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XPav -> UV (and WiTP) need better usability (1/8/2003 6:50:09 AM)
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After playing UV for a while, I have come to the following conclusion:
There is too much **** clicking that I have to do.
UV makes use of the following user interface elements:
1) Button (little round ones and the toolbar buttons)
2) Lists
3) Clickable text
4) Clickable map
That's it.
Here are some examples of things that would make this game easier to use for everyone - grognards and new players alike:
1) Use of the right mouse button and sub menus
- Right click on a hex, get a list of TFs, move the mouse to another TF, get a list of order, click "Move", click destination, TF destination set.
This would take one right click, two left clicks, and two mouse moves, never leaving the map.
Current system requires one click for the TF list, mouse move to the proper TF, one click, mouse move to set tf desination, move to destination, one click.
Put every single order currently only accesible from modal dialog boxes in sub menus so that experienced players can do what they need to quickly.
2) TF organization and formation. Currently, its click click click click click whooops back click click click whoops click click click whoops thats not the AAA destroyers click click click. It takes too long.
I want multiple dialog boxes overlaid on the map with the list of the ships in the current TF/port. To move ships from TF to TF, utilize multiple selections, dragging, and a select all. Have a "current ship" hover info box that displays the info of the ship that the mouse is currently over, and wa-lah, TF organization is now quick.
3) Fix the utterly unintuitive "Retire/No Retire/React/No React" 4 position switch that has completely different behavior depending on what type of task force you're using. Mine Warfare task forces especially. How about having a list of behaviors per task force. Then, you could have more than 4 types of behavior so that you could go ahead and add (for example) seperate "Night Bombard speed run" and "Slow lazy Bombard don't need to be quick about it" options.
4) How about seperate replays for US and Japan automatically combined with the save game transfer? Then you don't have the currently strange circumstance where the neither player knows what happened to their own forces unless they examine each and every TF that was engaged for actual damage.
5) How about letting us put save games wherever we want with whatever name we want? Ditch the slot system, please.
Every single one of these things are things that the veteran UV players have come to deal with. Every single one of them is something that could be made better with some work paid to the user interface.
If the current UV look and feel is used with no changes in WiTP, that's a game I won't be buying, because, you know what? I'd rather spend my time fighting my opponent, not the interface.
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