Messages

1

Suggestions / Re: Tooltips

« on: July 11, 2012, 05:38:02 pm »

Of course they look crap, they're quick and dirty mockups demonstrating that the entire screen doesn't need to be sacrificed. I don't know why you think that race info on the globe popup would be a cheat, have you played this game before? I also don't know why you think the feature would be useless because more than one object could be targetted it'd probably be possible to scroll through multiple pages of info with the mousewheel or display more than one tooltip on differing vectors (it's a simple bounding box collision detection). The 2 abbreviations are dirty but it is still more info than you get on the loadout screen atm and again: we have mousewheels.

Anyway, it's just an idea and an excuse for me to play with the code.

2

Suggestions / Re: Tooltips

« on: July 11, 2012, 04:56:31 pm »

I don't really understand the logic of only working on that which is good for the most restricted devices (this is why PC gaming is dying, for all the console shooty-bang-bang ports). We already use the right mousebutton and scroll wheel, it would be up to the device developers to implement what they feel is good for them.

I think it is doable. I've attached three mockups. The geoscape pic is based on the FPS counter, I don't think a background is necessary. The two equip-screen pics I think do need some kind of background (perhaps these should be click-activated and cleared). I don't think it blocks out gameplay. I also thought that on the geoscape you could "attach" a tooltip to a UFO/SITE/BASE with the middle mouse button so it doesn't disappear when you move the mouse and it would look a bit more air-traffic-controlly by foloowing the blip around.

I've started to look at the code and I think a new class in the Interface folder based on the FpsCounter class and initialised from the necessary state classes ought to do it.

3

Suggestions / Tooltips

« on: July 11, 2012, 12:23:06 pm »

Does anyone else think these could add some nice usability to the UI?

Examples:

1. Hover over a savegame and a tooltip gives extra info (tactical, geoscape, crashed UFOs, Flying UFOs etc etc)
2. Hover over a soldier during equip screen and get a tooltip with stats, equipment could give you ammo loaded etc
3. Hover over a UFO or crashed/landed craft/alien base and get the info you'd normally get from clicking it in a tooltip (saving you from closing window)
4. Hover over a base gives tooltips on research/production/soldiers/stores
5. Hover over an alien in tactical draw lines to xcom units with LOS (not too sure about this one)
6.
7. Profit

I may start playing around with this idea, if I get anything I'll make a fork for people to test. The rest of this thread is for feedback/suggestions for tooltips or other UI ideas.