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New Research screen UI for comment


Chris

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Continuing with the theme of GUI revisions (see the new Intercept window here), I've been working on the proposed new design for the Research screen. If you've not been around on the forums long, we're thinking about moving to a more immersive UI design for most of the screens similar to what is seen on the Main Menu screen.

This has two benefits - it looks better, and we can use 'tabs' on the speech bubbles to fit more in the UI than we can under the current system. Up til now it's been difficult to illustrate exactly how I want it to look as I've just been using words. Now we've got one of the backgrounds done, I can show off a proper concept of how the screens could look.

Here's the proposed new Reseach system. It should all be fairly self explanatory. The navigation is the sign in the top left (each board will light up when mouseovered) and you just click on the speech bubble tabs to travel to them. The clipboard will always show three current research projects, but if you have more of them then you can show them by moving your mouse to the bottom of the screen to look down the clipboard.

Let me know your thoughts, suggestions and feedback. Concepts below:

http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/research_intro.jpg

http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/research_manage.jpg

http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/research_hire.jpg

http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/research_advice.jpg

http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/research_talk.jpg

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Perhaps make it look more like a speech bubble, right now it kind of looks like a floating white board =p Putting the little arrow thing towards his mouth would be good I think =]

Also, is small talk ever going to be a viable option? If not I'd say remove it.

I like the new background, though I will miss the old one =[ Will the background still change as more and more stuff is researched? Or has that idea been dropped?

otherwise, AWESOME! =]

It looks very solid to me and the screens are much more informative. As a side note the main scientist that is talking to you looks like the head scientist in Independence Day except younger.

or Daniel Jackson =p

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I like the new background, though I will miss the old one =[ Will the background still change as more and more stuff is researched? Or has that idea been dropped?

I want it to, depends on how much money we have and how fast we can get it done.

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Why is the workshop highlighted on that list in the background?

AD already asked what i wanted to know about smalltalk. if its jsut there as a bit of easteregg its going to be tireing very quickly if you dont at least grey it out after the first 4-5 times to indicate your character got tired of trying to talk to him.

I'm not sure I would like the speechbubble aproach, might make it seem a bit silly? How about switching the progress tracker and the "manage/hire/advice/smalltalk" menu. That way the "speech" would feel more like subtitles... and the progress would feel more like it was beeing tracked on a blackboard (or whiteboard).

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I love it, looks superb. My only thought is that you've added one more action to perform to simply check the status of all the research projects if you have more than 3 on the go. Maybe have the clipboard move up and down relating to the number of projects to a maximum of 10?(I don't recall having that many projects going at once) then add a scroll bar.

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Is the F1-9 implying floors or hotkeys btw? (Will they be clickable?)

Both, and yes.

About the small talk option, it will unlock further into the game for this character. The other two will talk to you from the start, and basically it gives you some information on the characters background and life in the base. New dialogue options will unlock as more research is unlocked. The people on the Research, Workshop and Barracks screens (the Personnel screen is changing to be soldier focused and being renamed) are the only three people in the game you'll see in any detail, so it made sense to use them as method of giving the character interaction and improving immersion. If you're not a fan of that sorta thing, don't click on it. It won't affect the game in any way.

The scientist is meant to be narky, obviously. The other two guys are much friendlier. He'll be more memorable this way, rather than completely generic.

It's also possible we can move the clipboard up to show all ongoing research projects up to a cap of 5. No idea why anyone would want more than 5 ongoing at once...

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The navigation is the sign in the top left (each board will light up when mouseovered) and you just click on the speech bubble tabs to travel to them.
For those wondering about the signs on the right, this is in Chris' OP.

Also the 'f lock' system would be good in my opinion.

Chris, will the signs stay the same between each and every part of the base?

Also I don't think 'weaponary' is spelt right. Isn't it supposed to be 'weaponry'?

The people on the Research, Workshop and Barracks screens (the Personnel screen is changing to be soldier focused and being renamed) are the only three people in the game you'll see in any detail, so it made sense to use them as method of giving the character interaction and improving immersion. If you're not a fan of that sorta thing, don't click on it. It won't affect the game in any way.
WHat about a guy in the map room? Or is that gone?
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I love some of the details in the background art - the little CRT computer console and big tape drives in the background to place it in the eighties, and the shoulder boards on the lab coat to indicate these aren't your usual civilian scientists.

I also have to say I love the expressions of the characters "looking at you" in these new screens so far; they're painfully aware of the gravity of the situation, there's an alien invasion on and it's very grim and you're the only hope - and they aren't impressed! A subtly effective way to ratchet up the tension on the player.

The functional parts also look much cleaner than the old style, less information overload. I'm quite glad you didn't use a hokey little "tail" going from the guys mouth to the "speech bubble"; it's very clear what is going on without one anyway.

I mentioned before, I really like the idea of these advice and small talk screens - tips for new players and background fluff for those interested, but unobtrusive for everyone else.

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Gotta say I'm a big fan of this stuff, it looks great :D

I wonder if there's any specific though behind the little "Sector 02" in the top? Is it just random, local to the science division or what? Just thought it could be fun if sectors corresponded with the alignment to the left (Command Room, Base Command etc.) :P

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I would suggest keeping the floor list complete all the time rather than taking the current one out.

It would keep a common theme better and all of the buttons would be in the same order on each screen, even if they are in different places.

Otherwise it looks great.

The Gaius Baltar style scientist looks good, I somehow feel he should have a cigar stuck in his top pocket though!

http://www.tvsinopse.kinghost.net/g/galatica4_arquivos/cast_baltar.jpg

Edited by Gauddlike
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I'm quite glad you didn't use a hokey little "tail" going from the guys mouth to the "speech bubble"; it's very clear what is going on without one anyway.

Have to disagree with you there I'm afraid, that's one thing I think it needs. Not large, not glaring, but right now, to me, it looks like it could be at best a thought bubble, at worst a floating blackboard =p Just a wee tail, off one corner, is all that it needs =]

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Have to disagree with you there I'm afraid, that's one thing I think it needs. Not large, not glaring, but right now, to me, it looks like it could be at best a thought bubble, at worst a floating blackboard =p Just a wee tail, off one corner, is all that it needs =]

What's your opinion on trying to make it look like subtitles instead?

I'm not sure about how countries that mostly dub their movies instead of subtiteling foreign films feel about this. But to me that would be prefereble over haveing a speechbubble.

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I like it, the style is definitely an improvement over the clinical current version.

One thing though - is the manage research screen going to have any visual representation of the project or just text? I think not being able to actually see what you've recovered (or to have some sketch image for hypothetical projects) prior to getting the research completed xenopedia page is a loss over the current design.

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What's your opinion on trying to make it look like subtitles instead?

I'm not sure about how countries that mostly dub their movies instead of subtiteling foreign films feel about this. But to me that would be prefereble over haveing a speechbubble.

Subtitles... are always down the bottom, usually in white, and that generally glares with white backgrounds. Plus I'm not sure about that a) the options of what to choose wouldn't be as obvious, and b) the whole thing would look like it's not meant to get in the way (subtitles are unobtrusive on the film) when this is the menu, so obviously supposed to grab your attention! =]

Actually it does look a bit like a speech bubble now people mention it.

Maybe it needs to be altered to look like a whiteboard or something else as it is now the only floating box on the screen and looks a little out of place.

I believe it is supposed to look like a speech bubble, it is the scientist talking to you after all. If it looked like a white board, I would constantly be wondering (and am at the moment) why it looks like the guy is writing down his comments. Perhaps we have a mute head scientist?

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