I think the main problem with that suggestion is the frames, the draw way too much attention, with the shiny crome and details that draw the eye.
Another thing im not a big fan of is the small dots on portraits and buttons. I guess they are meant to indicate if a character or ability is active, but I think there are better ways of achieving that. The dots are just too small and abstract. (I realise that illustrating how a UI works with just a static image is a challenge so i might be wrong here.)
On the positive side of things, the layout is greatly simplified, and instead of having elements spread all over the screen, its nicely organised in a bottom bar, wich I personally think is the way to go,
Please dont take offence at criticism, as none is intended. I dont think anyone has a complete image of what we need/want/is doable right now.
I dont know if any of you have ever played the Silent Storm series, so im gonna post a pic. I think there is some inspiration to draw from there
The tab system for soldier selection is slick, and makes it easy to track the status of soldiers at a glance.
All actions are gathered on the right side of the screen, and should be familiar to anyone who has ever played an rts.
Simple level select with a vertical layout that makes sense, and doesnt take up alot of space.
Color coded buttons that indicate what type of action the button represents at a glance. (in this case red=offensive blue=movement black=modechange & misc)
Buff/debuff window to the right of portrait, enables user to quickly see any effects applied to the currently selected character (such as stat changes due to injury, or status changes such as stunned or panicking)
Clickable spotted enemy indicator, allows user to quckly center on a spotted enemy.
Fairly anonymous frame, with little to no "bling".
Not saying that its perfect (or doable
), but i think that we should look into most of those things.
I like the background for the soldier selection panel, but is it possible to have an image as the background (or a transparent background) for a rendered model node?
Yes, I tried this with just replacing the existing frames.