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Thread: Opinions on a concept     submit to reddit submit to twitter

  1. #1

    Opinions on a concept

    While I know this may not be exactly the correct forum for this, I think I'll get the most relevant feedback here because many of the General Forum posters no longer play and the Tech forum is slow, but feel free to move it if it is a problem.
    Basically, I was wondering with the common use of dual screens and now the invention of Smart Glass and WiiU kind of ideas where there is additional game content on a tablet/phone how it could be used to take ALL non-game visual content off the screen and onto the tablet. Using FFXI as an example, with the crude 3 second photoshop below, how do you think you would find playing like this?

    http://i1187.photobucket.com/albums/...FXIclearup.png

    Do you think the chat log/HP bars are too far from view and would make it more difficult to play? Do you think they're better there, leaving the whole screen to have just the rendered game (and names I guess) which makes for a more engaging experience, especially when a lot of the time you don't need to be watching the chat log or HP bars constantly anyway? Also for any WoW/other MMO players, do you think the concept would work in any of those, how well would it work? Opinions please.
    Are there any programmers here that could give an insight into this and its feasibility? Can I assume, with Stanislav developing software that can send chat logs to smart phones something like this should be easy enough to do?

  2. #2
    The Syrup To Waffles's Waffle
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    I wouldn't mind this sort of setup for casual play, but for anything that requires actual paying attention I'd rather everything just be together.

  3. #3

    What kind of split would you say you have between casual gaming (getting around and doing easy stuff) and being really focused? How about if there were a simple hotkey to switch between modes? Would you use it and switch between as needed or would you not find it too worth it to bother? Thanks.

  4. #4
    A. Body
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    I think putting piping information and/or control to a tablet could be useful, but that moving the entire interface to it would be detrimental.

    There's a fair amount of information you want to be able to see without taking your eyes off the action. More than you have shown on your quick mock-up. Some jobs do need to look at the log and HP bars quite often. Groups that aren't using voice chat too. You'd also probably want things like current target and its HP to be displayed.

    I'd look at it more for the kind of info that you might want to keep open, but would obstruct gameplay too much if you did. Maps, for example. Games coud also be very situationally aware. I mean, FFXI's player assistance is very nearly a textbook example of how not to do things, but in theory a game could provide on the fly linking to a wiki or other database. Target something, hit More Info. Have in-depth quest assistance that you can easily keep your place in. You could have a digital whiteboard for planning (I know Guild Wars already lets you do this with the mini map, but touch control would make it even easier).

    A lot of it is probably stuff you could also just do with multiple game windows on non-touch displays too.

  5. #5

    Yeah I haven't played in a long time so I don't remember exactly how playing was, but for sure I never found the chat log needed to be in the way constantly, and if it was set to the minimum lines it was often not enough, this way you would both see sufficient amount of lines and also not have it in the way of the screen. The picture really was a 3 second mock up, could you be more specific which icons etc you feel are necessary to stay in the main window and which are not? How about the top icon bar with buffs and shadows? Is that necessary to stay above?

    Also how about Skyrim? How do you think a similar set up could work there?

    Thanks for replies.

  6. #6
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    It can vary on job, or to a point the individual. If the log is on screen, you see when pretty much anything comes up. An LS member said something. So-and-so's Haste effect wore off, the mob is no longer silenced, the mob's last attack was absorbed by a shadow...you might not spend a lot of time poring over the log in depth, but there's a lot of little bits of information that get shown in it that you could very easily miss if it was completely out of sight. As it is, you see something shift on screen and your eye is drawn to it.

    The top row of icons are more a matter of consolidation. Some stuff is more relevant than others, but if you're putting some status information there, why not all of it? It takes a fraction of a second to see that, yep, blinded and paralyzed. No need to take your eyes off the screen to confirm it.

    Most games that do a more minimal interface either find less intrusive ways to convey information, or simply hide it when it isn't relevant.

    If I recall, the only thing that Skyrim keeps on screen is the compass and targeting reticle. Most other information is contextual. Still probably wouldn't want that moved offscreen entirely. Personally, I wouldn't consider Skyrim's UI problems being too much on the screen.

  7. #7
    Old Odin
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    I would leave the chatlog on the mainscreen, while putting some hotmacros/fast access macros on the tablet you can customize yourself and place them where you want. Same with PT/Ally, being able to spread them out more for targeting them just wiht a fingertip. Then again that leaves the room open for how the fuck you want to implement movement in it. I dont see the point in dualscreen, if one is not used as a touchpad. If you have to play with a gamepad anyway, you really want to have all the information on one screen.

  8. #8

    I didn't think that any touch functions would be worthwhile in the case of FFXI because nothing can be faster than keyboard users with the right macros/hotkeys, the way it's laid out I don't think it takes so much extra movement of eye target to be able to see them both without strain though, I guess it depends how good your eyes are and your brain's ability to register both inputs at the same time?

  9. #9
    You wouldn't know that though because you've demonstrably never picked up a book nor educated yourself on the matter. Let me guess, overweight housewife?
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    WHY IS THERE AN ALLIANCE FIGHTING LEAPING LIZZY?


    (j/k had to say it though XD)


    It's an interesting idea, but tbh I have a g13 and g15 that have those screens that often give info like hp/mp, stats, etc. And I have yet to play an mmo where I actually look at those screens. Minor exception is someone had made an ffxi app for the g15 that gave you the airship times which was handy.

  10. #10
    Relic Shield
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    If you're gonna write something for a touchscreen, this was my first thought (shitty 10 second mockup).



    Edit: Standard keyboard controls would still work even while using this feature of course.

  11. #11

    Quote Originally Posted by Ksandra View Post
    It's an interesting idea, but tbh I have a g13 and g15 that have those screens that often give info like hp/mp, stats, etc. And I have yet to play an mmo where I actually look at those screens. Minor exception is someone had made an ffxi app for the g15 that gave you the airship times which was handy.
    Don't they require you to look down at the keyboard though? Which would be the main reason you don't look at them, because they require looking in a complete other way from the screen?

    Necronus - I never intended for it to be a touch screen because of the ergonomics of having to poke out and also because you'd have to be so close to the screen, your concept is good but aren't there now 3 sets of macros?

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