#35 Alternative race GUI

[qubodup]

Create an alternative user interface for the racing screen to address Andrei's issues described in

I guess you can say that, although this isn't as much style as it is screen space usage. I like the new rev dial that we made and I have no objection to the TIME and CKPT labels that were added. However I think the big timer font wastes screen space and is distracting, while the map and rev dial are too close to the center of the screen, feeling needlessly crammed. So, I have no problem with their size (unlike the timer) but I do have a problem with their positioning.

Once an appropriate layout is designed, decide which should be default and how to enable the other one. There are multiple options:
1. switch via key
2. switch via config file
3. switch automatically, depending on aspect ratio (if aspectratio < 1.7 then use_compact_gui end)
4. we like the compact ui so much we abandon the current one.

[Onsemeliot]

Isn't all of this solved in version 0.6.3 already via the option to make all OSD elements invisible by key commands? I guess we only need to make an overview of commands somewhere. Maybe we should add this overview to the game menu?

key commands

1. "up" speed up
2. "left" steer left
3. "right" steer right
4. "down" slow down/reverse
5. "space" handbreake
6. "r" respawn
7. "c" switch camera perspective
8. "m" show/hide minimap
9. "n" shown/hide OSD
10. "k" show/hide checkpoints (in the game itself)
11. "esc" abandon race
12. "F12" screenshot (GNU/Linux: "home/<user>/.trigger-rally")

I just realised this this would actually mean to read the settings file. But I guess this is no problem ...

[Andrei]

Isn't all of this solved in version 0.6.3 already via the option to make all OSD elements invisible by key commands?

I think Iwan's intention was to create an alternative OSD layout "compact".

Even if the current OSD was modified to be more compact (as you too noticed the oversized text and crowded rev and map) this ticket should stay open for the future, when Iwan returns and we'll see if we make an alternative OSD.

[Onsemeliot]

All right. But what do you think of adding a key commands screen to the in game menu?

[Andrei]

All right. But what do you think of adding a key commands screen to the in game menu?

I think it would be useless.

In the in-game menu, users would expect to be able to change the bindings (as already suggested here), whereas during the race a "key commands screen" would be pointless because the game controls are too simple.

[Onsemeliot]

during the race a "key commands screen" would be pointless because the game controls are too simple.

But where do players find out about "r", "c", "m", "n", "k" and "F12"? Those are not at all obvious to me and I learned them over time - probably mostly by looking it up in the configuration file.

[Andrei]

But where do players find out about "r", "c", "m", "n", "k" and "F12"?

This information belong in the ReadMe file, most of those keys are already in there.

[Onsemeliot]

This information belong in the ReadMe file, most of those keys are already in there.

Without a doubt. But I think it is not very accommodating to expect all players to consult the readme file since most people using the game will probably use a graphical installer and start it from a system menu afterwards.

[Onsemeliot]

Maybe we could add a new menu screen showing the key commands from the configuration file. If we add the sentence that the bindings can be edited in the configuration file this would be helpful already.

[qubodup]

Even just a screen with the unedited default controls (+ "warning: these are the default controls") and information on where to find the config file would be useful.