Gorlom Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 but the old UI screenshot Chris posted shows the straight edged version? =S I'm confused. For comparison, this is the current Geoscape: http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5035/xenonauts20120106203251.jpg Anyway thanks for clearing that up Giovanni Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wanderer Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I like the new look. I look forward to using it to smite the alien invader. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belmakor Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I must admit I am a little disappointed. Not sure what was wrong with the old geoscape as never saw much criticism of it? IMHO it looks like a board game screen now as opposed to a satellite feed. Granted a satellite feed at high res might not be realistic for the 70s I think its a far cry better than the hand-drawn look. Maybe if I understood what this physically represented it might help. Is this supposed to be a satellite feed, or is this a projector image (doesn't look like one) or a large TV? It seems like the look you are going for would actually look better if you had it like the command board seen on the title screen. You could have the icons for UFOs etc look almost liked 3d models placed on the board. Then the art-style would not look out of place. Ok its a case of you can't satisfy everyone but I personally thought the old geoscape was the coolest thing about the old UI as it allowed me to suspend disbelief that I was playing a game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snozy Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 Inasmuch as it looks absolutely same as it was before(shadow sprite is just little more transparent) I think it will change as previous one did. I am a little confuse. you mean the map will change as time pass by? like the water will change color and turn ugly becuse invaders contamin8ing the water supplies??? cool stufsd like that?!!?! Would also be neat to see human wars going on and as time progresss the nukes lunching and symbols showing on the map presenting destroy areas in the world. maybe times get worse. i like how the map showed anamalies so i hope it shows many other ugly going-ons like warzones and human evils big enoff to affect Xenonauts Secret Organization. i wanna play now lol im going to my pals house when beta comes out!!! dont forget to add the feature i mention for immertion. peace everyone but no peace for aliens!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorlom Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 no Snozy, it's the "light map" (that is super imposed on the world map) that changes. The shape of daylight/night as it passes over the map. It simulates the earth revolving around itself on a tilted axis compared to the sun as the planet revolves around the sun. You know how days become shorter in the winter and longer in the summer? (for the north hemisphere) That is what changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauddlike Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I prefer the new UI over the old one although I would like to see the colour used for the water be a little darker (probably just because of the contrast between it and the view I am used to). The x and y co-ordinates also look a little out of place without a section of their own. IMHO it looks like a board game screen now as opposed to a satellite feed. It never did look like a satellite feed. The image was high res but looked out of place dropped into the middle of a jet black ocean which looked nothing like the real ocean. I think this new UI fits with the rest of the game artwork much better than the old one. Chris is there still a plan to use overlays on the geoscape to display information? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corporal Hicks Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think the old UI had a more convincing/realistic feel that I was on an underground base, seating in front of a big radar/computer screen, and now they took it away... Now, even though it looks pleasant, it also looks too cartoony and weird, like someone said: a board game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 An excellent and needed update. My only suggestion is not with the UI but the recently created command room on ground assault. The new UI is presented as though you are looking at it from the command room displayed on the wall with terminals in front. In the ground assault that map is on a table. My suggestion is to change the graphs on the wall to a world map. Then when players are doing a base invasion mission, it adds a level of realism. Hopefully a quick and cheap change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think it's quite funny how attached people have got to the awful old Geoscape. I also think it's quite amusing how a few people are claiming it is harder to imagine that you're sat in a bunker controlling everything on a big screen with the new UI, given the fact you can actually see the walls of the bunker and the screen itself (and the other people in the command room!) I'm sure you'll all get used to it with time, anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HWP Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 The new Geoscape is obv straight up better. Sadly can't say the same about Mac-White UI on other screens, but the Geoscape is right now - nice low fatigue colors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thothkins Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 New one is "reads" little better in dark parts. Old cold and "wire framed" has little better mood, maybe this because it is become familiar. I'm personaly feel(I'm about whole UI) like you slightly shifts from starting cold, straight, calm, I dont know maybe serious, (in colors and design) mood to something "toy", it's not precise definitions, and it's more about directions instead of state, but it is hard for me to explain my opinion better. And I'm not sure is I'm like this direction. Maybe I'm wrong The cold war represented by the quiet desperation of the original UI art seemed fitting. It was understated, stark and a little bleak. The new art is more colourful and positive, although it does provide a more consistent approach to the UI. While dark and basic, the original Geoscape didn't particularly fit in with the original UI art. I think the new version isn't as bright as the other new UI art, and it's tones are thankfully fairly muted. Therefore, they fit more into the theme of the game. The two consoles provide a link with the opening menu, the base defence command center, and also with the people that appear on the new UI screens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted December 20, 2012 Author Share Posted December 20, 2012 Plus, importantly, you have access to any of the base screens from the new Geoscape at a click and the pop-up alert messages don't have to just fade out with time as they're no longer obscuring the view of the map. So we can make better use of them to give the player notifications about things happening in their base too. So more functionality as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted December 20, 2012 Share Posted December 20, 2012 I think it's quite funny how attached people have got to the awful old Geoscape. Face it, a better designed UI makes your game less old school. Of course some will hate that! It's a dangerous trend that may eventually result in the reduction of pointless micromanagement! =) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sectoid Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 i like those tank and jet icons. thats what GUI really is. but darker feel of previous version gave better focus and let player blend in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a333 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Chris, of course the new UI is much, much better in detail and usability and everything. Great job! But if we'll give nothing but praises, aren't you gonna get spoiled? And who's gonna make our year then? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corporal Hicks Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I thought that this thread was going to be like a poll or something, if we have half of the people saying they like, and the other that they don't like, aren't guys supposed to be changing something? Cause there's no point in opening a thread and asking "what do you think? Suggestions??" And when people say they don't like or it needs to change this and that, than you say "ah you guys are gonna get used to it", so, it's more like shoving down our throats, right? (i'm not being a douche, I love you Chris) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a333 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 I think there is too much work invested in a new UI to let the players decide to simply throw it out. Ever tried to build something under the constant pressure of advices? Result would be far from an ideal. Details, though, can and should be changed, because no one is immune to mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted December 21, 2012 Author Share Posted December 21, 2012 All of the criticism of it so far seems to be "I don't like the visual style", which is very subjective and in matters of taste my personal preference reigns supreme. Naturally I have noted that a number of people don't like the more colourful style as much, but not enough of them to make me seriously consider changing it given I spent quite a long time experimenting with the various visual styles we could have gone for and I think this works best. If people had pointed out valid flaws in the functionality of the screen then I'd have to address that though. Such as on a previous Research concept, there was no way to select which base to hire scientists to etc - but I can't see much of that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorlom Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 (edited) I think we have to actually try it out before we can test it's functionality? Question: will we be stuck with the map as you have decided it or is it possible to mod the visuals of it? (like making the waters a darker blue than that light/grey blue you selected?) Why is there a railing like that in front of the guy at the computer? (not criticizing just wondering. Is it cropped from another picture? Oh right. I figured out where it is from...) Is that final or is it going to have original artwork made for the geoscape screen? I'm still wondering about the font and background colour. Seems so random to have red on dark there, also seems to me it is clashing a bit. (especially with the screen glow from the artwork left and right of it.) What were the alternatives for that? Edited December 21, 2012 by Gorlom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzz1010 Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 (edited) is it possible to mod the visuals of it? (like making the waters a darker blue than that light/grey blue you selected?) Yes. It was already discussed. All this just bitmaps. Quick question, Answer in first post. Edited December 21, 2012 by zzz1010 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
radister Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Quick question, when we zoom in, will we be zooming in just the map, or will it be eveything belows the menu that will zoom in? including the little guys on there computers? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FenrirWolfLord Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Well personally Chris i think it looks a hell of a lot better then the old one, and i love the art style of it i think it is more fitting but that is just me personally. i had always kinda disliked the older one and was kinda annoyed with it so thank you for your hard work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gorlom Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Yes. It was already discussed. All this just bitmaps. I thought I dreamed that. Anyway that's good to know (oddly enough makes me more satisfied with the way it looks now) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thothkins Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 Quick question, when we zoom in, will we be zooming in just the map, or will it be eveything belows the menu that will zoom in? including the little guys on there computers? Cdr Radister: By Jove! the Aliens have unleashed Alien Red Vines across Asia! It's just like War of the Worlds! Cpl Hicks: Actually, that's a close up of McKewan's head, Sir. We really have to do something about these cameras... Like zzz1010 said, before you posted oddly enough, a link on the first post shows you a close up of Africa without the close up of the technicians' heads. Now zzz1010, about those lottery numbers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thothkins Posted December 21, 2012 Share Posted December 21, 2012 All of the criticism of it so far seems to be "I don't like the visual style", which is very subjective and in matters of taste my personal preference reigns supreme. What Map! There's a map back there? Hey Chris! Could you move your big head so I can see the map! Jeez... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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