JTCS v2.0 — Likes and Dislikes

[Scud]

With the launch of the new update, I thought a new discussion thread would be in order. Please remember to keep the discussion civil, while discussing what you like in the new version, and what you'd like to see revisited with v2.1.

Dave

[Outlaw Josey Wales]

RE: JTCS 2.0 Patch - Thank You Thread
I guess I will be the bad guy here. First, I'm a kiss method and if it ain't broke don't fix it kind of guy. I'm glad the graphics are still the same. However, it looks like these people at Microsoft and other places trying to justify having a job when it comes to the changes that should not have been made.

When going to view options, why switch the 2d to the bottom of the stack when there was nothing wrong with the way it was. It was in numerical and size order, why switch them around? Now, one has to get used to new placement. This seems like a waste of time.

With the menu buttons at the bottom of the page, why add all the extras reducing the size of easy to see icons and changing others. It was way better the way it was. Again, it seems like wasting time on stuff that didn't need to be done. Different sized, too many and some icons different. That's three hits. There was more than enough space along the bottom border to add the new icons and not change the looks of any of the old ones so you wouldn't have as much to get used to. The key to doing things the easy way is to be organized, but the bottom icons now look like a jumbled mess. You can put the old icons at the bottom back the way they were and put the new ones at the very bottom where the starshell and smoke totals were and they could all be back the same size and loo they were.


In my opinion, a patch should be fixing errors that are found, maybe adding new scenarios or adding new techniques or rules changes to the game, not making it look like a whole new game. But again, this looks like those at microsoft that changed the looks of things when it should have just been left alone. It looked better the old way, but if one doesn't patch up, you will find very few opps as almost all will patch and not go through the hassle to go back the other way unless most people also go back. I appreciate the work, but maybe should have put out some actual size screenshots to get opinions.


Sorry to be the bearer of bad news from my little part of the world, but I call it like I see it.

Copy and pasted from other thread.

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As I mentioned above, the view was in numerical order beginning with 2s and then 3s. That is already the natural order of counting from day one. Now the order is 3s, then 2s, counting backwards. If you added a view, just slip it into the order that was there rather than changing the whole order. The icons at the bottom, I think someone should just try it and see how it would look to put them back to the same size and graphic as they were and add the new ones along the bottom where there appears to be plenty of room. Where your smoke and starshells used to be, you can put the new icons there. I've never heard of any rule saying there could only be one row of icons. That would keep things in the familiar place that everybody is already used to with the newer ones added along the bottom. Right now, and it only took the beginning of one turn for me, they are too small, the graphics aren't recognizable and have to wait for the text to appear and then have to find the one I was looking for. The game still plays the same, that part still rocks, but now it is getting around to the part that does rock is not as easy. The drop down menus and icons where they were are very important and overrides hotkeys, IMO. When one plays many different games or systems and they all have their own menus and hot keys, the menus and icons are much more valuable.

I used to be a Manual Drafter and when that work started slowing down, I started practicing on Autcad and Microstation to keep on working while waiting for more hand drawing to come in. What I did was take a job waiting to be worked on, make a copy of the file and start messing with it, looking for answers and asking questions when I couldn't find the answers I was looking for. The reason I made a copy was if I screwed something up, the original was still there to be worked on if I wasn't ready to dive in yet. I say this because I do think somebody needs to look at it and make a copy of the old or new and create the changes I mentioned and see how it looks. With the copy, the old and new originals do not get messed up while doing this.

Copy and pasted from other thread.

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"""I hear the comments about the small icons, it was a conscious decision, and we are certainly listening on the feedback. FWIW, the icons were introduced already in August, in Berto's Coder Diary #9 (LINK HERE). Not trying to be smart ### here, just saying."""

I don't mean to be a smartass here either, but I just clicked on the link and it took me to Matrix forums. Not everybody visits those forums, myself included.

[Otto von Blotto]

Initial thoughts I'm sure more to come.
like being able to tab out when work interrupts play.
like unified code
Like bug fixes
Like work on the AI but haven't tried them yet but will now give the AI another chance.

Unsure about icons for me they are too small and why change the pictures and order of layout on some of the existing icons it's just confusing for someone who's played with the same ones for nearly 16 years but I guess it's not a huge biggie.
No I don't use hot keys much or like changing my screen resolution just to play a game that was working perfectly well before.

Dislike having to reboot after playing as a normal exit turns some of the windows background colours khaki.

As said more I'm sure to come.

[berto]

Dislike having to reboot after playing as a normal exit turns some of the windows background colours khaki.

Sorry about that.

See System Window Border Colors

[Otto von Blotto]

Taken from thread supplied

If I'm not mistaken, with 1.04 and before, on game exit the non-game window colors remained khaki etc.

I found quite the opposite to this, with 1.04 it was fine on exit and I only experienced colour bleed when the game crashed. go figure

[Crossroads]

I found quite the opposite to this, with 1.04 it was fine on exit and I only experienced colour bleed when the game crashed. go figure

This is a strangest glitch. I experienced it for a while with my Windows 8.0 setup, and I think it continued to 8.1 for a while. Only for me at some stage the colors had bled to system side, and they stayed there, regardless of booting the system. So for a while I was writing Word documents on Olive Green background.

Then I changed the Windows theme a couple of times with Control Panel - Personalisation dialog, and have not seen the glitch for weeks now. At the time I thought it was one of the early beta builds that caused the thing, but it seems a few others are seeing this now as well.

I don't know if this helps, but instead of booting try this route see if it helps? It is almost like at some stage some global color theme toggle goes out of sync, and instead of reverting to original theme it goes the other way around...

[Otto von Blotto]

Thanks for the suggestion, I will give that a go.

[Kool Kat]

Gents:

Here's my on my initial "likes and "dislikes" of JTCS v2. I am sure there will be more as I play through this version.

Pros:
* Windowed - Can adjust screen size and minimize
* New sound effects - Vehicle movement, direct fire, artillery, etc.
* User interface - Really Smoke, Star shells, and Human Wave functions are on menu!
* RS - Like background song in start menu
* Automatically creates a backup .bte file for PBeM (Nice!)

Cons:
* User interface - Bottom icons too small, use different graphics, and order layout changed
* Exit game and my PC screen colors turn combat green and khaki

My biggest "Con" are the small and cluttered bottom icons. IMHO it would help reduce eye strain and user confusion if only essential (most used) functions are made icons:

Increase the size and keep the following bottom icons:

First 17 icons: Move/Fire Mode - Reachable Hexes)
Highlight Organization
Rotate Map
Jump Map
Next Turn.

Move the other icons (mostly "Highlight *.*) to the pull down menu.

Result will be a larger, easier to see, and less cluttered icon menu interface.

Thankfully, there are pop-up labels when I roll my cursor over the icons or I would not be able to distinguish their function!

[Tiger 88]

Maybe I am missing something here - but I thought we were going to be given the option to double time to see how many hexes a unit could move and then determine/decide if we wanted to enact that order?

This would be a big dislike for me....

[berto]

Maybe I am missing something here - but I thought we were going to be given the option to double time to see how many hexes a unit could move and then determine/decide if we wanted to enact that order?

This would be a big dislike for me....

No, that was never promised.

There are many, many wish list items that are not fulfilled, and may never be.

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Cons:
* User interface - Bottom icons too small, use different graphics, and order layout changed
* Exit game and my PC screen colors turn combat green and khaki

My biggest "Con" are the small and cluttered bottom icons. IMHO it would help reduce eye strain and user confusion if only essential (most used) functions are made icons:

Increase the size and keep the following bottom icons:

First 17 icons: Move/Fire Mode - Reachable Hexes)
Highlight Organization
Rotate Map
Jump Map
Next Turn.

Move the other icons (mostly "Highlight *.*) to the pull down menu.

Result will be a larger, easier to see, and less cluttered icon menu interface.

We are unlikely to reduce the number of icons in the toolbar. The idea is to have the most commonly used game functions accessible three ways: toolbar, menu, hot keys.

However, we are thinking of giving players the option to toggle between the current small vs. a new larger toolbar, with larger buttons.