Carim123

What? Comprehensibility, please!

Hey, togekite, can I request another piece? If so… Game Name: Iron Prelude Game Genre: Fantasy Track Title: Fyra Shore Format: .ogg Tone: Something a bit like Dragon Quest 9's ship theme ( [Here](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3CC_4Z8Zqs) ), but with steel pans. It's a beach, that is close to a town, graveyard, and a maze-like forest, and also where players first start, so something introducing, but lets them know of the nearby danger. Details: http://www.touchofdeathforums.com/smf/index.php/topic,72667.msg780066.html#msg780066

Thanks for this, was needing something like this. Well, just to share, for organisations sake; ``` If KeyAscii = vbKeyReturn Then If LenB(Trim$(txtChat.Text)) > 0 Then Select Case cbColours.Text Case "Black" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Black) Case "Blue" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Blue) Case "Green" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Green) Case "Cyan" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Cyan) Case "Red" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Red) Case "Magenta" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Magenta) Case "Brown" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Brown) Case "Grey" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Grey) Case "DarkGrey" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, DarkGrey) Case "BrightBlue" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, BrightBlue) Case "BrightGreen" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, BrightGreen) Case "BrightCyan" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, BrightCyan) Case "BrightRed" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, BrightRed) Case "Pink" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Pink) Case "Yellow" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Yellow) Case "White" Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, White) Case Else Call GlobalMsg("Server: " & txtChat.Text, Black) End Select Call TextAdd("Server: " & txtChat.Text) txtChat.Text = vbNullString End If KeyAscii = 0 End If ```

@Robin: >  > > :rolleyes: > The funny thing about this, is as I was doing research into good UIs, I happened to find one that I liked on Google Images. Frosty pointed out that they were similar to CS's new GUIs, so I looked, and it turned out one of the images that were on there had been the same image I found on Google images, so, you could say that's the inspiration for this. Robin, that was actually the same image I found. xD @Robin: > Yes. It's when you mix them with a matching gradient and menu layout when things start looking similar. I'll admit, it looks pretty similar, because I did use the dark to light gradient, and the white overlay border. The gradient is similar, but menu layout? Oh, and Azure, yeah there's tooltips.

No, you may not use it. There's an option to render text, or have the chatbox open. Nice to know that you like it, though. ='D

Well, after the huge flop with my metal based GUI, I've decided to start fresh. **funny story…** The funny thing about this, is as I was doing research into good UIs, I happened to find one that I liked on Google Images. Frosty pointed out that they were similar to CS's new GUIs, so I looked, and it turned out one of the images that were on there had been the same image I found on Google images, so, you could say that's the inspiration for this. Hopefully, it doesn't look too cluttered this time. The sub-menus can drag-and-drop, so keep that in mind. 

I'm assuming you're using EO, so yes. And before you ask, no, there isn't an MP3 to MIDI converter.

@Azure: > This gets forgotten quite a bit, not just in games. I love how some members of this community, the moment you ask for a comment, they seemingly know every aspect of your thoughts, and know exactly what you're thinking of. Azure, you're one of them. I've thought about the player's perspective _constantly_, seriously, I've based IP primarily off of functionality. I've thought about the standard users thoughts, not the over-critical Eclipse users thoughts, because I know that there'll always be a complaint with at least one user. Example? After showing this to a couple of people, who know nothing of game development, and simply want to play an RPG, they liked the fact everything was there for them, and those with 800x600 screen resolutions liked the fact that I considered them, they liked they could easily get to the hotbar, easily change chat channels, etc. **Granted, I appreciate that Eclipse is helpful in helping me think of where I've made flaws, and there are loads of them at the moment, but comments like that, where you apparently know my thoughts aren't helpful at all.** [/eclipse criticality rant over] * * * @Kusy: > I was not implying you don't think, only that you should consider it from the player's perspective. What fascinates me is that people don't look for so called inspiration and simply start doing something out of the blue. Look at UIs of sucessfull MMOs, utilize things you could use. Player's perspective is always the most important one. Yep, definitely. I've got notepads full of ideas, and various designs on interfaces, and I've had a good look at several other Eclipse games, but it's obvious that I haven't yet looked at several flaws. I'm pretty much listing those flaws, and problems right now, and looking for solutions to them, ie; your subcategory idea helped me out a lot. Thanks for the help. ;D From this topic, I've got myself a little list of criterion. - Text is hard to read; plain colour would do. - Grey on grey; incoherent - possibly bigger? - Group buttons into subcategories. - Outline makes it seem blurry. - No contrast against button itself. - extremely cluttered, maybe make the game screen smaller to free up more space. - Add (good) icons to the buttons) - Icons only? I'll take into account over what everybody said, and I'll make a new thread with the improvements sometime soon…Thanks!

> 7… have you ever seen a game with such a littered UI and I'm not even asking about MMOs, even deep single player RPGs have cleaner interfaces? Your design is outright wrong. I'm nowhere near complete, I've got a whole load of stuff drawn that I'm trying out, and I'm trying to find a UI that works. Pretty much why I'm coming here, no idea what to do with it… > You don't put all that shit in the game interface, you put that into subcategories. Nobody needs quick acces to Music, Who's online, Trade, Clans and such, those are menus that you use when you have time for it and want to tweak stuff. All that shit can be in the options ore some other thing subcategory. You could group Party, Friends, Clans, Trade, Who's on? into a "SOCIAL" category, while Music if it's what I think it is should be in the options. > > The only things a player needs to acces from this level of interface are Inventory, Statistics, Skills with Map and Mail as a possible option if there is space. Good point, never really occurred to me on having subcategories. Will do that right now. EDIT: Managed to get it down to 8 categories. (Inventory, Skills, _Player_, _Options_, _Social_, World Map, Prospect, Log Out) (italics are the subcategories) > If you would actualy think when making the UI you would have space not just for bigger and easier to read buttons, you could even add icons to them. With something as cluttered as this, and I'm trying my best to make use of the space. Don't you think I've tried my best into giving a good amount of thought? My personal target with this UI is to have as much game space as possible, and to support an 800x600 screen resolution. With the amount of revisions I've made to this, I've since made the buttons bigger, because they were previously VERY small, I wanted to have as little obstructing the game screen as possible. I've thought about how I wanted to have the UI function a lot, now it's just the matter of designing that, and what I'm having trouble with. >! 

@Kusy: > Howabout just making them like… bigger? I would be damn annoyed not only by reading this but also by trying to aim into that tinny thing in a game... I think this is the main reason this idea is bad. The problem is, that before, the buttons where already pretty small, so I ended up having to move more stuff around to free up space, so I don't really have enough space to put the buttons… @Anna: > Their general design is alright for modernish interfaces, but the text is really hard to read; it's either too blurry or has no contrast against it's background. I'm trying to aim for a modernish/brushed metal effect, which I'm finding a bit difficult, I've only tried it once, and this is still pretty similar to my old UI, anyway… Here's what I've got so far, it's definitely unfinished, and I've got a way to go, but any comments, criticisms, that can help me out will be appreciated. 

@Robin: > Grey on grey is a terrible idea. Stop having terrible ideas. > > Oh, and if you really think Web 2.0 website icons belong in your game then you should just uninstall Photoshop right now. Eh, they were the only icons of the right size that I could find. I've found some new ones, that look pretty good, and they're free-to-use. Edit; eh, after using them, I found them too big to use. @Marsh: > Still damn hard to read, im no graphic artist but i think that if you are making text that small a gradient may be a bad idea. Plain text will be fine if the rest of the button looks good. If you really want to use a fancy font. Yep, it's black now, lemme just get a screenshot… 

@Azure:: > I would just not use the gradient on the text, but that's just me. Actually, it's an inner shadow, with a pattern overlay of a brushed metal texture I had lying around. When I had it as white, black, just about every other standard colour, it either wasn't coherent at all, or was easy to read, but just didn't look good… Attempt 2; darkened the buttons, and the text...do you think it's easier to read?  There's a comparison on the first post. EDIT: Stupidly of me, I only saved a base button template as the .psd, and the rest as .png. xD

@Azure:: > 16 buttons is still pretty cluttered. I'm aware of that. That's why I'm trying to make it look functional, and simple, to take that aspect of feeling cluttered away. The text is hard to read, so I'm going to try and make it brighter, or the metal darker…

So, yet again, I'm redesigning my UI a bit, because it looks pretty cluttered, so I thought I'd start with the buttons. Attempt 3; just made the text black. Kept the gradient outline, though, I find it makes it look engraved.  Attempt 2; darkened the buttons, and the text…do you think it's easier to read?   Icons from silk icon set from famfamfam. Opinions, and Constructive Criticism, please!

Just like to say, two days left, before I'm closing the application period. ^_^

@Captain: > Let's just leave a whole unused system that will just continue you eat up un-needed resources. > implying a simple chat system eats up much resources. Besides, you could do what I did, and make it so that you have the option to switch between rendering text, or using the chatbox. xD

Nah, I don't really care. Use as you like.

Only got Super Monkey Ball at the mo'. It is BORING. Looking to get Animal Crossing 3DS, Kid Icarus, Luigi's Mansion 2, and OoT3DS. Oh, and maybe Street Fighter, and whatever future Pokémon game comes out for it. (Gray, anybody?) ^_^

Two or Three. If you go for three, make a Rayman ORPG. ;p

txtMyChat.Text = vbNullString. I take it you've had a good look at my UI from May, after reading that tutorial, then? ;?

Have you made the control wide enough, and is the property in visible actually set to True?

Isn't txtChat's visibility property to false sufficient enough?

@Azure: > Just a bit of advice, I know a lot of people use Skype, but you should be more willing to have multiple forms of contact. At least one and a back up. I usually do IM and pm's on here if people get inactive after a while. Best of luck filling out your crew. Yeah, I have MSN, and use PMs as well, it's just I know that Scribbyz is busy with personal stuff. Thanks, though. ;>

Bump. I'm allowed to bump it now, right?

Never mind, I found the answer. It turned out to be the simple error of mismatched UDTs. How I missed that, I've no idea. xD