Request / Suggestion

Check here for the latest news, problems & ideas

Moderators: trewqh, korexus

Post Reply
User avatar
masjwar
Recruit
Recruit
Posts: 8
Joined: Sun Nov 20, 2005 8:00 am
Location: USA
Contact:

Request / Suggestion

Post by masjwar » Wed Apr 04, 2007 7:31 pm

This is by far not a critical issue, but as a newer player, and even now that I've got a couple games under my belt....

One thing that is really annoying to me / difficult for me is that on the order submission page there is no significant space between the order boxes and the next phase listing.

It would be much easier for me, visually speaking, if the PHASE listing was bigger and bolder and somehow more clearly the beginning of a new section.

Also, the fact that the HELP box and the order boxes are both black with white lettering gets me slightly confused. If there was a significant space between the preceding phase order boxes and the next phase listing that would help with that issue.

Or, maybe it's just me. :shock:

User avatar
trewqh
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1877
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Bialystok, Poland clan: The Vulkings

Post by trewqh » Thu Apr 05, 2007 1:17 pm

You're absolutely right, masjwar!

And while we're at it, how about implementing what Hannibal suggested quite some time ago:

http://www.kaomaris.com/phpNuke/modules ... 4&start=93
And #15 is to revise the SAOF, the form to fill in to send in your orders.

Mull would confirm that I mentioned it a year or so back. The SAOF is very non-user-friendly, especially for new playes. Sure, it's logical, and sure, somebody put in some help buttons ..... but it's still a string of zeroes in [ ] to fill in.

I propose thet we put a few WORDS in-between the [ ]. E,g.:
Bombing: From [__] on [__], using [__] missiles.
and Attack: Attack from [__] to [__], attacking with [___] armies

etc
etc


(I have my own example I've used when recruiting new players, but it would just lengthen the post to copy it here .....)

THAT would make it much easier and less daunting to new players? Lower the barriers? Plus the "guidance" it tends to give them?
It seems Han mentioned it in early 2005, but it hasn't been implented yet. And I can't see any conservative arguments for keeping the aof the way it is now.

What does everybody think?

And Chris, it isn't very difficult to implement, right?

User avatar
korexus
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2827
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Reading
Contact:

Post by korexus » Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:00 pm

Spacing out the phases is very easy. Changing the text colour should be doable if I can remember how the formatting is done. (The layout is actually Donut's, ripped off from Al's old AOF if I recall correctly). The extra boxes would mean changing the way the orders are parsed. Currently it looks for one input per order, this version would have 1, 2 or 3 depending on the order type...


Chris.
With Great Power comes Great Irritability

User avatar
Saladin
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1652
Joined: Tue Sep 03, 2002 7:00 am
Location: The Netherlands

Post by Saladin » Thu Apr 05, 2007 6:06 pm

Sounds like a very good idea guys.
"Never attribute to malice what can satisfactorily be explained away by stupidity."

"To speak ill of others is a dishonest way of praising ourselves."

User avatar
korexus
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2827
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Reading
Contact:

Post by korexus » Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:06 pm

I've spaced out the phases of the SAOF, hopefully it's clearer now. I've also tried to rationalise the formatting a bit. Please let me know what you think.

Separating the orders out is proving to be quite a headache. I think the 'help' option should be enough of an intermediate step really.


Chris.
With Great Power comes Great Irritability

User avatar
trewqh
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1877
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Bialystok, Poland clan: The Vulkings

Post by trewqh » Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:20 pm

We're heading in the right direction :2thumbs:

But I think you could remove one line from beneath each of the 'headings' to make the space like in the spying phase (=almost no space).

Next thing to do - rearranging the blue type of order digits? I mean now I sometimes get a digit at the end of the line and the corresponding description in the next line, which is not... nice. :P

User avatar
korexus
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2827
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Reading
Contact:

Post by korexus » Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:37 pm

trewqh wrote:We're heading in the right direction :2thumbs:

But I think you could remove one line from beneath each of the 'headings' to make the space like in the spying phase (=almost no space).
Wish yours. Command mine. :)
trewqh wrote: Next thing to do - rearranging the blue type of order digits? I mean now I sometimes get a digit at the end of the line and the corresponding description in the next line, which is not... nice. :P
Thing is, this will be different for you and me, half of the SAOF screen is used for the text, but depending on your resolution that will be a different number of characters... I can tidy it up somewaht by inserting linebreaks. Can you tell me the main suspects? (For me it is only spies in the movement section.)


Chris.

PS Why did no one tell me that the spy section still claims some opperations have to be done to neighours?!
With Great Power comes Great Irritability

User avatar
Lardmaster
Commander
Commander
Posts: 690
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 8:00 am
Location: The Big Smoke

Post by Lardmaster » Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:39 pm

Re spies. You mean they don't?
Question everything.

User avatar
korexus
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 2827
Joined: Tue Nov 12, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Reading
Contact:

Post by korexus » Sun Apr 22, 2007 5:51 pm

Check the manual, or if you're too lazy, he're the link to the relavent part of the wiki. http://www.kaomaris.com/phpNuke/modules ... operations
The Sab and Steal ops were underused, so when we automated WoK we allowed them to be done long range. We also downpowered the spy player operation a bit. You now just get a random selection of provinces.

The SAOF is now right as far as I can tell. Please let me know if you see anything else wrong.

Chris.
With Great Power comes Great Irritability

User avatar
trewqh
Moderator
Moderator
Posts: 1877
Joined: Mon Dec 09, 2002 8:00 am
Location: Bialystok, Poland clan: The Vulkings

Post by trewqh » Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:48 pm

korexus wrote:Wish yours. Command mine. :)
Much better if you ask me. Thanks!
korexus wrote:Thing is, this will be different for you and me, half of the SAOF screen is used for the text, but depending on your resolution that will be a different number of characters... I can tidy it up somewaht by inserting linebreaks. Can you tell me the main suspects? (For me it is only spies in the movement section.)
Did you insert a line break after "1 Population into Workers" in the transformations phase? It doesn't display well for me. How about a linebreak before every type of order? The SAOF would become longer, but I personally don't see that as a problem.

Post Reply