No tooltips?

Matrix Games Forums

Forums Register Login Photo Gallery Member List Search Calendars FAQ

My Profile Inbox Address Book My Subscription My Forums Log Out

No tooltips?

View related threads: (in this forum | in all forums)

Logged in as: Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >> [Current Games From Matrix.] >> [Modern] >> Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager >> No tooltips?

Page: [1]

Message

<< Older Topic Newer Topic >>

No tooltips? - 10/31/2014 9:10:13 PM

DicedT

Posts: 800
Joined: 11/2/2006
Status: offline

There doesn't seem to be a tooltip popup when the mouse is held over a button. If so, it makes it much more of a pain to learn the game.

Post #: 1

RE: No tooltips? - 10/31/2014 9:54:42 PM

Nacho84

Posts: 706
Joined: 2/7/2013
From: Brighton, UK
Status: offline

Hello DicedT,

I'm going to cheat a bit here and repost an answer I just gave at the Steam forums!

The game UI is meant to be universal across desktop and mobile platforms. Notice that most buttons have text on them, and the ones that don't are quite graphical and consistent across the whole interface. For example, the icons in the lower bar, which are used as shortcuts to the agency's buildings, match the signs in the buildings themselves. These icons are quite descriptive as well (the helmet for the astronauts/cosmonauts, the headset for the flight controllers, the dollar sign for the Public Affairs Office, etc).

The other screen that makes heavy use of buttons without text is the personnel management screen, which features a bunch of icons in order to filter/sort the entries. This might seem daunting at first, but there are just a few of them. Once you figure out what they are, you no longer need to think about them.

We'll certainly consider adding tooltips if we get more reports about the UI being confusing, that's for sure, but notice that we did a conscious effort to avoid them while designing the screns. Not because we're lazy, but because we wanted the UI to be universal across all platforms.

Please let us know if you have any questions and I'll do my best to get back to you.

Cheers,

_____________________________

Ignacio Liverotti
Lead Developer of Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager
Polar Motion

www.polar-motion.com
spm.slitherine.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PolarMotion

(in reply to DicedT)

Post #: 2

RE: No tooltips? - 10/31/2014 10:45:23 PM

FroBodine

Posts: 872
Joined: 5/5/2007
From: Brentwood, California (not the OJ one)
Status: offline

I strongly second the request for tooltips. Not knowing what ANY numbers mean, e.g. the three numbers next to each icon on the main base page, and the two numbers under each planet in the planet screen.

What the heck do these numbers mean? I don't know, there are no tooltips!

Dumbing down the PC version to accomodate the iPad version is no excuse, and a bit of laziness in my opinion. I'm sure the game is great, but no tooltips really turns me off to you guys.

If you are making a PC game, you should use a standard PC UI, and tooltips are standard in the vast majority of all PC games nowadays. Especially strategy/tactical games.

(in reply to Nacho84)

Post #: 3

RE: No tooltips? - 10/31/2014 10:59:31 PM

Wolfe1759

Posts: 798
Joined: 1/20/2008
From: Shropshire, UK
Status: offline

Agree - tooltips are a boon to a PC game why avoid implementing them just because the less able iPad platform version (which I didn't buy and isn't available yet) is incapable of utilising them?

< Message edited by Wolfe -- 11/1/2014 12:00:14 AM >

_____________________________

"In War: Resolution. In Defeat: Defiance. In Victory: Magnanimity. In Peace: Goodwill." - Winston Churchill

(in reply to FroBodine)

Post #: 4

RE: No tooltips? - 10/31/2014 11:35:51 PM

Nacho84

Posts: 706
Joined: 2/7/2013
From: Brighton, UK
Status: offline

OK guys, I'll work on it. I'll keep you posted.

Cheers,

_____________________________

Ignacio Liverotti
Lead Developer of Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager
Polar Motion

www.polar-motion.com
spm.slitherine.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PolarMotion

(in reply to Wolfe1759)

Post #: 5

RE: No tooltips? - 11/1/2014 12:14:43 AM

FroBodine

Posts: 872
Joined: 5/5/2007
From: Brentwood, California (not the OJ one)
Status: offline

Thank you very much, Ignacio! I just don't understand how you could have gone a year through early access, and nobody thought tooltips were a necessity?

(in reply to Nacho84)

Post #: 6

RE: No tooltips? - 11/1/2014 8:12:38 AM

Casinn

Posts: 343
Joined: 7/27/2013
Status: offline

Early access got some of those features one at a time, a bit easier to learn.

(in reply to FroBodine)

Post #: 7

RE: No tooltips? - 11/1/2014 1:30:03 PM

ezzler

Posts: 863
Joined: 7/4/2004
Status: offline

Definitely tooltips. Its a pain without them. I'm clicking all over the place.

(in reply to Casinn)

Post #: 8

RE: No tooltips? - 11/1/2014 9:05:16 PM

Nacho84

Posts: 706
Joined: 2/7/2013
From: Brighton, UK
Status: offline

Hello guys, the 3D artist and myself set some time aside to prepare a UI reference guide, please fetch it from here.

We'll still add some form of in-game help, but hopefully the reference guide will provide you the info you need for now. Let me know if you have any questions.

Cheers,

_____________________________

Ignacio Liverotti
Lead Developer of Buzz Aldrin's Space Program Manager
Polar Motion

www.polar-motion.com
spm.slitherine.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PolarMotion

(in reply to ezzler)

Post #: 9

RE: No tooltips? - 11/1/2014 11:22:52 PM

jjknap

Posts: 53
Joined: 3/24/2013
Status: offline

Wow, what a nice reference card. You guys are great!

(in reply to Nacho84)

Post #: 10

RE: No tooltips? - 11/2/2014 11:28:30 AM

Bandred

Posts: 3
Joined: 2/9/2004
From: Derby, UK
Status: offline

quote:

Hello guys, the 3D artist and myself set some time aside to prepare a UI reference guide, please fetch it from here

Hi Ignacio,

I came across your link to the UI Reference Guide on Steam. It's a great document for those of us just starting out, so, many thanks for putting it together.

It might be useful if you could also edit your post on the Slitherine forum 'Suggestion-UI Interface' to add the link. I tried in my post, but was defeated by the Spam blocker (not enough posts) :)

Thanks again,

Mike

(in reply to Nacho84)

Post #: 11

RE: No tooltips? - 11/2/2014 11:52:55 AM

Templer_12

Posts: 1700
Joined: 1/5/2009
From: Germany
Status: offline

I'm one could dispense tooltips in BASPM.
If tooltips are implemented, then please optionally be switched off!

The UI reference guide is a great document.
I have found some I did not know until now.

(in reply to Bandred)

Post #: 12

RE: No tooltips? - 11/2/2014 4:21:16 PM

HeinzHarald

Posts: 140
Joined: 12/31/2013
From: Varberg, Sweden
Status: offline

Good document, but four of six icons/names are wrong in "Information in the lower bar".

(in reply to Templer_12)

Post #: 13

RE: No tooltips? - 11/3/2014 11:03:33 AM

nico7550

Posts: 74
Joined: 5/30/2013
Status: offline

quote:

ORIGINAL: Casinn

Early access got some of those features one at a time, a bit easier to learn.

quote:

I just don't understand how you could have gone a year through early access, and nobody thought tooltips were a necessity?

Hi Casinn, for your information, some users have been asking for it some months ago. But choices had to be made...

Cheers

< Message edited by N_Molson -- 11/3/2014 3:33:40 PM >

(in reply to Casinn)

Post #: 14

RE: No tooltips? - 11/4/2014 2:39:00 PM

IainMcNeil

Posts: 2804
Joined: 10/26/2004
From: London
Status: offline

Tooltips were not actually requested during the EAP, at least not other than a footnote on someones comments along with thousands of other minor requests. As we know they're important we've worked on them and we've almost completed adding them! Check out Ignacio's development update to see Tooltips in action!

_____________________________

Iain McNeil
Director
Matrix Games

(in reply to nico7550)

Post #: 15