Since there seems to be quite a few people interested in the interface, let me use this post to invite you to a topic I created months ago in the suggestion forum:
Total Interface Overhaul. It was meant as a repository of constructive ideas and graphical proposals for Toady to choose from. It's been going quite slowly (and I myself am mostly ignoring it), but there have fortunately been contributors who kept it alive (most notably Zwei). So if you're interested in interface and like to come up with solutions, we could use you
NOTE: That topic should if possible remain practical, so let's keep all arguing here. That being said...
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It's hard for me to believe someone could actually
like the current interface. A part of me want to say you'd have to either (a) not understand what an interface is, or (b) never have seen a good interface. No insult meant, It's just hard for me to grasp.
A good example is the main menu:
It's basically just a mess, a confusing wall-of-text. A good interface would
in the least visually differentiate between the most important (often used) features and the minor ones. There's nothing like it in DF. No visual distinction, not even any semblance of order. The features are listed
alphabetically by the keyboard shortcut, for Christ's sake! I can hardly imagine anything more useless. The menu is unusable - you have to memorise it and then hide it, you can't orientate yourself by it.
A functional DF main menu would at least:
- Group features according to frequency of use and function. Eg: (1) Buildings, Designations, Stockpiles, Zones; (2) View unit, View items in building, Use buildings, (3) Military, Squads, Routes, Burrows, etc.
- Break the wall of text! Differentiate between the functional groups using font size, colour, blank spaces. Distribute them along the whole screen. Anything...
- Reduce the visual clutter! Hide the more obscure functions in submenus. Artifacts and civilisations could go into Stocks menu. (why are they here in the first place, when things like animals or kitchen - which you use more often - are hidden?) Nobles could hide under units, or whatever. Depot acces should be accesible wrom the depot building screen, no need to have it here. Options could easily fit into the (Esc) menu, like in every other game.
- etc. etc.
There are just examples I made up while writing this post! The current interface is completely illogical, there seems to be next to no thought put into its ergonomy or whatever. I really, really can't believe you like it more than for example my half-assed proposal here.
(Also, please note the lack of any mouse support or graphics stuff in this post.)
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ALSO, before a misunderstanding, because I expect reactions along these lines: you can hide a Tooltip in a submenu and still have a shortcut for it. You can hide the text "(l) artifacts" in the stocks menu and still have the shortcut (l) functional in the main game. Most software works like this, just look for example at your browser. Is there a visual clutter? No. Is there a visual distinction of more and less important controls? Yes.