Hubert, Interface Question

[jmbunnelle]

It seems to me that there is a large amount of dead space in the interface. The buttons on the right are very large and, I think, could be reduced and offer more room for the map. This probably isn't possible via a patch but I just wanted to check.

Jim

[Andre Bolkonsky]

I concur, and had noticed that myself. However, it does not detract from the game, and probably makes it easier for the newcomer to the game to navigate his way around. A necessary evil, perhaps.

Personally, I'm uncertain you need to really overhaul this game up to a 2.0. It works just fine like it is.

However, tou could invest your time tweaking this puppy one last time to make it a 1.1 upgrade. To compensate yourself, you could charge a short-run "add-on" fee. (A "cross of iron" to your "squad leader" if you like). And take that windfall and plot your next project.

You could include desirable elements (like a prohibitely expensive but highly versatile paratooper corps); build in a new set of "official" campaigns for ladder play, all based and balanced according to your latest patch. You could include things like optional packages by JBrunnel, Starfury, et al.; and campaigns from the Bill Macon type-guys. And none of this would require any major revisions to the code.

Part, or all, of that list would be inducement for many of us to contribute more to the cause; and widen the game's popularity.

Just a thought, take it for what its worth.

[jmbunnelle]

I didn't mean to imply that it detracts from the game at all. It's very clear and easy to navigate. I just think that, if given the option of a smaller interface or more map, players would choose the latter.

[Compassion]

From what Hubert has said in earlier discussions about map size, you might be able to increase the size of each hex, but that he was working under an absolute limit on the nubmer of columns and rows... or at least that's how I took it...

[ December 11, 2002, 09:52 PM: Message edited by: Compassion ]

[Hubert Cater]

Originally posted by jmbunnelle:

It seems to me that there is a large amount of dead space in the interface. The buttons on the right are very large and, I think, could be reduced and offer more room for the map. This probably isn't possible via a patch but I just wanted to check.

Jim

Yeah the interface button sizes etc. are set in stone by code, but something to consider for the future.

Hubert

[Hubert Cater]

Originally posted by Compassion:

From what Hubert has said in earlier discussions about map size, you might be able to increase the size of each hex, but that he was working under an absolute limit on the nubmer of columns and rows... or at least that's how I took it...

It's a strange limitation but each memory handle for bitmapped info under Windows has a max size in square pixels. So I made the best sized map with this limitation in mind, i.e. I could make it wider but then I would have to make in smaller in height or vice versa. You can fit more hexes (rows and columns) but have to make the hex sizes smaller in pixels and so on.

Long story short, there are ways around this, but in order to have the game backward compatible with older and slower machines alternate methods would not have been desirable, although by now using DirectX, and most people now having faster machines (remember I started this thing around 1999/2000) this will most likely change for an SC2 so expect a bigger map!

Hubert