Discussion on UI enchancements 2

[Singbird]

As stated by Stingray1, the idea of this thread is to discuss user interface improvements in general. If you think something doesn't work very well, you can post your ideas on improving that here. Or just post that you think this-and-this doesn't work and something should be done. The idea is that maybe RFEs have a better chance of being accepted if they're fleshed out before posting, or some such I think.

Past RFEs in regards to UI improvement dug up by Stingray in the previous thread are



Prompt me if I attack certain pre-defined monsters: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2558#note16171)

Accidental bouncing bolts: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1776)

Accidentily pressing shift q: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2417)

Handling certain items while having poisoned hands or mana battery: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1285)



Search engine to find items easier in inventory: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2173)

Stacking those annoying small stacks of missiles: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1415) and another (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1705)

Combine single repeated actions: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1236)

Lvl 18 Healer classpowers (minor one): RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2388)

Lvl 18 Thief classpower (minor one): RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1940)

More teleportation to shortcuts: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2518)

Extend extended drop: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2346)

Auto-pickpocket: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1825)

Quickmarking ':u'sable items in inventory: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=2200)

'l'ook targeting like 't'hrow: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=1969)

Select multiple items for sacrifice: RFE (http://www.adom.de/forums/project.php?issueid=124)

[Singbird]

Do people use the mouse interface? Or any similar point device interface I guess. I would guess there's a lot of room for improvement in that one. Selecting the different commands from the bottom bar seems quite difficult. Some context-sensitivity would be nice at least, like entering a town or using stairs if you're standing on one and click on your character, or invoking 'Ctrl + p' if you're standing on stuff. Maybe a right-click context menu would be nice as well. I don't know since I don't use the mouse interface.

[Stingray1]

From the little bit that I have used a mouse I have that misclicks happens when you use both mouse and keyboard, because your palm sometimes clicks via the touchpad on a laptop. I know one can do changes to the touchpad externally from ADOM, but I wonder whether it will be feasible to have options around in in the NotEye menu itself?

When I have some time on my hands I will try to play with mouse only for a few days and see how it is.

[Singbird]

I would like that using non-quickmarked skills and spells was easier after you have quickmarked some. I have two ideas:
1) Remove the current "use quick-marked skill/spell" prompt. Instead, when you press 'a' or 'Z', the spell list is brought up as usual and from this list you can invoke quick-marked stuff with 1-9 and non-quickmarked with letters as usual.
2) Keep the quick-mark prompt and make Space or 'Z' take you to the skill/spell list instead of aborting the skill use.

Anyone have any better ideas? For me the second option would be pretty good, since bashing Space is always fast and easy. But I might think that if you're playing with a mouse or something, it would be more convenient if the skill/spell list was simply brought up straight away.

[Stingray1]

Yes, your 1st suggestion is what I agreed would be a good solution in the original thread. The only minor downside is that the skill/spell list will come up, but I don't think that would be too much bother.

[grobblewobble]

For quick-marked spells and skills, my idea would be this..

If you define a spell or skill with a quickmark under number 3, pressing shift-3 should invoke the spell or skill immediately. This way you can define 10 different hotkeys, that can be invoked with shift-1 up to shift-0. If you press shift-z, you get the normal spell menu, without quickmarks.

Advantages:
1. This way a quickmarked spell or skill is actually quick to access; it saves you keypresses.
2. Non-quickmarked spells or skills are in no way affected.

[Stingray1]

Okay, I'm going to try and only use a mouse and list things I cannot do with a mouse as I discover them, maybe some of them should be added?

Edit - I think I will also count how many times I used these during a game. So, we can maybe gauge the importance of adding them. Can somebody maybe supply me with a keylogger that also counts the keys? :)

You should be able to exit monster memory with a mouse click.

Change tactics (this is going to be used a lot, so not counting it) It is probably fine to keep this to the function keys
Message Buffer
Apply skill
Display character information This can maybe be accessed by right-clicking on the PC
Chat
Walk (this is going to be used a lot, so not counting it) Maybe double-clicking should invoke this
Pick up (this is going to be used a lot, so not counting it)

In the interim, maybe this question to ponder so long: Maybe the user should just be made able to him/herself define which commands (s)he wants on the commands scrolling thingy?

[Singbird]

If you define a spell or skill with a quickmark under number 3, pressing shift-3 should invoke the spell or skill immediately. This way you can define 10 different hotkeys, that can be invoked with shift-1 up to shift-0. If you press shift-z, you get the normal spell menu, without quickmarks.

Advantages:
1. This way a quickmarked spell or skill is actually quick to access; it saves you keypresses.
2. Non-quickmarked spells or skills are in no way affected.

I like this. In fact, I think it would be nice if the player was allowed to define his own keybindings for the quick-marked skills and spells.

What I don't like is that as the only way to invoke quick-marks, it would actually make using skills slower for me. Right now, 'a' is very close to 1-3 and quite close to 4-6 in ease of use for me, so using quick-marked skills is quite fast. I would like this as an addition, not a replacement.

[Singbird]

Okay, I'm going to try and only use a mouse and list things I cannot do with a mouse as I discover them, maybe some of them should be added?

Yeah, I guess one can always try. I mean, I don't use the mouse interface, but now that there IS one it should probably be as convenient as possible.



You should be able to exit monster memory with a mouse click.

I remember some games in which clicking the right mouse button closes all sort dialog windows (inventory, shop screen, whatever). I think this was quite intuitive and could work for ADOM as well.



In the interim, maybe this question to ponder so long: Maybe the user should just be made able to him/herself define which commands (s)he wants on the commands scrolling thingy?

That would probably be nice.