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Author Topic: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen  (Read 6029 times)

Offline Specialist290

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Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« on: March 19, 2010, 06:40:24 am »
I recently had this thought while transferring personnel and equipment from one base to another:  You should add a context-sensitive helpful display for the base being transferred to.

For instance, when the Equipment tab is selected, the screen would show the current capacity and inventory of the destination base; when the Employees tab is selected, the total / remaining capacity of the destination as well as the stats of the selected soldier; for the Aircraft tab, the hangar capacity; etc.

Also, I think that the method of reassigning soldiers in particular should be looked at more closely.  The way the current system works, right now when I click on a soldier, it simply automatically assigns it to be transferred (if it isn't assigned to a vehicle) or warns me to unassign the soldier (if it is).  I think that selecting a soldier in the menu should allow the player to view the soldier's stats and current status (Assigned / Idle), and the player should be able to then choose whether or not to mark the soldier for transfer (which will automatically unassign it if the player chooses to approve the transfer).

As it stands now, I'm having to constantly shuffle through menus to check whether or not the destination already has what it needs, if the soldiers I'm assigning are wounded / already assigned, etc.  I believe that this sort of change would greatly simplify and streamline things.

Offline geever

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #1 on: March 19, 2010, 08:20:06 am »
For instance, when the Equipment tab is selected, the screen would show the current capacity and inventory of the destination base; when the Employees tab is selected, the total / remaining capacity of the destination as well as the stats of the selected soldier; for the Aircraft tab, the hangar capacity; etc.

I plan to replace the current baseinfo "you can transfer employee, this base has living quarters" to numeric info : "Living Quarters: 10/40" (10/40 = free/all) This may happen in 2.3 (maybe not in 2.3(.0) but 2.3.1 or so)

Showin' soldier stats&equipment is a bit more tricky&difficult. My idea is to show the physdat (the one available on HUD) popup on right click

Also, I think that the method of reassigning soldiers in particular should be looked at more closely.  The way the current system works, right now when I click on a soldier, it simply automatically assigns it to be transferred (if it isn't assigned to a vehicle) or warns me to unassign the soldier (if it is).  I think that selecting a soldier in the menu should allow the player to view the soldier's stats and current status (Assigned / Idle), and the player should be able to then choose whether or not to mark the soldier for transfer (which will automatically unassign it if the player chooses to approve the transfer).

Unassigning a soldier means remove all weapons and equipment from him/her too now. That's a limit now not easy to fix. Assigned/Idle "flag" is a good idea.

-geever

Offline homunculus

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #2 on: March 22, 2010, 01:21:14 am »
i think base management is often complicated enough, and a tree gui is often used in such apps for better overview.
the new research screen is nice, and as i think of it, this is somewhat halfway to a tree.

i am not familiar with c standard widgets, how difficult would it be to put all bases and base infos and soldiers etc into a tree? i mean, like explorer view?

Offline geever

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #3 on: March 22, 2010, 10:19:54 am »
c standard widgets ?? LOL!

and everything in one tree? crap.

-geever

Offline Yatta

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #4 on: March 22, 2010, 11:15:08 am »
Here's a suggestion, pretty self explanatory.

It allows to see at one glance what every base's stocks, and both send or call items.

Could be improved (but a little less straightforward), by allowing to send any item from any base to anybase : instead of adding/removing item to the main base, count them has "items to be dispatched" in a new column, then dispatch those item as you want between all the bases. A little tricky thing to do tough : automatic set up of convoys.

Offline homunculus

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #5 on: March 24, 2010, 06:10:22 am »
c standard widgets ?? LOL!

and everything in one tree? crap.

-geever

btw, somehow i feel as if i had pretended to know a lot about c.
i don't think i have ever said anything even close to that.
however, i would think it is unbelievable that none of the trees i have seen is written in c.
and as much surprising would be lack of reusable code for that.

i am not a fan of special gui screens for everything, i see their main benefit in making the screen flash.

@ Yatta
i guess you mean something like xcom:apoc?
i wonder if we are going to have transports that we will need to defend?
automatic transports shooting off in every direction, i think it would be better if they would not carry anything very valuable.

Offline Yatta

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #6 on: March 24, 2010, 12:11:42 pm »
I dont know ho xcom apoc works, but if its the same as the table system I suggest, does it work ?

Offline homunculus

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #7 on: March 25, 2010, 05:56:23 am »
I dont know ho xcom apoc works, but if its the same as the table system I suggest, does it work ?
it is transfer between two bases, and the transport vehicle is launched automatically.
but basically it should be similar, there are resources in both bases and sliders between them.

i had been thinking about transport in a bit different way.
you would assign a transport vehicle between two bases and the vehicle would have cargo space that you would fill up.
but you would need a gui that would give you a good overview (*cough* a tree gui maybe).

Offline Yatta

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #8 on: March 25, 2010, 11:56:27 am »
As a player I would think that managing transport vehicles is too much micromanagement.

Offline BTAxis

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #9 on: March 25, 2010, 03:03:17 pm »
Agreed.

Offline Specialist290

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #10 on: March 31, 2010, 10:23:54 pm »
Thirding that sentiment.

Also, I just realized something:  With the current build, you really don't need to use the Transfer screen at all!  All you have to do is sell-rebuy / fire-rehire who/whatever you want to move, and it shows up instantly.

Guess in the near future, FedEx-Amazon-Time/Warner-Google can deliver stuff faster than a multinational airlift ;) (at least until something a bit more "realistic" is implemented).

Offline geever

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #11 on: March 31, 2010, 11:02:00 pm »
Also, I just realized something:  With the current build, you really don't need to use the Transfer screen at all!  All you have to do is sell-rebuy / fire-rehire who/whatever you want to move, and it shows up instantly.

FR#2014115: Convert Market to a special Transfer a not-for-2.3 feature..

-geever

Offline Specialist290

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Re: Better Interface for the Transfer Screen
« Reply #12 on: April 01, 2010, 03:06:05 pm »
I was aware of that.  I just wanted to make the joke at the bottom of my post which, it seems, went over most people's heads :p