Image Icons

[redrum]

@frostion Ask and thou shall receive:

20x20 with larger font quantity

24x24 with larger font quantity

Dragon War @ 24x24 with larger font quantity

[Frostion]

Nice. I like the “20x20 with larger font quantity” For me at least it seems to represent a good balanced display.

Here are Dragon War 20x20 icon.

I will try to make some Iron War icons and post them for you to test. I will include some 20x20 also.

0_1519162984264_DragonWar20x20.zip

[redrum]

@frostion Yeah, only thing that worries me is font size inconsistency and whether that opens up a can of worms. But to be fair good UI design often uses different size fonts/images to highlight different areas. My initial guy reaction is either 16x16 with normal size font or 20x20 with larger font.

DW Pre-Icons (Death By Text!)

DW 20x20 larger font quantity

DW 16x16 larger font quantity

DW 16x16

[Frostion]

The 16x16 with normal font also looks good, but the icons are on the verge of being unrecognizable.

Taking the civil war version in mind, I am still for “20x20 larger font quantity”.

I am eager to know what other people think.

Did the first work for Iron War icon set, but you will have to wait about 22 hours till I finish them Good night!

[redrum]

So for now going with the 20x20 and larger font, I adjusted some spacing and now enforce resource ordering based on the XML to get the following:

Dragon War

Civil War

[Hepps]

@redrum I think you found the sweet spot. All looks great!

[redrum]

Alright, I think we'll go with the 20x20 with larger font for the purchase window. Next up is resource bar!

20x20

24x24

28x28

32x32

[Hepps]

@redrum Would probably be best to show the examples with the entire window... maybe with the purchase window open at the same time. Since a comparison is an important part of the concept.

We have to bear in mind that the quality of the resource image is also a factor. I did the larger images quickly by expanding the existing images... which yields blurry results without a great deal more work. So it is important to evaluate the sizes based on how they work comparatively rather than on the quality of the icons themselves.

[prastle]

@redrum sexy

[redrum]

@Hepps Good point. Here are screenshots with purchase window open. After we narrow it down I can try some different font sizes as well. I also need to fix the right part of the bottom bar so its height scales with the rest.

20x20

24x24

28x28

32x32

[Hepps]

@redrum 24 does it for me.

[redrum]

Here is 20x20 with larger font (same as purchase window):

[prastle]

@hepps WHAT about the old blind guys?

24 is fine
bigger is better

[redrum]

Purchase window with A/D/M above unit image and larger font size:

DW:

[prastle]

@redrum all improvements are amazing! You guys pick what looks best to you. Don't forget I am an old colour blind bastd with spectacles either way all great stuff! TY for all the work @ all

[Hepps]

@prastle We will introduce a braille version for you when nano technology is incorporated into LCD screens.

[redrum]

With updated territory info in bottom left corner to use resources.

CW

DW

[prastle]

@redrum i can read it and its a vast improvement from none. I just wish it was slightly larger. Even if all disagree. GREAT WORK! @ all

[Frostion]

@prastle Please tell what exactly you disagree with and what it does for the game experience. I think it is important as others might think the same. We might as well take any criticism up front, and we must not be carried away by ourselves.

Also, I would say that the next stable release would be a kind of BETA in regards to reactions towards the resource icons. We will see what people think.

@all This made me think! (about something specific ). Maybe there should be a safeguard against maps using the icons if the maps icon set was not complete. Meaning if all the resources could not be displayed as icons, then the resource display would only be in text. No mixing of text and icons. It might look weird and unprofessional if mixed, and also give a bad impression about the use of icons.

@redrum
I don't like the territory effects being displayed as icons. First of all it would really challenge the mapmakers with figuring out how to symbolize them. Also, I think it would be best to challenge and inform players ONLY about the condition of resources being displayed as icons, something that player are probably used to from other games. Then when players see icons, they know it is something valuable that can be used to purchase and not anything else. Edit: If used, should the engine support a fixed set of territory effects with engine icons? What would the standard mountain terrain effect be, for example? (It would be weird to have an icon from the engine used for one terrain effect on one map and another effect on another map.)

I like the 28x28. It safeguards against a mapmaker doing a 32x32 resource picture that has the icon picture's top and bottom touching the top and bottom of the bar. But I think it is also important to both allow, and in instructions state, that sizes up to 32x32 is possible. I could imagine a mapmaker using 32x32 or smaller maybe squared icons, with Maybe coloured backgrounds, as alternative to small symbols and transparency. Something that might not look bad if they fill out the bar leaving no space around the icons.

In regards to sizes. I can see your concerns about font sizes not being consistent. It kind of looks strange to see the unit names in smaller font size than the count/numbers, both in the bars and by the units. Especially it might not look good if we had large numbers and large resource texts in place of icons if no icons were available. And even worse if we had large numbers and small text mixed with icons.

Maybe you should try to post a preview with 16x16 purchase icons and 28x28 bar icons, with non-enlarged text? It will take up the least space, compress the windows the most, not look weird if icons are missing, and leave any text enlargement of UI (if needed) to future development projects. The reason I ask for 16x16 here, is because large icons alongside standard size text makes this unwanted looking mismatch. Also, if both the main window bottom bar and the purchase window bottom bar displays distinctively and large 28x28 icons, then the player's recognition of small 16x16 images might not be that hard. (It is here that colors of icons mean a lot ) PS: I dont think that it is that problematic to have larger text in the bottom bars as long as all text there was the same size.

[Frostion]

Alternatively you could maybe try to enlarge all text of the purchase window and all text in the bottom bar? Maybe this will help both with the better icon recognition that the 20×20 gives compared to the 16x16, as well as keeping the resource numbers in a fair size compared to the icons?