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Main Menu Bar

#1
Could it be possible to have the main menu bar be a widget that can be placed/docked anywhere on the screen (i.e. top, bottom, left, middle, etc.)? Also, it would be cool to see a menu bar that hides or minimizes itself until you mouse to the side of the screen where it is docked, rather like the Mac toolbar. Is this a possibility?
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Re: Main Menu Bar

#2
felldiddy wrote:Could it be possible to have the main menu bar be a widget that can be placed/docked anywhere on the screen (i.e. top, bottom, left, middle, etc.)? Also, it would be cool to see a menu bar that hides or minimizes itself until you mouse to the side of the screen where it is docked, rather like the Mac toolbar. Is this a possibility?
I've thought about the ability to dock it anywhere, and, while it's currently easily feasible, it may not be once we start building functionality on top of the bar. I will keep this in mind though and try to make it customizable.

The way I have the visibility working currently is that the bar is invisible until you turn on free mouse mode, i.e., the mode where the cursor is just a cursor and does not steer the ship. It only makes sense to interact with the UI in this mode, since otherwise you would be turning your ship while trying to reach the bar. So it's not visible during most gameplay, which I think suffices in terms of making it unobtrusive? You'll have to tell me what you think after I release the video.
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Main Menu Bar - and a couple other comments

#3
Hey Josh - the menus look great!

Actually, I'm surprised that it is completely and totally unobtrusive! Thanks! I was mostly concerned about the problem Eve has where you have a bajillion different windows open and you can never find the one you want, and the menu is in the way and your combat overview is in the way, etc. Seems like that is not going to be an issue in the slightest.

Actually, my concern was more that I didn't know what each of the icons were - will there be a way to turn text on/off so that we can know what we're clicking on? Or maybe text shows up on mouseover or some such thing.

One other question - does the game pause when you go into the menu mode? I couldn't really tell. I, for one, would like to be able to turn on auto pilot and then do my e-shopping and system price comparisons while on the move :) Is that to be part of the plan or no?

One other general UI thing. Are you planning on having the cargo/inventory in general filterable? I.e. can I filter for turrets (maybe missle/beam/otherwise specifically) or ammo, space dust, etc?

Thanks for the great work!
Post

Re: Main Menu Bar - and a couple other comments

#4
felldiddy wrote:Hey Josh - the menus look great!

Actually, I'm surprised that it is completely and totally unobtrusive! Thanks! I was mostly concerned about the problem Eve has where you have a bajillion different windows open and you can never find the one you want, and the menu is in the way and your combat overview is in the way, etc. Seems like that is not going to be an issue in the slightest.

Actually, my concern was more that I didn't know what each of the icons were - will there be a way to turn text on/off so that we can know what we're clicking on? Or maybe text shows up on mouseover or some such thing.

One other question - does the game pause when you go into the menu mode? I couldn't really tell. I, for one, would like to be able to turn on auto pilot and then do my e-shopping and system price comparisons while on the move :) Is that to be part of the plan or no?

One other general UI thing. Are you planning on having the cargo/inventory in general filterable? I.e. can I filter for turrets (maybe missle/beam/otherwise specifically) or ammo, space dust, etc?

Thanks for the great work!
Great, glad you like it!

Ha yes, the icons were just a mock-up, they were actually procedurally-generated, so they don't even make sense at all. In the real version, we will have icons that actually make sense, so that you can tell by looking at them what they're for. And yes, they will have tooltips that popup when you mouseover them until you get used to the icons!

Currently the game does not pause in menus, and I think I will keep it this way. I like to feel the world continuing on around me when I'm in menus, and, as you said, it also introduces nice opportunities to interact with the menus while you're waiting for something like autopilot.

Yes, cargo will be filterable at some point :)
“Whether you think you can, or you think you can't--you're right.” ~ Henry Ford
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Re: Main Menu Bar

#5
Somehow I can't help it, but I really do like the idea of having randomly generated icons based on the universe seed. This is like the "language" of the universe that I have to discover, where you would probably, in the beginning, feel much like on a klingon bird of prey. Random symbols everywhere that only start making sense over time. Since at the beginning, hopefully, you won't command a whole fleet right away, you'll get used to the icons as you get deeper into gameplay over time. Some sort of meta-exploring. Dunno if that would have the same effect if you start a second universe, however.
You cannot not communicate.
Paul Watzlawick - 1st Axiom

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