User Interface Improvement Poll

[David]

If you're worried that we're going to rub some old-fashioned players up the wrong way, then that means we're on the right track, because otherwise the game won't become modernised. The old layout will always be there for them.

This sounds like a believable theory. I hope what you said is true.

[David]

If you're worried that we're going to rub some old-fashioned players up the wrong way, then that means we're on the right track, because otherwise the game won't become modernised. The old layout will always be there for them.

This sounds like a believable theory. I hope what you said is true.

[Brain]

For instance, how would you like to replace the following keys with?

S key is currently used for calling up the save game menu.
D key is currently a shortcut for opening the product detail report.

You don't. Those keyboard shortcuts would not exist in an alternate keyboard binding, where WSAD/cursor keys control the map scrolling. Mouse-only, to get to those bits.

Both keys are used very frequently by most users.

Can you prove this? I'll back down if you can, but I find it difficult to believe, on the surface.

I did not use 'S' for saving for years. I go ESC then pick from menu. In a similar way, I never intentionally used 'D' to see the product detail report. I click the 'i' or go from a store/factory product list with a doubleclick.

but guy how much did I swear every time when I had to brain switch from playing my other games to CapLab. What I found most annoying when I came back to CapLab is that it took me minutes and eventually some googling to understand the controls.

[BioBiro]

So, here's a quick mock-up of the resolution picker dialog, with the new resolutions. Just slam 'em all in, like this:



Dead simple feature to implement - you just copy an existing button, change the caption, change the client window width & height it sets to the correct pair of numbers, build & test. Fifteen minutes of work, so I hope - as the joint-top requested feature - these resolutions can make it into the next patch.

[Brain]

I like it, but it would be even better to have a Fullscreen "native resolution" to choose only, because I do not expect players to always know what their screen provides. There are a lot of double digit IQ people out there. In windowed I would prefer something like your list, but it could be a dropdown selection to save menu size.

[BioBiro]

I like it, but it would be even better to have a Fullscreen "native resolution" to choose only, because I do not expect players to always know what their screen provides. There are a lot of double digit IQ people out there. In windowed I would prefer something like your list, but it could be a dropdown selection to save menu size.

That'd be much better, and expected features of modern games, but it's not fifteen minute of work anymore. They're going to drag their heels on this a bit, so the smaller the implementation time, the more likely I hope it is that we'll get these features.

[David]

Let's wait and see how many user votes these improvement ideas can gather. It is safe to say that when the number of votes has reached something between 8 to 10, they will carry enough weight to warrant the dev team's time to evaluate the feasibility. (For the resolution options suggestion, it seems to me that it is plainly feasible though)

[BioBiro]

They're going to drag their heels on this a bit

Let's wait and see

It's fifteen minutes of work from start-to-finish, for 5+ years of resolution future-proofing. What kind of feasibility evaluation rejects a feature on that basis, but agrees to it when it receives six extra anonymous forum poll votes?

Let's copy & paste those buttons, change the numbers, and get these resolutions added to the next patch. Then you can cross that one off the list and the poll, and we've taken a good first step towards modernizing the game .

[David]

I agree with you on this particular resolution options improvement and will recommend the dev team to implement it.

[BioBiro]

I agree with you on this particular resolution options improvement and will recommend the dev team to implement it.

Nice one, thanks! The modernisation of CapLab shall be unstoppable from this point onwards. But I won't be the one pushing for it, because once these are added, I can't complain until the middle of 2020.

If you're worried that you don't have enough poll votes to justify presenting an idea to the dev team, you can always use your forum-admin skills to add extra votes to the poll, and boom, we're in business.