Updates

[Dion]

Who's idea was it to change the hot keys? The hot keys are the reason why wargames aren't too time consuming, makes them more playable resulting in increased player interest. I hope they haven't changed too much.

[Al]

Personally I love the new menus, and the way I generally use them is like so, and I use a lot of hot keys, saves time.

Me too - I think they're an improvement.

[Plain Ian]

The problem with the menus would still be there.  Too cluttered.  I don't use hot keys at all.  I only used a few icons on one toolbar and now it is, to put it in well known military jargon, a clusterf**k.  Plain and simple.

Gent: 

Agree. And the problem / challenge for me with this new menu interface design is that it directly impacts my future TOC purchases and overall enjoyment of the games. Unless there is a "work around" or ability to revert back to the Gold version menu interface, I will not be purchasing new titles. 

I was grateful when WDS gave us the option to keep the Gold "legacy" graphics. Can there also be a Gold "legacy" menu interface option too? 

I guess one possible solution would be to create a Faourites tool bar. You see it a lot in some software. 

So you you just create the menu of everything you want to use rather than pick from the whole selection all the time.

eg



However thats possibly something further down the line. 

I think we all appreciate what they have achieved in such a short time.   

Ian

[Outlaw Josey Wales]

The problem with the menus would still be there.  Too cluttered.  I don't use hot keys at all.  I only used a few icons on one toolbar and now it is, to put it in well known military jargon, a clusterf**k.  Plain and simple.

Gent: 

Agree. And the problem / challenge for me with this new menu interface design is that it directly impacts my future TOC purchases and overall enjoyment of the games. Unless there is a "work around" or ability to revert back to the Gold version menu interface, I will not be purchasing new titles. 

I was grateful when WDS gave us the option to keep the Gold "legacy" graphics. Can there also be a Gold "legacy" menu interface option too? 

I guess one possible solution would be to create a Faourites tool bar. You see it a lot in some software. 

So you you just create the menu of everything you want to use rather than pick from the whole selection all the time.

eg



However thats possibly something further down the line. 

I think we all appreciate what they have achieved in such a short time.   

Ian

I've already mentioned a Drag and Drop menu to make your own menu bar.  I think it was perfect in the Gold version.

[Kool Kat]

Gents:

This new menu rollout is reminiscent of the "enhanced" graphics release a few years back. I remember at the time that David & WDS Co. performed a herculean effort to standardize the entire TOC game portfolio on the Gold Standard Graphics. It was applauded by many players and by me as a great effort to bring the vanilla graphics to more eye-appealing and pleasing state-of-the-art graphics. But no sooner was this accomplished, then David & WDS Co. decided that "enhanced" graphics were needed. Please correct me if I am mistaken, but I don't believe there were many players clamoring for new "enhanced" graphics? Were there any polls or feedback solicited from players on the need for "enhanced" graphics? Of course, as a game developer, David & WDS Co. can rollout out any kind of graphics package they want - with or without player demand or input. No argument there. Thankfully a Gold "legacy" graphics option was retained. Thank you.

Fast forward to today. Now we have a complete menu interface change with an entirely different navigation, flow, and look-and-feel. Again, I ask were players clamoring for an entirely new menu interface? Was the current menu so broken that a new menu needed to be developed and released? Were there any polls or feedback solicited from players on the need for a new menu interface? Again, David and WDS Co. can release any kind of menu interface they wish - with or without player demand or input. IMO I don't believe that's the best marketing strategy for a game developer to not garner player input. The end result is that then the game developer only receives player reaction?

What exactly does the new menu interface do better, faster, organizationally, navigation-wise or by any other measurable metric as an improvement (enhancement) over the Gold standard interface? IMHO, this new menu interface release is so "in your face." It's one thing to release some different graphics that can be modded easily, but it's quite another to release an entirely new menu interface - especially after players have been utilizing the Gold standard menu interface for many years... and then give no option for players to retain the current Gold standard one?

Personally, I don't like being "force-fed" something that strikes at the heart of how I get enjoyment out of the TOC game series. For me, the Gold standard menu interface is simple, uncluttered, elegant, and unobtrusive. Menu icons are mapped intuitively based on how a player interacts and plays the game. There is a right-feeling flow and navigation. Players don't have to figure out and decipher the menu. Instead, they can get directly to actually playing the game. 

Please allow players to retain the current Gold standard menu interface.

[Plain Ian]

The problem with the menus would still be there.  Too cluttered.  I don't use hot keys at all.  I only used a few icons on one toolbar and now it is, to put it in well known military jargon, a clusterf**k.  Plain and simple.

Gent: 

Agree. And the problem / challenge for me with this new menu interface design is that it directly impacts my future TOC purchases and overall enjoyment of the games. Unless there is a "work around" or ability to revert back to the Gold version menu interface, I will not be purchasing new titles. 

I was grateful when WDS gave us the option to keep the Gold "legacy" graphics. Can there also be a Gold "legacy" menu interface option too? 

I guess one possible solution would be to create a Faourites tool bar. You see it a lot in some software. 

So you you just create the menu of everything you want to use rather than pick from the whole selection all the time.

eg



However thats possibly something further down the line. 

I think we all appreciate what they have achieved in such a short time.   

Ian

I've already mentioned a Drag and Drop menu to make your own menu bar.  I think it was perfect in the Gold version.

Mmh yes you are right since I guess what I want to do is get back to the simpler/minimalist Gold version and just have the buttons that I use 90% of the time visible....but I'd like them in the order that suits me. 

So on the top line where it says ALL, UNIT, COMBAT, etc it also has MY FAVOURITES and when you click it then it will display only the buttons that you want to see and in the order that you have pre saved them. 

So if the Gold Menu was what you used then you can indeed set this up but still have the full menus available for everyone else from the Main Tool Bar.

I don't code so I've no idea how easy this is. 

[Xerxes77]

Didn't the toolbar menu use to include an option to select the "classic" toolbars? I mostly use keyboard shortcuts so I didn't realize it had gone until now.
I suppose reinstating it would be easier than adding customizable toolbars...

[zovs66]

The problem with the menus would still be there.  Too cluttered.  I don't use hot keys at all.  I only used a few icons on one toolbar and now it is, to put it in well known military jargon, a clusterf**k.  Plain and simple.

Gent: 

Agree. And the problem / challenge for me with this new menu interface design is that it directly impacts my future TOC purchases and overall enjoyment of the games. Unless there is a "work around" or ability to revert back to the Gold version menu interface, I will not be purchasing new titles. 

I was grateful when WDS gave us the option to keep the Gold "legacy" graphics. Can there also be a Gold "legacy" menu interface option too? 

Sorry I have to completely and respectfully disagree with both of you on the new UI and the new, improved consistence, and much more useful and practical Menu.

I never want to take a step back to the old Gold or worse pre-gold menu and UI.

In fact I won't play any of the pre- 4.01 updates until they are updated to 4.01 standards.

I most defiantly won't purchase any new WDS games that are not 4.01 compliant.