integrate screens

from Sins Forums

there will be more feedback once I checked out the whole package, but what struck me was that the two diplomatic screens, ie. race relations and old diplomacy are separate and not really interconnected. that results in a lot of hopping. at best, I'd favour a complete integration with just one screen. you could for example acess all these options via a right click menu and pick what you like. sort of "hover over player a, right click, select trade pact confirm dialogue box, done".

alternatively, and simpler, you could have an option that brings me from the relations window directly to the respective player in the diplomatic window, so that I can make offers.

in total, it's not a huge thing, but we will like to have things efficient here. and two screens about similar topics should really link to one another imo.

pretty solid basis so far, though I couldn't yet see any 'faster game options", but that may be neglicence on my part.

6,100 views 7 replies
Reply #1 from Sins Forums Top

Agree. Four screens now at the top, with diplomacy and relations similar topics as it is, could be combined.

Reply #2 from Sins Forums Top

Indeed, the 2 screens can be under Diplomacy. And when u select a faction u can have 2 buttons next to the portrait that will swap between Diplomacy and Relations screen for this faction.

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Reply #3 from Sins Forums Top

pretty solid basis so far, though I couldn't yet see any 'faster game options", but that may be neglicence on my part.
It's the same option set as before. Just keep clicking the speed options and you'll get the new speed.

 

:fox:

Reply #4 from Sins Forums Top

Quoting Kitkun, reply 3

pretty solid basis so far, though I couldn't yet see any 'faster game options", but that may be neglicence on my part.It's the same option set as before. Just keep clicking the speed options and you'll get the new speed.
 

ah yes, this I did not check. hm, well, I was hoping for some other solution (no idea what exactly, maybe victory conditions that end the game faster), since the fast option is already pretty fast for me.

Reply #5 from Sins Forums Top

I'm not sure there's any good way to make these two screens into one. The relations screen is really to give you an at a glance view of some player's relationship with everyone else, and the diplomacy screen has so much stuff on it as is that we didn't want to clutter it more than we had to.

Reply #6 from Sins Forums Top

Then make it like the pirate page which has 2 options that do different things (black market/pirate).  I.e. On the left side of the old relations page, where all the race tabs are, put in a 'summary' tab, that pulls up the new relations screen.  Ideally, put this at the top, and make it the default to display.

Alternatively, get rid of the old diplomacy screen, per se, and make it so when you click on a portrait in the relations page, the options for commands (trade/peace/pacts/etc) appear on a slide-out tray to the right of the race relations window.  You can probably fit them vertically stacked, given the size of the relations window.

 

edit: pardon, I'm neglecting a few points.  For either idea to work, you'd need to change the look-and-feel of the relations screen so that all relations are visible at once.  For this, I'd take a page out of the Civ4 book, and just draw lines all over the place between the factions, and place them all in a circle... there is no need for our image to be prominent in the center.  Next, make it so that when you click on a box, all but their relations dissapear.  At the same time, this could be when their actions slide out to the right, if you like option 2.  This would free up considerable space, since the tabs on the left of the relation screen wouldn't be necessary, but I don't know how much reworking of the code and existing visuals would be needed to circularlize the diagram, and make the pipes run to show all relations at once when necessary.

 

Overall, this is a UI problem, and there should be a way to combine them, but it would depend on the available effort and envisioned gains.

Reply #7 from Sins Forums Top

Yeah, we may revisit the UI at some point if it continues to be a concern. As of now we're trying to make the game stop crashing and more fun, but we will definitely look at this if we should get some time.