Weapons Select Menu

[duz]

This is not a final idea. I'm posting here to get some feedback.

All the .PSDs
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/91srnrzex303ki7/AAAtdvJJrlovV-6gvBsp6Hawa

Idea #5 (vertical idea 3)


Idea #4 (vertical idea 2)


http://i.imgur.com/9qgZbnV.png (bravo colors)
http://i.imgur.com/OgFZY3C.png (charlie)
http://i.imgur.com/cnKVY5n.png (delta)

Idea #3
http://i.imgur.com/6VSeAve.png
http://i.imgur.com/DZXbzhe.png

Idea #2
http://i.imgur.com/gNpc1H7.png

Idea #1
http://i.imgur.com/iYIRm22.png
http://i.imgur.com/FyMk82F.png

[L[0ne]R]

Very nice job. It looks much neater and allows you to see more on the screen with the menu open. In my opinion though, the two panels should be closer together. Maybe something like this:

PRIMARY WEAPON
steyr aug
[ primary weapon list]
[ secondary weapon list]
chainsaw
SECONDARY WEAPON

I also see a problem: The menu may be too wide and won't fit in smaller resolutions like 640x480, but Shoozza insists on supporting 640x480 so your idea will have to support it somehow. :/ Also keep in mind that new weapon icons introduced in 1.6.8b1 are larger, so it'll take up even more space.

I would also make keyboard shortcuts permanently visible below weapons, in small font, so it's easier for new players (or just players with bad memory) to remember which number belongs to each weapon.

[Shoozza]

I wonder if it is easier to use than the current vertical menu (with mouse)

Like L[one]r said, weapon hotkeys are not always visible.
We have 640x480 to support

I also noticed that the red selection color is different for the V

[Dr.Penicz]

It 's a fresh look!
One question: Do you use windows 8 ??

Although looking nice, I think the normal list has some advantages.. Since the icons are all rather horizontal and the text is too, arranging everything in cols instead of rows just fits better..
Where for example would you place the weapon-stats, visible for modded weapons?? I think they need some vertical space no matter what..
And ..yeah.. some people might not play soldat on a widescreen...

What about having both, rows and cols (now really like win8)? One could group similar weapons that way...
Eg.:
-Prim.-Autofire-row---      ..And here..
-Prim.-Multishot-row--      ..goes the..
-Prim.-Singleshot-row-      ..extra info..
-Sec.-Guns-row-------     ..like names..
-Sec.-Melee-row------     ..and stats..


If all this is not wanted, one at least could stretch the existing menu a little vertically and add that pinstripe like in the above picture. I'd say that would make it look a little more fancy and not so squeezed...

[Dusty]

I like this a lot, it's a big step away from the horrible default uncustomizable interface we have.

[duz]

Updated!

[Viral]

Looks nice, but wouldnt it be better to have some graphic presentation of the weapon stats? Like some hind of bars or sth like that?

Also i think you should stay with dark grey/green theme, along with the rest of the GUI

[Bistoufly]

Also i think you should stay with dark grey/green theme, along with the rest of the GUI

Actually what would be pretty cool is:


red theme when in alpha
blue theme when in bravo
yellow theme when in charlie
green theme when in delta
white theme when in no team

[L[0ne]R]

Good news: I've checked the size of the new weapon menu icons, and they do fit in 640x480 resolution. I made each icon to be 64x32, so 10 weapons 64px wide = exactly 640 pixels.

Here's my mockup:






One problem I noticed is that the icons blend in with the menu background a bit. So I added an extra 1-pixel green border around the icons, which did improve their visibility.

[Bistoufly]

Wow Loner. That looks pretty nice!


I wouldn't mind a menu like that!


Only thing I dislike is that the red is a bit harsh.

[nosejj]

I like duz's version, although it should be somehow way smaller, because when you're in a game you usually want the menu gone pretty quick so you can freecam and keep following what's happening in the game.

[Shoozza]

The colors are better in duz's version the layout is nice in L[one]r's version (i would remove the space between both menus completely though).
The red is to strong in L[one]r's version and the weapons are hard to see.
I like the white colors for text more but Im not sure we need the brackets around them (too much unnecessary noise).

One issue the horizontal menu has is that if you use a weapon mod you have to make it draw the outlines and if the weapons are too large it will overlap/look ugly.
The other thing I don't like is that the weapon names are not always visible and show up when you move your mouse over the weapons.
In the old menu you have less visual change when you choose the weapons (less attention needed probably).

The information of the weapons (the red stats could be easer to read though, some way to separate the different options and also the assigned values).

I like the hints in L[one]r's version (the one with ctrl+)

I wonder how well you could do the menu in vertical layout

[duz]

Updated! [+vertical menu]

ps: L[one]r, I like your idea!

[homerofgods]

I think the green surroundings of the guns in L[0ne]R's version looks good compared to the white empty outline of duz's version. I want to see the actual gun, not just the outline.

I like the keyboard shortcuts in the vertical solution.
I like that every gun name is showing in the vertical solution, I don't think that would work out in the horizontal version.

I like the use of Alfa and Bravo colors for showing selected gun, but The red/blue line on the left side in duz's and L[0ne]R's version is too much, I liked more the black line from version 1

How will you show what gun your mouse is currently hoovering over? -- a white or light filled outline perhaps? It is certainly missing from our current menu, I don't like the popping out:


Also, the moving background while the weapon menu is up makes it harder to accuratly choose your gun

[duz]

Updated [+idea #4]

How will you show what gun your mouse is currently hoovering over? -- a white or light filled outline perhaps? It is certainly missing from our current menu, I don't like the popping out: http://i.imgur.com/bhraSKm.gif

Hmm, idk

[darDar]

This one is great, I'll send cookies to anyone adding that !

[L[0ne]R]

Idea #4: Love it. Amazing job. If we stick with the classic vertical design - then this is a perfect replacement for it. Very good choice of colors too, they're spot-on - not too bland, not too vivid. Hoping to see this implemented. I kind of miss the compactness of the original idea though. Ideally it would be nice to have both styles of weapon menus.

As for mouseover effect - there's plenty of options.

A) It could be the same as for selected weapon, but at very low opacity (5-10%). And/or white color instead of team color.
B) Color text in team color.
C) Put an outline of the weapon in team color.

[Mittsu]

Ideally it would be nice to have both styles of weapon menus.

this! both versions will have their fans

[Dr.Penicz]

Really nice work (talking about "idea #4") !!!
It somehow reminds me of:

If all this is not wanted, one at least could stretch the existing menu a little vertically and add that pinstripe like in the above picture. I'd say that would make it look a little more fancy and not so squeezed...

So what more can I say. We don't have to reinvent the wheel, esp. if it was kind of round already..

But (..there always is a but..):
I think the weapons made by Loner look better, - more real! They have this shininess or metal-like look, because of the extra-light (I really like that alot - makes me wanna grab them right from the monitor). The normal ones, in contrast to that, look kind of flat and rather cartoonish - like plastic, not metal.
And I like the soft green outline. Fits perfectly to the overall soldat-colortheme and helps to lift the weapons from the background. - Better than dropshadows or something, because shadows tend to be dark usually and we alredy have a dark background..
What do you think of adding Loners weapons?!

((Is it actually Loner, or Lioneir, or what??))

Back to duzs menu:
-I like the vertical "choose weapons" and the font in general, but to me "select" sound/looks more elegant..
-Like the pinstripe, - kind of connecting the selection..
-Like the teamcolors coloring the whole menu. What about DM?? -Maybe a completely different color?
-Like that the selection is a little wider than the list.

What about adding a little transparency to the selection?! By that you don't have a solid block of color, and more detail (coming from the background).
-For displaying and distinguishing the mouse-position/temporary-selection and the final selection, I'd like the idea of different transparencies or a frame, or a mixture of both (eg. a solid frame for the final selection, and just transparency for the temporary selection). On the other hand a frame around the selected weapon might break the design somehow. If having a frame, its lines should not be wider than the pinstripe (maybe smaller and/or darker).
-Or one could use a transparent color-gradient for the temporary selection and no gradient for the final selection.
Some gradient could look nice as well. Any opinions?

What do you think of adding a small separator to end the "primary weapons"-list, instead of just starting with the "secondary weapons"-list? Maybe just a black horizontal line (fitting the dark background). Or ..of course.. the colored pinstripe, maybe with different width. Or simply a small space without the menu-background (like 1px - 2px maybe), but leaving the pinstripe intact!? ...I think, I prefere the last one..

(-Steyr Aug is not the Spas...)


Anyways, this is really a graphical improvement! Friends I try to convince of playing soldat usually complain about the poor graphics (maps to be honest), but with this menu there is one thing less to complain about.
Others complain about it being too fast, but do not change that ...

[Shoozza]

Ok, I think we need less vibrant colors for #4. Maybe add transparency for the selected weapons colors?

I wonder if weapons could be closer together so the weapons menu doesn't take the whole screen space.

The "Choose weapon" text could be placed on top (unless this will be a thing now in all ingame menus... still more difficult to read imho).

One thing we have to consider is selected weapon vs. hovered non selected weapon vs. hovered selected weapon since I don't see hovered weapons in your mockups.

I wonder how it would look like with "primary weapon" and "secondary weapon" text in white or light gray.

Looks great so far!