Mapsize in IntroGUI

osai · Post by **osai** » 07 Apr 2005 14:10

If have changed the IntroGUI a little bit and included some buttons to change the mapsize directly.
I thought this might be useful, because it is a mainsetting for starting a new game like difficulty and maptype.

If it is a good thing I will post the .diff, but if you guys dont like it, we forget it

osai

Dextro · Post by **Dextro** » 07 Apr 2005 14:54

Very good, I think that's very usefull. Anyone agree?

Bjarni · Post by **Bjarni** » 07 Apr 2005 14:57

yeah everybody including the developers. It is very useful. That's why we decided to make a whole new map generation window where you can pick map size, start year and other stuff like that. It will make more sense to have all of those settings joined in one place

Arsenal · Post by **Arsenal** » 07 Apr 2005 14:58

Sorry, something's not quite right there - maybe the visual "link" between small and temperate is too close, and that there is a gap between the map sizes?

In principle it's fine, the execution is not quite right IMO.

Bjarni · Post by **Bjarni** » 07 Apr 2005 15:06

Arsenal wrote:Sorry, something's not quite right there - maybe the visual "link" between small and temperate is too close, and that there is a gap between the map sizes?

In principle it's fine, the execution is not quite right IMO.

doesn't matter. The GUI that will be included in the game will not have this problem. And it seems that I clicked "submit" while you were writing rendering your text out of date even before it was written

Dextro · Post by **Dextro** » 07 Apr 2005 15:07

Bjarni wrote:yeah everybody including the developers. It is very useful. That's why we decided to make a whole new map generation window where you can pick map size, start year and other stuff like that. It will make more sense to have all of those settings joined in one place

Something I allways though OpenTTD was missing, great thinking devs

osai · Post by **osai** » 07 Apr 2005 15:27

Arsenal wrote:Sorry, something's not quite right there - maybe the visual "link" between small and temperate is too close, and that there is a gap between the map sizes?

In principle it's fine, the execution is not quite right IMO.

I thought about that too -> to change it is only 2 clicks away.

But if there will be a completly new window for the whole mapthing (like Bjarni said), than its not worth to work on and waste time on the current.

But I'll try out the new

osai

Darkvater · Post by **Darkvater** » 07 Apr 2005 18:17

There needs to be a new window with all map-generating items/factors present in one place.

Not only landscape type, but also mapsize, number of industries/towns, water, terrain, snow-height, etc.

The problem is that these things are scattered all over the place, in the intro-window, in the difficulty settings, in _patches. Now these could easily be put together, but then what to do with the difficulty window which has had half its stuff ripped out?

Kinda hard

Dundee · Post by **Dundee** » 08 Apr 2005 07:56

Darkvater wrote:There needs to be a new window with all map-generating items/factors present in one place.

Not only landscape type, but also mapsize, number of industries/towns, water, terrain, snow-height, etc.

I've posted my thoughts on this before (apologies if you've seen it). Ultimately, there are a lot of options. As map 'difficulty' settings (as well as some patch settings) are on a game-by-game basis, it is sort of logical to group them all together in a window that appears after clicking 'new game'. eg. You may want to play some games with lots of intelligent competitors, or you might want to play all alone. I think map genereation as well as other options you would be likely to change on a game-to-game basis really belong on such a screen.

The problem is that these things are scattered all over the place, in the intro-window, in the difficulty settings, in _patches. Now these could easily be put together, but then what to do with the difficulty window which has had half its stuff ripped out?

Running OTTD, it would appear all of the difficulty settings are actually more-or-less game-specific.

Asterix · Post by **Asterix** » 08 Apr 2005 10:44

hmm, I was thinking about removing the buttons for "difficulty" and "patch options" so there is only one button "game options" left.

And for this "game options" button use the patch options window with additional tabs for "Mapsettings", "Difficulty", "General Options" (Language, resolution, ...)

osai · Post by **osai** » 08 Apr 2005 10:51

Dundee wrote:I've posted my thoughts on this before (apologies if you've seen it). Ultimately, there are a lot of options. As map 'difficulty' settings (as well as some patch settings) are on a game-by-game basis, it is sort of logical to group them all together in a window that appears after clicking 'new game'. eg. You may want to play some games with lots of intelligent competitors, or you might want to play all alone. I think map genereation as well as other options you would be likely to change on a game-to-game basis really belong on such a screen.

I ve read the topic and you are right. Some options in the patch window are gamebased, also the difficulty settings are gamebased, ergo we need a "Start a New Game" Window, it makes the handling of starting a new game very easy. But at the moment you have to move through maybe 3 or 4 windows after you have the right settings to start a new game.
I am just working on it, but usebility is a really difficult thing.

I created two new intro gui's, both are cleaned and contain only necessary information.

(A) looks more like the old one, but it might be a bit unclear to understand.
(B) is a GUI in vertical style and in my opinion good structured and easy to understand.

The Problem of both GUI's: The good-looking graphical style is gone, because the maptype will be changed in New Game Window. It is very monotonous now.
Maybe there could be an oTTD icon included, or the icon of the wiki.

init · Post by **init** » 08 Apr 2005 11:07

As a suggestion, why not create "frames" (MS VB term) to group related options while still keeping all "new game"-related options in one window? Or perhaps you already thought of that.

worldofklaus · Post by **worldofklaus** » 08 Apr 2005 14:56

Why not include a little graphic in every button to break up this monotony? Also, I think a bit more space between those buttons wouldn't hurt - theoretically you've got the whole screen available for the menu.

Dextro · Post by **Dextro** » 08 Apr 2005 18:00

Why not replace ths space currently used by the 4 climates to create an OpenTTD Logo?

Born Acorn · Post by **Born Acorn** » 08 May 2005 11:08

Bjarni wrote:yeah everybody including the developers. It is very useful. That's why we decided to make a whole new map generation window where you can pick map size, start year and other stuff like that. It will make more sense to have all of those settings joined in one place

Will this have things like:

Amount of Towns
Amount of Industries
Breakdowns On/off
Starting Loan.
Minimap
NewGRF set

?

Coupled with this it would look a lot better and be easier

Nanaki13 · Post by **Nanaki13** » 08 May 2005 11:22

Perhaps we could group the options according to what they influence?
Like
+vehicle behavior
+map
+economy

like it's done in the patches window, but do it for all options

Alltaken · Post by **Alltaken** » 08 May 2005 11:58

sorry humans are visual creatures i think graphics are important.

as for map size, a nice "drag your mapsize" window would work well.

one single button type thing. (perhaps a few presets like small medium large gigantic)

the drag your own mapsize might look similar to 11x11 half sized TTD tiles, and you literally drag your square/oblong on it. liek inserting a table in most word or internet applications, you drag x and y at the same time and it generates it.

any thoughts/ suggestions? it would take up more space but it would be a single click, and very very intuitive.

perhaps the town placement rough water/land mass rough hill proportions, and industries could be overlayed as you choose more options... *shrugs*

Alltaken

MeusH · Post by **MeusH** » 08 May 2005 13:00

I really like AllTaken's idea, since it would be user-friendly, also map sizes would be completly custom: No longer preset square maps.

Also, with new graphics engine buttons would be certainly really nice looking, small icons would fit, too

Nanaki13 · Post by **Nanaki13** » 08 May 2005 13:01

Just like in civilization

Great idea.

Alltaken · Post by **Alltaken** » 09 May 2005 11:28

Nanaki13 wrote:Just like in civilization
Great idea.

no a lot better

Alltaken

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