Re: [TuxKart-devel] GUI
Status: Alpha
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sjbaker
From: Steve B. <sjb...@ai...> - 2004-06-30 13:50:20
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Ingo Ruhnke wrote: > I hope so, constantly switching controlling devices just isn't > something that will improve the experience, but just something that > will annoy the player. But on a PC, you were holding the mouse when you clicked the icon/menu item to start the game running. You'll have the mouse in your hand still when it starts up. Whether you switch to the joystick after launching the program - or after setting the options within the program is no different. (The other reason game consoles like this approach is that the TV has *crappy* resolution - about 640 horizontal by 512 vertically - but since 1 pixel vertical features flicker, that's really only 256 vertically. On such a low resolution screen, the graphical widgets have to be HUGE in order to be legible. Most of our users will be running anything from 1024x800 to 2048x1600 - so we don't have that problem). > Beside that having the computer additionally attached to a TV is > getting more an more popular, so having the game 'TV-ready', like a > console game, would be strongly prefered, mice just don't navigate all > that good on a couch. Yeah - but people who do that have mouse-emulating devices on their IR-connected keyboards. (I have one for my Linux PVR PC which connects to the TV so I know this for a fact). >>We don't regard a joystick as a good GUI device for other >>applications, why would we use if here? > > Because there is only a rather limited number of options that the > player has, just which game-mode (gp, time trial), which track, which > character... What? No way! Difficulty level? (Easy, Medium, Hard) How long should the race be? (5 laps, 10, whatever) How many players? (1, 2, 3, 4) Player's name? (for high-score and game save options) Network play? (and then someplace to enter the servername) Mirror the track? (Yes/No) Reverse the track? (Yes/No) [ie race anticlockwise instead of clockwise] Music volume Sound Effects volume I'm sure we'll come up with others as time progresses. With an all-in-one GUI, these are trivial things to add and maintain. If it's separated out into separate questions then getting into the game becomes tedious because you have to step through each screen even if you are happy with the default. The whole thing balloons from a real simple single-screen GUI to a major programming exercise. GoTM is a TWO MONTH TASK - we can't afford to waste effort in areas that aren't buying us anything. Adding new options to a single-screen menu is easy. ...all of this to support an unnecessary feature that many people don't have (joysticks are dying out fast). > The joystick/keyboard should be considered the primary input device > for all of the GUI and so it should make sure that it works good and > well and doesn't feel emulated or whatever (moving a pointer with the > joystick and such). Mouse is something that is nice-to-have, but not > something that anybody would miss if the game itself is 100% joystick > controlled. That's nonsense - probably more than half of our users don't even own a joystick. 100% of people have a mouse (or a mouse emulated with a trackball or something if they have a laptop or a 'TV controller'). You have it completely the wrong way around - the Mouse is *essential*, the joystick is something that's nice to have. There are MANY (if not most) Linux games that don't support a joystick at all. > The current GUI might be more or less functional, but it neither looks > good nor feels 'right', just extending it with more widgets and stuff > just isn't doing the game any justice. You're right about that. It needs to be prettied up with more graphics and better layout. But a full-scale redesign isn't needed IMHO. ---------------------------- Steve Baker ------------------------- HomeEmail: <sjb...@ai...> WorkEmail: <sj...@li...> HomePage : http://www.sjbaker.org Projects : http://plib.sf.net http://tuxaqfh.sf.net http://tuxkart.sf.net http://prettypoly.sf.net -----BEGIN GEEK CODE BLOCK----- GCS d-- s:+ a+ C++++$ UL+++$ P--- L++++$ E--- W+++ N o+ K? w--- !O M- V-- PS++ PE- Y-- PGP-- t+ 5 X R+++ tv b++ DI++ D G+ e++ h--(-) r+++ y++++ -----END GEEK CODE BLOCK----- |