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Ideas / One-Click Equip
« on: October 13, 2016, 07:40:31 AM »
Okay, I read through the controls / looked up the manual for this one 
One major thing occurred to me today, given Cogmind's mouse-driven interface, was the lack of context-sensitive menus. I saw this being discussed in an earlier thread, and I disagree with the notion of 'keyboard as king' - (for hardcore roguelike players, sure, but not for wider audiences.)
Here's the scenario I had in mind:
A player has two wheels, one moderately damaged, one heavily damaged.
Player mouses over a nearby, new wheel -> right-clicks (or left-click hold) -> selects 'Equip' -> Cogmind moves to wheel, collects wheel, removes heavily damaged wheel, equips new wheel, activates wheel. (Depending on player preferences, heavily damaged wheel remains in inventory or is dropped.)
All actions taking the same number of moves/turns as they would normally.
Thoughts?
A brief aside: This is my feedback as a new player getting introduced to the mechanics - I've got a ton of observations from a 'newbie' standpoint, but if you feel it's preferable to complete a run first and better understand Cogmind as a whole before spouting off, I'll do so
One major thing occurred to me today, given Cogmind's mouse-driven interface, was the lack of context-sensitive menus. I saw this being discussed in an earlier thread, and I disagree with the notion of 'keyboard as king' - (for hardcore roguelike players, sure, but not for wider audiences.)
Here's the scenario I had in mind:
A player has two wheels, one moderately damaged, one heavily damaged.
Player mouses over a nearby, new wheel -> right-clicks (or left-click hold) -> selects 'Equip' -> Cogmind moves to wheel, collects wheel, removes heavily damaged wheel, equips new wheel, activates wheel. (Depending on player preferences, heavily damaged wheel remains in inventory or is dropped.)
All actions taking the same number of moves/turns as they would normally.
Thoughts?
A brief aside: This is my feedback as a new player getting introduced to the mechanics - I've got a ton of observations from a 'newbie' standpoint, but if you feel it's preferable to complete a run first and better understand Cogmind as a whole before spouting off, I'll do so
2
Ideas / Re: Usability / Simplifying Cogmind
« on: October 12, 2016, 07:30:12 PM »Hey JonnyCog!Never has a username tag been more appropriate.
You will be happy to know that's already a feature, you just have to turn it on
Press Ctrl-F7, or go into the options menu and activate the "Tactical HUD," which gives you way more information about stuff! (including ratings directly in item labels like that)Great stuff, and you're welcome!
That feature is off by default to avoid overwhelming new players with too much information (there really is a lot to take in even without that feature!), though there is a tutorial message that appears later on to suggest you activate it once you know what you're doing.
There are quite a few other options in that menu (and even more in /user/cogmind.cfg itself) which players can use to tailor the experience, but I set all the defaults to what I feel is most appropriate for a complete beginner.
(And thanks for the support!)
That said, would you consider color coding part integrity as an option?
3
Ideas / Usability / Simplifying Cogmind [Item Rating/Integrity in Labels]
« on: October 12, 2016, 02:42:29 PM »
Hello! Just backed Cogmind (hello from Taiwan!) and I'm more of a 'casual' roguelike player.
I enjoy games in several genres; I've been attracted to several roguelikes, and the user interfaces normally do me in. I enjoy figuring out complex gameplay mechanics but not fighting with controls. Kudos to Kyzrati for the efforts to simplify and bring roguelikes to a wider audience!
That said, I have a major suggestion. According to the FAQ:
"Cogmind is designed to have 'dynamic depth.' At the simplest level you can jump in and spend 15 minutes shooting up robots without worrying about all the details--just attach the highest-rated parts you find.
Why not make this even simpler for players?
The most important information concerning parts are rating and integrity. It takes no time (in-game) to examine individual parts. However, each available part in the player's vicinity must be manually examined to determine this basic information.
Parts previously discovered (but not in the players immediate vicinity - currently highlighted in blue instead of gray) should retain rating information, allowing for strategic planning. ("Hmmm, should I risk running into a patrol to go back and grab that highly-rated weapon?")
I feel making this info readily available 'at a glance' would simplify the process in many situations, especially when dozens of parts are scattered after a skirmish. In the mockup above, there are only 5 parts. Imagine 30 or more! Since the game does not penalize you in any way for checking out each component, I feel this critical info should be accessible to players from the get-go.
Thoughts?
I enjoy games in several genres; I've been attracted to several roguelikes, and the user interfaces normally do me in. I enjoy figuring out complex gameplay mechanics but not fighting with controls. Kudos to Kyzrati for the efforts to simplify and bring roguelikes to a wider audience!
That said, I have a major suggestion. According to the FAQ:
"Cogmind is designed to have 'dynamic depth.' At the simplest level you can jump in and spend 15 minutes shooting up robots without worrying about all the details--just attach the highest-rated parts you find.
Why not make this even simpler for players?
The most important information concerning parts are rating and integrity. It takes no time (in-game) to examine individual parts. However, each available part in the player's vicinity must be manually examined to determine this basic information.
Parts previously discovered (but not in the players immediate vicinity - currently highlighted in blue instead of gray) should retain rating information, allowing for strategic planning. ("Hmmm, should I risk running into a patrol to go back and grab that highly-rated weapon?")
I feel making this info readily available 'at a glance' would simplify the process in many situations, especially when dozens of parts are scattered after a skirmish. In the mockup above, there are only 5 parts. Imagine 30 or more! Since the game does not penalize you in any way for checking out each component, I feel this critical info should be accessible to players from the get-go.
Thoughts?
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