How do I equip a weapon?

[Ember]

We have all at one point hear or said this phrase in our el time.

So I was thinking why not make the Equip bar a little more obvious as to what it is like in these pictures.

UnEquiped

Equiped

 

the coding for them is

 

C -M

H

W-T-S

P

B

 

Cape - Medallion

Hat

Weapon-Torso Armor-Sheild

Pants

Boots

 

Its still all 8 slots just re aranged on a silhouette so theres no misstaking where you equip and un equip items

Just to make the interface a little more user friendly for new players

 

Emby

[Aislinn]

Hmm actually funny you should bring this up, we were just discussing this very issue. One of the possible things we were looking at was identifying what the 8 little squares were, such as saying "Equip" over them like it says "quantity" over the numbers.

 

This also looks like a nice idea, I'll send CK over to look at this when I see him, I personally have no clue if it's possible to code this.

 

Edit: maybe instead of the letters you have, a little picture of a cape, sword, shield, etc...

[ttlanhil]

personally, I'd really like the rag-doll method, where you have a picture of your char, and you drag-n-drop items on/off of them... then you have either a second window or squares off to the side for stuff like medallions (and rings and gloves, in the games I've seen it in)

it's even more likely to be obvious to newbies, and because you don't scale it way down it'll be easier to use... but there may be a problem in drawing all the items, because you're likely to need to use the 3D version (the picture you see in INV window probably won't fit the character)

 

ed: a problem that ust occured to me... the client has no idea what sort of item each is, so the server would probably have to return the slot number when you drop the item over your rag-doll or equipped area

Edited January 5, 2006 by ttlanhil

[Brom]

Ive always thought we should have something like this. Though I was thinking something more along the lines of a Tab in the inventory window. Here is a picture of an OLD CLASSIC RPG that I highly recommend playing called Castle of the Winds. In it they used a simple system that would take Programmers little time...I think.

Something such as that, though I hope we can have some better graphics.

The words say (For those that cannot read them...) Things like, Left Ring, Right Ring, Armor, Overgarment, Cloak, Mediallion, Weapon, Free hand, etc.

Ugh, I still could use a good host. ;P

Edited January 5, 2006 by Brom

[Roja]

Well in the future we hope to have a rendering of your character in that place. and you just plop the stuff on the char there. Non visible things can be put in small boxes at the bottom or something.

[Ember]

So something more like this?

 

where the equipment is a new window sepreat from inventory?

Edited January 5, 2006 by Ember

[ttlanhil]

Well in the future we hope to have a rendering of your character in that place.

as in draw the 3D version of your character, just as a front-on instead of from above? it'd work, but I wonder if it might be better to have a 2d version, so we don't have to do the character rendering again (and rendering an actor is one of the larger drains on the client, even if it's only one more)

hmm. perhaps even a hybrid... each time it changes you render the 3D character and make a bitmap, then display that. the performance hit of one render each time you change what you're wearing wouldn't be bad, and you still get the look of one of the 3D actors (though without movement... which could look odd in the inventory anyway )

[vwpro]

yeh this would be super sweet

[crusadingknight]

Hmm actually funny you should bring this up, we were just discussing this very issue. One of the possible things we were looking at was identifying what the 8 little squares were, such as saying "Equip" over them like it says "quantity" over the numbers.

 

This also looks like a nice idea, I'll send CK over to look at this when I see him, I personally have no clue if it's possible to code this.

 

CK found this himself. As ttlanhil said, the server protocol, and equipment storage structures would have to be changed to support this - currently, the equipment is just slots 37-44.

Possibly, sending an extra byte with each item, which has bit-defines for which slots it will occupy. (Such as quarterstaff - EQUIP_WEAPON|EQUIP_ARMOR, etc.). Or whatever, as this is the server devs' area of expertise.

[ttlanhil]

CK found this himself. As ttlanhil said, the server protocol, and equipment storage structures would have to be changed to support this - currently, the equipment is just slots 37-44.

Possibly, sending an extra byte with each item, which has bit-defines for which slots it will occupy. (Such as quarterstaff - EQUIP_WEAPON|EQUIP_ARMOR, etc.). Or whatever, as this is the server devs' area of expertise.

actually, I don't see why dropping a weapon on any of slot 37-44 shouldn't be able to result in it going to slot 37 (weapon slot. as an example)

this is something that can be done asyncronously (client and server side) since old clients will only have the user a little suprised that it went into a different slot

then the client devs just need to know the order of the slots

 

this is unless we have the rendered 3D version (or a snapshot of same), because then you're drawing the picture as other players see it, and you no longer really have slots (you still do, to be able to remove items and such, but the user doesn't really see slots anymore)

[Ember]

so ttl your saying dragging and droping the bon eon the feet would auto equip it in the hand on the pic (sorry trying to understand the idea) if thats so then =D *claps*

[ttlanhil]

how I see it is an outline of the character (or drawn in, whatever). any time you drop something anywhere in that 'window', it will attempt to equip the item.

then in that picture, the item is shown on the rag-doll.

you can click the item in the picture again to pick it up if you want to remove it.

 

so yes, you can drop a bone on your head, or a helmet on your foot, and it will be worn

[Aislinn]

so yes, you can drop a bone on your head, or a helmet on your foot, and it will be worn

Now that image is a good laugh!

(I think she was asking if it will go the extra step and place the bone correctly on the hand and the helmet correctly on the head even though you drop it on the wrong body part. Obviously it will go to the right place on the avatar in the game, but will it on the inventory picture as well.)

[ttlanhil]

yes, either the server tells the client where to stick it (eg helmet slot is number 47), or we're using a snapshot of the 3D model (which will look nicer, but be a bit harder to remove items from)

either way, the rag-doll should be obvious and intuitive for all people

[Ember]

Ok ya I am happy I like the way this is going its newbie user friendly and pretty much (if its its own window/or a click button on the invitory as in pic) self explaintory

 

And yes what aissy said is what i was trying to say just droping it anywhere will equip it if its an equipable item

[Entris]

I like the idea of a separate button for equiping items, this is a really good suggestion and very nice pics Ember!

[Derin]

Good ideas!

 

This is both useful and needed.

[TAWoody]

Bump!

 

This thread is exactly what I wanted to post on.

 

Has there been any development on this since Jan??

[TriMoon]

So something more like this?

 

where the equipment is a new window sepreat from inventory?

I like this setup, the slots could be done differently if the maker whishes so, but the overall interface feel is nice!

And i like the one-time render and re-show idea also...

/me awaits implementation

 

*edit*

PS: Thats some weird number you put in there in the quantity screen ember lol

Edited April 17, 2006 by TriMoonâ„¢