My name is Andrew and I am a new programmer for FO - so please go easy on me ( for being a programmer, I mean ).
I am going to write the end turn mechanism and am wondering what the plans are for the GUI. How will the user end their turn? For now, should I just place a button in a corner of the map screen?
Be shure to have a "Confirm" button pop up in a DIFFERENT locations (but not nessarily the oposite corner of the map) so as to avoid the dreaded acsidently ended the turn prematurly with 1 click.
I have a suggestion for this, and I wanted to get some others' feedback, so this seems like a good time to suggest it. I'd like to put the end-turn button in the upper-left corner of the screen, on the top-of-screen toolbar. The toolbar is not yet written yet, or even fully designed. I have an idea for it in mind, based on one of the old mock-ups, in which there is info text along the top, and on the right end of the bar there are buttons that bring up the various windows (tech, diplo, etc.). (Miu, this is another thing your guys can work on).
But I think placing the button there, in the upper-left corner, where there is only some text info and no other buttons, will alleviate that problem of accidental clicks. I hate that, and I think it's just bad design to have this button hanging out around a bunch of other buttons that get used more often.
tzlaine wrote:
But I think placing the button there, in the upper-left corner, where there is only some text info and no other buttons, will alleviate that problem of accidental clicks. I hate that, and I think it's just bad design to have this button hanging out around a bunch of other buttons that get used more often.
I agree with you completely. I thought also that instead of the turn button just saying "Turn" or "End Turn"....we could actually have the label say: "Turn n" where n is the turn number. This way we are conveying some helpful information as well as saving some screen real estate. Everyone knows what the button will be for anyway, and if they don't, we can have the mouse-over text say something like "Press to end turn"
I personally hate the 'confirm' button for end of turns. the only games i've seen this on were the space-empire ones... Fortunatly they included the ability to turn off the confirmation of end-turn. I'd seriously suggest adding that option if u are going to put a confirm in there.
Doubling the effort required to end a turn gets really annoying, really quickly....
The "End Turn" button including the turn number might get problematic when the number gets longer, respectively might look strange when it's short. But it's unlikely any game would get above 9999 turns, so it ought to be possible.
I'd include a safety mechanism to the End button in the form of red lamps around the button which light when it's clicked the first time (which also might switch the status screen temporarily to the most relevant information for the end of this turn, i.e. starving colonies, advancing catastrophes, etc.) and then ends the turn if clicked a second time. (Don't forget a small "disarmer switch" next to it. )
Of course this double action button ought to be optional, since I also understand that some people want to speed up the game flux.
"Lift with the legs, Rogar, not the back." · [The Gamers]
See, I'd also like to have an option to shut off the convermation for ending a turn (it would get annoying when you've got nothing better to do, then to wait for a fleet of ships to finish, hand having to hit the turn button, then yes, would get annoying fast (or in the case of SEIV F12 Enter over and over again) perhaps, if they use the keyboard shortcut it would skip the confirmation? Like Shift-Enter or something of the sort
Only after 14 hours of work, will you realize you can do it in 2.
The Ending Button is quiet important.
I think it should be placed in the upper left corner next to some information about fleets planet, ressource.
When all actions are done (move fleets, exploration choosen) then the button should be blink in another colour.
Then a one klick is enough.
If there is missing order of a fleet or something really important to do otherwise you would waste something, then a opoup should disappear and tell it.
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