From boot to play. What should it "do"?

Toren · Post by **Toren** » 26 Apr 2006 05:58

I don't think it matters whether the game spawns a server in either SP or MP mode, since many games do that anyway.

I think that a side-by-side menu would actually do well, since I've never really seen it done before. No time to make an image, so ASCII to the rescue!

Code: Select all




                                    TRANSPORT EMPIRE




                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       | Start SP Game |        | Start MP Game |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       | Load  SP Game |        | Join  MP Game |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       |  SP  Options  |        |  MP  Options  |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       |   Create SP   |        |   Create MP   |
                       |   Scenario    |        |   Scenario    |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       |   Random SP   |        |   Random MP   |
                       |   Scenario    |        |   Scenario    |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

Basically, having most of the options already laid out, with some customizable quicklaunch buttons at the bottom would make a very good loading system.

As far as your original outline of what happens behind the scenes, as long as I can get into the game quickly, and with the options I want, and some sort of way to save the options, I'll be happy.

Purno · Post by **Purno** » 26 Apr 2006 06:47

What's the difference between a SP Scenario and a MP Scenario?

Hyronymus · Post by **Hyronymus** » 26 Apr 2006 07:58

Purno wrote:What's the difference between a SP Scenario and a MP Scenario?

What do you think

? A single player scenario is a scenario you play alone or with AI on your own computer. A multiplayer scenario is a scenario you play with other humans and/or AI over the internet.

Toren · Post by **Toren** » 26 Apr 2006 08:54

Purno wrote:What's the difference between a SP Scenario and a MP Scenario?

You may want to create a 2 player, 4 player, or a scenario that supports several players. That is why I included that option in the mock-up.

That's all it is, a mock-up. I was simply illustrating how I think a menu should look, have all the main options on a single page instead of buried in submenus.

iLess · Post by **iLess** » 26 Apr 2006 12:10

Why not have something more slim? Like this:
Selecting (->) leads to another screen or opens a dialog/menu...

Code: Select all

Single Player -> Start Game
                 Start Random Scenario
                 Load Game
                 Load Replay
                 
Multi Player     ->  Host Game -> Lan/Internet(advertise on Masterserver)
                     Join Game ->  Lan/Internet(List on Masterserver)/DirectIP
Options          ->  General
                     UserInput
                     Graphics
                     Sound
                     SP
                     MP
Scenario Editor -> SP/MP
About
Quit
QuickLaunch1
...
QuickLaunchn

Defining the Layout of the Gui could be done using XML, CSS or using a homegrown syntax

.

Hyronymus · Post by **Hyronymus** » 26 Apr 2006 12:54

Switching to another screen sucks, I prefer having an 'unfolding' structure, much like RRT2.

EDIT: I think I should a reason

.
It's a great benefit to have the previous menu options available to you, in case you make the wrong choice or in case you realise you need to change game options, i.e..

Arathorn · Post by **Arathorn** » 26 Apr 2006 12:59

And it takes less time to load. I prefer the unfolding idea too.

iLess · Post by **iLess** » 26 Apr 2006 13:15

How about, when you select something. Just the entries in the menu change, and an additional back button is inserted (like in C&C Generals)?

As i haven't played RTT2 i don't really know what you mean by unfolding version. Can you explain?

Purno · Post by **Purno** » 26 Apr 2006 14:43

Hyronymus wrote:
Purno wrote:What's the difference between a SP Scenario and a MP Scenario?
What do you think ? A single player scenario is a scenario you play alone or with AI on your own computer. A multiplayer scenario is a scenario you play with other humans and/or AI over the internet.

Don't try to be smart, Hyro

. Why can't a scenario be used for both SP as MP, as currently TT, TTDPatch and OPenTTD do?

There isn't a fixed location where a company can start*, like in RTS, so why do you need seperate scenarios for SP and MP?

* is there?

Hellfire · Post by **Hellfire** » 26 Apr 2006 14:48

The scenario's can be the same. It's the dialogs you get to see when you click the SP or MP buttons that make the difference. You don't need to connect to other players for a SP game.

Purno · Post by **Purno** » 26 Apr 2006 15:02

Code: Select all




                                    TRANSPORT EMPIRE




                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       | Start SP Game |        | Start MP Game |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       | Load  SP Game |        | Join  MP Game |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       |  SP  Options  |        |  MP  Options  |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

                       +----------------------------------------+
                       |             Create Scenario            |
                       +----------------------------------------+

Ehm, you can do any dialogs (including picking scenarios, whatever) after the Start game buttons, IMO.

Zuu · Post by **Zuu** » 26 Apr 2006 21:21

My last sketch of a common dialog for creating MPs and SPs. Basicly the MP/SP choice is placed last (rightmost) in the dialog.

The vertical black lines in the png-file are added afterwards with GIMP, and are not present in the live-version. The only interactivity that the live-version does have is that it hides the master-server check if player count is less than 2.

DaleStan · Post by **DaleStan** » 27 Apr 2006 02:56

Toren wrote:

Code: Select all

                       +---------------+        +---------------+
                       |  SP  Options  |        |  MP  Options  |
                       +---------------+        +---------------+

It seems to me that there are also general options, such as sound quality and volume, render quality, screen resolution, interface settings, &c. that apply to both SP and MP. In fact, I'm having a hard time coming up with any SP-only options, and the only MP-only options I can come up with would have to do with in-game chat.

Toren · Post by **Toren** » 27 Apr 2006 04:43

iLess wrote:Why not have something more slim? Like this:
Selecting (->) leads to another screen or opens a dialog/menu...

Code: Select all

Single Player -> Start Game
                 Start Random Scenario
                 Load Game
                 Load Replay
                 
Multi Player     ->  Host Game -> Lan/Internet(advertise on Masterserver)
                     Join Game ->  Lan/Internet(List on Masterserver)/DirectIP
Options          ->  General
                     UserInput
                     Graphics
                     Sound
                     SP
                     MP
Scenario Editor -> SP/MP
About
Quit
QuickLaunch1
...
QuickLaunchn

Defining the Layout of the Gui could be done using XML, CSS or using a homegrown syntax

.

You know, come to think of it, that reminds me a lot of how the "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was laid out in the movie. Still, it's way too much like a Start menu type thing... I rather like quicklaunch.

DaleStan wrote: It seems to me that there are also general options, such as sound quality and volume, render quality, screen resolution, interface settings, &c. that apply to both SP and MP. In fact, I'm having a hard time coming up with any SP-only options, and the only MP-only options I can come up with would have to do with in-game chat.

I just made a mock-up of how I'd like there to be a quicklaunch type interface. It has no bearing on how the menu will actually look. If it goes to a button interface, I'd like to have as many options as possible, OTTD is something like that, where you can select the different tilesets right from the main menu. That is the general idea.

The problem I have with the branching/unfolding/tree-type menu is that I hope it's sticky-click. That is, I need to actually click on an option in the menu, and thn it stays open, allowing me to click on the next item, and so on.

benji147460127 · Post by **benji147460127** » 23 Jun 2006 21:46

Sliiightly OT:

I think that there should be a TTD-like opening sequence, but instead of the two logos and then cut straight to the massed-transport-background, perhaps a movie incorporating any logos in the scenery, of a train emerging from the depot, moving along a complex transport network, and then we pull out to reveal a sprawling city complete with large numbers of every transportation medium available in the game - following the train around. This could be done in-game throughout, or for superior graphics for the close-up bits, it could be a Theora cutting with some sort of fade to the game at the end, at which point it becomes in-game and the same, more or less, as TTD.

I would be happy to choreograph (spelling?) and design such a sequence if anyone wants to implement it as a Theora (yay for Blender3D.) I would also be more than happy to do some texturing of made-up or real trains.

m3henry · Post by **m3henry** » 27 Jul 2006 10:40

im agreeing with hyronymus here. As well benji147460127, but makeing it much simpler (I used to play rrt2 but it wont work on XP/NT

)

Hyronymus · Post by **Hyronymus** » 27 Jul 2006 11:31

Would you mind not digging up old posts, you haven't been away over the past month so I seriously wonder why you "suddenly" reply here.

Locked until the DD discussion arrives at this issue.

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From boot to play. What should it "do"?

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