Vapourware Zodiac Legion - X-COM and dungeons

[Galdred]

A few pieces of news:
We are working on adding elevated tiles: various hills levels and ramparts.
The ramparts are still in the prototyping phase. The hills already work, but we need to sort a few issues out first.

I will attend the Indie Game fest in Köln next Saturday (November 26th ), and online December 2nd and 3rd.

 

[Galdred]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

 

[mediocrepoet]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

Without commenting on the exact movements you're proposing, I'd say that grouping things generally in one area (e.g. the bottom) is a good idea rather than having people look all over the place for different elements. Also, with bars on every side like now, you end up with people missing things due to emptiness, but if they were larger or had more things going on in them, you'd run the risk of having one of those MMO monstrosity interfaces where people can't see the game anymore, just health bars and cooldowns, etc.

 

[Pink Eye]

It's hard to gauge what the proposed changes will be like with all of these arrows. Could you do a couple of mockups with windows paint or photoshop?

 

[rusty_shackleford]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

add a quick optional popup tutorial that shows you the UI elements and what they do

 

[Darth Roxor]

many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar

downright amazing

 

[Ninjerk]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

add a quick optional popup tutorial that shows you the UI elements and what they do

Could make a hotkey that would show an overlay with a legend as a bandaid

 

[Galdred]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

add a quick optional popup tutorial that shows you the UI elements and what they do

Could make a hotkey that would show an overlay with a legend as a bandaid

Yes, that is definitely something I will do "soon".

So, we were thinking about going with either:
a)

or b)

The issue with b is that we'd risk having a collision if the screen is too small, or the skillbar has a few more skills.

Then for missions with lots of characters:
a1)

or a2)

a2) would repeat the selected character

 

[vazha]

Why not in the middle (upper row, obviously) ? that'd be extra hard to miss.

 

[Harthwain]

I would use a1) for portraits and a2) for the window of the selected character. The rest is good (end turn in lower right corner and settings in upper left corner).

 

[Darth Canoli]

I would use a1) for portraits and a2) for the window of the selected character. The rest is good (end turn in lower right corner and settings in upper left corner).

Seconded, a1 queue + a2 info on selected character seems perfect.

 

[Pink Eye]

I think I like a1. Characters placed on top, actions on bottom. Though. Maybe place character portraits squarely in the top middle. Either way. As long as the UI is functional it should be fine.

 

[rusty_shackleford]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

add a quick optional popup tutorial that shows you the UI elements and what they do

when you press F1 in Fallout it brings up this screen

maybe something similar?

 

[Ninjerk]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:

What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

add a quick optional popup tutorial that shows you the UI elements and what they do

when you press F1 in Fallout it brings up this screen

maybe something similar?

I know you weren't responding to me, but I was thinking something that would keep the gamestate on screen but have an overlay similar to what's on the bottom of the screen you posted.

 

[baud]

Not much else to say, but I think the cog (if it opens the same menu you'd get by pressing escape) can be made smaller or even removed.
Same with the zoom buttons or maybe put them below the portraits as in a2.

 

[Galdred]

During Indie Game Fest, many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar.
I was thinking about grouping them all on the bottom part:


What do you think about it?
I may move the skill bar up instead of left, but it could eat too much of the center.

add a quick optional popup tutorial that shows you the UI elements and what they do

when you press F1 in Fallout it brings up this screen

maybe something similar?

I know you weren't responding to me, but I was thinking something that would keep the gamestate on screen but have an overlay similar to what's on the bottom of the screen you posted.

Yes, adding keys on top of the actual game screen can be better in this case.

Not much else to say, but I think the cog (if it opens the same menu you'd get by pressing escape) can be made smaller or even removed.
Same with the zoom buttons or maybe put them below the portraits as in a2.

That makes sense. I could also remove the next/previous button, but someone had asked for them. I am not sure they are that convenient to use, compared to just cycling with TAB or clicking the portraits.

 

[Galdred]

First part of the UI rework is in progress:



I still need to make the screen a bit less busy (by removing the red/white outlines for the combat preview), and maybe make the flanking hex outline indicator a bit more visible.

Then we will add the changes mentioned earlier to combat (stamina damage, and pinning check when trying to cast or shoot an arrow in melee, shared mana pool for "big" spells ...).

 

[ERYFKRAD]

many players seemed to miss the portrait section, the end turn button, and sometimes, even the skill bar

downright amazing

95% hit chance is still a miss

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Galdred]

So, the first part of the demo patch has been rolled into the test build.
Here is the update I posted on Steam:

I failed to update the demo before the end of this year. Here is the features that are in the test build.
The changes focus on improving the UI to make tactical planning easier.
They will be rolled into the demo when we are "reasonably sure" I didn't break more things that I fixed, so early January if things go according to the plan. In the meantime, I wish you all a merry Christmas and happy holidays.

Here are the implemented changes we are currently testing:

Requested features

• mouseover for active props
  
• Bow icon/cursor
  
• WASD scrolling
  
• mouseover on stats
  
• Right Click to aim abilities
  
• Larger or more visible next character button???
  
• Tab or N to select next character
  
• scroll on map edges
  
• Blinking end of Turn button
  
• outline active props on hotkey
  
• backstab/support display
  
• disengagement difficulty indicator
  
• Show both shooter and target on animation
  
• Show enemy movement and threat range
  
• Use default cursor on icons
  
• Don't display damage preview on combat box
  
• Automatic end of turn option
  
• UI rearrangement

Bugfixes

• Map greyed out after panel selected
  
• wall disappearing on AI turn
  
• Multiple Return press required to end turn
  
• light overlay issues
  
• ranged attacks around corners
  
• scrolling out of the map
  
• turn button blinking at the wrong time
  
• turn processing: frozen
  
• missing close button on party screen

Content and other:
New outdoor map
Reworked AI to make the opponent parties more aggressive
The AI can now use "fixed weapons" (ie, magic artillery) and open doors.
Added Gemini knight with teleport ability.

I will keep working on the UI for a few more weeks, then move to fleshing the tactical abilities out (by adding stamina damage, and a few conditions like being prone or stunned), and rebalancing combat.

 

[Galdred]

We are looking for "aura effects" to add.
Would you have some example to suggest, both for the "aura animation" (ie, spell effect), and UI elements?

 

[ERYFKRAD]

We are looking for "aura effects" to add.
Would you have some example to suggest, both for the "aura animation" (ie, spell effect), and UI elements?

Auras could just pulse out from the source. Like an aura that stacks speed/initiative on friendlies so they get progressively faster every turn or something.

 

[Taka-Haradin puolipeikko]

 

[Abu Antar]

 

[Galdred]

Thank you for the find!
I guess I should have rolled this demo update earlier :D
I will try to do it during the night.