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Earlier versions of OOTP: General Discussions General chat about the game... |
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02-01-2007, 06:45 PM | #1 |
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The Interface - My Two Cents
I have read quite a few discussions already on the interface and rather then answer across multiple threads - I thought I would simply start one specifically to the interface.
First things first, I am in no way, shape or form associated with SI or OOTP. I was fortunate enough to be asked to be on the beta team this year and I have been participating - as a first time beta tester for SI let me assure you the beta team is not a group of OOTP fan boys who are there to be yes men. there is a lot of critique that goes on and some of the guys spend so much time and effort on it I don't know when they actually go to work. The process is a lot different then I thought it was and I think it is handled very well. Second - last year on the eve of the 2006 release I was a certified gold OOTP fanboy. I played the hell of out v3, v4, v5, v6 and v6.5 and loved everything about the game. When the game came out - I HATED it (which my posts from that time surely reflect) and their were a lot of things I hated but at the top of the list was the interface. Since then two things have happened, One I grew more accustomed to it and it became more familiar and Two, Markus has really improved it. first in the patches and now far more so in the new release. In fact I love the interface so much it is probably my favorite thing about the game and I wish all of the games I played used this interface. I went back and looked at an 6.5 the other day and it looked like an old movie I loved - nice, great memories, but very dated by today's standards. Of course your mileage may vary, some may never like it, that is your right - I simply suggest you try looking at it with an open mind - you just might be surprised how good it is. Either way, like a lost love, pining for a return to the old interface is almost certainly a fruitless venture, again no official word here, but I would be very surprised to see them change it back.
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02-01-2007, 07:29 PM | #2 |
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Great to hear. I never HATED the new interface, but I didn't play it much until a few patches had come out.
6.5 seems like as dated as version 4 used to seem to me. I like 2006 overall and can't wait for all the additions. |
02-01-2007, 09:56 PM | #3 |
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Giants44,
I remember you hating the interface for 2006. I never did, in fact I liked it, thought it was better than 6.5. Still, what specifically do you like about the one in 2007 and how is it better than 2006? |
02-01-2007, 11:10 PM | #4 |
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I'd like to hear this too, as (I'm sure some of you have noticed), I quite disliked the maneuverability in the current version. It'll be the sole factor in my decision to pull the trigger on the '07 iteration.
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02-01-2007, 11:46 PM | #5 |
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02-02-2007, 04:28 AM | #6 |
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I was not a fan of the interface other, but I'd be interested in hearing the improvments made. It had promise, butseemed to have been implimented poorly.
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02-02-2007, 07:59 AM | #7 |
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The interface certainly took some getting used to, but that came with time.
The only thing I miss about the old interface was the ability to see at a quick glance the standings and the league leaders in major categories at the same time. The league main page kind of has this, but it isn't quite as good to me. I actually wish the screen that comes up while you're simming would be accessible when not simming, because that pretty much has it - plus news stories.
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02-02-2007, 01:32 PM | #8 |
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I TOTALLY agree with this. I often find myself clicking on either the schedule or standings link expecting the above mentioned screen and then am disappointed. That screen has everything!
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02-02-2007, 01:48 PM | #9 |
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I felt that same way when I played OOTP 2006 - I looked for that great sim screen but could not find in the application hedgemaze (AKA the OOTP 2006 UI).
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02-02-2007, 04:06 PM | #10 |
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I got to agree with everyone here about the screen that pops up when you are simming. I wish there was a "League Summary" page that looked like that because that page is GREAT and would really add to the game.
Just as I wish the old "transactions" page was still around so you could see your entire organization without having to scroll, that's the main screen I have always used in 6.5 and prior versions and I missed it in 2006.
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02-02-2007, 04:31 PM | #11 | |
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Quote:
See this thread and you might be pleased: http://www.ootpdevelopments.com/boar...7&postcount=19 'Course that depends on your resolution.
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02-02-2007, 04:44 PM | #12 | |
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Quote:
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02-03-2007, 06:10 AM | #13 |
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I agree completely with Giants44. I would add some other things that make the user interface more friendly is a new manager home page that Markus has added and new icons across the bottom that remove a lot of need for the bookmarks (although that's still in the game, too).
The manager home page has numerous links to all of your favorite functions like initiate a trade, go to game setup, see your rotation, change your rosters. The icons are quick places to jump to league news, free agent list, your own team home page, roster, front office, etc. Those have been the biggest changes, in my opinion, to make it much easier to get around.
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02-03-2007, 09:58 AM | #14 |
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I agree with rasnell. The new manager home page and the bottom buttons make the 2007 interface a metric buttload better than that 2006's.
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02-03-2007, 02:05 PM | #15 | |
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Quote:
* ability to set the screen size to full 1600x1200, 1280x1024,1024x768 - to me this is a nice add. allows me to play "virtual" full screen at 1600x1200 but still have my e-mail open, this web site,etc. * new game templates - this may or may not qualify as interface IYO but it does make getting going a LOT easier then last year * as mentioned by others - Manager home page with so many of the things you want to do easily accessible * shortcut icons - once I got use to the bookmarks last year, my overall enjoyment increased. this years shortcut icons are even better since so many more fit they I could with bookmarks and it is all the stuff I want without having to bookmark at the beginning of any league I make. probably the single biggest interface improvement IMO * also mentioned by others - but the departure of the 2 interface model the normal and the web, or however you would classify it. the single browser makes more sense. * search/recent/bookmarks - none of these are new to 2007 they were all in 2006 but not in previous versions. they all are extremely useful and to those that never tried 2006 I think these are important features to use and be aware of. * also like I said in my original post at least half of it was taking the time to learn it and get use to it. the old interface was like an old car and I knew where everything was. Now that I am use to this new car - the old one looks like a real junker. give me OOTP, FOF in this interface and DDS basketball in this interface and I may never work again. on the "bad" side - the few things that I would still like to see improved: * although dual browser interface has been condensed to one, we do still have "web" pages of players and "real" pages of players and no easy way to transfer between the 2. for example I am looking at my team in the "web" format where so many of the good reports are and I notice something that is wrong, or I want to investigate further - there is no easy way to get to his "real" page. I have to go to the team then roster, then the guy. not a huge deal - but too many extra steps. * there needs to be a icon/shortcut for standings - I have submitted this as an "official" request - but no word yet on if it will be added.
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"In a text sim - Immersion is everything" -Me "Judge a man not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" -Martin Luther King "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." -Einstein "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." -Muhammad Ali "Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything." -Toby Harrah |
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02-03-2007, 02:40 PM | #16 |
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Maybe I'm not understanding your problem or something's changed in 2007. Isn't there still the function of cursor over player's hyperlink, right-click, Player Profile, that takes you right to the 'real' page?
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02-03-2007, 06:41 PM | #17 | |
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Quote:
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02-03-2007, 07:18 PM | #18 | |
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This demonstrates I think why some people are frustrated with the interface - some of the stuff is not always obvious (at least to me) I have been playing the 2006 ver since day one and I have had the beta since December and I JUST LEARNED THIS FROM YOU RIGHT NOW!! Thanks very much for pointing this out, I think one of the real strengths of the OOTP franchise is the amazing community that helps make the game better. my "bad" list has been just reduced to 1! I think this also show overall how much of the interface is something you just need to learn to appreciate it.
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"In a text sim - Immersion is everything" -Me "Judge a man not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character" -Martin Luther King "Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts." -Einstein "The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life." -Muhammad Ali "Baseball statistics are like a girl in a bikini. They show a lot, but not everything." -Toby Harrah |
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02-03-2007, 09:07 PM | #19 |
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One navigation item still being discussed in the beta is the topic of keyboard shortcuts. Some are quite passionate about getting lots of these into the game, others are content in letting the mouse do the job of navigation.
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02-03-2007, 09:29 PM | #20 | |
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