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Author Topic: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys  (Read 2841 times)

sockless

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #15 on: April 11, 2011, 12:16:52 am »

I personally support a more utility based, rather than readability based UI. To this end, staircases should stay as they are in designations and building them should be remapped.

The F1-12 keys are already used as well for shortcuts, which I find really useful.

Q,V,T,K should be changed as well to something closer to each other as well, e.g. q,w,e,r,t. That's just because I prefer things to be orderly and in logical places, not arbitrarily assigned to some key that it starts with.
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Lav

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #16 on: April 11, 2011, 01:17:16 am »

Shortcuts, yes. I forgot about them. This means that using F1-F12 keys is not really a valid idea at this moment, and list screens will only have character shortcuts (as well as an item on the Status page), otherwise this is extra coding work.

As for your key mapping suggestion - just no. Such a system is only usable for experienced players, and even then only for a absolute minority.
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Zesty

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #17 on: April 20, 2011, 03:19:06 pm »

I'm surprised by the lack of popularity in this particular UI suggestion.
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NW_Kohaku

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #18 on: April 20, 2011, 03:26:15 pm »

I'm surprised by the lack of popularity in this particular UI suggestion.

Perhaps "popularity" isn't the right term.

This just isn't controversial.  Controversial things get floods of posts.  More far-reaching GUI changes are controversial.

I agree with what Lav says in general, but I wouldn't pick the same keys he picked. 

For one, I like 5 as z-level up and 0 as z-level down, so all the direction keys are in the same spot, without having to use a shift or control key at all for up and down.

However, this is just nitpicky.

Other than that, there isn't anything to really comment on.  We all know the interface needs changes.

Simple, obvious changes are the kind of thread that just die quickly, though.

If Toady really does try to read every suggestion, though, he would not just stick to the front one or two pages the way that most forumites do, but actually work chronologically forwards from the last post he read on his last session of reading.
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Uristocrat

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #19 on: April 20, 2011, 04:34:29 pm »

I would really like this reorganization, even though it would force me to relearn all the keys.
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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #20 on: April 21, 2011, 01:29:05 am »

I'd be in favor. One suggestion: lists of options should be in alphabetical order unless there is a good reason for them not to be.
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kaenneth

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #21 on: April 21, 2011, 09:54:34 pm »

++ on this, the inconsistant keys in submenus (up/down stairs, fortifications...) drive me crazy, plus, after migrating from .40d to .31.18 it was months until I rediscovered the 'u'nit list by accident, since it wasn't on the menu...
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Lav

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #22 on: April 23, 2011, 04:49:30 pm »

++ on this, the inconsistant keys in submenus (up/down stairs, fortifications...) drive me crazy, plus, after migrating from .40d to .31.18 it was months until I rediscovered the 'u'nit list by accident, since it wasn't on the menu...
Good luck I never bothered to search for it on the menu and used the hotkey just like I did in 40d times. ;-)

Anyway, thanks to everyone for support, but in the end we can only wait and hope. :-)
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Setharnas

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #23 on: April 23, 2011, 06:32:32 pm »

For what it's worth, I'd like to add my support. It is a great intermediate UI scheme, until a real workover in feature-complete DF gets queued up.
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loose nut

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #24 on: April 23, 2011, 06:49:55 pm »

It looks good to me as well. I would be happy to see this in the game. Thank you!
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Dutchling

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #25 on: April 24, 2011, 07:17:33 am »

I think it is a better placeholder UI than the one we have currently, except for all the alt+* thingies
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Zesty

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #26 on: April 25, 2011, 11:09:25 am »

I don't see how the "Alt Thingies" are different than it is now. A couple of obscure things (most of which already have alt- hotkeys)
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blue sam3

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #27 on: April 25, 2011, 11:36:04 am »

~ is far less accessible on UK keyboards. Might I suggest something else for switch screen, something more universal? "\", perhaps, or "`" (note slant).

EDIT: How about swapping the Alt for Ctrl, that's a little more accessible.
« Last Edit: April 25, 2011, 12:01:01 pm by blue sam3 »
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Zesty

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #28 on: April 25, 2011, 08:06:00 pm »

~ is far less accessible on UK keyboards. Might I suggest something else for switch screen, something more universal? "\", perhaps, or "`" (note slant).

EDIT: How about swapping the Alt for Ctrl, that's a little more accessible.

Accessible across countries, but surely not good for overall comfort. That's quite the reach for either pinky. Leads back to that "Exporting/Importing Hotkeys" discussed here earlier.
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Kogut

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Re: Streamlining Interface and Hotkeys
« Reply #29 on: April 26, 2011, 01:09:21 am »

~ is far less accessible on UK keyboards. Might I suggest something else for switch screen, something more universal? "\", perhaps, or "`" (note slant).

EDIT: How about swapping the Alt for Ctrl, that's a little more accessible.
Note that alt is decided by Toady, changing it is a bit different suggestion.
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