it be possible to have a virtual 2nd monitor. That I could use to switch to a 2nd screen lay-out with the press of a key?

it should, it sup com the home key would split the screen in two views each capable of all the things the normal one was, so you could switch the left one to geological with all radiuses on and enemy ally color on and keep it completely zoomed out for a minimap and zoom in on the right one for play.

I know split screen will be ingame but that is not what I'm trying to say.

Example:
Lay-out screen 1
50% Main screen Planet 1
25% Map planet 1
25% Point of intrest

Lay-out screen 2
25% Planet 2
25% Map planet 2
25% Orbital View
25% Economy

But I only have 1 screen. I would like to have 2 different lay-outs and the ability the switch between them.

I don't know if this is possible or a good idea. Maybe the future UI is so good this will not even be nessesary. But it might be nice to have.

My apologies guys,
Been slower at this than expected.









I'll have marked-up versions with notes coming soon.

Updated first post with this:

Love the ideas behind this. I want to concur with a couple of thoughts in this thread:

Picture-in-picture should be in a corner so that it won't overlap with the planet at high level zoom.

The GUI needs something to cover units in transit between planets.

There isn't an area for notifications.

Maybe 2 extra button in the Unit/Factories Orders pannel.
-Infinity
Fabbers stay near a unit incase it gets damaged again. Always folow and repair/assist commander)
-Area command
Turns the normal commands in area commands, Attack Area.

The assumption is that everything can move and be resized and be placed where you want.
This includes anything I have in the mock-up.

1. Resizeable: Global HUD Panel size scaling (slider in options menu) #1
   
2. Can "hide" when not in use. (Similar to Supreme Commander)
   
3. Can be "unlocked", dragged on the fly, mid game.
   
4. Snap to corners, edges of "windows" on the fly.
   
5. Can be duplicated onto different windows.
   
6. Configuration saved to external file (to be shared).

I have no idea what to do with interplanetary.
I've just been compiling ideas so far.
Were there suggestions I've missed for interplanetary?
Do we even know what the gameplay will evolve into yet?

Yeah, I've been thinking a lot about that.

I think it should be customizable with profiles.
- Player (early game, late game)
- eSports casting
And the player AND caster should be able to "tag" units of their choosing to be tracked by the notification system.


I don't really know much about programming, but to do it right, it's probably going to be very unique, ones those things Uber's going to burn hours in order to do it right...

1.
At the core of it, it should be reading from the simulation and feeding that info right to the player as text, portraits of the units in question and with links to select and to zoom-to the units.

2.
But that's messy, and there's no way we want it on all the time.
There needs to be a "Dock Mode", like those mp3 players...





Each button would be a category of notification.
- Game enders detected (Nuke launch, change of orbit)
- Commander under attack
- Enemy commander spotted

The icons should flash and you should get a verbal warning as well.

And then you can customize notifications and "tag" units as you see fit.
- Transport to Planet 2 has arrived
- Nuclear launcher completed



That way, it's not just a "omg, i'm going to die".
But you can actively use the notitfications to help you multitask.
It's like a metronome for your strategic plays.
This way you can optimize your attack timing.

And finally, the "big one".
You keep hearing Mavor refer to "what happened when a unit died".
Well if you track it, your notifications will spit you out a couple of "links".
1. Zoom-to location where unit died.
2. Replay last 10 seconds of it's life (with the ChronoCam).

That way, you can actually start using the ChronoCam aggressively in gameplay.
Instead of watching a scout.
You can just let it die and then see the unit composition that killed it....



So yeah. Big dreams.

Let's see what Uber has planned

You saw the Sins UI huh?

I reckon that's what is needed. Sins gives you the name of capital ships that die, but PA could just tell you that a subgroup/platoon died, an army died, a random unit died.

I do agree that ChronoCam link should be attached to the notification somehow. (Even if it's just a timestamp - at 2:38, bot fabricator destroyed)

The other thing is it has to recognise battles. Otherwise during any big conflict you'll just get a load of notifications blotting out the raiding that is happening in other places.

But yes, let's see what Uber has planned.

Sorry, Culverin for messing up your pretty mock up.



1 I put the selected squad in the upper left corner with some units.
2. Moved the Player Pannel and Comm Pannels down.
3. Made a simple looking notification thingy.
- Eye shows the event in the small screen.
- Planet Icon with planet number. Click on it to move to main screen to location.
- (Text became very small. TR= Thread Rate)
First line: TR: 100 Unit under attack
Second line: TR: -Nuke icon- NUKE DETECTED
-Small screen has chrono cam.
-(Time stamp might be nice like @stormingkiwi said).
4. Upper right corner. I added number to the planets.
5 Bottom Right cornet. I added 2 commands to the Unit/Factories Orders pannel.
-Infinity
Fabbers stay near a unit incase it gets damaged again. Example: Always follow and repair/assist commander.
-Area command
Turns the normal commands in 'Area commands.' Example: 'Attack' becomes "Attack Area".

Maybe if you click once on a saved view the "small screen" displays it and if you double click you "main screen" shows it.

What do you think?
I'm really sorry for the bad pic I only used paint.