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Official Beta Interface Thread... |
Faustus
Marshal
Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 2748
From: Austin, Texas
|  Posted: 2004-02-25 16:41
If you haven't checked in BETA yet, alot has changed with the interface...
All commands are now inside submenus, and the spacebar is now context senstive (if you have a planet targeted, spacebar is the orbit comand now, enemy ship is alpha strike, etc).
I know some tweaking will need to be done, not to mention adjusting to the new controls is a bit confusing for the vetern user. However, I think the new control scheme will ultimately be easier for new players to use, who do not already have O as orbit imprinted into their brains. Please keep this in mind, and try the interface out for a hour or so before passing any judgement.
NOTE: in-game Options screen is now gone, HUD colors are being moved to client setup shortly.
Please post your feedback and comments... keep it positive 
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Doran
Chief Marshal
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 29, 2003
Posts: 4032
From: The Gideon Unit
| Posted: 2004-02-25 16:59
Quote:
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On 2004-02-25 16:41, Faustus wrote:
NOTE: in-game Options screen is now gone, HUD colors are being moved to client setup shortly.
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hmm, how about the key binds screen under options? client setup as well? gone completly? gone untill it works?
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-Baron Von Virtu
Cadet
Joined: December 21, 2002
Posts: 411
| Posted: 2004-02-25 17:08
Quote:
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On 2004-02-25 16:59, Doran wrote:
Quote:
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On 2004-02-25 16:41, Faustus wrote:
NOTE: in-game Options screen is now gone, HUD colors are being moved to client setup shortly.
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hmm, how about the key binds screen under options? client setup as well? gone completly? gone untill it works?
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Good question, I cant change the colors either. And, you should keep the spacebar to center on a target while in navigation.
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Piotr-san
Chief Marshal
*Renegade Space Marines*
Joined: July 18, 2002
Posts: 385
From: Poland
| Posted: 2004-02-25 17:14
New intarafce isnt bad but why do a whole remaping of shourtcuts even if you feel thats necessary for making some things easier for new players some of most used shourtcuts could be left alone like "shift e" "shift r" "ctrl r" "shift m" "shift b" "shift s" "shift j " "ctrl j" "shift h" and "ctrl h".
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g0ds s0ldier
Grand Admiral
Pitch Black
Joined: October 24, 2002
Posts: 954
| Posted: 2004-02-25 17:16
Quote:
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On 2004-02-25 17:08, -Baron Von Virtu wrote:
And, you should keep the spacebar to center on a target while in navigation.
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Yes please 
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NoPants2win
Cadet
Joined: February 23, 2002
Posts: 1275
From: Poorly ventilated paint storage facility.
| Posted: 2004-02-25 18:23
Yeah thats kind of important.
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Sopwith Camel
Grand Admiral
Galactic Navy
Joined: March 07, 2002
Posts: 651
From: Toronto
| Posted: 2004-02-25 18:33
To tell the truth, I don't really like the new key assignments. The way we play this game is like second nature to us: to orbit a planet you select and press 'o', to load cargo, you press 'l', etc.
I really appreciate the way that the buttons to "load" or "orbit" in the lower right hand corner is now quite large, but I hope that we will be able to remap the keys to what we're used to in future versions of beta.
I think that the new interface is pretty neat, especially since spacebar is context-sensitive now: newbies will have less of a chance at friendly fire!
BUG: when you 'use' the shipyard (spacebar in the new system) the server message still says to use 'control-u' to confirm.
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[ This Message was edited by: Sopwith Camel {C?} on 2004-02-25 18:38 ]
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MrSparkle
Marshal
Joined: August 13, 2001
Posts: 1912
From: mrsparkle
| Posted: 2004-02-25 18:36
So long as I can reset it so O is orbit and spacebar just centers the nav screen in F2 I won't have any problems with it  But right now it's just bleh.
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JackSwift
Cadet
Sundered Weimeriners
Joined: October 30, 2002
Posts: 1806
From: Where the Sun dont Shine (Seattle-ish)
| Posted: 2004-02-25 19:00
Don't you people know how to double click? (Hint: that also centers targets in nav mode...)
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Rocki
Grand Admiral
Joined: August 13, 2002
Posts: 1029
| Posted: 2004-02-25 19:07
I played it for a good hour or more... and frankly, i dont like it.
The little popup menus are neat, but the spacebar thing is driving me nuts. Half the time i was in there i spent fleeing from enemy planets, or aborting the jump to them.
Agreed, the changing functions for the spacebar are neat, but it is simply too confusing. A general purpose key like this is nice, but please make it another key and leave space, o , l , etc. as they were. This gives you the option to use the old system, or use the new all-purpose key.
Oh and can you please make the hud a little lighter? Its about impossible to see the difference between en- and disabled buttons.
PS: arrow keys are back, yay!
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Spaceflower (Swe)
1st Rear Admiral
Joined: December 28, 2002
Posts: 73
From: Sweden
| Posted: 2004-02-25 19:20
I must admit the new interface was, well, a lot of confusing at the begining, but I think I'm getting a hold of it. Don't know if I like the colorscheme though (gate), i prefer highlighted for accesseble ships and dark for non accesseble. But i guess that is something you can change later on, if I have understud this correctly, it just that i never do *s*
the new system layout is good though, but I would like the slot name (i.e. Special 1) to be displayed even if you have things installed in that perticullar slot.
..not much, but some.
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Drafell
Grand Admiral
Mythica
Joined: May 30, 2003
Posts: 2449
From: United Kingdom
| Posted: 2004-02-25 19:44
Not sure if its a problem with new interface but....
If you go into f3 mode on a planet and rightclick to rotate planet, it sometimes gets stuck and only way to unstick is to exit screen, reenter the screen and then right click.
Also using space to center on target would be appreciated in nav screen, not to orbit. This ties in with the use of space in other games to center on your current target.
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Raiders
Cadet
Joined: December 28, 2001
Posts: 353
From: Cali
| Posted: 2004-02-25 20:11
Well my main issues with it are
1. you cant toggle PD on all beams at once you have to go through
each one
2. you cant det your torps
3. some of the old controls were already fairly intuitive like O for orbit
and L for load
4. planet options connected to space bar change with relative distance
*example: at 250gu from a shipyard your option is to dock while
at 251gu it pauses the structure
5. the comands in the planet pop up menu (like nearest shipyard and
starport) all read hotkeys that don't work
6. target nearest supply targets the nearest friendly planet whether it
has a depot or not, even if a depot is on the planet it doesnt target
it, just the planet itself
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Faustus
Marshal
Palestar
Joined: May 29, 2001
Posts: 2748
From: Austin, Texas
| Posted: 2004-02-25 20:18
Raiders,
Press the C key, then D key to toggle PD for all beam weapons...
T key, then S key (I think) to target nearest depot..
-Richard
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MrSparkle
Marshal
Joined: August 13, 2001
Posts: 1912
From: mrsparkle
| Posted: 2004-02-25 21:40
The spacebar thing is driving me nuts too. Spacebar does too many things now, even loads infantry. Odd that U unloads infantry, but L doesn't load them.
And when engineering, to scrap a building you need to press E then S, then E then S again, and not too fast. Same for most other functions like disbanding infantry. Before it was a simple ctrl-q twice, nice and quick.
Overall it's not good. The old system is easier and there weren't too many 'hidden' menus like in this one. I don't think new players are gonna find this interface any easier? Just like I don't think they're gonna find the new tech system easier than researching (it's way more complicated this new system of engineering). Thing is the tech system is a nice improvement, and I LIKE how complicated it is as I enjoy engineering. Not this interface An hour or two of it now and it's just bleh.
New interface is harder to use and takes longer to do simple things with. Do like suggested and make the all-purpose key backspace or something, and allow us to keep our old keys. I figure, if us vets have the old keys burned into our memories now, what's stopping a new player from learning them? I thought the old interface was easy to learn anyway? Has anyone actually had a problem learning it? It's intuitive, it's fast, it's easy, so what's wrong with it that it needed to be changed?
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[ This Message was edited by: MrSparkle on 2004-02-25 21:55 ]
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