A compass for the positionally dyslexic that's invisible to the color blind. That's just weird. I learned them by heart, up to 12x12. Unfortunately, I also sequestered them inside of a very obsolete part of my brain. It takes about a second just to dredge them up from the depths, and that's after mistaking "7x8" for just about every other possible meaning imaginable.
Ahahaha, yeah, Demented I had the same issue... I had no idea what he was talking about. As for the compass: I think it is perfect like that!
And if you cannot perform basic tasks, adding more basic tasks is not going to make you better at them, is it? I'm sorry that you find basic things difficult but my point is not that everyone who lacks fundamental skills is worthless and must be exterminated, my point is that people who can't do really simple things are simply brain dead and no amount of help is going to make them less brain dead, so they will just have to suffer the consequences of being brain dead. It's unfortunate but as I said, there's nothing I can do about it. If you can't read north, east south and west from a map and you can't remember the difference between left and right, a compass is not going to help you, because you're just not very clever, what you need is someone to do the thinking for you, not more things to think about.
Thats true but I think alot of empires players are smart enough to walk towards the S on the compass when someone yells at them to go south, even if they aren't smart enough to just figure it our from the map. Some people just don't figure out maps very well, for whatever reason. Just make it disableable in the options menu, because some people are going to find it annoying (me).
to me the compas does not need to be added for use, it needs to be added for less boringness of the GUI and more moving parts
I don't know what games you've played but you don't add hud elements just for the hell of it. If we're going to have moving parts, I want this in the bottom left of my screen at all times. With the music. http://hitlerisraving.ytmnd.com/ Or http://steamsteamlol.ytmnd.com/
all the visual things about a GUI are added for the hell of it, if you would strip the GUI from everything with the sole purpose of making things pretty you will end with a list of information
There is making the existing GUI look good, and there is adding things solely for decoration. You don't add entire elements solely for decoration in an FPS game, everything must have a purpose, especially in empires where the hud is already too big.
the hud is big because its crappy designed lets remove the first person weapons, they are only decorative -___- do i have to adress everything purely decorative?
The weapon shows you what gun you're holding, it's part of the FPS experience, it's immersive, it'd be a bit strange if bullets just appeared from nowhere, it provides important visual feedback because it shows you when you're shooting and in empires, the ironsights play a part too, you wouldn't know if you were using them if you didn't have a gun. And no, you don't have to cite everything purely decorative, because ITS FUCKING DOOM. IT WAS THE FIRST EVER FPS, IT SUCKS BEYOND BELIEF, IT HAS NO UP AND DOWN AIMING. Also you will note that there isn't in fact much decoration on the hud, apart from the head which isn't strictly needed, everything is a status readout, the head is one too because it shows you the health of your dude but you have a health meter so it isn't really neccesary. Everything else however just gives you a number and a background to read it on. Modern FPS with a SHITLOAD of stuff to manage, but what does the hud show? Health, energy, ammo, gun condition, radar/compass thingy. Two small bars at either side of the screen, no excess coverage. Empires takes up 3 corners with information, half of which is just excess box borders, and the top right corner is a giant-ass box. We don't need more shit on the screen. Unless you need to see the information RIGHT THIS SECOND you put it OFF SCREEN and access it by a button press. In fallout 3, which is a GOOD game, it's all the same button, tab does everything, perfect.
Fallout 3 isn't a fast-paced, multiplayer game. You manage about all of your stuff in a 'pause' menu. You can manage it all on your own time where in Empires, everything occurs in real time.
then press a button to open it in bigger glory then ever before its just too big to weigh out to the positives
The minimap enables several at-a-glance features: Terrain awareness, esp. as regards battlefield awareness Battlefield awareness, incl. enemies, friendlies, buildings, battle fronts, dead players, etc. Personal location and orientation Enhanced Senses Spotting Scout binoculars Vehicles on radar Artillery feedback, esp. with artillery All things that can be exceedingly useful while you're in the middle of combat. About the only thing it's missing is a third dimension. (That's not a suggestion.) Plus, I think there's a command to disable it that you can bind. 'emp_map_toggle' or somesuch, assuming that's not the command that makes it bigger. I use it for screenshots in spec. A compass enables: Rudimentary orientation Vagueness? Vagueness is not compatible with the presence of a minimap. Use as recommended. Consult your doctor before use. A compass that's going to be even half as useful as the minimap is going to need more features than "There's an N on my HUD! I'm saved!" But nobody's been trying to come up with any... For the entire thread.
We need both. A minimap offers speedy global orientation where the compass offers speedier local orientation.
Reading a letter isn't even basic. It's required. It is significantly simpler than determining your current orientation on the mini-map. Especially when you are in a cluttered area (The white arrow overlay isn't great) I know that wasn't your point. But calling someone brain dead and calling someone worthless aren't far away from each other. Additionally, you still seem to fail (this is my perception, I may be wrong) to realize that not everyone thinks in the same or similar ways. What is basic for your is not basic for others. They aren't brain dead, they simply think differently It isn't that I can't read the map, it is just that I can't tell which way I am CURRENTLY facing. The mini-map is a bit hard to read because that ghostly white arrow isn't always easily visible. A compass makes shit easier. And a further note: Why are you so dead set against this? I just don't get it. It benefits some people and doesn't hurt you so why so angry? Personally, I want one, therefore I argue for it. But I can't really understand your arguments against it. P.S. Naturally OuNin steals my entire point while I type this... Fricking internet
I argue against it because I'm quite sure it won't make a difference, it won't result in people being able to navigate faster, therefore there's no point in it, it is a waste of effort. If you can't read the arrow on the minimap (which is already a compass because it points in the compass direction you're facing) then you can't read a bar any faster. You'll just end up with people spinning round slowly until the right letter appears in the middle of the bar, but unless they're completely retarded they can look at the map and work it out in equal or less time. A compass bar just means people don't have to think, it doesn't make it faster, it just makes it possible to do it without engaging a brain cell. Rapid navigation REQUIRES a working knowledge of the map, and it REQUIRES you to be able to translate cardinal directions into meaningful 3d concepts if someone tells you to go in a direction, because you will probably have to know which path you need to take in order to go in that direction, which could very easily involve going in another direction entirely. It REQUIRES thought, I'm sorry if you find that hard but that just means you are deficient in that area.
Well screw it. This argument has reached full circle and doesn't seem to be productive any more... I can't come up with a good rebuttal to you and your argument I find problems. Either way we are at an impasse in the current situation and thus should probably choose a related but different direction to take the argument. Namely, what would make a compass worth implementing?
