Add an 'Equiped Item' column to Overview UI, and more

Started by Kender, October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM

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Kender

(Game version 0.232)

Suggestions to improve the Overview UI:
1. Add an 'Equiped Item' column to the Overview.
When having 10+ colonists, it is very hard to find who don't even have a pistol when raiders are coming, or who can upgrade his/her weapon to M-16 from a pistol.
In a Randy Random game, I ended up with 50+ colonists. Finding out who has/who doesn't is a very hard job.

2. To be able to select colonist from Overview UI
The second part in solving the problem stated in 'suggestion 1'.
Instead of knowing the name of the colonist that player are looking for. To be able to find him/her right away is much better.

3. Add more item slots to colonist, in future.
Instead of just weapons, colonist can also use some cloth (increase defense), transports (increase moving speed and capacity of carrying).
Instead of just weapons, colonist can use some tools (pickax for mining, hammer for construction). However, the simplified system used by the current build is fine too.

Some AI improvements needed.
4. Let colonist 'prioritize hauling' nearby stuff before returning to base
Colonist will do 'mining'/'cutting plant' and 'hauling' separately. To make colonists work more efficient, player has to manually control each colonist to 'prioritize hauling metal' before they returning to base (have a meal, take a nap).

5. Colonist can eat raw food stockpiled in the storage, during a blackout
Colonist will starve during a blackout in the meantime food are stockpiled in the storage. The thing that colonist AI can only find/eat raw food on the ground when pasta machine is offline, is not very realistic.

Considerations
6. Mad animal is also blinded?
The event statement says mad animal will attack anyone it can see is not true. They just rush from miles away to attack the first colonist it can see, ignoring all the other animals on the planet.

7. 'Hand-to-hand' is needed?
In my opinion, 'Hand-to-hand' attribute is not useful, I feel sad for colonist have a very high rating of it (for example, Assassin). Since we are not in Iron Age anymore, except for a few cases such as fighting a single mad squirrel, or fending off the first wave of a single raider, sending out a colonist to melee is almost equal to let him die.
Rogue, from Kendermoore of Dragonlance.

SteveAdamo

#1 - would this just be informational, as in a mouseover of the unit?

#2 - so, you select "Bob" on the overview, and the panel closes, and the UI jumps to Bob's position on the map, yes?

#3 - not sure i agree here... i really like the minimalist feel (havent played yet myself, however)

#4 - seems like a good improvement

#5 - excellent idea

#6 - seems like another good AI tweak

#7 - are you suggesting its removal, or making it more meaningful?

Kender

Quote#2 - so, you select "Bob" on the overview, and the panel closes, and the UI jumps to Bob's position on the map, yes?
yes

Quote#3 - not sure i agree here... i really like the minimalist feel (havent played yet myself, however)
I think the current simplification is fine. but since we can already equip weapon, why shouldn't we be able to equip something else. : )

Quote#7 - are you suggesting its removal, or making it more meaningful?
It needs to be creative to make it meaningful.
Rogue, from Kendermoore of Dragonlance.

Spike

We were kicking some ideas around about the Overview window in the "Ideas-Drafting?" thread.  I do agree that it would be nice to be able to click on someone in the Overview, and have it select them - it seems like a bit of a pain to find the person on-screen.

As for prioritizing jobs, that might be harder to do.  I'd imagine right now, the code checks for jobs when someone finishes something, and they go for the nearest one.  If someone else is closer, but still busy, that job will be "taken" when they finish up - taken by someone walking from across the map.  To change it, I'd think Tynan would have to code it to continually poll jobs vs locations vs skills, changing it on the fly every time you enable/disable a skill or place a new job.  That seems like it would cause a major slowdown on the computer.

Food could use some tweaking, and I'm sure it will get some.  Yes, they should eat anything available before starving, and have a preference system.  But this is still pre-alpha.  :P

Animals, as Steve said - needs some tweaking as well.

Hand-to-hand... currently, from the videos, it seems like you are stuck in melee when something is up on you.  It does not look like you can run away and shoot.  Definitely could use some more tweaking, but I think it should stay in the game, not be removed completely.  Besides, what would you do if you don't have enough guns?

Tynan

Good calls. 1,2,3, and 5 are all on my to-do list to address sooner rather than later. 7 will be fixed by balance changes, especially once we get better body armor and melee in. 4 is a difficult AI change so that might have to wait.
Tynan Sylvester - @TynanSylvester - Tynan's Blog

British

As Spike mentionned:

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM
1. Add an 'Equiped Item' column to the Overview.
http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=156.msg3426#msg3426

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM2. To be able to select colonist from Overview UI
That would be nice.

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM3. Add more item slots to colonist, in future.
http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=177.msg2693#msg2693

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM4. Let colonist 'prioritize hauling' nearby stuff before returning to base
http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=61.msg495#msg495

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM5. Colonist can eat raw food stockpiled in the storage, during a blackout
Fair point.

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM6. Mad animal is also blinded?
Yes and no, I had a mad muffalo smashing his herd... and actually getting killed by it in response.
That might be an exception, though.

Quote from: Kender on October 21, 2013, 10:40:08 PM7. 'Hand-to-hand' is needed?
http://ludeon.com/forums/index.php?topic=245.0

Oh my, ain't that Search function, like, überly powerful ? ::)