Well I'm up hadn't had much sleep, but I am here.
I love the idea of connecting the upper GUI objects! But yeah, it's too blocky. Would look better if it was more slim and sleek. Maybe make it semi-transparent... does that work with GUIs?
Also, the arrangement of the lower GUI is really nice. Cute little command buttons...
You want to remove the Cinematic Window? To keep the style you'll have to fill the gap with something. Maybe extend the central GUI block to the right?
I love the top bar but it does take up a little too much space. I am considering two options here, the first is removing it and moving all it's options down to the bottom. My second idea is to keep it but make it skinner, all the resources for example on one line.
I was also thinking of extending it to the right as you suggested and perhaps has a second where the wireframe is rather large to utilise the space.
Hmmm - for me, and this is a problem I have always had with the A2 ui - is that it is too big. For the amount of info it gives you, it just takes up too much room.
So I would like to see as compact a ui as possible.
That said, you have already hit the nail on the head - if the ui has to be big, use transparency.
the cinematic window could be re sized, rather than cut altogether too...
Also - I personally like the ui to fit either to the top, bottom or side - not to more than one side / edge of the screen... But I am a little picky when it comes to the ui... I normally played with it off altogether, only bringing it up when needed...
Yeah I will certainly be using transparency. Fahres showed me the way with his Compact Clear and Compact Dream mods.
I've never been a fan of the Cin window, apart from taking extra possessing power it does sometimes distract one. However if by chance I did re-size it, it would be small, like what Fahres did with his Compact Dream mod.
Hehe, I thought I recognised the screenshot when I saw it
I agree, the aforementioned GUI does take up too much of the screen. What my plans were for Cold Front was to make it a bit more SFC-like; removing the cinematic window and having the ship info section on the LEFT of the screen, freeing up a more squarish area for actual playing.
I did start work on a project called "zGUI", which was to be a standardised system for making easy GUIs, with a choice of different layouts. Unfortunately real life got in the way
Yeap, it's also great to see you back online. I hope you are around more often, I know Jetfreak was trying to contact you.
As for the GUI, there are so many configurations. I rather like the one you did here, I just need to make it smaller so one can see what is one screen better. The cin window will most likely go to free up space.
There's a fine balance between what you're showing us there in the above and having no GUI at all. I don't need a cinematic window, never liked the idea of it. The centre section with build buttons and wireframes is important but it should be transparent. And I've always felt the map screen isn't detailed enough for the size of screen it takes. As for the resource bars and so forth on the top / side of the screen, while they're necessary, they should also be transparent (except for the digits themselves). I rather like FahreS' GUIs as well as elevatormusic's Federation GUI, along with most of the ones in Borg Incursion. All good stuff.
Well we are on the same wave length when it comes to the map, cin window and the transparency. I will be taking my time with this one, as firstly I am a novice when it comes to gui arrangements and I'll be using it as a base for all the races in YY.
