Interface Issues/Suggestions

#1
Hi,

We want to list all current issues and suggestions in one topic.

Note: If a feature/design already has its own topic (with its own title, like Recycle link in esp reports it should be avoided to mentioned again)

Specifically we are looking for:
  • Interface flaws
  • If the flaw is resolution specific (like a flaw on a big or small screen),include the screen size + resolution
  • Room for improvement (Ie, if you are doing three clicks for a usual action, perhaps we could reduce this to one with a link
  • Extra info (If you want the interface to provide more info about something, let us know
  • Links rework (If you feel some links need rework, let us know)
We will be creating a 3rd menu that will be more convenient for wide screens.
Just because we will have more space for this menu, we will add some extra things there.

We are also willing to change/improve things on the current two interfaces (mobile/standard) as both will be retained. A user will be able to switch among the three at any time.

Re: Interface Issues/Suggestions

#2
Suggestion 1:
Galaxy view->hover on planet/moon->Fleet options [Attack/Transport/ACS Defend/Attack]
Can we have that selection be mimicked on the launch menu? right now whatever u select none of the radio buttons gets any selection at the last menu.

Suggestion 2:
Fleet menu 2, when we click on the shortcuts/planet/moon coordinates can that automatically get us to the next page that is the launch page? I know many a time we select the wrong coordinates that is why we are given option for the rechecking and then clicking through the continue button but that recheck can be done on the last menu as well if the coordinates are shown on that menu right before the Continue button. That way it will be really hard to miss.

Also the back button from fleet menu 3 (launch menu) to coordinate/speed selection menu doesnt work. I use chrome it always asks me if i want to resend the game data. Is there a way to avoid that from happening?
Barbaric nomad causing P-A-I-N.

Re: Interface Issues/Suggestions

#6
can we have the player name listed in the message reports...
can we have a method of just looking at a specific player/galaxy in the messages section
can we have some selection to see just sections of the messages/(e.g. res and defence, or no tech... possibly via options?)
(thrust of this is to avoid pointless duplication of information across the reports and cut down screen scrolls)

on the jump gate , can we have an option to remain on the current moon (especially if we haven't jumped everything)

can you either have an option to remove the noob messages (eg esp is dangerous for fs ) or just not display them for players out of noob protection ... they are particularly annoying on mobile devices

can we go back to the old alliance screen when clicking the alliance menu option...

can we have an alliance Notes feature like the standard player Notes

can we have a terse/verbose option ... especially for mobile devices
e.g. terse for defence would probably be just a table of the available defence options without graphic images and the standard "features"/res cost so it would just be a list of the item names and an input box for quantity required
similar for ships and fleet selection

this would improve mobile usage.

on the Fleet location screen could the list of your planets/moons (and shortcuts) be selectable for just planets or moons or all (with a defaultable options setting) this again would reduce the need to scroll when the player has more planets

could we have "continue" (action commands) repeated at the top and bottom of every variable list screen again to reduce scrolling.

can you make it not matter whether you are currently on the moon or planet and allow missile launch and phalanx to work if the appropriate resources are in place.

provide an option to control the order of listing fleets/defence/shipyard as to whether the lists are cheapest to highest (as present) or highest cost to cheapest... as is probably most desirable to established players

in empire view , either move the technology section to the end of the report or put it just once at the end...

allow view access to the research menu from any moon or planet even if the research building is being built... (allow view from moons...)
Just S N A R L & LEAP

"to crush your enemies, to see them fall at your feet -- to take their horses and goods and hear the lamentation of their women. That is best." G.K.

Re: Interface Issues/Suggestions

#7
can we have the fleet/attack screens compressed down to only 1 or 2 especially for mobile versions...

e.g. choose fleet composition and attack /movement option as 1 form
then target/speed as the second

so that its only 1 or 2 submits rather than the 4 its seems to be at present...

remember less screen space the better for mobile...


could you consider allowing "named" fleets or standard ship selections ...
e.g. for raiding 1 EC is often all thats required... (or 250sc)
or a std small raid maybe 50 bc/bs and an EC

so a drop down selection on 1 field maybe easier to manipulate than having to scroll and enter several fields particularly on a mobile... you'd probably want this configure thru a separate fleet specification screen

e.g. i may have/tailor small raid 250sc 10bs named sm1
small bomb 1ec 50bs 50bomb bomb1
med raid 1 ec 250bs 250bomb 500bc mraid

etc

or at least consider a radio/tick box along side the ship numbers to select 1 of that type (or a preconfigured number)
as it can be messy switching to numbers on some mobile (phone) devices...
Just S N A R L & LEAP

"to crush your enemies, to see them fall at your feet -- to take their horses and goods and hear the lamentation of their women. That is best." G.K.

Re: Interface Issues/Suggestions

#8
for mobile(/ all)

either remove the listing of in air fleets from the initial fleet screen
or move it to the bottom under the fleet selection options
or have it displayed as a collapsed / small drop down....

its usually the last thing you need to see at that point in time... (just the current number of in flight fleets is required..)

-- have a look at all of the screens and do a redesign based on what is the usual action a player will be doing here...
and ask why isnt that right at the top of the screen to minimise scrolling / mouse travel / pagination
this is particularly important for mobile usage (especially phones)
Just S N A R L & LEAP

"to crush your enemies, to see them fall at your feet -- to take their horses and goods and hear the lamentation of their women. That is best." G.K.

Re: Interface Issues/Suggestions

#10
Just a summary for what has already been posted to help dev team. Also some questions for those that already posted.
In green are what have already been implemented. In red what has been disapproved.


SPY
-Suggestion 1: Implemented/Fixed
--Suggestion 2: Disapproved. It is an extra click which is mandatory for flawless operation. It will create more problems this way.
-Suggestion 3: Perhaps we can create a custom back button for this. The back button of the browser would be too much fuss to activate. Nothing I can guarantee right now.
-What do you mean with the moon list ordering? Any relative topic?


DuctTape
-Defense link added

lowfatspread
Espionage
-What do you mean with: can we have the player name listed in the message reports ? You mean espionage reports? The name isn't there eh?
-We could add a search function on messages. Would this be enough?
-Sections could be added.

Perhaps you should create a new topic specifically for espionage improvement so we can gather more suggestions for improvement. As it stands now, these are too much for simple tweaking and too few for an update if you get what I mean.

The noob message is outdated now. The initial reason we put it out there was because fleets were being lost to espionage in the past. However, we have re-written this piece of code partially and we have excluded this possibility. So this message has been now removed entirely.

-Why you need alliance notes? Aren't the forums enough?
-We want to promote the usage of alliance forums, so the priority will remain as it is.

-Terse mode-> So simply a list with no description and images (for quick building for example)?

Code: Select all

on the Fleet location screen could the list of your planets/moons (and shortcuts) be selectable for just planets or moons or all (with a defaultable options setting) 
I can't get a clue on what you mean here. Could you elaborate?

->provide an option to control the order of listing fleets/defence/shipyard as to whether the lists are cheapest to highest (as present) or highest cost to cheapest... as is probably most desirable to established players
-Won't the terse mode you proposed above will be enough? We could add easy 1-click no-lag ordering too AND ability to save default listing to this mode. I understand this is mostly a mobile issue so if a mobile user is going to use terse mode, this will make to put it there and probably only there to save dev time.

-I thought Empire view does not list technologies at all. If you mean that it needs to be added, then I agree. This would make view from moons of the research page not necessary as there will be another page to track your researches. Perhaps we could create a better tech three too and use that page to track techs.

[Approved] list - No further info needed - Not yet implemented
-"continue" (action commands) repeated at the top and bottom of every variable list screen again to reduce scrolling.
-Select All for jump fleets approved.
-not matter whether you are currently on the moon or planet and allow missile launch and phalanx to work if the appropriate resources are in place.