UI modifications (suggestions and discussion)

[Dancing Hoskuld]

A full research into this last night and we determined this is an alternative method of creating the 'has already researched tech' button display. I guess this was added at some point in case we wanted to have a different approach to this button display entirely (such as something like greyscaling the image or something.) I want to enable this in the tech tree main button display on religious techs. It may never need be something different than the main <button> in Religions but setting it up for use, if we ever wanted it to differ it could be. If that makes sense. At the moment, the references here will be updated to the same as the main <button> in Religions which will also be the same as the button in tech infos.

The big difference I'm asking for here is for the religioninfos.xml <techbutton> tag reference be used as the tech button on the tech tree tech display when the religion isn't researched. And if it is, then pull on GenericTechButton instead. Right now, it does NOT do this swap out with the current tech tree... it's asking all techs, including religious ones, to refer directly to the techinfo <button> definition. I've found the python on this and ran tests to confirm. Perhaps an old tech tree we had did it right but it's not correct at the moment.

As for the subjects you brought up, you're the master in this dept. I'm good with what you want to do! Your reasoning makes sense.

OK it looks like it was something lost when I converted us to Platyping's tech tree. I will need to find the solution and also post it as a fix to his thread. But not today or this week probably - it was over 37 yesterday and does not look to be going below 33 for the next week. I do have air con and now solar panels to power it but heat and me don't go well together.

 

[JosEPh_II]

@Dancing Hoskuld ,

I would Gladly ship you some cold Canadian Arctic air if I could for some of your heat. We finally got above freezing the last 3 days after 3 weeks of below 15*F (on a good sunny day) to night time temps of as lows as -27*F (with windchills in the -39*F range). We actually set some new records for early January here in Western Illinois. I've even had the basement door's outside concrete pad heave up enough from the bitter cold that I could not open my Storm door to get outside! I'm sick of winter already and we still have 2+ months to go!

It's a pain getting and dealing with weather too.

Oh and my solar panels were covered in a blanket of Ice and I could not get up to them to clean them off. So I lost about 3 weeks worth of electricity I get from them. Local Power company likes that. Their cash grab from using their power is gonna hurt when the monthly bill comes in a week or so.

 

[Thunderbrd]

OK it looks like it was something lost when I converted us to Platyping's tech tree. I will need to find the solution and also post it as a fix to his thread. But not today or this week probably - it was over 37 yesterday and does not look to be going below 33 for the next week. I do have air con and now solar panels to power it but heat and me don't go well together.

Ok. It's not pre-release critical. There's other spots where the difference is properly applied so that should help already.

 

[eruanion]

I have a suggestion regarding the city screen buttons that show only buildings of a certain category: add granary type buildings (those that store food after growth) to the buildings shown when "show buildings that only provide food" is active.

I've only played into the Ancient era, so I don't know if the number of buildings of this type increases or decreases as one progresses. But when I reach the point where I can build Cellars, Icehouses and Warehouses I find it would be nice to see at a glance if a city has already built them (instead of scrolling through the building list to see if they are built).

If it sounds like a good idea to you guys, I would be willing to figure out how to do it myself (and submit to SVN if that is okay).

 

[Noriad2]

+eruanion: if you look for specific buildings, perhaps you could make a customized list in the F1 menu? I never tried it but I saw some promising stuff there.

 

[Thunderbrd]

I have a suggestion regarding the city screen buttons that show only buildings of a certain category: add granary type buildings (those that store food after growth) to the buildings shown when "show buildings that only provide food" is active.

I've been thinking about that for a while but I'm not too keen on how to go about it. I can modify the parameters of a filter but there are steps in making one that I haven't figured out how to go about yet.

It requires a combination of art skills, python and dll coding to pull off a new filter.

 

[eruanion]

@Noriad2 F1 menu is a good idea, I'll look at that.

I've been thinking about that for a while but I'm not too keen on how to go about it. I can modify the parameters of a filter but there are steps in making one that I haven't figured out how to go about yet.

It requires a combination of art skills, python and dll coding to pull off a new filter.

Well I was thinking, maybe a new filter or maybe modify the existing filter for food buildings. I don't know how the filters work, if it is possible to have the existing filter include the buildings that provide food and/or store food after grow; or if it is possible to manually add specific buildings to those included by the filter.

 

[Thunderbrd]

Well I was thinking, maybe a new filter or maybe modify the existing filter for food buildings.

That actually is possible and not that hard to do - and I've often thought to add the tag to that. I'll have to put it on the task list. I had been debating whether it would feel like it's going too far or not but having the idea proposed by a 3rd party does help.

Does anyone disagree that this should take place?

 

[Dancing Hoskuld]

Back to the tech screen, these are the bugs and extensions on my list

• Techs going over one vertical page on some screen resolutions
  
  Thunderbrd you are having this problem, at what resolution was it?
  
  I did not have any time to work on C2C while away but I did go through and come up with the three main formulae for the spacing. I need to do the one that checks for bad rounding when finalizing the Y positions of the boxes.
  
  
• get current screen options remembered between times you enter the screen, stored in the BUG options and available on the BUG options screen
  
  
• see if we can use Hydro's colour scheme at least for the bit of the Tech Tree he defined it for
  
  
• Religion tech buttons displayed correctly (although this may not be necessary if the next is done)
  
  
• Figure out why Platyping's World Tech is not working with Koshling's speed improvements for the real PythonCallBacks. The dll code almost looked like it was deliberately to make the Python look slow. World Techs can only be studied by one player/team then they become unavailable to everyone else.
  
  
• make the buttons for required buildings stand out a bit
  
  
• integrate Platyping's Resources affect Tech learning mod. Having a tech changes how much research you provide towards the tech
  • not sure the mod displays correctly everywhere as it was a proof of concept mod not a final release
    
    • eg adjusts the number
    • shows on the tech tree or in the pedia
  • adjustments need to be stored in XML rather than Python, but we have the technology to do that with Custom XML. Eventually it would be better to have tags.

 

[Thunderbrd]

Thunderbrd you are having this problem, at what resolution was it?

I'm really not sure - I don't think I'm having the issue now. I might be... I think I changed the res though and it stopped so now I don't remember what it was at.

 

[tmv]

I'm really not sure - I don't think I'm having the issue now. I might be... I think I changed the res though and it stopped so now I don't remember what it was at.

Things are good at 1920 x 1080 - although I have to add that I'm using PPIO.

 

[Toffer90]

Things are good at 1920 x 1080 - although I have to add that I'm using PPIO.

PPIO doesn't touch the tech screen at all.

 

[tmv]

PPIO doesn't touch the tech screen at all.

Alright, I just wanted to make sure - I wouldn't want to give a "too positive" feedback.

 

[Fermongu]

Can tooltips be made a little wider, so big ones (traits) can be fully viewed?

 

[Toffer90]

I was pondering on maybe adding a hotkey that would set the tolltip max size to 1/2 of the screen when held down...
Not sure which button(s) I should use for it though. perhaps ctrl+alt...

 

[Thunderbrd]

I was pondering on maybe adding a hotkey that would set the tolltip max size to 1/2 of the screen when held down...
Not sure which button(s) I should use for it though. perhaps ctrl+alt...

I'd almost prefer it just autoexpands out to that far if needed.

 

[Toffer90]

I'd almost prefer it just autoexpands out to that far if needed.

Other players have complained about it being too large when the max was set to 2/5 of the screen. The maximum width is currently set as 1/3 (changed it from 2/5 shortly before merging PPIO to core).

 

[Thunderbrd]

Other players have complained about it being too large when the max was set to 2/5 of the screen. The maximum width is currently set as 1/3 (changed it from 2/5 shortly before merging PPIO to core).

Well that's annoying. What kind of hotkey are you considering?

 

[Toffer90]

Well that's annoying. What kind of hotkey are you considering?

Perhaps alt+ctrl, on units this would mean that you get the alt and ctrl information in wide version, and it will be impossible to get only ctrl or only alt in wide version. shift+alt+ctrl will count as only shift but in wide version.

 

[Thunderbrd]

Perhaps alt+ctrl, on units this would mean that you get the alt and ctrl information in wide version, and it will be impossible to get only ctrl or only alt in wide version. shift+alt+ctrl will count as only shift but in wide version.

yeah that's the problem with using those hotkeys for that... Maybe a toggleable setting instead of a hotkey system?