[Freeciv-Dev] (PR#7127) [FS] Screen design

["Vasco Alexandre da Silva Costa" <vasc@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://rt.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=7127 >

> [i-freeciv-lists@xxxxxxxxxxxxx - Tue Jan 06 19:41:35 2004]:
> 
> On Tue, Jan 06, 2004 at 01:32:48AM -0800, Morgan Jones wrote:

> No the client isn't different but your usage pattern. There are 3
> possible ways to get informed about an event (chat area, message
> dialog, popup). Depending on how you view it:
>  - I want to remove the message dialog and to make the chat area
>  clickable or
>  - I want to remove the chat area and move the message dialog to the
>  place which is used by the chat area now.

Agreed, there is too much overlap. SMAC does things the first way.

Regarding Neverwinter like chatlines:
ftp://upload.freeciv.org/pub/freeciv/incoming/nwn_scrsht.png

From my experience, Freeciv players aren't quite as talkative. Messages
tend to be short and to the point. The diplomatic dialog condensates the
most crucial conversation into clauses.

I still think you need some sort of chat area, for player to player
messages at least. Copy Quake 3 Arena for this. It works in an
unobstrusive way.

My proposal is: Quake 3 Arena like player to player messages on the top
left or right of the screen, superimposed over the map. Messages dialog
(i.e. improvement or unit built, etc) is replaced by a column of icons 
ala Civ CTP, growing from the bottom to the top.

Screenshot in Civ CTP, notice bottom left corner, the hammer icons:
http://apolyton.net/ctp/preview/screens/spy.jpg

> Some of you may remember Settlers I. If there was an important issue
> an icon fall down on the right side and sat there till you clicked
> it. I want this feature for at least diplomacy meetings. I think it
> can be used for other popuping up messages as well. This may look like
> http://freeciv.org/~rfalke/fs3_pics/mapview3.png.

Yes, I remember the Settlers by Blue Byte. Nice game. Civ CTP also has
a similar feature. Republic: The Revolution also works like this, etc.