UI Feedback

I'm liking the first time info screens. Is there a plan to make those reviewable later, possibly as an area in the Xenopedia? Some of them may be a helpful resource for newer players to be able to check things. Additionally the air combat one seems to mention all the controls except the afterburner, could that be added in somewhere? Disregard that comment if I just can't read again.

On the equip soldier screen, the bar showing how full their encumberance is goes full 2-3 kg before it reaches the point where their TUs begin going down. Is this intended?

I definitely like the changed labels for hiring scientists/engineers, that was a nice change.

@Dranak

it seems to be fixed at the max for 52 Strength. It will be able to get above it even more once your strength grows a little.

I don't think thats intended because its really really confusing.. When I get home I'm gonna write a bug reprot (if noone else beats me to it)

Yes, you're correct, that bar isn't working correctly. For the afterburner, I didn't mention it because I'm limiting the text to 4 paragraphs and I figured it wasn't a key mechanic. I figure the player will notice it and try it out once they know what the important stuff does.

Few Ui improvement requests:

-Rotating structures in base building screen could use some refinement.. you should see the rotating white outline always, even when it's overlapping existing structures. Also, could we use mouse2 to rotate?

-Top menubar location changes a bit vertically when switching from global map view to base screens. Not a functional problem but feels unfinished.

-Scroll bars are super tiny and awkward to use. Ok, you can use mouse wheel... but still it feels unfinished.

-are we getting a tutorial screen to all base sub screens and ground combat? (Hope so, they are great!)

-Maybe add a bit of visual flavor? Animated text box opening/closing, fade to black screen transitions etc.

The last round of UI changes was a great improvement. I can't really think of much that is "bad" right now. Definitely enjoying the new UI.

As I threatened a while earlier, I'm now doing a bit of UI feedback, too.

This was with v20b7.

Note that not all of these are severe issues... but I'm completely unleashing my inner OCD freak here! =)

I'm also certain that many of those have already been reported as bugs. This is the unfiltered list. Sorry.

• Placing first base:
  Editing text field for the base name.
  Cannot use Pos1 and End.
  Probably applies to other name inputs as well.
  
• Geoscape UI.
  Screen select buttons. (research etc)
  There should be a gap between the Geoscape button and the rest of them to illustrate that those are different "levels" of UI.
  Alternative: Geoscape button not to be square and exactly like the other buttons... but round.
  It's NOT the same thing as all the other screens. It's realtime and all...
  
  Also:
  The STOREROOM button is placed between Barracks and Soldier Equipment.
  IMO, it should be at the far right, just before Xenopedia.
  
• Geoscape UI: Time acceleration.
  When clicking on "nothing" in the big world view, the time is set to the slowest setting.
  That way you can "stop" the time intuitively... and if you miss a click on a moving object, time is also stopped to aid you in catching it with your pointer.
  
• Geoscape UI: Time acceleration.
  SPACE should toggle between "slow" and "last selected speed".
  
• Geoscape.
  The "Key information" display in the upper right is a good thing but it only reacts to some items.
  Mouseover one of your bases and nothing happens. Something should happen. =)
  
• Tooltips in general.
  This is most noticable with grenades in the soldier equipment screen.
  You have to mouseover the item picture, which in the case of grenades is very small compared to the size of the equipment selection field.
  I initially thought that grenade tooltips were broken...
  
• Tabs in general.
  They completely stand out as "virtual overlays" when the rest of the UI is presented as a paper-style management.
  Their function can remain identical but... the look of the tabs should be much more paper-ish. =)
  
  
• Game ESC menu.
  I would like to see the version number there - at least under GAME OPTIONS - so it's always clear what version this is.
  
• Confirmations
  I would like a way to turn off those second-guessing confirmations that ask me if I really want to dismiss this soldier or really want to save the game, or really want to demolish this building...
  
• Alt-Tab.
  When switching back to the game, a black screen with menu texts is displayed before the backgrounds are loaded.
  IMO, a "loading screen" should be shown first, covering up all the UI bits as they are generated in the background.
  
• Mouse click sound.
  A click on something that works (like a button) makes the same sound as clicking on unreactive background.
  You should hear the difference so that if you miss something like a small numeric up/down arrow, you notice that something is off.
  
• In base.
  Clicking a "select base" button.
  Unlike everywhere else, the click itself draws a red border around the base button.
  When moving the pointer away from the button, the red border vanishes.
  There seems to be no purpose to this feature.
  
• Base Management.
  A left click on an existing building should display it's data sheet in the upper right.
  This should also select it for building (if possible) so if you want more of a building that you already have (like a hangar), you can fast-select by clicking on the graphical representation.
  
• Base Management.
  The right click to destroy a building isn't intuitive.
  Every building should have a red close X because that's a symbol that everybody recognises.
  Better yet: A building's close button only shows up on mouseover.
  Makes the base look neater and the close button much more noticeable due to the movement factor.
  
• Base Management.
  When displaying the info for a new RADAR installation, the range display includes the range benefit from all completed installations.
  It should also include all RADARs that are currently under construction so that if you order to build ANOTHER, you see what will happen.
  
• Research + Workshop + Barracks
  Each of these is split into MANAGE and HIRE / FIRE.
  But... the UI for that is all over the place! In the case of Barracks, the tabs itself move around! If you click on HIRE SOLDIERS, the button / tab to get BACK to managing soldiers is in a completely different place!
  These functions should be proper tabs. At the top of the interface and not going anywhere just because you switch to a different tab.
  If the size of the "paper" changes in the lower parts it's not as jarring. (like when displaying the clipboard on the MANAGE SOLDIER screen)
  Of course, if you want to do it perfectly, the paper the tab is printed on could appear folded to the back in that case.
  
• Research: Assigning research project.
  Project should be generated with all free scientists already allocated.
  
• Soldier Equipment
  Clicking on the big soldier picture should open the CHANGE ARMOUR UI just like clicking on a weapon picture does something with the weapon.
  
• Soldier Equipment
  With a 2-handed weapon equipped, the secondary weapon slot shows the same weapon greyed out. I would wish for it to be a little darker.
  Right now the visual difference is rather small.
  Another option:
  Instead of the weapon picture, the secondary weapon window shows only the outline of the weapon.
  It is clear where that is from but it's far more obvious that this is not a "real" second weapon.
  (Outlines like that are also really easy to do when you already have images with an alpha channel. =)
  
  
• Soldier Equipment: Weapon tooltips
  Nearly all stats are obvious with a minimum of common sense. =)
  Except for:
  
  • Armour Mitigation.
    This is obviously how much damage the armour mitigates. No, wait...
    On a weapon, this would be labeled "Armour Penetration" to convey that it penetrates better than other weapons.
    
  • Single Shot (2)
    Single Shot (4)
    Burst Fire
    Some of those display a number, some don't.
    Either way the player can not know what this number means.
    Does the magazine allow for 2 shots before reloading and does the MG have infinite ammo? Is that a level that the soldier needs to have?
    This number (or lack of it) requires explanation.

  [*] Soldier Equipment: Role interface

  • It's... kinda clunky. More so than other UIs like for name input because this is a multi-level menu.
    I'd rather see it become a no-level or 1/2-level menu.
    
  • The text button on the main UI is changed to
    "Equip default loadout for all soldiers"
    No more hand-holding and clicking through a pointless menu for every single soldier.
    
  • Click-hold the role icon on the screen.
    
  • A drop-down menu folds out listing all existing roles with their icon.
    The current role (if any) is highlighted and/or displayed on top.
    Mouseover and release over one of them selects / equips this one.
    
  • The last entries in that drop-down are:
    
    • Update Loadout
      Saves the current equipment to the soldier's current loadout.
      
    • Save new loadout.
      Creates a new role - or overwrites an existing one if the name matches.
      
    • Clear Role.
      Sets "no" role for this soldier so the "Equip all" button does not mess with this soldier.
      

  So with one mouse flick I can (execute or initiate) the selection of a new role, re-equip the soldier to the current role, or save a new role.

  No more multi-layered menu.

  [*] There are a bunch of places where a click-hold-drag(select)-release would be a quicker interface.

  Soldier Equipment: Dropship Assignment, just as one example.

  [*] Soldier Equipment: Crouch animation

  When ordering a soldier to crouch, there is an annoying pause at the start of the stand-towards-crouch animation.

  When standing back up, the pause is either very short or not present.

  [*] Soldier Equipment

  Click on the soldier name to open the Rename Solder UI.

  The name would be displayed white-on-black to be consistent with other click-able elements.

  Dismiss and Relocate could be graphical buttons as described in "Aircraft Equipment Screen".

  They would highlight when doing mouseover on this area:

  

1. Vehicle Equipment
   Basically the same as Aircraft Equipment Screen so I didn't check it in-depth.
   
2. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   Aircraft slots have no mouseover highlight.
   
3. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   When ordering to buy a new plane, there is only one option. Here is looks as if the new Condor is supposed to replace CONDOR-2 instead of going into the open slot.
   Considering there aren't a lof of different items that you can buy, the new plane should be displayed next to the open slot.
   
   
4. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   When clicking on an empty hangar, the aircraft data display empties out.
   It could display the title of "Free Hangar" to make it clear that you didn't just break the display but that this is literally... an empty hangar. =)
   That also makes it more apparent that it could contain something...
   
5. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   The PREVIOUS / NEXT buttons "break" when you encounter an empty aircraft hangar/slot.
   
6. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   Similar to base buildings, I suggest a Close X on mousever on one of the existing aircraft to decommision them.
   
7. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   The Relocate Aircraft could be an arrow pointing left, similar to the Close X. (with every aircraft!)
   This way buttons are clearly associated with the object that they are referring to instead of being text buttons (!) that are somewhat littered across the entire screen.
   
   
8. Aircraft Equipment Screen.
   Clicking on an aircraft name in either the data display or the object list should open the Rename Aircraft prompt.
   The text button for Rename Aircraft should be removed.
   
9. Aircraft Equipment Screen: Assigning weapons to interceptor hardpoints.
   Either...
   There should be a gap between the currently installed weapon and "other weapons that you can install"
   or... the currently installed weapon should not BE in the list of installable weapons. It's redundant.
   
10. Tactical Combat
    I suggest to combine the briefing and the loading screen.
    While loading the mission, the briefing is displayed.
    That way the player has something to read while he's waiting for the game to load.
    That's a lot better than just staring at a screen.
    At the botom it says LOADING, PLEASE WAIT.
    When loading is complete, this changes to CLICK TO ENGAGE. Probably blinking slowly.
    
11. Tactical Combat: Unit Mouseover
    The double circles, that make it possible to select partially hidden units, are not displayed in every location.
    
    
12. Tactical Combat: Tile Marker
    Sometimes it's drawn on top of walls, sometimes behind them, sometimes completely invisible. (if the wall on the right didn't have a window...)
    
    
13. Tactical Combat: Main UI
    When I have a soldier selected, where is the soldier role icon?
    
14. Tactical Combat: Main UI: Visualisation of reserved TU.
    20 TU reserved for a snap shot.
    Why have a graphical representation of TU if you don't use it? =)
    
    
15. Tactical Combat: Multi-turn or interrupted moves
    If my soldier's move in this turn is interrupted by reacion fire or he is continueing a long-distance move order from a previous turn, SPACE continues moving to this destination.
    
16. Tactical Combat: Quick Grenade Slot
    Tooltip tells me that this is the Quick Grenade Slot (I was able to figure out that much without help =) but not which kind of grenade that is.
    Same with selecting a grenade if you open the grenade interface.
    Mouseover should dynamically adjust the text fields to the left of the 6 grenade pictures.
    
17. Tactical Combat: End of mission
    Right now, when the last alien drops dead, the UI simply freezes.
    It's never a good thing if your game looks like it has locked up.
    Loading a single image and displaying it can't take that long.
    Apparently a lot of other stuff is done first... and it shouldn't. =)
    What you could do is load and display a FAKE de-briefing screen with just the tab labels and a header / title of EVALUATING MISSION
    When loading (of whatever is loading) finishes, this is replaced by the real screen with actual info.
    
18. Tactical Combat: End of mission: Soldier Development
    "HP LEVEL 74%" above the soldier icons looks odd. They aren't robots.
    "HEALTH 74%" is more fitting for a human being.
    
19. Tactical Combat: End of mission: Soldier Development
    Skill improvement looks pretty nerdy with all those brackets.
    I suggest something like
    Accuracy 57,
    Bravery 59²,
    REF 55, TUS 63²
    A 1 point increase is implied by the skill being listed.
    2 and 3 point increases are pointed out by the "²" and "³" characters.
    Makes a less garbled list.
    

1. Soldier Equipment
   If you pick up a weapon on the pointer, compatible ammunition that the soldier is carrying is highlighted.
   If you pick up ammunition on the pointer, the compatible weapon that the soldier is carrying is highlighted.
   
2. Tactical Combat
   Hold middle mouse button to scroll / drag the map.

In base equipment screen you can quickly equip stuff with right click, but in ground combat inventory screen it changes to next units inventory?

Soldier Equipment

With a 2-handed weapon equipped, the secondary weapon slot shows the same weapon greyed out. I would wish for it to be a little darker.

Right now the visual difference is rather small.

Another option:

Instead of the weapon picture, the secondary weapon window shows only the outline of the weapon.

It is clear where that is from but it's far more obvious that this is not a "real" second weapon.

(Outlines like that are also really easy to do when you already have images with an alpha channel. =)

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I always thought they were going to replace the two separate fields with a single one as used on the ground combat.

Would have made more sense.