settings to be changed for 0.4.5

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Dilvish
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settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#1 Post by Dilvish »

Since we're getting close to putting out the first RC, I thought it was time we get in sync about that settings we'd be changing for Release. All that comes to mind that we changed last time were
- Monster Density to Low, and
- Max AI Aggression to Typical

We had some debate before about changing the default shape from Elliptical, but I think that with the recent scale expansion Elliptical works out ok and is probably the best for beginners.

It seems to me that the Map Scale Circle is so functional it would be good to default to it being On, at least for the Release version-- if people don't like it they will be motivated to read up on it and fine out how to turn it off, but if it defaults to Off they will never know about it unless they diligently read the Pedia (and it seems like not so many of them really do that).

Also, one setting that I really think should be changed across the board, not just for 0.4.5, is the default tooltip delay. There are a great many places where the default 100 ms delay really makes problems interacting with the underlying element, and there is no need for a tooltip to be that fast. I personally have mine set for 500 ms.

That's all that is coming to mind for me right now.
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MatGB
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#2 Post by MatGB »

Dilvish wrote:Since we're getting close to putting out the first RC, I thought it was time we get in sync about that settings we'd be changing for Release. All that comes to mind that we changed last time were
- Monster Density to Low, and
- Max AI Aggression to Typical
I think it was Beginner, but Typical is probably better, Low is good for monsters too.
We had some debate before about changing the default shape from Elliptical, but I think that with the recent scale expansion Elliptical works out ok and is probably the best for beginners.
Agreed, I find it dull, but it is better than it was and it's the most reliable.

One note, it'll be worth making sure we play a few games with exact default settings and possibly look to change the default seed (if that's possible), last time I hit Quickstart on a fresh install I got two Laenfa and an Eaxaw as immediate neighbours, I found that hard, a new player might find it impossible.
It seems to me that the Map Scale Circle is so functional it would be good to default to it being On, at least for the Release version-- if people don't like it they will be motivated to read up on it and fine out how to turn it off, but if it defaults to Off they will never know about it unless they diligently read the Pedia (and it seems like not so many of them really do that).
Agree as well, I like to turn it on and off (hence the key mapping you did for me), but it is very useful.
Also, one setting that I really think should be changed across the board, not just for 0.4.5, is the default tooltip delay. There are a great many places where the default 100 ms delay really makes problems interacting with the underlying element, and there is no need for a tooltip to be that fast. I personally have mine set for 500 ms.

That's all that is coming to mind for me right now.
No opinion, I don't think I've ever changed it.
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Dilvish
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#3 Post by Dilvish »

One more item that comes to mind is the SitRep icon size. Now that it can be increased a bit, independent of text, TheSilentOne has been giving us better icons for the SitReps, and they really are worth seeing better. I really do find I like it a bit bigger. The default is 16; right now I'm trying 24 which I am liking better than 16 but I certainly wouldn't want it any bigger. I'm going to try 20 next.
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MatGB
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#4 Post by MatGB »

I've settled on 20 and put it into my persistent file, it s a bit big in a way, and I'm not sure I'd like it on my laptop rather than my HD monitor, but it seems right.
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vincele
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#5 Post by vincele »

that kind of preference would vary vastly according to the user's screen resolution, if it is configurable ok, but why change that default value?
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Vezzra
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#6 Post by Vezzra »

Dilvish wrote:Since we're getting close to putting out the first RC, I thought it was time we get in sync about that settings we'd be changing for Release. All that comes to mind that we changed last time were
- Monster Density to Low, and
- Max AI Aggression to Typical
Agreed.
We had some debate before about changing the default shape from Elliptical, but I think that with the recent scale expansion Elliptical works out ok and is probably the best for beginners.
Agreed.
It seems to me that the Map Scale Circle is so functional it would be good to default to it being On, at least for the Release version-- if people don't like it they will be motivated to read up on it and fine out how to turn it off, but if it defaults to Off they will never know about it unless they diligently read the Pedia (and it seems like not so many of them really do that).
Agreed.
Also, one setting that I really think should be changed across the board, not just for 0.4.5, is the default tooltip delay. There are a great many places where the default 100 ms delay really makes problems interacting with the underlying element, and there is no need for a tooltip to be that fast. I personally have mine set for 500 ms.
Oh yes, please, very much agreed! That's been a major annoyance since forever...
That's all that is coming to mind for me right now.
Well, another thing we mustn't forget is disabling the super tester building, but that's not exactly a settings thing. I just want to mention it here so we don't forget about it.

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Vezzra
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#7 Post by Vezzra »

MatGB wrote:One note, it'll be worth making sure we play a few games with exact default settings and possibly look to change the default seed (if that's possible), last time I hit Quickstart on a fresh install I got two Laenfa and an Eaxaw as immediate neighbours, I found that hard, a new player might find it impossible.
Good idea.

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Sloth
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#8 Post by Sloth »

Not really a setting, but more like a debug output(?) that maybe could be removed for the release:

The tooltips of specials are currently showing the line "Present since Turn X". For most specials X is -32768, which looks like nonsense to the player. Do players need this information?
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Dilvish
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#9 Post by Dilvish »

Sloth wrote:Not really a setting, but more like a debug output(?) that maybe could be removed for the release:

The tooltips of specials are currently showing the line "Present since Turn X". For most specials X is -32768, which looks like nonsense to the player. Do players need this information?
I think the info can be useful, or at least could be useful for future content. The problem is not the basic feature, I think we simply need to have an extra check in that display code so that for a negative value it displays "the Initial Turn". I actually kind of had it in my head we had already done that, but in checking now I see that's not the case. I'll see if I can squeeze it in.
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Dilvish
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#10 Post by Dilvish »

Ah, it was sitreps we had done that for, before. Now it is done for specials.
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Dilvish
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#11 Post by Dilvish »

Hmm, some more thoughts re default galaxy shape-- with the new constraints on empire homesystem placement, and since we're testing out how our default Seed does anyways, it is seeming to me that perhaps we should have the default galaxy shape be the tremendously iconic 2-Arm Spiral.

Even if the default seed 0 doesn't seem to work out so great for that, then we could add a fixed offset into the seeding if 2-Arm Spiral is chosen, selected to ensure that it does create a good starting position for the player.

The shape is just so iconic, it would be nice if it could be our default, and it seems to me that "we can make him better than he was before."
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MatGB
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#12 Post by MatGB »

I am inclined to agree, but it'll need more than just me testing it on various seeds. It definitely looks gorgeous fully rendered, but it can also be one of the worst layouts to play through if you're in a bad place.
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pheldens
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#13 Post by pheldens »

i prefer an unpredictable shape

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Vezzra
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#14 Post by Vezzra »

Dilvish wrote:- Monster Density to Low, and
- Max AI Aggression to Typical
It seems to me that the Map Scale Circle is so functional it would be good to default to it being On, at least for the Release version
Also, one setting that I really think should be changed across the board, not just for 0.4.5, is the default tooltip delay. There are a great many places where the default 100 ms delay really makes problems interacting with the underlying element, and there is no need for a tooltip to be that fast. I personally have mine set for 500 ms.
Ok, I've committed these suggested adjustments to the release branch.

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The Silent One
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Re: settings to be changed for 0.4.5

#15 Post by The Silent One »

Dilvish wrote:One more item that comes to mind is the SitRep icon size. [...] I really do find I like it a bit bigger. The default is 16; right now I'm trying 24 which I am liking better than 16 but I certainly wouldn't want it any bigger. I'm going to try 20 next.
I would also favor an increase of the default sitrep icon size, 20 or 24 sounds good for me. Recently I have been playing on a relatively small screen (1366 x 768), and settled for 24 px.
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