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Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-05-29 20:23
When not in editor mode the upper board seems to provide an offset to the menu selection.

Also in my local build the scrollwheel does not work when not in editor mode, it seems to "loose focus" after one tick of scrolling... makes the controls branch pretty much unplayable.
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-09-04 15:34

>Also in my local build the scrollwheel does not work when not in editor mode, it seems to "loose focus" after one tick of scrolling... makes the controls branch pretty much unplayable.


Is this still an issue?
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-05-30 15:08
It would be good if you can transfer the "contents" of the surroundings all at once into the lorry as well, and not just from container to container. Then you can dig stuff onto a single spot and get everything into the lorry much faster.
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-05-30 17:10
True. The only reason why it's not there is that the handling of container vs environment is a little different. I think it should be sufficient to add a callback somewhere. Should be done in a clean way, though.

Thanks for testing btw!
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-05-30 15:14
I am posting issues here: I used infinite production and 4 metal into 8 wall kits, where I would have expected 2.
Parent - - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-05-30 17:09
That is extremely weird as the change shouldn't have changed anything regarding component consumptions :o - needs investigating!
Parent - By Maikel Date 2015-06-07 16:34
As it turns out this is an issue with how stackable objects are displayed, I am not sure I like the current way.
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-06-03 18:40

>- Make the Clonk icons (top of screen) use the new gui system.


I can probably do this one, but first I will do it for the goal and wealth HUD elements, because these are easier exercises :)

Another bug: Can't put any materials into construction sites, they are not covered by the interaction menu yet.
Parent - - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-06-03 19:34

>I can probably do this one, but first I will do it for the goal and wealth HUD elements, because these are easier exercises :)


ok :)

The real reason why I didn't do that one (the Clonk icons) was that I also wanted to clean up the HUD interface at the same time. I think it's full of stuff that is now unused
Parent - By Maikel Date 2015-06-03 20:05
I will look into that as well.
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-06-04 14:33
When making the crew selector GUI, I stumbled upon a problem, namely the rank of the crew is overlain using an undocumented SetGraphics mode... namely GFXOV_MODE_Rank, which seems to be implemented solely for this purpose.

I don't see a workaround for this, any ideas Zapper?
Parent - - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-06-04 20:21
mhhh. I guess that'd need engine support. Ooor, why do we have the engine ranks? Is there a reason why we are not using a script implementation?
Parent - By Pyrit Date 2015-06-04 20:44
I don't know if it's relevant, but I once wanted to make the barrel in the inventory to show the current amount of water pixels stored in it. I somehow couldn't do it. So I guess it would be cool to be able to show additional text on items shown in the GUI. Be it fill amount of a barrel or some timer or any other status of an object.
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-06-04 21:09
For my part we can abandon ranks completely. But people may feel nostalgic.
Parent - - By ala [de] Date 2015-06-05 08:47
Please don't!
Parent - By Maikel Date 2015-06-05 10:03
No problem, I won't, but for now we have to live with not displaying them in the Controls branch.
Parent - By Maikel Date 2015-06-07 09:18

>- Make the Clonk icons (top of screen) use the new gui system.


This has been implemented!

>- Possibly add an old-school HP bar at the left of the screen?!


Please not, we can think about making the HP bars more visible or do alerts with sounds, to make people aware of low HP. But I'd like to keep the HUD elements to a minimal.
- - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-02-28 11:55
Food for thoughts:

Should the Current Production Queue of the producers be exposed to the player? It would randomly change order (when an item is finished/started) and thus not really make for good UI design.
The necessary information and buttons (amount, [remove], [endless production]) could just be put into the Production section above as well.



PS: ignore that I am lacking icons for the buttons :)
Attachment: ProductionQueue.jpg - WIP of the production queue interaction menu. (50k)
Parent - By Sven2 Date 2015-02-28 13:00
I prefer just having the extra labels in the production list. But those should be prominently visible. Just showing "1x" at the bottom of the icon might not be enough. E.g., items currently in the queue could get a highlighted background. The highlighted background could change color between red and green depending on whether sufficient materials are available.

If you really like the queue and want to offer it as means to reorder priorities, it could be a collapsed header by default which you can uncollapse by clicking on it (and then stays uncollapsed for that player for all buildings stored e.g.as a player info variable). But I do not think it is needed.
Parent - - By Newton [de] Date 2015-02-28 23:52
If the construction is complete instantly, what for are production queues?
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 08:28
The queue is the way it currently works: you put items into the production queue and they are produced one after the other (iff material is available). I didn't change anything yet
Parent - - By Newton [de] Date 2015-03-01 00:00
Even though I think the menu is very nicely designed, it looks cluttered because there are so many windows with each a prominent border and this dark half-transparent background. Would it be possible to show the dialog with just one window border around it and use some other less obstrusive UI design to separate between the left and the right inventory/production?

Also, regarding the general UI design... I think it might look clearer with a white (pergamentish) non-transparent background and black text. Perhaps without a window decoration at all (bit like in the main menu). To increase the focus on the menu while it is open, perhaps it'd be possible to add a black 90% transparency above the whole screen (but behind the menu of course) while it is open?
Parent - - By Pyrit Date 2015-03-01 02:16

>add a black 90% transparency above the whole screen (but behind the menu of course) while it is open


I want to see what's going on in the game, even when I have the menu open.

But I too like the idea with pergament paper.

@Zapper
kinda related: At the moment the menu fills 90% of the screen. On small resolutions like in the screenshots this looks good, but on big screens it doesn't. Could it be possible to make the menus not bigger as they are in the screenshot above, even if the overall viewport is bigger?
And yea, the production queue stuff should be in the "Production" window.
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 08:36

>kinda related: At the moment the menu fills 90% of the screen. On small resolutions like in the screenshots this looks good, but on big screens it doesn't. Could it be possible to make the menus not bigger as they are in the screenshot above, even if the overall viewport is bigger?


Yeah, that's basically the to-do point "I can imagine that a fullscreen menu with a huge screen usually looks pretty stupid, while on a small screen it should cover everything -> make available to user and give sensible defaults." from the starting post.

I am not 100% sure how that will be solved in the end, but I am thinking about offering the user a selection (full screen / half screen / ..) in the options and setting a sensible default based on the resolution. Oooor another possibility would be to restrict the menu to always X size (f.e. maximum of 30 centimeters width).
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 08:33

>Would it be possible to show the dialog with just one window border around it and use some other less obstrusive UI design to separate between the left and the right inventory/production?


Yes, of course!

>Also, regarding the general UI design... I think it might look clearer with a white (pergamentish) non-transparent background and black text


The only reason why it looks the way it does, is that the darkish-woodish design was the only menu/dialog design we had. I am happy about any suggestions, especially when someone also wants to draw it. I am not sure wether the menu decoration currently supports a tiled image as the background, though. (Sven?)

>To increase the focus on the menu while it is open, perhaps it'd be possible to add a black 90% transparency above the whole screen (but behind the menu of course) while it is open?


It would be possible, but that would probably also cover the other GUI elements (inventory, money, Clonk portraits) then. Do we want that?
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 10:11
PS: White text has always been the default in Clonk. If we would change it to black, it should probably be the default for all the menus / GUI elements. Thoughts?
- - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 11:21
FYI: the flag is no longer static back but instead just has a FLOAT action. (in the controls branch)

IMO we should use the categories properly so that we can rely on things actually belonging into a category (structure/vehicles) at all times.
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-03-01 11:47
What about the flag marker being a vehicle :(
Parent - - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 12:36
I actually changed that shortly after changing the flag's category :)
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-03-01 13:52
Maybe that can directly go into master? At the moment my wormholes which attract vehicles catch the flags vertices :(
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-01 14:28
I can try to cherry pick it into master once I figure out how :)
- By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-06 10:41
FYI: items in the Controls branch should use the RejectUse callback to check usage conditions which only delay the usage. The usage (ControlUseStart) will be executed as soon as RejectUse returns false if the player is still holding the button down.

f.e.

func RejectUse(object clonk)
{
    return !clonk->HasHandAction();
}

func ControlUseStart(object clonk)
{
    // we can rely on the Clonk being ready!
    Explode(1000);
}
- - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-06 10:42

>- Possibly add an old-school HP bar at the left of the screen?!


opinions?
Parent - By Maikel Date 2015-03-06 12:33
Against, I don't see a reason to clutter the display with more UI elements. Maybe we can make it optional somehow.
Parent - - By Sven2 Date 2015-03-06 13:01
I also prefer the current bar to the CR bars. Imo the CR bar is getting a bit large on today's screens. I also remember people used to not realize that the big bar to the left was a health bar, but I haven't heard that complaint about OC yet.
Parent - - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-06 14:48
The screen size is a very good argument. Not only would the bar be huuge most of the time, but it also is at the very left of the screen, out of your field of vision. Convinced.

What about a small horizontal bar beneath or above the inventory though? :)
Parent - - By Pyrit Date 2015-03-06 16:09

>it also is at the very left of the screen, out of your field of vision


Hmm? Isn't that the case already? It's in the very upper left corner atm.

Also a CR style could just cap the zize at some point?

The bar could also be horizontally in the middle over the inventory like in minecraft.
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-06 16:26
Yeah, I was talking about the inventory in the Controls branch which is at the bottom of the screen
Parent - - By Pyrit Date 2015-03-06 13:32
imo the current one is small and easy to overlook.
Parent - - By Maikel Date 2015-03-06 13:57
It could flash for a second when damage is being done, the same for when a clonk drowns or is on fire.
Parent - By Matthias [de] Date 2015-03-06 15:19
That might mitigate it, but wouldn't really tackle the problem. It would not help to communicate the ressource "health" in a way that is really easy to see and quick to read.
Reply
Parent - By Pyrit Date 2015-03-06 16:11
I think that's already the case. The background in the crew indicator flashes red if that clonk takes damage. It's a little too subtle maybe. You can overlook easily that a not selected clonk takes damage.
- - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-08 18:08

>- Possibly remove throw-on-leftclick and make left-click only Use the item (or do nothing) and rightclick always throw the item?


Comments?

Left click would always use the item (never throw it) and right click would always throw the item. That would imply that you could not throw flints with left-click, of course. That would also mean that players aren't confused about which item can be used and which not - which I still am, for example: I constantly forget that you cannot build metal bridges from metal like in CR and throw my metal away.

It would enable simple trial & error about what can be used and what not.
Parent - By Maikel Date 2015-03-08 18:18
Maybe a lot more intuitive indeed, definitely worth a try.
Parent - - By Newton [de] Date 2015-03-08 19:13
Indeed, it makes sense to separate the two.

If the right mouse button is still free, of course it could be used. I thought the right mouse button already had a task. Otherwise I would suggest shift+LMB
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-08 19:29
The right mouse button is currently force-throw (where you can also throw away usable items). So it actually wouldn't really be a change :)
Parent - By Armin [de] Date 2015-03-08 22:39
I like this 1-click-throw and I think that would improve the gamepad control as well.
- - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-09 13:31
Experimental: when you (throw-)click your Clonk or below your Clonk, you drop instead of throwing.

Current situation:
When you throw straight downwards, you hit yourself and tumble.
When you click very close to your Clonk, you don't have a fine grained control of the throw direction anyway (where exactly was the center??).

Now you will just drop in both these situations. Let's try it and see how it feels.
Parent - - By Sven2 Date 2015-03-09 13:39
What about standing at the edge of a cliff and throwing a flint downwards?
Parent - By Zapper [de] Date 2015-03-09 13:59
You only drop when you click in a rectangle below your Clonk (not in a certain angle). So I guess in that situation you would click far enough away to be out of the rectangle AND not straight down anyway.

I just caught the cases where you would actually hurt yourself when throwing. So even in the current state you wouldn't be able to throw a flint down the cliff in that angle :)
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