Objectives Overlay Screen Feedback

[Chris]

The Briefing Screen doesn't really provide much in the way of useful information, so I'd like to remove it entirely and replace it with a display in the top-left of the screen that provides more useful contextual information.

This will display the victory conditions of the mission, including alternative victory conditions like taking and holding the UFO or destroying the base power cores. If people don't want to see it, a click will minimise it and just show the icon. Another click will bring it back.

It will also display information to help the plot advance - i.e. "Capture Alien Leader (Optional)" or "Capture Praetor (Optional)". The intention is to help players unfamiliar with X-Com to understand what they're meant to be doing, so they'll at least know that capturing a particular type of alien is possible on the mission they are playing. It can be difficult to identify the leaders / officers on the first play-through, particularly if you're not even sure if they are present on a mission or not.

I'm not particularly set on the current presentation, so I'm willing to listen to suggestions on alternate styling. Here's what I have so far:

Open 1: http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/option1.jpg (transparent background)

Open 2: http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/option2.jpg (no background)

Closed: http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/shut.jpg

PSD files, in case you want to have a go yourself: http://www.xenonauts.com/devimages/overlay.rar

[vaultdweller]

I was iffy on the idea (I dislike screen clutter), but this sold it to me:

they'll at least know that capturing a particular type of alien is possible on the mission they are playing. It can be difficult to identify the leaders / officers on the first play-through, particularly if you're not even sure if they are present on a mission or not.

This was a problem for me the first time I played. The first time I attacked a small base, I was walking on eggshells to carefully stun as many aliens as I could, because I expected to find a Leader based on OG experience, but had no idea how to identify one.

[llunak]

It's hard to judge without trying it out for real, but I think I'd consider this to be unnecessary screen clutter. Barring the panel, it would be the only other UI element in GC, and it'd probably catch attention repeatedly (e.g. during view scrolling, the fact that it's not moving and in the corner would probably make me automatically notice it all the time). So I'd like to have a way to get rid of it entirely, meaning not even minimized. Alternatively, maybe the button for minimizing could be somewhere on the panel, where it wouldn't visually get so much in the way.

But is this actually needed for Veteran+ ? It doesn't really say anything that an experienced player wouldn't already know or find out. Some of the useful things like holding UFO for 5 turns can be in the GC loading tips, or in the explanatory tooltips. Moreover, things like "Capture Praetor (Optional)" gives away information, so it may be ok for lesser difficulties, but I wouldn't want to know.

[Skitso]

As somewhat unfamiliar with the OG, this is something I really want to have in xenonauts, but I'm not that fond of extra screen clutter. You'd probably be able to include an "objectives on/off" switch in the bottom screen main interface?

Edited January 8, 2014 by Skitso

[StellarRat]

I love this idea! Your transparent display is just fine. I like the no background too. Either one would be a good addition to the game.

[thothkins]

To answer the question, I prefer the transparent background option as it's that little bit clearer to read. Having it appear closed to begin with would prevent those who really, really didn't want to know the race type form seeing it automatically.

However, I'd rather not have it at all. As mentioned your attention is drawn to it a lot needlessly. That's going to be a pain across a whole game. I'm not at all sold on knowing the alien race I'm going to be up against either. That takes away a large element of surprise, and therefore suspense and fun. Not knowing what the leaders look like is part of the suspense surely. That extra risk of knowing that you had to be careful and possibly put your guys more at risk. That used to come form research stating that leader X would be in ship Y or base Z and then the player had to go from there.

[Chris]

It's part of the suspense if you know what's going on. I remember the first time I played X-Com and had to capture an alien leader I spent ages just stunning everything in sight in the hope it was a leader. Little did I know, I wasn't encountering big enough UFOs to find them at that point, so lots of wasted effort.

We can probably put this on Easy / Normal, and not have it on Veteran / Insane. Would make sense.

[ventuswings]

It's part of the suspense if you know what's going on. I remember the first time I played X-Com and had to capture an alien leader I spent ages just stunning everything in sight in the hope it was a leader. Little did I know, I wasn't encountering big enough UFOs to find them at that point, so lots of wasted effort.

We can probably put this on Easy / Normal, and not have it on Veteran / Insane. Would make sense.

How about having it only available if the explanatory tool tip section is checked?

I also remember discussion about adding 'Alien Class Analysis Mod' option on the game itself at earlier stage of the mod, in which case there also would be enough information to have the message be needless.

Edited January 9, 2014 by ventuswings
added blank space

[Skitso]

In my opinion, the main problem here isn't that there is a visible objectives button, but it's more about that the new transparent / white UI element is not in line with the rest of the game's look and sticks to the eye in the upper corner. I bet it'll also look ugly on the Aliens turn when there's two identical alien head UI elements side by side in the upper portion of the screen and both mean different things.

The new objectives UI could look much less obtrusive when integrated to the already present UI at the bottom of the screen.

I made a quick photoshop what I think would work:

When objectives are closed, exclamation mark would be white and mouseover yellow

When objectives are open, exclamation mark would be gray, mouseover yellow.

Edited January 9, 2014 by Skitso

[thothkins]

It's part of the suspense if you know what's going on. I remember the first time I played X-Com and had to capture an alien leader I spent ages just stunning everything in sight in the hope it was a leader. Little did I know, I wasn't encountering big enough UFOs to find them at that point, so lots of wasted effort. We can probably put this on Easy / Normal, and not have it on Veteran / Insane. Would make sense.

But not as suspenseful surely as that creeping fear of the unknown and hoping you brought along the best kind of ammo. I mean, I could put suspenders on the suspense of knowing what aliens I was up against, but it would have half of the suspense of that.

Altering it for difficulty levels is decent, and I do much prefer Skitso's version.

[smoitessier]

I find it a bit clutering as well...

question what is that asterix in the bottom of the screen? if you click on it could you see mission objectives?

[Gauddlike]

I don't mind the objective window being present although I do prefer having the button on the actual UI.

I don't know how well a pop up window would work where skitso has put it.

It could end up overlapping the UI on some resolutions.

Maybe combine the two and have the button clicked on the UI open up to a window along the top and return to the UI when closed?

If these messages could be tied to the research tree in order to display the proper objective can they also be tied to multiple sections?

I was thinking if you have the Quantum Cryptology Centre available then you should already know what aliens you will be facing on the ground.

If you know you are facing Sebillians and the ship is large then a message saying try to capture a Sebillian leader doesn't give anything away that can't be explained by the cryptology centre.

Technically it should only show if the centre is currently built but that can be worked round.

[KateMicucci]

The Briefing Screen doesn't really provide much in the way of useful information, so I'd like to remove it entirely

Having the briefing screen is preferable to just being dropped straight into the mission. It looks nice and sets a tone. What's the point in removing it?

[Chris]

You know what, I might just re-envision this window. It'd make more sense if it was a pop-up at the start of the mission in the same way that the explanatory tooltips are.

That way it's less intrusive in the long term than it being there all the time....and if it's a briefing you've seen before, it just wouldn't need to appear. If it contains new information it could pop-up normally though.

[Ol' Stinky]

I like the idea of the pop-up more than the mockups, Skitso's included, although I think his idea's the best of the bunch. There could be a button in the ESC menu to bring the pop-up back on screen in case the player forgets. It's not uncommon in games to see [Objectives] or [Mission Briefing] among [save], [Load] etc.

The pop-up can appear on the first mission of any difficulty but could have a "Never show this window again. (You can always see the current objectives through the main menu.)" tickbox in the bottom corner.

[Chris]

Stinky - yes, adding an "Mission Objectives" button to the in-game Esc menu would be a good way to bring it up after the initial showing without intruding on visible space.

[Frakel]

The Briefing Screen doesn't really provide much in the way of useful information, so I'd like to remove it entirely [...]

As explained in this post, I feel that you should go in another direction and instead use the briefing and debriefing screens as an opportunity to display the great artwork of the game. Rather that regarding the briefing screen only as an opportunity for information, you should expand on its ability to supply mood, atmosphere and flavor to the game.

[Gorlom]

You know what, I might just re-envision this window. It'd make more sense if it was a pop-up at the start of the mission in the same way that the explanatory tooltips are.

That way it's less intrusive in the long term than it being there all the time....and if it's a briefing you've seen before, it just wouldn't need to appear. If it contains new information it could pop-up normally though.

Are you going to make it part of the Esc- button menu? Or how will you look at it again if you want to review it?

EDIT: Nvm Already got answered

[Dranak]

I like the idea of the pop-up more than the mockups' date=' Skitso's included, although I think his idea's the best of the bunch. There could be a button in the ESC menu to bring the pop-up back on screen in case the player forgets. It's not uncommon in games to see [Objectives'] or [Mission Briefing] among [save], [Load] etc.

The pop-up can appear on the first mission of any difficulty but could have a "Never show this window again. (You can always see the current objectives through the main menu.)" tickbox in the bottom corner.

Great idea. This sounds like a good way to go with this.