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[Doktor von Wer]

Exclusive to the UEaW boards - you won't see these on our Moddb or Twitter - a look at the Alpha build's Galactic Conquest look and feel; including both new higher definition graphics and view for the galaxy itself, but also our new GUI layout.

The user interface has been re-made with the emphasis on three main points:

• Reducing the GUI and streamlining it to make it smaller, more efficient and less impinging on the galaxy itself
• Introducing purpose-designed compatibility with our new features
• Generally looking glassy and sexy

This is so far just our alpha build of the GUI, but it's shaping up nicely - main things to refine are to fill in the remaining buttons (you'll notice some empty placeholders) as well as testing to ensure comfortable function. In any case, these shots should give a taste for what the GC in UEaW V1 will look like, just remember a few things:

• Tooltips are not finalised - for example, they don't have their upcoming maintenance, transport and crewing statsistics, but also all planet tooltips are to be re-written.
• Fleet layouts are purely placeholders at this stage - don't expect every planet to be nicely built up and with defenders like this when you play our GCs - you'll be finding yourself initially thinly stretched to defend your borders in reality .
• You'll see that I have some rather nice cash figures in my galactic treasury - mostly that are OVER 9,000! These are, however, because I am me, and actual cash flow will not be so plentiful in reality

And so, without further ado, we hope you appreciate our re-design and glassy transparancy (as well as maybe wondering about our submenu function!).

(images linked to higher res copies on click)












Hope it meets with our fans' approval!


Doktor von Wer (LTCC)

[MiantCub]

Oh yeah, it certainly meets with mine!

[Ajaxthekungfu]

Whoa.   That looks really good : D   


Thanks for the update.

[KoboldLord]

Shaping up very nicely! Looking incredible!
 

[aceofhicks]

Freaking Awesome!

[Doktor von Wer]

If anyone has graphical suggestions about the GUI, do please say so either on here on in a PM; since the GUI is one of the newer parts and is in basic testing now, it can be improved upon.

[Quantum Rain]

Might I suggest scroll bars for the excessively large tool tips to try and keep the tool tips from covering half the screen...

Also, as an off-topic question, just how taxing is this mod during GC? I remember my game crashing on mods with ten million planets in their GC's without even trying to load the map...

[Argonnath]

Oh I love the info box on each unit 

[Shimrra]

Might I suggest scroll bars for the excessively large tool tip

Not possible. Means...basically scroll bars would be possible, but they wouldn't do anything

Also, as an off-topic question, just how taxing is this mod during GC? I remember my game crashing on mods with ten million planets in their GC's without even trying to load the map...

Depends on how good your system is. We have a maximum of..69 planets? Yeah, something around this. So quite less, compared to other mods with 119 planets. Also, if those 69 are still too many for your system, there are of course other GCs with less planets.

[Quantum Rain]

69? Oh, good, means it won't choke on me before it even tries to load... Kinda laggy, but it will load.

It likes to crash when the number goes over 100 I believe. Thanks.



Then how about automatic scrolling for the tooltips? Scrolls up and down slowly?
Or, at the very least, maybe just a little 'more' button and minimize them...
I'm just saying because if you look at those tool tips, they cover a pretty big portion of the screen and tend to be annoying when that happens. I like tool tips in general, until they get in the way...

[Doktor von Wer]

Might I suggest scroll bars for the excessively large tool tips to try and keep the tool tips from covering half the screen...

The very largest boxes like the ISD there are marked for refinement to bring them down in size; but as Shimrra says it's not possible. Do note on the full resolution image, however, the tooltip box itself is also semi-transparent, so it doesn't totally obstruct your view even when its up  .

I can't comment too far yet on the Galactic Conquest performance; we've not run our galactic AI fully yet. The galactic scenarios have, however, been made so that they have a wide variety of planets, but not like other mods where they just throw lots of superfluous planets in resulting in hundreds of worlds and lots of lag. The later the era, the more there tend to be - simply because more were discovered and developed over time - but essentially the planet numbers per se shouldn't incur too great a strain on the system.

[Carbon X12]

KoboldLord's sig says it all... PERFECTION!

[Argonnath]

I just realized that you have rotated the galactic map. It takes time for me to get used to it . I have played for years with Vanilla type setting.

[Doktor von Wer]

I just realized that you have rotated the galactic map. It takes time for me to get used to it . I have played for years with Vanilla type setting.

Yes; the elevation and zoom have been adapted so one has a more top-down view and hopefully can see more at once - we hope that (as well as looking a bit new) this will help players be able to view more at once and more clearly, and control their assets on a larger strategic scale better without having to pan around the map and double-back to check things.

[Carbon X12]

Quick question.. i've been on alot of servers that you have so many units to buy  that you can't see them, is there a way to actually see all of them or is it the same?

[Doktor von Wer]

Quick question.. i've been on alot of servers that you have so many units to buy  that you can't see them, is there a way to actually see all of them or is it the same?

Notice the three buttons where the map filter used to be? In order from top to bottom, they are:

• Space units
• Space structures
• Research

They are toggle menus - the build options displayed on the bar correspond to whichever menu category you are currently browsing. This has a twofold effect - firstly, it's pretty neat and organised. Secondly, our numerous ships, orbital buildings and research trees have their own menus; so there are never too many things on the build bar.

[Carbon X12]

SWEEEEEEEET! 

[Argonnath]

I'm so hyped right now!

[dupersudi]

I'm curious about the hyperspace trade routes and the large number of space station construction options. I don't remember seeing those mentioned anywhere or at least mentioned in depth. But it looks very good and I am super excited. 

[Doktor von Wer]

I'm curious about the hyperspace trade routes and the large number of space station construction options. I don't remember seeing those mentioned anywhere or at least mentioned in depth. But it looks very good and I am super excited. 

Hyperspace trade routes now only give a mild bonus to hyperspace speed - this is to reflect that whilst they don't actually increase the actual hyperdrive speed on a vessel, regular hyperspace trade lanes are better patrolled, cleared, with more frequent ports and are generally easier to navigate, thus reducing journey time by a fraction as stops, diversions and awkward routes are minimised.

The hyperspace routes themselves in V1 are based on the canon major trade routes of the galaxy, with a few strategic minor ones thrown in; I believe the Hydian Way is visible in some of these images. Like in vanilla, trade lanes increase your income; but in UEaW they will be a significant economic tool and a strategic goal; securing trade routes and developing the economies around them will provide a disproportionate amount of wealth compared to simply grabbing random planets and filling them with mining facilities; hyperspace lanes as shown as an option in one of the screenshots are one example of how to best make use of your trading assets.

As for the large number of orbital structures, their purpose is twofold:

• In V1 the game is space only - and, as such, to ensure that we deliver the economic, infrastructure and fortification aspects of the gameplay that we promised, we made a special effort to fully utilise orbital building potential.
• In addition to point 1, these structures will be kept if and when we get to making V2 and adding land back in - the space build options haven't just been added as a stop-gap measure; they're fully functional and useful additions in themselves, and will add a second layer of options for fortification and development of planets when land is re-introduced - orbital economic structures can greatly boost income, for example, but are more vulnerable to hit-and-run attacks than land-based mining facilities.

I'm not going to go too far into what exactly is available to be built and their precise functions; but it's fair to say that there are multiple structures in each of the aforementioned categories - infrastructure, economy, fortification.