Take a look if you haven't already. Hope it is ok to post some impressions, obviously not going to repost the image here...
I am really liking the improvements to the planet interface, it looks a lot cleaner and the build-able hexes are significantly more distinct. Also like how the clear production/wealth/research menu is and the sharpness of the terrain map along with a proper separated queue (and separate cancel ).
The only possible improvement that comes to mind is perhaps changing the layout or at least increasing the size of the options under the 'Available Projects' header (All, Improvements, Projects etc)...maybe it is just my old eyes but they still seem a bit small. Also while only 'coloring in' the hexes is nice and makes them a lot more obvious it is perhaps a bit of a shame to make the rest of the planet terrain black and white (but may be a worthwhile trade-off).
Really liking the design overall though
I really wish the tiles where a little smaller more tiles maybe another row horizontally and vertically... But I agree it's easier to see what is in the build que.
I'm not a fan;
1. I really dislike how the unusable surface area is monochromatic. We're not retarded Stardock, we know what is usable and what isn't.
2. The picture of the Earth and Luna should be removed, it's just visual clutter and is in all but one case inaccurate
3. Continents shouldn't be outlined in teal, it makes it look cheap and it's unnecessary.
4. The borders of the screen should have half and quarter hexes to make the planet view a rectangle, right now it looks messy and awful, showing a background that is visually boring.
5 The "Projects" and their header should be removed and be placed alongside the top bar with "Improvements" and "Old. That space could be used better by displaying something more useful.
6. Cued improvements should have a name, or shortened name underneath them.
A few thoughts.
- Not a fan of the grayed out tiles. While it is obviously easier to see which tiles are colonizable and which are not, I feel like this makes the whole thing more bland. Its kind of like looking at a picture of the planet instead of the planet itself. I think simply using a clearer highlight on usable tiles while keeping everything in color would be preferable.
-I am glad to see the Production/wealth/research icons back. Hope those will be updated real time while tweaking the local production wheel. I see they are grouped in 50/10/5/1 size, Wonder how easy to read that will be.
-Not convinced about the icon only queue. I tend to prefer names instead of icons, but the thing most missing is the ETA for each items in the queue. Edit: I just noticed the ETA is in the Item list so not too bad.
-Regarding ParagonRenagade comment on the background, unless the background is personalized to reflect each planet, I would tend to agree.
-Edit: Also, as Paragon said, I also think the separate box for projects is useless. It already has its own tab and would be found at the end of the ALL list.
I dont really like the visual representation of manufacturing/research/wealth. It's almost impossible to, at a glance, convert the visual representation to the numeric one. You also would have a problem where something like 49 would look really long visually (4x10, 5x1, 1x4), but 51 would be shorter (1x50, 1x1). This gives a really odd visual where 'less is more' in terms of length. I do like the representation of other items in that bottom bar though very clean and makes sense.
I think you could just do manufacturing/research/weatth as on 'cell' and the other 2 cells coudl be used for more information?
Not sure if this is a good idea visually, but what if you put available projects on the left, then bthe build queue on the right?
I'd also agree there. Visually projects look different than improvments so the demarcation isn't really that relevant. Especially now that we're moving ship building off planet.
I like the grayed out tiles. It provides a very nice contrast to the entire map. Good job there Stardock. The colored sections really point your eyes to the important tiles.
I wonder if a rectangle planet view would be a better, look. Since you are graying out and using green hex tiles to represent important tiles. Currently, the jagged outlines are providing a visual distraction.
--- Just read the other replies, guess there are few that don't like the grayscale version of the earth as the non-important tiles.
I like the header separator, between projects, and improvements. I would like a couple sort options (if possible, wish-list) to sort by improvement type. (culture, population, influence, etc.), cost to build, name... these are a few. I'm sure there are others that may be useful.
I like the background picture. Its rather nice.
As to the que with just icons, I'm assuming here that you just highlight the picture and you get the tool-tip telling us exactly what the thing that is being built at the time. When you highlight the que, will it also highlight the location on the planet that is associated with that item in the que?
Question: How will the planet terraforming hexes appear in this format. Would they just be grayed out and when you terraform you get new tiles that you didn't before (prevent planet planning), or will they also appear in color with a yellow hue?
edit: I also notice that you have written Bread Bosket... shouldn't it be Bread Basket?
I just took a couple minutes comparing a ScreenShot of the current Alpha planet view to this new one and I have to say that I actually prefer the old one, except for the absence of the Production/research/wealth icons.
The old one seems perfectly fine and more practical to me. Just make the tile contrast better and find a way to insert the Production/research/wealth icons in there and we got a winner.
I also like it with fluff numbers better
I also wonder what we are missing with the sudden disappearance of this part of the gui
Now that you've contradicted literally everything I've said, I'll never get my way!
Parrotmath! I'll have to beat you up now!
Not so... I've agreed with you on the rectangular view port of the planet map. It's not likely that Stardock would take my advice over yours anyway. They are making design decisions with other things in mind that we do not know what will come of the future. For example,
The header for the planetary projects might be useful depending on how many projects vs. improvements we can do. Right now with basically 4, it makes no sense. But I can envision having 8-10 different planetary projects, each providing different bonuses to various things (done through DLC for more things) Then that header would make more sense, as a separator. Also, with the ship building moving off world, there are different things that can be done, such as orbital structures to a planet. Another DLC or expansion. Allowing someone to build a orbital ring around the planet, or maybe Moon building projects. Then a header for these topics would be nice to see. I'm just envisioning what the future might hold.
The background thing is a preference, but I like the character it brings as opposed to a sterile environment without a background. They might look at it both ways before they show us 1 way. We don't really know what this UI looks with the background.
The gray-scale background is nice to ensure the small lines for the UI. I would prefer this over a excessively hued (highlighted) settable areas. It provides a clean contrast and is not visually distracting. Doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer it, if they went to an individual tile builder, where each tile is a puzzle piece that looks like the terrain and is pieced together to make the entire planetary background. It is probably far less intensive to have a solid background with highlights anyway.
I look at this and I think it is clean and looks nice. We will see when you look at either a very busy screen for the 40th time (playing big map) or this screen for the 40th time. I think this one will not put me into mental overload.
We'll see what they say on the matter
I think the new screen is much prettier, but I have lost a lot of my ability to gain useful info at a glance.
1) All the information I want is on the bottom, which is counter intuitive for me. My eye is strongly drawn to the map, which gives little useful info.
2) I like the icons for production, but including 50's and 5's makes if very hard to read, just do 100s, 10s and 1s
3) It feels to me like the production queue should have the next thing built on the far left rather than right, though old top to bottom was clearer still.
4)The grayed out backdrop adds clarity at the expense of immersion, I'm neutral on this, but do agree it makes it feel like you are looking at a map, while the old map felt like you were looking down on your planet.
5) Production time of upcoming projects is important info, and don't I want to have to mouse-over to see it.
6) Would it be possible to get a mini production disc on this screen? Click on it to get the larger window where you can change it, but be able to see at a glance where you have it set. I plan on managing each of my planets individually and without this feature, I will be opening the "govern planet" window every time I open this window.
7) It would be nice to have a visual representation of adjacency bonuses, (initial thought would be little arrows perpendicular to tile borders in the color of the bonus given, with more or bigger arrows for bigger bonuses) if for no other reason than to be a gratifying reminder when you set up a planet well.
Thanks for listening to my feedback!
Edit: I am inexplicably tickled by "Trait: Bread Bosket" makes me smile every time I look at it.
Minor quibble on a misspelling:
Bread Bosket
who did that? Lol.
That's my biggest concern with the new design. I prefer the small planet statistic window on the left side like in Planet Screen Alpha 1, as well as the production queue on the right side.
I think it's looking much better and unlike ParagonRenegade I am a fan of the monochrome non-usable areas which I assume change as tech allows you to open up more of the planet..
If that makes me retarded I can live with that
Some more thoughts on the planet screen;
The hex grid is useful for adjacency bonuses and who knows me be used to govern troop movements of a planetary invasions screen .
Visually though it is more distracting than a simple grid, but I think the monochrome and only drawing lines round usable hexes does reduce this acceptably.
Generally the whole screen now looks clearer and less cluttered, a great improvement on the screen in the current Alpha.
My two cents:
1. If the Manufacturing Queue section is at the lower part of the screen, then they should reverse its two subsections. The "Now Building" subsection, which is currently on the right side, should be put on the left. This seems more logical to me.
2. The hammers, flasks and coins icons don’t give new information, but they occupy too much space on the screen. If I want immediate info on research, manufacturing, etc., text and numbers can give that info immediately. These icons are a nice visual addition, but cannot give me info on the state of my production at a glance. They are not really useful, they are mainly eye candy only, which is not a bad thing, just the proportions are not right for me somehow.
3. I don't like the greyed out surface tiles at all.
4. Oceans are currently not indicated on the surface screen. Where water is present, it should be indicated visually (colour blue, some art) on the corresponding tiles.
5. I don’t like the jagged edges of the screen. They feel weird, distracting.
6. I also miss that part of the GUI where info was given on Selected Tile etc. (see Reply #7 of EvilMaxWar).
I have mixed feelings on this new Planet Screen. There are improvements, but in many aspects it is a step back for me.
Some minor things:
7. It would be good if the header (All, Improvements, Projects, Old) under "Available Projects" in the right upper part of the screen was a bit bigger. I use a 24" full HD monitor and this header is quite small on it, it is a bit inconvenient to click on it.
8. It would be good if the two arrows next to the name of the planet at the top of the screen were a bit more „robust”, a bit more emphasized, separated from the background, like a "real" on-screen button, so that it can be a bit more obvious where to click. Admittedly, for me this is more of a mental thing only, I probably miss the feeling of clicking on something.
One more thing:
Will the planetary improvements that are waiting in the manufacturing queue be represented by their icons only? I think their names should be indicated as well. I'm a visual type of a guy, I very much like the addition of improvement icons to the manufacturing queue, it is much more of a visual experience, but I cannot always remember which icon represents which improvement (especially when some of the icons are quite similar). If I want to asses the situation at a glance, the name identifies the improvement more faster and more exactly. It could be that hovering tooltips will be used to show the name, but it is slower and more work.
Casspir
On (1) just don't see why the left would be more logical than the right or indeed the other way around.
On (2) I can see you're point but text and numbers would not look as good while giving as you say more accurate information I think they need to find a way to do both e.g. a visual representation that can be easily read with a degree of accuracy with numbers in a tooltip when you mouse over it.
(3) and (4) are releated there is water but since you can't build on it, it's greyed out. I kind of disagree here I like the idea of having the unusable part of the surface monochrome like this and watching it slowly be revealed in colour as I get the tech to make more tiles usable. People seem to be a bit split on this generally so I think despite the fact I like it they should explore other possibilities as well see if they can find something that has a stronger positive concencus from the community.
(5) Agreed but generally the Hex grid is useful so maybe they just need to fuzzout the edge of the map so we don't see the irregular outline. Personally though this is no biggy for me and I wouldn't be to bothered if they left it.
(6) I hadn't really missed this, but now that you mention it I do think it should come back in some form. Although it does add to the clutter.
On your other points I have no strong feelings one way or another, they weren't an issue for me but I have a smaller screen.
I like:
1) The way the data is displayed below the panel, it's v understandable, clear and useful. Presumably there are tooltips on the traits, food production, approval, maintenance, manufacturing, research and wealth (so that it's clear how everything adds up)?
2) If the picture in the background relates to the planet you're looking at, I like it! Perhaps some of the panel could be a little bit less opaque so that you can see a little more, or alternatively perhaps it would be nice to see some more of what the planet looks like in the planet details screen - along with a little write up re: what the planet is like for its inhabitants (As in GC2). Does the govern planet button lead to that screen? If so, perhaps that could be made clear? If not, it would be nice to have a link to the "details" screen on this UI (IMO).
3) The fact that your production tiles are now based around land mass. That's cool! If you later get the opportunity to colonise liquid/gas/other planets, it would be awesome if you could also find a way of visibly representing that!
I don't like:
1) The monochromatic bit. I think that subtracts from the character.
2) The lack of - for want of a better word - "life" on the screen. It doesn't look like a living breathing planet. I like the way, in Civ 5 - for example - your cities always seemed to be real places, and as the planet developed, cities and buildings sprung up without your intervention, and then your building projects kind of mingled in, or - if massive - dominated the landscape. This interface still looks quite "gamey", more so in some respects that the Alpha interface - based purely on my recollections (I'm not at home at the moment to check). I would love to see some dynamism on this screen in the finished game, with some visible habitation, and perhaps little ships zipping around - or similar!
P.S - Having read through some of the comments above - I also lean in favour of separating the projects from the build queue - as in the picture. I'd actually meant to add that to my "likes" list.
-i like the hammers/beakers/coins. Even tho i will never use them instead of the number, i like a visual representation of how badass my planet is.
-i agree that the grey background is clarity at the expense of immersion. could probably get used to it, but i like immersion.
-i like the projcects devider, i think there should also be one for ships (such ast he transport in the picture). New and old improvements should also be seperate. (i vastly prefer scrolling up down then selecting a different tab, also make each header collapsible)
-terraforming hexes should be visible.
-i miss the current selected tile UI element.
-production queue has to little info. should at least have the ETA of the queued things in a little box underneath their icons, along with a cancel and buy box, or at least those options should be available from tooltip.
-the background image is cool if theres a unique one for (at least) each planet type.
P.S. am i blind or is there no capital on that planet?
P.S.2. the currently produced improvement is half colored half greyed out on the planet surface, has that always been there? its a nice touch.
You see the reason it probably doesn't bother me is that I don't see the colony view as a direct photo of the planet from space rather as a digital display I'm looking at as the leader a sort of augmented reality display with graphics overlay (if not all the buildings on our planet are hudge). As a result making the productive and activley usable areas of the planet full color and fading the rest to grey makes sense. It also shows me graphicly how little or much of my planet is open for active use at the moment.
For this reason it doesn't impact immersion for me.
By the way just had another look and there are number for production, research, etc along with icons so I don't see an issue there.
off-topic
I didnt have time to see and Judge the img to detail but i think its great to see the amount of reactions and contra opinions here.
The layout is mostly look and feel. Personaly im more intrested in the general gameplay.
on-topic
ofcourse i did have a sneakpeak.
1: if this layout stays does this mean a planet can have up to 2 traits max? and the homeplanet 1 besides being home planet?
2: whats the point of the multiple production icons from large to small? its just visual waste
3: I still am hoping for better, more fancy buildings. would love a more natural build where neighbouring structures blend in - fade over
4: drop the hex edges. make the map fit the screen. ony put in the hex for usable/ researchable tiles
5: build que missing a 'total' counter for when everything wil be finished and/ or after how many turns each wil be done (small counter on each icon will do fine)
6: please define the 'old' filter vs the other options
spontaniouse idea
7: make building available via drag and drop. that makes it les clicking and easier to manage
8: make projects and strucures have set windows both scrollable individualy. with collapse and expand option? aspecially when a colony is 'finished' i dont like having to scroll down to the projects
9: put in a 'upgrade' button (pending on how you solve the auto-upgrade issues mentioned in other topics wich i hope will be in the settings options) When active we simply single click the tiles we want to upgrade. Better yet make it a du button. one as described second 'upgrade all'.
My issue with it is, that, with the icons, you can't tell at a glance how much it is. You first need to recognise the values of the individual icons, and then add them together, before you know how much you produce in that category. The number, on the other hand, tells you the same thing at a glance.
So, in the end, you get the same information twice. Both in a easily accessible way, and in a time-consuming way. What's the point behind that?
I've noticed that too. My guess is, that they turned the Capital and the Initial Colony into traits in order to fix the "the game automatically placed that building on a tile I don't agree with"-problem some people had.
Also, Approval is back.
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