PE Options Menu (More Selection Circle QQ)

[Sensuki]

 

I'm not sure if the Resolution bar is interactive or not, but I think it's a recent addition to the graphics menu. I don't recall it being there in the Gameplay demonstrations done at the UK. I hope it's interactive because I am planning on getting a monitor that I would run at 144Hz on the desktop and 120Hz in games (due to the availability of G-Sync and ULMB Modes at 120Hz) and it would be annoying to have to change my desktop resolution every time I want to play the game.

 

Regardless it might be a good idea to have two boxes for Resolution and Refresh Rate, unless you are literally pulling the available modes from the graphics drivers (which is fine, as long as the game detects all the available refresh rates - I plan to do some beta testing on my CRT monitors, because I doubt there'll be many people that will be testing 1280x960 or 4:3 resolutions like that).

 

Hide Selection circles however just simply does not cut it for me.

 

So far the selection circle style and design seems to be tailored in the Icewind Dale feedback style with ToEE art style. Someone on the original Icewind Dale design team decided to change the default option on the Feedback Slider for their game down two notches from the maximum (which was used in BG1) which does not show the selection circles for NPCs or Enemies unless highlighted.

 

The selection circle style in Pillars of Eternity seems to have been designed in the same style as Baldur's Gate 2 - which is the second highest feedback slider option in the IE games. Selection circles are always shown for party members and enemies, but not for NPCs. The only problem is that there has been basically no consideration of the fact that the IE games had any other settings.

 

 

This is what the IE games had to control selection circle feedback - a slider with six different settings

 

Minimum - picked character

Low - picked or selected (moused over) character

High - picked, selected or targeted character (Icewind Dale)

Higher - picked, selected, targeted or hostile (Baldur's Gate 2, Pillars of Eternity)

Maximum - all creatures and characters (Baldur's Gate 1)

 

I played Baldur's Gate 1 first, and it was literally one of the only RTS/RPG games that had selection circles for everything. I thought this was unique, and cool. So I used this setting throughout all of the IE games. Currently however, Pillars of Eternity does not offer this option, but I would like it to be added, please. Even Serpent of the Staglands, a BG1 & Darklands homage game has selection circles for all units.

 

What is color blind mode?

 

I wrote this 

 

I also have an issue with the fact that NPC and Party units share the same selection circle color. I think this needs to be changed so that the NPC characters use a different color by default - whether that be something like a yellow, or a white, or whatever. NPC units do not need two colors like party units (for selected and unselected), just one color.

 

but it may not be relevant, depending on what color blind mode does.

 

I also think that custom selection circle colors should be an option as well, so people can choose their preferred color for player controlled and NPC units, it would even be cool if you could give party members different colors like the BG:EE games (not something I would use, but I know a lot of people liked that - my personal motivation for this option is so that I would be able to use green selection circles for the party, like in the IE games).

 

And finally I think that in the spirit of the "IE feel" that the Infinity Engine style single-pixel non-aliased circles should be used for units, rather than the aliased, thicker ToEE style. This is an Infinity Engine style game and "IE feels" are very important to me - this is a major thing that would make the game "feel" like an IE game. Even though the characters are 3D models like ToEE, the selection circle style would go a long way into making that element feel more like the IE games than ToEE.

 

Once again though, not sure what color blind mode does - it could make it more "legacy" looking. But options are good.

 

As for further possible graphics options - you should probably add some stuff to turn off some of the post-processing and 3D effects for lower end machines, maybe in-game antialiasing and stuff like that.

 

Something to control the combat log messages would be good too, but that would go in the game menu.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Sensuki

[Billy O]

Hopefully you can solve most of your resolution/refresh rate problems by setting up a custom profile in your GPU settings.

 

I imagine color blind mode would use patterns rather than colors to differentiate between friendlies and enemies. The standard green is friendly/red is an enemy could be a nightmare for someone who sees those colors as the same. Perhaps friendlies get a dashed line and enemies get a solid one or something like that.

 

Overall I agree that the more options available for customizing the UI, selection circles, etc. the better.

[Sensuki]

Hopefully you can solve most of your resolution/refresh rate problems by setting up a custom profile in your GPU settings.

You shouldn't have to though. Every game should come with resolution settings. D:OS, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns and E:C all have them, and so does pretty much every other non-iPhone game.

 

I imagine color blind mode would use patterns rather than colors to differentiate between friendlies and enemies. The standard green is friendly/red is an enemy could be a nightmare for someone who sees those colors as the same. Perhaps friendlies get a dashed line and enemies get a solid one or something like that.

I already know about that, two of the developers (Josh Sawyer and Tim Cain) have color blindness and that is the reason why the PC selection circles are blue instead of green, because color blind people can't see them. That's fine, but like I said - NPCs should have a different color -at least-.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Sensuki

[Billy O]

 

 

 

I agree. I'm just saying worst case scenario you should be able to force through any settings you want.

[Greensleeve]

 

Hopefully you can solve most of your resolution/refresh rate problems by setting up a custom profile in your GPU settings.

You shouldn't have to though. Every game should come with resolution settings. D:OS, Wasteland 2, Shadowrun Returns and E:C all have them, and so does pretty much every other non-iPhone game.

 

I imagine color blind mode would use patterns rather than colors to differentiate between friendlies and enemies. The standard green is friendly/red is an enemy could be a nightmare for someone who sees those colors as the same. Perhaps friendlies get a dashed line and enemies get a solid one or something like that.

I already know about that, two of the developers (Josh Sawyer and Tim Cain) have color blindness and that is the reason why the PC selection circles are blue instead of green, because color blind people can't see them. That's fine, but like I said - NPCs should have a different color -at least-.

 

 

That last bit depends entirely on what type of colour blindness they have. The most common one is red-green colour blindness, sure, but it's far from the only one. Your suggestion to allow custom colours of selection circles would actually be a good way to allow people with various colour blindness issues to choose colours that work for them, instead of just having two presets to choose from. 

 

Anyway, didn't know that about Josh and Tim. Cool to know. 

[Sensuki]

I think it's Josh that has trouble differentiating shades of green (so green circles on green grass = X) and Tim has degenerative color blindness. I remember he mentioned it off-hand in a post about 18 months ago.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Sensuki

[GreyFox]

I'd like the option to have all things selected as well as the ability to choose different colors.

 

If given the choice i'd go with green for friendly/non-hostile, red-hostile, yellow-loss of control.

[Billy O]

The more customization options the better when it comes to UI and graphics.