1768 replies to this topic

[Void Angel]

smurfynet, on 30 October 2014 - 04:55 AM, said:

Any feedback to my concept of refactoring the mechlab?

Hmm... Wel, in no particular order:

• I'd put the weaponlab on the new Stats bar, to the right of the cooling button (and maybe move the time to overheat from the cooling popup to the weapon lab.)
  
• While I like the new, thinner equipment listings from the current 'Mechlab, I'd find it easier cognitively if they were 75-100% thicker - less information density, and a bigger "target" to drag-and-drop.
  
• I'd suggest just using a tab for Upgrades, possibly combined with quirks, integrated into the Components menu. After all, they're part of the 'mech - just use the space from the Armor tab you're removing. This way, all the equipment you're adding to the 'Mech is in one place in the Mechlab.
  
• I like the existing data sidebar, including the bars representing cooling, tonnage, etc - it's traditional! I'd suggest moving it to the other side of the screen, where the components list is now, and putting the buttons for showing the mechbay option underneath the bars. Then allow everything on the bar to be customizable, like you're planning.
  
• To make room for the extra button(s) on the sidebar, make the Stats, Armaments, etc. listings into drop boxes that can be pulled down and retracted as needed, depending on what I'm working on at the time. This way, generalized stats are on the new stats bar on the top, and more specific information is on the sidebar - maybe tinker with putting the Weaponlab on the sidebar.
  
• Don't forget to make a "Restore Defaults" button for when we customize ourselves into a corner!

That's about all I can come up with off the top of my head - thanks again for the excellent resource!

Edited by Void Angel, 30 October 2014 - 10:44 AM.

[Grey Ghost]

smurfynet, on 30 October 2014 - 04:55 AM, said:

Any feedback to my concept of refactoring the mechlab?

https://imgur.com/a/qsGC2

About the mech paper doll wrapping, i will give it a bit more space, it is possible that based on the browser version / fontsize the browser does that.

Personally, I like the current layout just fine as it is. Heck, I even miss the old gold colored paper doll. I'd rather you leave statistics on the left, and components on the right with the doll in the center. It's what I am used to, and I guess I just don't see the benefits this conceptual layout would offer over the current one.

[Void Angel]

It would more closely conform to the layout of the in-game mechlab, making it easier for new users to understand. It's also good to shake things up every so often from a PR/marketing point of view, because designs eventually go stale. This is why your local fast food chain re-does its uniforms and menu format every few years.

[TercieI]

Grey Ghost, on 30 October 2014 - 04:27 PM, said:

Personally, I like the current layout just fine as it is. Heck, I even miss the old gold colored paper doll. I'd rather you leave statistics on the left, and components on the right with the doll in the center. It's what I am used to, and I guess I just don't see the benefits this conceptual layout would offer over the current one.

I generally agree with this. Change for change's sake is not worth much to me. The current layout works and is familiar. The main improvements I'd like to see now are:

1) Clear visibility to quirks on all chassis (including mouseover for omnipods)
2) Quirk attributes included in analytics, both in the mechlab and the weaponlab

But I'm not hung up on format if the info is there, either. Keep up the great work, smurfy.

[Duskov]

I love your site and all the info you have available. I really wish I could use it on my phone. Ever thought of creating a mobile app?

[Grey Ghost]

Void Angel, on 31 October 2014 - 12:14 AM, said:

It would more closely conform to the layout of the in-game mechlab, making it easier for new users to understand.

I, and perhaps many others, would argue the reverse. I don't recall many people asking for Smurphy's Mechlab to be more like UI 2.0, but I certainly recall the opposite request.

[smurfynet]

Thanks for the feedback about my proposed changes.

I understand both sides, In the beginning i tried to adapt the color schema and layout of the ingame mechlab with the huge change, that i'll display the complete paperdoll.
Then UI 2.0 was on the horizon and i begun a redesign month before UI 2.0 came out, based on the screenshots, to match the color schema of the site.
I also had a mech listing like the ingame currently is working for the stats part, but it lacked information so i scraped most of the layout changes.

In the proccess of redesigning the site i switched some backed library for maps and for the yaw/pitch arm/torso graphs.

Both changes got merged to the current layout after i decided not to use the ui 2.0 adaption for now. Also the Sale Items are adaptions of the mech listing.
(I still have it in my code repository, i still thinking about using some parts of it in the future.)

Ok so that was the background

My idea behind the proposed changes is not to make your lives harder, but to show more infos while saving space.
Getting rid of one of the bars and move it to the top makes space for wider a paperdoll and components listing.

About textual display vs a bar for armor for example, this is also open for discussion, or even flexible.
The idea about the top stats bar is, that it will be configurable. (Not sure about per session or variant)

I know it's could be take a bit getting used to, but i think it's beneficial. What i don't want to do is make you guys need to click 5 times more to get the same information

But for example if i move the armament's list to the top, accessible with one extra click but with more infos, it does not hurt, because i think most people see what the armament is not by looking at the list, but looking at the paperdoll instead. If they see the main armament and want to have a more detailed view, they click on the DPS/Alpha button and see

2x AC20 (40 alpha / 10.0 dps)
1x LL (9 alpha / 2.12 dps)

I also could show the same list but with cooling related infos if you click at cooling button.
Without showing this infos all the time, which clutters the display with too much informations and uses the space of
something you rather want to see all the time.

[NineTails]

Grey Ghost, on 02 November 2014 - 10:27 AM, said:

I, and perhaps many others, would argue the reverse. I don't recall many people asking for Smurphy's Mechlab to be more like UI 2.0, but I certainly recall the opposite request.

I find it remarkable that PGI, with all its money and professional developers, managed to make UI 2.0 so bad when smurfy's is right there to crib off of.

[NineTails]

Also, the thing that I want is for double-clicking equipment to auto-assign it to a logical spot on the paperdoll.

[Void Angel]

smurfynet, on 02 November 2014 - 11:50 AM, said:

Thanks for the feedback about my proposed changes.

Oh, I've been meaning to poke you about this for a while... It's not a change to the format, but might there be a way for us to click on an intermediate popup when selecting a chassis variant? Right now, I click on the drop box, then mouse over Weight Class, then the Chassis, then I can click on a Variant. It works, but I can be kinda clumsy at 0300 local, with too much blood in my caffeine system, and it's easy to clip the mouseover box for another chassis if I move the mouse straight to the variant I want. What I'd like to be able to do is click on any of the intermediate popups to lock them open, so that I can more easily navigate when I'm clumsy or tired.

[Deathlike]

smurfy, you put up the Centurion-AH missile tube info... but shouldn't all the other Centurion variants (outside of the Yen Lo Wang) follow that similarly?

It would be nice if someone was able to confirm them... as I doubt they follow the older non-dynamic visual hardpoint numbers.

Edited by Deathlike, 03 November 2014 - 07:32 PM.

[NineTails]

Void Angel, on 03 November 2014 - 06:42 PM, said:

Oh, I've been meaning to poke you about this for a while... It's not a change to the format, but might there be a way for us to click on an intermediate popup when selecting a chassis variant? Right now, I click on the drop box, then mouse over Weight Class, then the Chassis, then I can click on a Variant. It works, but I can be kinda clumsy at 0300 local, with too much blood in my caffeine system, and it's easy to clip the mouseover box for another chassis if I move the mouse straight to the variant I want. What I'd like to be able to do is click on any of the intermediate popups to lock them open, so that I can more easily navigate when I'm clumsy or tired.

I was thinking something very similar to this earlier today. It'd be nice that if we click on the chassis name, rather than the exact frame, we'd get the 'basic' version. This would be particularly helpful in the case of Clan 'mechs.

[smurfynet]

Deathlike, on 03 November 2014 - 07:31 PM, said:

but shouldn't all the other Centurion variants (outside of the Yen Lo Wang) follow that similarly?

yes you are right, i updated it now on the dev system, will be live tonight.

In the meantime: 3 M (20x2, 15) or 2 M (20x2) based on how many hardpoints it has.

[Jabilo]

Hi, nice to see you implement the quirks.

Some feedback:

There seems to be some confusion with the colours of the quirks. Many positive quirks are labelled in red...

Quirk section is a little confusing and seems squished and hard to navigate.

When you filter the main mech selection the quirks should filter as well, this would be really great.

Can we see the quirks listed in the main mechlab page when building a variant?

Keep up the good fight! o7

[Deathlike]

smurfy, you're still missing some info...

Besides the Ice Ferret info for C-bills (I'm sure someone could help you with that info), today should have brought the Timberwolf's C-bill value. Masakari's C-bill info is available on the next patch (if someone took pics of the C-bill info on the PTS in August, you'd also get that), and their MC info is still missing (was available last month, w/o much mention, fanfare, or even the MC Flash sale that was common).

Take your time... if you could post that info on the next patch day, that would be greatly appreciated.

Edited by Deathlike, 04 November 2014 - 01:44 PM.

[smurfynet]

Jabilo, on 04 November 2014 - 01:26 PM, said:

Hi, nice to see you implement the quirks.

Some feedback:

There seems to be some confusion with the colours of the quirks. Many positive quirks are labelled in red...

Quirk section is a little confusing and seems squished and hard to navigate.

When you filter the main mech selection the quirks should filter as well, this would be really great.

Can we see the quirks listed in the main mechlab page when building a variant?

Keep up the good fight! o7

Yea quirks are currently quite chaotic and i have some problems with the translated quirk names as well. But i'm working on it. Also i need to do some rewrites of the mechlab for the quirks showing there, not that i just want to show them, but also the effect they cause.

Let it be range, cooldown or heat.

Deathlike, on 04 November 2014 - 01:44 PM, said:

smurfy, you're still missing some info...

Besides the Ice Ferret info for C-bills (I'm sure someone could help you with that info), today should have brought the Timberwolf's C-bill value. Masakari's C-bill info is available on the next patch (if someone took pics of the C-bill info on the PTS in August, you'd also get that), and their MC info is still missing (was available last month, w/o much mention, fanfare, or even the MC Flash sale that was common).

Take your time... if you could post that info on the next patch day, that would be greatly appreciated.

As i think mentioned before burried in this thread, pricing infos sadly is not in the gamefiles.
So i have to login every patch and check if the prices are in game and adding them to my own file.

Regarding the prices you mentioned, Timberwolf is currently not yet available via cbil, same goes for the ice ferret.

I tried if it would be possible to simple multiply the sell price but this also does not work on the clan mechs i tried.

With the yesterdays site update i added all prices available (completed the ammo and added some other missing ones)

[Dan Baxter]

Some feedback:

I'm not sure if this is just me, but now whenever I look at a build on Smurfy, AMS is no longer under the "weapons" tab in mechlab. Ammo is in the usual location, but AMS appears to only be visible if no 'mechs are selected in mechlab.

[smurfynet]

Dan Baxter, on 04 November 2014 - 02:33 PM, said:

Some feedback:

I'm not sure if this is just me, but now whenever I look at a build on Smurfy, AMS is no longer under the "weapons" tab in mechlab. Ammo is in the usual location, but AMS appears to only be visible if no 'mechs are selected in mechlab.

You are right, good catch, i will try to fix it right now, based on my findings it will take 1 to 15 hours to deploy / fix (mainly because i need to go to sleep soon)

Edit: Fixed, deploying...

Edited by smurfynet, 04 November 2014 - 02:44 PM.

[CDLord HHGD]

AMS seems to be broke my friend.

[smurfynet]

cdlord, on 04 November 2014 - 06:14 PM, said:

AMS seems to be broke my friend.

Try a force reload / cache clear, i did fix the bug. (AMS not displaying in the weapons column)

Or do you refer to a different bug?