Clipboard map

[oboe]

Well anyway thanks for weighing in, Hitech.  Maybe using #3 for fonts would solve the readability size issue - you just zoom in until its big enough to read comfortably.  I imagine everyone has their own method that works for them...

[Vraciu]

A while ago a returning player gave a fairly harsh critique of AH3, saying among other things that the graphics or colors were visually assaulting.  That stuck with me, and I believe one of the things he could have been referring to is the clipboard map:
(Image removed from quote.)

For kicks, I made an attempt at reducing the clutter and busyness of the map above.  I reduced the saturation and opacity of the land layer, changed the ocean color to be more consistent with a typical physical map, with coastal shallows depicted as a lighter shade of blue.  I reduced the color saturation and size of all the map icons and removed the chess piece graphic because it has such a DOS-character set look to it and its redundant anyway; the color of the icon being an indication of the owning country.  Radar coverage areas are shown shaded now rather that white circles.   I chose a simple sans serif font for a cleaner look, and the labels are more tightly placed to the icons.

The map below shows all of the the same information displayed on the original above, it's the same scale and area shown.   The reduction in icon and label font size think helped the readability a lot:

(Image removed from quote.)

I guess my wish would be for a more map-like clipboard map, with a less cluttered look.

MASSIVE +1.

[Vraciu]

While I understand your suggestion "I like the radar display" your text & icon size are non starters. For me to read the text I had to make your map full screen.

Normally the clip board map is taking up less the 1/2 the vertical height of the screen.

HiTech

Full screen should be an option any way, I think.    Best of both worlds.   With bunched up bases having ONLY the clipboard to read is cumbersome sometimes...

[Randy1]

Reading base names has always been hard on some maps and or parts of maps in ah2 and now in ah3.

A +1 for any fix. 

About half the time I have to right click on the field to read the name.  Changing colors on some maps works and others it makes it worse.

[Ratsy]

+1 on the wish.  The example presented is a development target.  Simple.  Please start moving towards it.

Stunning and professional looking.

 

[oboe]

Thank you for the kind words, guys.

Another idea I have for the clipboard map is a "Tooltip"-type information box that would pop up if you hover your cursor over a field.  This tooltip box could contain status about the field, but only show those items which are disabled.

Currently if you place the cursor over a field, right click and select "A75 Status" from the popup selection list - you get a full report on everything regarding the field, country, HQ status, etc - and then you have to click to "close" when you're done.

I think it'd be much faster to just hover the cursor over the field and have the pop up box identify what's down at a field - that's usually what we're most interested in anyway - are Vehicles or Fighters still up, are Troops available, etc.    And then it disappears automatically when you move the cursor off the field icon.  A much faster and more efficient way to get information about fields in the conflict area:



<S>

[popeye]

nevermind...

[Vraciu]

Thank you for the kind words, guys.

Another idea I have for the clipboard map is a "Tooltip"-type information box that would pop up if you hover your cursor over a field.  This tooltip box could contain status about the field, but only show those items which are disabled.

Currently if you place the cursor over a field, right click and select "A75 Status" from the popup selection list - you get a full report on everything regarding the field, country, HQ status, etc - and then you have to click to "close" when you're done.

I think it'd be much faster to just hover the cursor over the field and have the pop up box identify what's down at a field - that's usually what we're most interested in anyway - are Vehicles or Fighters still up, are Troops available, etc.    And then it disappears automatically when you move the cursor off the field icon.  A much faster and more efficient way to get information about fields in the conflict area:

(Image removed from quote.)

<S>

I like it!!!

+1

[alkali]

+1 for the proposition. Would be a major improvement on the actual clipboard map.
<S>

[caldera]

Thank you for the kind words, guys.

Another idea I have for the clipboard map is a "Tooltip"-type information box that would pop up if you hover your cursor over a field.  This tooltip box could contain status about the field, but only show those items which are disabled.

Currently if you place the cursor over a field, right click and select "A75 Status" from the popup selection list - you get a full report on everything regarding the field, country, HQ status, etc - and then you have to click to "close" when you're done.

I think it'd be much faster to just hover the cursor over the field and have the pop up box identify what's down at a field - that's usually what we're most interested in anyway - are Vehicles or Fighters still up, are Troops available, etc.    And then it disappears automatically when you move the cursor off the field icon.  A much faster and more efficient way to get information about fields in the conflict area:

(Image removed from quote.)

<S>

The shaded radar coverage would be far less cluttered than the radar rings we have.  One change I would prefer is to make the areas lighter, rather than darker.  This would signify that radar on is like having the lights on and also would provide more contrast to icons, making them more visible.

[1ijac]

The dark outlining around base labeling text is a big plus to me.  I find it hard to read sometimes depending on the background color of the terrain. 

[oboe]

Don't think the sector numbers need to be quite so prominent, but that's just a font size change.

How would you indicate disabled radar?  As it is now, a red radar circle indicates that it is disabled, but still shows where the "flash-the-base" boundary is.

I didn't mean to ignore this question, Popeye.  I would probably advocate for an empty (non-shaded) ring around the base if the radar is down.  But the outline color of the ring should be subtle.  Maybe a line of the same color as the shading.

[hitech]

Hmm

[Lazerr]

Very cool..

May be a good idea to keep the three letter abbreviation the same as the dot downtime command?  Dont think its a big deal either way, folks should get the idea.

[bustr]

Hitech has anyone lately told you that you are a rock star??