Improvements for Aurora's interface

[luarvic (OP)]

1.  Here my idea how to improve windows navigation in game.
Fast access panel.  Its should be "always on top" window, that can be resized.  It must consist little buttons with customizable icons.  Each button represents a window and configuration of any combo boxes, list boxes and table selections that are located on that window.  And finally, player should be able to create all that buttons. 
For example: "Task Groups" window.  Player selects "Scout 1" and pressing button "Save Fast Access".  On "Fast access panel" appears new button, which leads to Task Force window, where "Scout 1" already selected.
Example 2: same for "Population and Production" - "Empire", colony name, right tab are saved in button and can be opened instantly. 
Example 3: System map - with 1 click system map changes to my home system.

2.  More mouse, less keyboard.
In "Population and Production", "Industry" tab, "Create Industrial Project for. . . ", "Percentage" field can be changed to trackbar (with calculating of free % of capacity).  This way is much easier to allocate industry.  no need of using keyboard Who knows, maybe someday Aurora will be ported on consoles, which, as we know not have keyboards.

[UnLimiTeD]

VB6. It's old. Very old.

Quite honestly, I don't see any benefit.
Everything you talk of seems to only make sense early game, and all buttons are conveniently placed in the economics and system view windows.
And no, this will NEVER be ported to consoles. But it gave me a good laugh.

[luarvic (OP)]

VB6.  It's old.  Very old.

Quite honestly, I don't see any benefit. 
Everything you talk of seems to only make sense early game, and all buttons are conveniently placed in the economics and system view windows. 
And no, this will NEVER be ported to consoles.  But it gave me a good laugh.

But its not about just "open some window", its about that god damned comboboxes, i tired scrolling it, my mouse wheel glitches, my eyes are aches when i seeking specific task group, system and anything else.

[Sarganto]

VB6. It's old. Very old.

Quite honestly, I don't see any benefit.
Everything you talk of seems to only make sense early game, and all buttons are conveniently placed in the economics and system view windows.
And no, this will NEVER be ported to consoles. But it gave me a good laugh.

I just imagined someone saying "enough Halo for today, let's play Aurora!". Games like this will NEVER be ported to consoles due to the nature of consoles. You are sitting at your couch, far away from the screen and it is probably impossible to display this kind of information adequately.
And now imagine playing it with a gamepad instead of a mouse. omg O_O

Regarding the interface: You are right, major overhaul needed. Will it happen in Aurora? Don't think so. Maybe Aurora 2.

[xeryon]

Aurora, at it's core, is a management application.  Not really a game.  The interface could use some streamlining, but it is not an RTS where you need fast access and hotkeys.

I do agree on being able to resize windows as I choose and using a scroll wheel on menus would be a god-send.  My work around was just to hook up three monitors and just leave the windows I use most cascaded on the screens so I can readily see the info I want to see each turn.

[Steve Walmsley]

Aurora, at it's core, is a management application.  Not really a game.  The interface could use some streamlining, but it is not an RTS where you need fast access and hotkeys.

I do agree on being able to resize windows as I choose and using a scroll wheel on menus would be a god-send.  My work around was just to hook up three monitors and just leave the windows I use most cascaded on the screens so I can readily see the info I want to see each turn.

That's a good point. Aurora is really a windows application, rather than a game. In the dim and distant past when I was a professional C++ programmer (on Windows 3.1 , it was for commercial applications, not games. All my IT Management experience was similarly in large commercial organizations, not games companies. Based on my background, it isn't really a surprise that SA and Aurora look more like Excel than Civilization

VB6 doesn't know about mouse wheels so I can't do anything about that particular problem

If I was to start something completely from scratch (I have always wanted to write a squad-based sci-fi combat game for example - just never had the time), I would write it in C#.

Steve

[Steve Walmsley]

But its not about just "open some window", its about that god damned comboboxes, i tired scrolling it, my mouse wheel glitches, my eyes are aches when i seeking specific task group, system and anything else.

If it is a dropdown list rather than a combo, you can type a letter and the list will jump to the first item starting with that letter. I must admit I never use the mouse wheel in combos. I either use arrow keys or drag the list's scrollbar.

Steve

[Nathan_]

How difficult would it be to filter taskforces based on some criteria? Special function equipment, pdc/orbital, user defined, and so on?

[viperfan7]

actualy, I was thinking of making a game based in the aurora universe, where instead of managing a civilization, your piloting a ship, in the end it'll be a little like 2D X3, where you could eventualy control a fleet of ships, and maybe even begin your own empire, just without most of the control you have over it in aurora

[Nathan_]

Hmm a star control 2 mod...

[TheDeadlyShoe]

@Viperfan7 - Make sure to check out Space Rangers, S.P.A.Z., or Escape Velocity Nova... Unfortunately not a lot of these games have an RTS element ala X3.

[-Treebiter-]

It's not out yet but you may be interested in Starfarer:

http://fractalsoftworks.com/

[viperfan7]

I'll check it out, actualy, for ship design I was going to try to go for a battleships forever kind of thing, giving the player the ability to customize their ship, and strategicaly place armor, things like that

[TheDeadlyShoe]

I remember seeing a trailer for a game called Stardrive like that. Looked a lot like the old Star Reach (i think it was called.) 

Also maybe Star Ruler, though that's 3d.

[Thiosk]

I get all my 4x gaming news from spacesector.com

Most space games don't scratch the specific itch the way aurora does, though.

Give me a game that looks like distant worlds or spore but gives me even 66% of the kind of freedom aurora gives me, and i'll be in love.