Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Kdansky]

Even though I think a mouse-driven UI would be nice, I am still a big fan of hotkeys. The major issue are inconstencies. I tripped over the floodgates today (linking, building, creating, everthing on another key, with unsorted menus makes for a big headache), or this one: Removing stuff from the job queue uses the R(emove) key, whereas everywhere else it's the C(lear) button. Oh, except Gems, where C(ut) is taken, therefore R(emove )is used too. Talk about messy. F9/Esc/Space is a common one and gets brought up repeatedly.

The game does not feel very alpha to me. With 20 hours spent on interface, and three man-years on graphics (because graphics are more important than anything else apparently) you could release that in a box. Bugs are few, gameplay is solid.

I do have a pretty idea for a nice interface (which would reduce micro A LOT), but it would be a lot of work, that's why I didn't bother writing a suggestion on it. I might.

[Lord_Shadow]

After lurking for a long while, I came to the conclusion that Toady belongs to that rare species which will never ever give in to writing a UI. Just like the linux geeks who think that entering twenty lines of commands is a user-friendly approach to using software.

We are not linux geeks, we just a certain type of mind that makes us think that our commands are something, which they are. Computer work better using command line commands, therefore, we use them, and have used them to a point were we don't need fancy dancy point and click gui's.


your asking for GUI's (Graphic User Interface), you have a UI.

[Itnetlolor]

Just putting my 2¢ in.

This sorta reminds me of several debates I've come across. The case of Graphical Quality v. Gameplay Quality.

I think a good argument would be somewhere along the lines of why there are no more adventure games. You know, like the classic LucasArts or Sierra games. Now compare those to a majority of "adventure" games that are on the market nowadays. I guess I can say that I've just about lost faith that gaming would ever be as good as it used to be. Then again, Toady, thus far, has done a good job in keeping my attention, along with many others like me.

What's the difference? It's not over-simplified nor overly-complex; it leaves much to be improved and to the imagination; It's amazingly more open-ended than most "sandbox" games. In an odd way, this is almost literally a sandbox, especially if you embarked in a desert.

I guess, what I'm saying is that, as oddball the UI may be, it gets to the freaking point, and does exactly what it should. And like most people say, any bugs are just new "features" stumbled across in the game.

I mean no offense, but anyone else that's complaining is just not experienced enough in this style/quality of gaming to understand. Don't depend too much on your eyes to see, use your feelings. The UI, like the graphics, is like Matrix-code, after you put some time in, you'll no longer see it, and it becomes second-nature to you.

And my argument is spent. Carry on.

[Footkerchief]

... I came to the conclusion that Toady belongs to that rare species which will never ever give in to writing a UI.

While you make some good points (albeit ones that have been raised before), this particular statement is untrue.  The game won't hit 1.0 until the following are completed:

# PRESENTATION ARC: A cleaner interface and more interface and display options will make the game more accessible. Better support for translations.

# Core50, TILESET SUPPORT, (Future): Allow graphical tiles to be used for all game objects.
# Core51, SIZEABLE GAME WINDOW, (Future): Allow the resizing of the game windows, and possibly the support of variable width fonts to allow more text to be displayed.
# Core52, INTERFACE OVERHAUL, (Future): A coherent interface, additional options and mouse support.
# Core54, TRANSLATION SUPPORT, (Future): Announcements and other interface text needs to come out of the game and be placed in an editable format to support any potential translators, though current font implementations restrict this process at the moment if non-ASCII characters are to be involved.

The game does not feel very alpha to me. With 20 hours spent on interface, and three man-years on graphics (because graphics are more important than anything else apparently) you could release that in a box. Bugs are few, gameplay is solid.

The gameplay may feel complete to you, but it's not.  It's not even halfway to "complete" as defined by the best available metric. 

[WhatDoesThisLeverDo]

I am much more worried about him getting the game more fun instead first. I want the army arc, epics battles, raiding villages, alliances, etc. Right now it is simply a sandbox fortress. Which is fun for a little bit, but for people like me who crave an objective, it gets boring fast.

[Phen]

I am much more worried about him getting the game more fun instead first. I want the army arc, epics battles, raiding villages, alliances, etc. Right now it is simply a sandbox fortress. Which is fun for a little bit, but for people like me who crave an objective, it gets boring fast.

It's funny, I feel exactly the other way. I love the sandbox aspect and is so happy that I havn't got objectives forced on me.

[G-Flex]

I don't think you two are necessarily disagreeing at all, because I don't think WhatDoesThisLeverDo is talking about FORCED objectives at all.

I think he's talking about the ability to have meaningful objectives in the first place. Right now, there's really not much for you to do, and no interaction with the outside world beyond trading and maybe instigating a siege.