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Roja

Chat interface modifications

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Here is a messy mock-up of what i propose:

 

chatinterface.jpg

 

 

1. an X is placed in ever chat tab. it does the action #lc

2. A Chat history button is placed at the top. it takes the place of the console icon at the bottom. This is more intuitive, and creates a space on the bottom row of icons.

3. A Chat list button is also placed at the top. Click on it and the window opens. From here you can check up to as many channels as is possible to join(if you try to join more than is possible you can get an error message saying you cannot join another channel but will have to uncheck one then check the one you want). This will contain a list of the 1st 10 official channels, plus guild..and maybe some user definables?(not necessary though).

4. Also in that chat window, shortcut icons going to the chat help screen, and chat config window are there. They just open up the chat secion in those other windows.

 

 

My biggest "problem" so to speak, is making the "Chat list" button intuitive enough that newbies will know to click there. The name is the first thing to look at. I chose chat list because it was the shortest clearest way i can think of. Unfortunetly we can't type out "Click here for a list of all chat channels!"-but this is the message i want it to represent so if someone has a better word(s) for it post your ideas.

 

I made it blue too, to stand out more as being something different-clickable. We can also maybe put a symbol there? like a drop down looking arrow?

I thought of making it a solid graphic button, but then it's not transparent anymore.

 

Anyway, post yoiur thoughts/ideas :D

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I like it a lot.

How about "Chat Options" ? or "Channel choices"

 

What if people aren't in tabbed chat mode though? Where would they click on if they are in "old behavior" or whatever?

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These same things can be applied in the chat window mode. For the "old mode" I think there is no reason to include them, since only people familiar with the interface/commands would choose that anyway.

 

Chat options is a good choice too!

 

 

Learner: I don't know what you're talking about. I put the general chat channel there.

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That should all be doable; my only problem is with the Console->Chat history. The main problem is that the chat tabs quickly get crowded and messy in 640x480 (which I unfortunately have to use), so 2 extra buttons... well, I'll have a look at that. Beyond that, my concern is that we're removing any visible way to escape the console besides using TAB, and that it seems counter-intuitive to place an interface mode within an interface.

 

EDIT: Ran a check - while I'm at it, I think I'll add side-scrolling abilities to the top chat tabs, in 640x480, because the tabs can already overflow the game interface onto the HUD. Still... any excess items they could become an annoyance. AND, we have to remember to support the chat window. So, the chat selection window and a tab could be supported depending on chat windowing, but the shortcut to the console, in my opinion, seems best on the HUD.

Edited by crusadingknight

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Here is a messy mock-up of what i propose:

My biggest "problem" so to speak, is making the "Chat list" button intuitive enough that newbies will know to click there. The name is the first thing to look at. I chose chat list because it was the shortest clearest way i can think of. Unfortunetly we can't type out "Click here for a list of all chat channels!"-but this is the message i want it to represent so if someone has a better word(s) for it post your ideas.

 

Can the buttons at the top of the screen have tool-tip popups like the icons at the bottom do? If so, it could have the short label "chat list" and the popup could have the longer description.

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Beyond that, my concern is that we're removing any visible way to escape the console besides using TAB, and that it seems counter-intuitive to place an interface mode within an interface.

 

I honestly don't know what you mean by this. The chat history button would put you in the console, the same place you go when you press the icon on the bottom or f1.

 

 

If the buttons are crowded, we can make the names shorter. Why not Newbie instead of Newbie channel?

When they mouse over these buttons it can say the fully name, "Newbie Help Channel".

 

And the 1st button that I talked about can say Chat Channel. With the extra room created by removing Channel from the other buttons there'd be enough room to be more descriptive for that, and it'd still make sense ;)

 

So, it would look like this:

[Chat Channels][All][Newbie][Market][General][Chat History]

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Wasnt somthing similar proposed a back whent he tabs were initally implimented but abandoned because of the screen witch avalible on 640x480?

http://users.tpg.com.au/adslk28n/640x480.jpg, So yes they will definatly have to be shorter.

 

I belive what he means by, "we're removing any visible way to escape". Would mean there is no button to press to leave console mode.

As a result those chat widgets will have to be "above" the console. possibly moved to the hud, if they arnt there already.

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Ah I see. good point Zep. Maybe we can't remove that icon after all..hm...although, it would be nice to see console chat-history selectively by channel. So in fact having those tabs on top would be even more useful-if that is possible?

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Ah I see. good point Zep. Maybe we can't remove that icon after all..hm...although, it would be nice to see console chat-history selectively by channel. So in fact having those tabs on top would be even more useful-if that is possible?

one of the things I was planning to work on :(

that as well as having the names of channels read from a file directly, currently if you want to be able to name a new channel you have to change the code

not only that, but when in console, there's no reason you can't have a close-console button somewhere, so you don't need the one on the HUD. we can get rid of that button

I think 'all' needs to be renamed to 'view all', and whichever channel is actuve should still be highlighted... some newbies seem to think they're talking on all channels when on the 'all' tab

 

instead of a full window when you go to toggle channels, though, a sort of drop-down box under the channel list tab might work better. less distance for the mouse to move, etc

 

I'll add these things to the patch I was planning on

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WEll i thought of a drop down list too, but i didn't know if that was able to be done, since we have windows already i just showed it like that. i don't think it really matters either way.

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WEll i thought of a drop down list too, but i didn't know if that was able to be done, since we have windows already i just showed it like that. i don't think it really matters either way.

it should be easy enough to make a drop-down section show up/dissapear when yu click the options 'tab'. I'll know soon :doze:

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I think a window would look nicer because we already have windows. But: would a drop down be able to be seen and used over the other windows like storage or inventory for example? If so, I think that would be more convenient and user friendly than having to cram one more window onto a potentially already full screen.

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If the drop down is added as a widget, will be nice and handy for a few different things, like selectable options in elconfig, And so forth.

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If the drop down is added as a widget, will be nice and handy for a few different things, like selectable options in elconfig, And so forth.

:doze: I wasn't going to make it that complicated... but yeah, that could be handy...

on the other hand, drop-down in config would be more like the <select> html, you select one of the things and the box closes again. in this case, we're looking at more of a window/submenu setup since you have a bunch of further options

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:doze: I wasn't going to make it that complicated... but yeah, that could be handy...

on the other hand, drop-down in config would be more like the <select> html, you select one of the things and the box closes again. in this case, we're looking at more of a window/submenu setup since you have a bunch of further options

 

If say a window could be added with no boarder, might be handy, then the top section could be an always on window, With set widgets like the drop down boxes =).

Then those little "x"ie things could be added as part of a tab widget.

 

On a site note, That'd go a long way in making the tab menu up the top a lot more flexable for skining later, or relocation.

Edited by Zep

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If say a window could be added with no boarder, might be handy, then the top section could be an always on window, With set widgets like the drop down boxes =).

Then those little "x"ie things could be added as part of a tab widget.

you can have windows without the top bar, stuff like main window, console, etc do this.

the routine to draw the tabs is already setup though, and you'd have to resize the window everytime you changed the tabs... it's probably simpler to keep how they currently work and just add the dropdown when you click one of them

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Good ideas, Roja ;) About the names: I think "List" and "History" will be enough, the fact that the button is in the bar already tells that it's about channels. "Chat list" could be confused with "Buddy list".

CK, I think it would be sufficient to add two buttons on the chat window. :)

ttlanhil, Zeplin, we can also experiment with menus but please try to keep it simple ;)

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Good ideas, Roja :) About the names: I think "List" and "History" will be enough, the fact that the button is in the bar already tells that it's about channels. "Chat list" could be confused with "Buddy list".

I didn't get a lot done before I had to stop and go out, but I do have a shrt name as well as a description in the file which can be shown on mouseover, if they don't know what it does just pointing the mouse at it can tell them (assuming tooltips is tuned on, naturally)

ttlanhil, Zeplin, we can also experiment with menus but please try to keep it simple ;)

heh, it will be

Edited by ttlanhil

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CK, I think it would be sufficient to add two buttons on the chat window. :)

Optionally disablable? I can only open up two channels as it is... the third still overflows. Two more buttons will be messy.

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Chat History is ok to be shortened, but for more organized clarity i would like for the words "Chat list", or "Channels" to be spelled out, and not just list.

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Chat History is ok to be shortened, but for more organized clarity i would like for the words "Chat list", or "Channels" to be spelled out, and not just list.

in my current implementation, I have "Options" since it'll open a menu of sorts, and "Select which channels to join" as the tooltip.

the main thing I've gotten done is that it reads this all directly from a file, though, so it'll be very easy to change.

Actually, I'll go with "Channels" for now, since the main purpose of that window is GUI channel selection (as far as I can tell)

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Okay, here's what I've got so far:

 

elscreen001.jpg

 

 

the buttons all work, tooltips all work (in the screenie, the mouse isn't captured... but it's over the chan 12345 tab)

even with short names in 800x600 you can run out of screen space, extra tabs without a way to deal with them in 640x480 would be rough (whether the tab bar 'slides' or you go two tall, or whatever)

 

the console does not yet have tabs, that and a PM tab* are what I'll look at next.

 

* yes, yes, PM tab was removed because you need to be able to see PMs at all times... doesn't mean you can't show them in all tabs and optionally have a tab just for PMs though

 

questions/comments?

Edited by ttlanhil

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