[UI Suggestion] Pair of important things

from Elemental Forums

When I played Elemental, I stumble in two unhandy things.

1. Unit cycling. Most known strategy games have buttons for cycle available units. Elemental is not. It have icons for heroes, but all this peasants, explorers or warriors goes unnoticed. It causes two problems.

For first, I cannot be sure where are every of my units - I must search it manually on map. It is tolerable in the beginning, when I can easily keep everyone in my head, and every unit distinctive from each other, as it is only several of it. But later it become all alike, and I am overwhelmed.

And for second, I cannot be sure that all my wanted units made it's turns, except if all units made it. It is minor issue from the beginning, but it grows with time, when I control not handful, but tens of units.

2. Spell research pop-up. I haven't it. Several games in row I didn't research anything on first moves just because I forget about it, and there is nothing to remind me about it. I believe, the same thing is true with city building, but I cannot be sure of it, as I begin to fill queue just as receive city :) (and even if it is so, it is less important).

5,010 views 5 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

I wouldn't go with forced Civ4 style city popups, I'd use the Civ5 style notification icons.  We get notification icons, but clicking on them doesn't do enough; if I left click on the notification icon for city X building a unit, it should take me straight to the unit build menu for that city.  Similarly if I left click on the notification icon for city X building a structure, it should take me straight to the structure build menu for that city.

Right clicking on the notification should dismiss it for no effect.

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

1. Unit cycling. Most known strategy games have buttons for cycle available units. Elemental is not. It have icons for heroes, but all this peasants, explorers or warriors goes unnoticed. It causes two problems.
End of quote

Indeed. A "Next Unit" or "Next Idle Unit" button would be very handy. Especially once you get more than a handful of units and multiple battles going at diferent places on the campaign map. Losing track of units is always a hassle once Emipres or Kingdoms reach a certain size.

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting _Scooter_, reply 1
I wouldn't go with forced Civ4 style city popups, I'd use the Civ5 style notification icons.
End of _Scooter_'s quote

Yes, "forced" popup menu for cities looks bad. At least, I got irritated by it in Civ4 very quickly. But it is about cities only, because they are too numerous and alike. Research of spells/advancements fully tolerable with forced popup - it is only one queue, and why I could want not research anything? Anyway, I means not that situation, but lack of info in general. I have notices when I finished something. But nothing that remind me that I must start something! How can I found that my city is idle? How can I figure that I don't research anything? Answer now is: manual check only. It is looks wrong for me.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

True, forced popup is fine for magic and tech research, but wouldn't be for city construction completion or unit completion.

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

Yeah looking up non-champion units is a bit of a pain and I end up forgetting to move them many times. Asides from the ideas the OP suggests, there should also be a button that makes units that have a set waypoint automove, instead of having to press the end turn button to get them to move.

A graphical way of seeing your armies and non-champion troops would be handy as well. The kingdom tree could be used for this, I was thinking maybe below the cities there could be a little grid that showed your units as a little icon. Hell I would like it if instead of an icon it displayed units as a Dot on a table. The dot's color could represent if the unit moved, hasnt moved or has some moves remaining, for example green would mean that the unit has all moves, yellow means they have some moves left and red that they cant move anymore. These dots could be clicked to select the armies as well.