PLEASE improve the UI

from Stardock Forums
1. The mousewheel only works on about 50% of the scroll boxes. This is *EXTREMELY* annoying to have to click the arrows when the ability to mousewheel is obviously in the game. I don't understand why/how this got over-looked and doesn't work in so many areas.

2. PLEASE make the technology info under the negotiations areas clickable for further info on what it is/does.

GREAT game, but those 2 things in particular are driving me NUTS!!

585 views 9 replies
Reply #1 from Stardock Forums Top
1. Hmm...I use the wheel a lot and I've only ever noticed one place where it doesn't seem to work...sometimes the mouse cursor has to be over whatever I want to scroll...but that's it.

2. I've noticed a few interesting data display issues and/or mispellings...which seems like it should be impossible in a game so thoroughly tested! ;p
Reply #2 from Stardock Forums Top
Amazingly, those 2 things are the 2 most irritating to me as well. The list that really needs mouse support is the list of research possibilities in the 'Research' screen. Both the 'Available' and 'Archive' lists tend to get long later in the game. Clicking 50 times on those little arrows is a drag. And I also am constantly exiting the negotiation screen to go into the research screen to see what type of tech the other race is trying to sell me.

Jay
Groupy 2 - Organize multiple applications into grouped tabs on your Windows desktop
Reply #4 from Stardock Forums Top
Since I don't have a wheel, you could be right. What I'd like to see is a mouse slider.

Jay
Reply #5 from Stardock Forums Top
I don't have a wheel, my main grip with the UI is in the Tech screen :
It's quite painful to just scroll the different techs, there are only 2 small up/down arrows, a scroll bar would be much more practical ! :)
Reply #6 from Stardock Forums Top
Mouse wheel works just fine for me on the research screen...put your cursor over the list before scrolling.

And...hmm...if I didn't have a mouse wheel I'd probably be insane about now...those buttons are tiny!
Reply #7 from Stardock Forums Top
Two problems/complaints--don't know which thread to use:
Hardware requirements--box gives CPU minimum, manual even mentions running on sub-minimum--but no box mention that you need a monitor doing 1024x724 or so.
Someone running a 300Mhz not likely to have such a monitor--I'm above that but still using my reliable 10 year old reconditioned, only does 800x600. In other SF
games like Cossacks I get the menus pleated over, but the rest of the game looks fine. Borrowed another monitor, but this annoys me.
Secondly--obvious gameplay point--made ships but they didn't appear next to star icon--saw them in sidebar, right clicked, left clicked--nothing. By accident I double clicked, then they appeared. How am I supposed to know that? No mention in manual. Need guidebook.
Reply #8 from Stardock Forums Top
UI issues... Keyboard commands... I know it's awfully old fashioned to want to use a keyboard, but I play on my laptop (a tiny FUjitsu Lifebook P2110) often while I'm walking around carrying it and it would be _far_ easier to have "Enter" and "Y" and "N" work, or maybe 1,2,3 on moral choices, rather than have to try and move the mouse to the appropriate location while walking... :p

~SDC~
Reply #9 from Stardock Forums Top
I agree.

In addition to your suggestions I would add:

Change the left/right arrows on the sort by columns to a drop down menu.

Make stuff right clickable on the governor screen as well, similar to what you describe above for the negotiation screen.

Have an 'automax' button on the negotiation screen that will autoset the maximum tribute the AI will pay once you have selected a term.

olaf