openmw.org

I've read it, but I'm not savvy enough to make any real comment (other than to see that it did not seem as if something like the feature suggestion I've made in that forum is part of the document).

Zini wrote: ↑13 Aug 2018, 09:17 Is anyone actually reading the post 1.0 document?

Most of us are...

I started reading a while back, but just have not had the time to to sit and read the whole thing, due to school (had to take a summer class before the current semester began) and rl in general.

Atahualpa wrote: ↑13 Aug 2018, 09:25 You can find Zini's (rather strict) standpoint here: GUI. I guess that the GUI's customisation is going to be a hot topic in future discussions.

Yet another MWSE v OpenMW controversy in the making, it seems.

MinerMan60101 wrote: ↑14 Aug 2018, 04:20

Atahualpa wrote: ↑13 Aug 2018, 09:25 You can find Zini's (rather strict) standpoint here: GUI. I guess that the GUI's customisation is going to be a hot topic in future discussions.

Yet another MWSE v OpenMW controversy in the making, it seems.

It is inevitable. Although I would like to believe that anything made in MWSE currently, may work in OpenMW later. As long as theres people willing to make it a reality.

Clarification: I don't have a strict standpoint in regards to GUI (at least not in this context). Please don't put words in my mouth.

Admittedly I don't like the idea of a fully customisable GUI, because I think having a lot of GUI in an immersive 3D RPG is poor game design (we want to do things in the world, not in the GUI). But that is just an opinion and the GUI section in the stage1 document is only the first step. We may re-evaluate the GUI situation later (stage2 and beyond).

I do believe that if OpenMW aims to be engine used for more than just Morrowind, then it would make sense to have fully customisable GUI, as that would allow game developers to make GUI fitting to the non-Morrowind game that would use OpenMW as it's engine.

In this particular case i agree with the devs. Both in that 3d world interactivity is superior for immersion to GUI elements, and that the actual GUI should be tightly integrated to the engine - because of things like 'alternative controller systems' (say, mouse click to move, or controller only), sorting, filtering etc, if they're ever added need to be thought out in conjunction with all of the guis and having a mod introduce a gui that won't ever work with a controller would deflate features like this (for instance).

Even if programmable would allow some genius modder to implement 'command and conquer n'wah' or other kinds of neat minigames (i remember a - cool - snes rpg game that was 20% minigames like this one for each of the 9 or so characters, and i wouldn't say no to a mod like that).

Or oh, 'beat'em'up' in morrowind. Now i'm convincing myself otherwise...

Zini wrote: ↑09 Nov 2018, 13:33 Clarification: I don't have a strict standpoint in regards to GUI (at least not in this context). Please don't put words in my mouth.

Admittedly I don't like the idea of a fully customizable GUI, because I think having a lot of GUI in an immersive 3D RPG is poor game design (we want to do things in the world, not in the GUI). But that is just an opinion and the GUI section in the stage1 document is only the first step. We may re-evaluate the GUI situation later (stage2 and beyond).

In that case would you be open to allowing certain UI features to be disabled? I agree with your sentiment about encouraging more in-world UI stuff since I also find UI to be very obtrusive, however to do that I would need to be able to customize the existing UI. Some examples of things I might do:

• No map, instead requiring the player to triangulate their position from an in-world map like you can find here (Books of Vvardenfell). I tried to do this by removing all the "enablemapmenu" lines of the chargen scripts but the game assumes that the map is enabled whenever you load a save.

• Reduced information in magic effects like not knowing where each effect comes from, requiring diseases to be diagnosed (and sometimes misdiagnosed). This would be accompanied by a change to make curing diseases more specific than just applying a "Cure Common Disease" effect.

• Removing values of items when you mouse over them as well as the initial barter offer to make bartering more about appraising goods than just guessing the right ratio for everything.

• Removing visible effects from enchantments and potions so you have to experiment with them to find out what they do in addition to being able to poison food.

• Changing your inventory tabs to be any pockets/bags you have equipped and have large items take up multiple tiles like in Resident Evil/EYE/Deus Ex

• Allowing menu items to be opened up independently of each other

• Disabling all journal entries but allowing the player to write in it by typing or drawing with the mouse

I just want to second halbe here. I want to see some elements of the UI reduced, though not to the same level, and others built upon.

I want to still have an in-game UI map, but rather than having it by default, I want to have to acquire maps of various places, which would in turn unlock portions of the map. For example, you could purchase a map of the Bitter Coast, and the portion of the world map that shows the Bitter Coast would unlock, along with de-fogging the whole local map for the area, but the rest of the world would remain shrouded, and merely exploring wouldn't help at all. The Guide to Ald-Ruhn would de-fog the entire local map for Ald-Ruhn, indoors and out, and nothing else would do that. And the TR book Maps of Molagreahd would add the Molagreahd region to your map, local and world.

Meanwhile, I would like to see the spell menu altered pretty drastically, able to be organized by various levels down to spell effect sorted by magnitude, or school by magicka cost, etc. I want to see additional customizable filters. Finally, I wouldn't exactly object if it could be altered to look like a spell tome for immersion purposes, so that your character is actually looking up the spells in their spell book, or some visual representation of scouring their memory for the spells.

The thing is, the vast majority of the changes halbe and I would like to see are best implemented by mods, because these are meaningful gameplay alterations requiring UI alterations, not merely alterations to the UI independent of gameplay and game balance. So I would implore you (devs, and particularly Zini) to reconsider and allow full-scale UI customization. It wouldn't just be for bad design stuff. And maybe I can help get there. I'm thinking about trying to teach myself C++ over the summer, once my current classes are over.