User Interface ideas

[Ned Loe]

Hello,

 

we all know devs will be starting UI development soon, so lets give them some ideas on User Interface and how do we want it to look.

 

(Not an advertisement just some ideas)

 

Ok, my suggestions:

 

-Make different UI themes as defaul for each Class. Pirate , Naval Officer, Trader etc...

-Make extra cool looking UI themes and sell them like Dota 2 does. Good profit.

-Make animated UI , (rotating world globe, sand clock, wind indicator etc...)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Any other ideas?

[Thomas Blackwell]

I would like to see old maps and charts in game. Perhaps opening your world map resembles unrolling an old sea chart, with some period boarder decoration.

[admin]

I would like to see old maps and charts in game. Perhaps opening your world map resembles unrolling an old sea chart, with some period boarder decoration.

 

we have an alternative theory.. which some might not like

 

remember that at the age of sail - frigates and line ships were the most modern thing that existed on earth, employing best technology of that time. Best most modern watches, best cannons, best most modern (new) maps.

 

we believe that UI should not be done as an old newspaper, (which was a usual way such games were done before)

[Thomas Blackwell]

we have an alternative theory.. which some might not like

remember that at the age of sail - frigates and line ships were the most modern thing that existed on earth, employing best technology of that time. Best most modern watches, best cannons, best most modern (new) maps.

we believe that UI should not be done as an old newspaper, (which was a usual way such games were done before)

When I first wrote my write up, I thought it would probably be interoperated differently to my initial meaning, though I didn't have time to rewrite it just then. Things that are old now, of course were new at some point in history. I completely agree with you that old, yellowing newspaper-like maps probably aren't the way to go. What I meant was that the old yellowing maps from that time be rejuvenated to look like new again. Bringing the period characteristics of maps from that time (fonts, doodles, distances, parchment, etc) without the aging.

[BrutishVulgarian]

On the upper right corner of each UI item, i would request a little red X, that minimizes each.  Or the ability to do all keyboard commands from a beautiful interface free screen.   

 

Also, no digital display of speed for anyone, if a player wants to know how fast he is moving, he can guestimate by looking at his bow wave and wake or order a midshipman to toss a log line.

[Sweetdeal]

A shiny Pirate UI would be nice! ARRR!

[Thundershield]

we have an alternative theory.. which some might not like

 

remember that at the age of sail - frigates and line ships were the most modern thing that existed on earth, employing best technology of that time. Best most modern watches, best cannons, best most modern (new) maps.

 

we believe that UI should not be done as an old newspaper, (which was a usual way such games were done before)

 

I can see why that would work. I haven't done much research in old maps, in fact the extent of my knowledge is pretty much restricted to the Carta Marina from the 15th century. It was a map of Northern Europe, specifically Scandinavia which also included depictions of sea monsters and maelstroms, very stereotype fantasy maps actually, but nonetheless it was a navigational chart.

Incorporating that type of design into the game would be pretty cool, but I can understand why It wouldn't be historically accurate.

 

 

 

Only suggestion I really have would be to have the UI reflect your faction, I.E. Pirate, Merchant Navy. The Navy would be neat, tidy, clean, whereas the Pirates would be messy and scruffy.

[Thomas Blackwell]

I like the idea of it changing with each faction, though perhaps nation may be better? Pirate being it's own entity.

[Morgan]

"A Chart of the World on Mercator's Projection" (c. 1599), known as the Wright–Molyneux Map.

 

 

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Ortelius - Maris Pacifici (1589)

 

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Piri Reis map of Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and North Africa from his Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation), 1521-1525

 

[Killick]

I really like the concept made by Haereticus for Hearts of Oak. It shows an old-style map (old fonts, off-white background), but as part of an otherwise modern design UI. No crumbled edges or signs of ageing: the map could have been printed yesterday, except that 'yesterday' was sometime in the 1800s.

 

I don't particularly like the clock though.

[Thomas Blackwell]

[Mirones]

yes i liek the idea black well but i'm sure admin wont like the adversing of HoO

[Killick]

My apologies, it wasn't intended as advertising at all. Just a suggestion for the UI. I won't be offended if the devs choose to remove my post.

[Thomas Blackwell]

No advertising intended. Merely to show a video example of an interesting idea. Unfortunately I think it is too complex. When I am at sea and want to check my map, I don't want to have to wait for it to load every time. I want a quick and instant area map for me to pull up and check my location on. Secondly, I don't want my map to tell me where player ships are. There's a huge support for fog of war in Naval Action, and I myself would prefer to rely on my lookout, rather than my electronic tracking map. For realism reasons mostly.

[Chilly Willy]

No advertising intended. Merely to show a video example of an interesting idea. Unfortunately I think it is too complex. When I am at sea and want to check my map, I don't want to have to wait for it to load every time. I want a quick and instant area map for me to pull up and check my location on. Secondly, I don't want my map to tell me where player ships are. There's a huge support for fog of war in Naval Action, and I myself would prefer to rely on my lookout, rather than my electronic tracking map. For realism reasons mostly.

i agree running into other ships is part of keeping it real,  once you spot a ship you have to determine if it is friend or foe.  once spotted they could appear tracked on a chart long as they are visible to spotters however

[Ned Loe]

I think, a drawn old style map like this would be enough. On the map player can set way-points, target destination markers, check wind direction, get unlocked/discovered town info etc...

 

 

I really like Ultimate General world art, something like that would be great in Naval Action. Maybe 3d high detail world map like that? 

 

 

 

 

Add some cool map monsters! too

 

[admin]

Hoo map video

 

Such representation would be good for a strategy game and might suit single player. But in our case we believe it will lack immersion and atmosphere. 

 

We are going to have an open map which is more similar to this:

 

Approaching Lisbon

http://coub.com/view/1wpjs

[Alex Connor]

Such representation would be good for a strategy game and might suit single player. But in our case we believe it will lack immersion and atmosphere. 

 

We are going to have an open map which is more similar to this:

So battles take place in the open map? Or will there be a PotBS OS map and separate battle encounters?

[Ned Loe]

So no world map? No mini map?

[BungeeLemming]

I guess we have to set a curse on a map table and steer the ship where we want it to.

 

I like the idea and at the same moment I fear the long loneliness and booooring moments to come if only seeing the horizon for hours and hours..

 

attles will be on Open sea.. well when thats true and coming I think its going to be EPIC!! but on the same side abusive, too.. Pirates will be in fast ships and wait for scuttled ships (after a 1v1 or other battles). So if we have even fights where both sides wreck each other anoter player may come across and finish all of the remaining off.

 

 

But I adore the approach!

Its a good thing to go away from instances.

[maturin]

See, if we going to sail all the way to Dublin like that, we will need the ability to fiddle with our sail plan on the way, responding to changing wind conditions. For some gameplay to kill the time.

[Thomas Blackwell]

I fear this post is a little off the general topic, but battles taking place on the open ocean, open for anyone to join and participate in, like two ships in EVE fighting off a jump-gate would be to me like presenting a dog with a lifetime supply of steak. Trying to get back on track, I think the world map should be discussed at length in it's own thread closer to the release of Open World.

[admin]

I guess we have to set a curse on a map table and steer the ship where we want it to.

 

I like the idea and at the same moment I fear the long loneliness and booooring moments to come if only seeing the horizon for hours and hours..

 

attles will be on Open sea.. well when thats true and coming I think its going to be EPIC!! but on the same side abusive, too.. Pirates will be in fast ships and wait for scuttled ships (after a 1v1 or other battles). So if we have even fights where both sides wreck each other anoter player may come across and finish all of the remaining off.

 

 

But I adore the approach!

Its a good thing to go away from instances.

You misread us a little

 

We showed how we want open world to look (same 3d). Current direction is to have instanced battles (trying to get it to 50 ships). Alternative would be to have shards a-la DayZ (with 50 players in them) but in this case the feeling of vibrant active sea areas would be lost. 

 

So no world map? No mini map?

 

Current thinking is to provide semi-accurate maps for players for the known areas, but uncharted waters will be more ... uncharted, providing the sense of unknown and the feeling of getting lost.

 

But it could be a fake feature - cos many players will explore and eventually all areas will become known, posted on youtube and forums, rendering it all meaningless. 

 

What do you guys think?

[Thomas Blackwell]

I like the idea of semi-accurate maps. I also like the idea of having areas with no maps. Perhaps you could do it in stages? Instead of introducing Open World one day, introduce areas one by one with each expansion. Each time a new unexplored area is released, the previously released area is mapped out. It's just a thought.

[maturin]

We showed how we want open world to look (same 3d). Current direction is to have instanced battles (trying to get it to 50 ships).

So how do we enter an instance? How close do we have to get before the loading screen starts?

 

It would be pretty damn awesome if the relative positions and firing sounds of vessels in an instance could synched to the view from the open world, as seen in your telescope. A simplified facsimile of what's going on in the instance. So you watch the combatants maneuvering as you approach, listening to the distant gunfire until you are close enough to enter the loading screen and appear close by in the battle instance. The combatants would get warning of incoming sails as well.

 

That would be damnedly hard to code, though.

 

I also hope that instances are open to all comers, but only within a certain 'bubble' that's defined by time and distance. For example, a battle might last 30 real minutes. In 30 real minutes a fleet of players could probably cross the entire Atlantic and intervene. Battles are real-time, but the open world is time compression. So the you have to convert from real time to compressed time, and you figure that 30 minutes of time compression is a month of real-time travel.

 

Basically what I'm saying is this: If a battle starts somewhere on the map, it should only be joinable by people who were within two hours striking distance when it started. And by two hours, I mean two hours of real sailing time, determined by actual speed and real-world distance in nautical miles. Maybe battles that begin beyond your range should even be invisible to people who sail to that location using time compression. Although this raises all sort of questions of what happens with the victor when he exits the instance. He could just be ganked as soon as the one battle is done. Or if the victor is invisible, he won't be able to attack new vessels.

 

 

 

But it could be a fake feature - cos many players will explore and eventually all areas will become known, posted on youtube and forums, rendering it all meaningless.

It's only a fake feature if every player prints off a copy of every map or uses another monitor to stare at them constantly. And even then, they won't know the exact location of their vessel, because it won't be displayed on any precise map. Consider how rarely players in games are deprived of perfect GPS.

I don't think it would be a fake feature. People will be able to research beforehand (not exactly unrealistic) and know what to expect, but you are still asking them to navigate.