Functionality vs User Interface

[Laiev]

Basically I would like to know what people prefer: something more visual or something more dynamic and functional?

Based on my Cooldown System (not posted at Hive yet), I have two options:

Pros: Disables the ability (like silence), the display of the icon is disabled (DISBTN) and you can still read the information of skill, in addition, a dynamic text is shown in the skill description showing that it is on cooldown.

Cons: Use 4 dummies (different Ids). At worst would have 48 dummies doing nothing (12 heroes, 4 spell per hero).

Pros: The icon is completely removed from the unit (it is blank) and an icon with no effect is added in place just to demonstrate that the ability is still on cooldown. In this method, the icon with no effect can be replaced by a secondary skill (useful for skills that only activate after a skill has been used).

Cons: Use 4 useless abilities. Didn't display any information of the spell while in cooldown. Bad interface and no eye-candy.

So again, my question is, User Interface or Functionality?

PS: I post example of both cases if necessary or if people is confuse, but right now, I don't care so much for 'efficiency'.

- Errr, I'm unsure if this should be here, at Idea, anyway.

 

[Accname]

Who wouldnt choose the second option?
Looks nice, will definitely be more comfortable for the players.
However, creating units does take much performance (compared to other functions) so there will be a drawback.
But i usually go for the second option. Because of the professional looks.

 

[Laiev]

I'm talking with some friends at MSN, all of them care about the useless dummies at the map, but I think this is not a great deal, it'll not ever be visible or at your screen, so it'll not drop your fps.

 

[KaerfNomekop]

Another flaw of Option 1 is that the spell you cast seems to have just disappeared. Unless the majority of your abilities have different effects on the second cast, Option 2 would be better. Also because Option 2 is closer to home.

 

[FhelZone]

Wow, you are putting so much effort on a cooldown, I just wonder why you don't want to use the default one. Besides you can edit the Cooldown UI. But anyway, back to your question, I take option , because it does not put "requiremets". Though I suggest that the skill description should stay, people would go like WTF where'd my skill go! A very big con for that would be the cooldown spin is gone and yep, people can't do a timing for their next cast.

 

[polo2005]

As the player, i would def go for option 1, since visual preformence is (from my part) atleast 70% of what you notice of the map first time you play it.

but as a map editor there is no way i would go for option one, due to the huge amount of time you would have to spend on creating dummies if you have alot of spells and heroes (specially if you got more than 4 activate spells per hero.

 

[Tom_Kazansky]

some still prefer User Interface over Functionality, especially those "new" to the game. The fatal flaw that is even the owned player of the unit can't see when the cooldown is finished.

and back to your question, I would take option 2. Why? like KaerfNomekop said "the spell you cast seems to have just disappeared", my word that is: "the spell you cast has no back-swing animation", it's just animation but it's kinda wrong if it's not there

 

[Happy]

i chose User Interface because it's just nicer...but this is just my opinion as a player not as a map maker ^^ as a map maker i would definitly go with Functionality

here are the reason i chose User Interface:
1. your skill is still there....with the Functionality possibility it seems like 'WHAT THE FUCKIN HELL...WHERE'S MY SKILL?!?!?' i hope you understand what i mean.
2. it's nicer to be able to read the tooltip even if the skill is in cooldown.
3. even if there are more dummies used for the User Interface possibility it would take much MB (not even reconizable^^) even if there's the CON making these dummys as the map maker ;D
4. it looks much nicer to have the same icon when you cast your spell instead of having a random different icon.


but 1 question i have in mind :

Why god damn you make a system for cooldown if wc3 already has a working cooldown "system" ??

 

[Laiev]

Wow, you are putting so much effort on a cooldown, I just wonder why you don't want to use the default one. Besides you can edit the Cooldown UI. But anyway, back to your question, I take option , because it does not put "requiremets". Though I suggest that the skill description should stay, people would go like WTF where'd my skill go! A very big con for that would be the cooldown spin is gone and yep, people can't do a timing for their next cast.

I'm making a Cooldown (well, remaking it right now) because Warcraft didn't allow us to, for example, reduce 4 second of a cooldown.

As the player, i would def go for option 1, since visual preformence is (from my part) atleast 70% of what you notice of the map first time you play it.

but as a map editor there is no way i would go for option one, due to the huge amount of time you would have to spend on creating dummies if you have alot of spells and heroes (specially if you got more than 4 activate spells per hero.

Actually, while running some tests, at my computer, I need 7000+ dummies for my fps drop. This is not so 'bad', is 'just' 48 dummies .

some still prefer User Interface over Functionality, especially those "new" to the game. The fatal flaw that is even the owned player of the unit can't see when the cooldown is finished.

and back to your question, I would take option 2. Why? like KaerfNomekop said "the spell you cast seems to have just disappeared", my word that is: "the spell you cast has no back-swing animation", it's just animation but it's kinda wrong if it's not there

What do you mean with 'back-swing animation'?
You can see when the spell is finished by looking at the icon, if the icon is not disabled, then the spell is finished ^_^.

i chose User Interface because it's just nicer...but this is just my opinion as a player not as a map maker ^^ as a map maker i would definitly go with Functionality

here are the reason i chose User Interface:
1. your skill is still there....with the Functionality possibility it seems like 'WHAT THE FUCKIN HELL...WHERE'S MY SKILL?!?!?' i hope you understand what i mean.
2. it's nicer to be able to read the tooltip even if the skill is in cooldown.
3. even if there are more dummies used for the User Interface possibility it would take much MB (not even reconizable^^) even if there's the CON making these dummys as the map maker ;D
4. it looks much nicer to have the same icon when you cast your spell instead of having a random different icon.


but 1 question i have in mind :

Why god damn you make a system for cooldown if wc3 already has a working cooldown "system" ??

1 - Ya, I know what you mean, is just too strange you get a random spell just after you cast a spell.
2 - In fact, this is the most important factor for this option, make things clear.
3 - Well, as I said above in this post, 48 dummies is nothing, people will never know and probably never 'feel' it ^_^.
4 - Yes, also, using the User Interface way, this still allow you to level up a spell (while in other way you can't).

 

[FhelZone]

Thats weird I forgot to mention which I chose I actually chose option 2 BTW, much sexier than having a requires really though put the descriptions in tack.

 

[Tom_Kazansky]

suggestion for option 1:

ability A
ability A' : Orb of Lightning (new), Target Allowed: None (hope it won't hinder other O.E) and Data Effect Ability set to ability A

when in cooldown: remove A and add A' then A appear like disabled, no "requirement"

cons: each ability A must have corresponding A'. If you have 10 A then you must have another 10 A' (I don't know if this is acceptable for a public resource)

p.s: can be used for (custom) silence also

 

[Laiev]

@Tom_Kazansky
You can remove the Requirement text ^_^

But you can't remove the dash (-) before the requirement, so it would look like:


Mana 200

- In Cooldown

Dash to target unit ...

 

[Tom_Kazansky]

yea, that can't be removed but can be made nearly invisible:

(include pic for above suggestion)

Requires text: |c00182231
Requirement Item text: |r|cffffff00in cooldown|r or |r|cffffff00in cooldown|r|n (there is a space " " at the end)

EDIT: I don't think option 1 is bad if the cast animation is not interrupted. The "back swing animation" that I mentioned above is just the time to finish the cast animation after "start effect ability"
off: use option 1 for custom silence is not bad, right? there is no way to make a spell that is "castable while silenced" with default silence