My Personal Thoughts On The Window Changes

[AwkwardDryad]

So, I saw the interface update today and I was like "Oh nice I'll go check this out "

And then I was like



This *can* work, but at this point, the original interface was a hell of a lot more user friendly than this. Looking at this window legitimately hurt my eyes and i had to look away after a few seconds.

Here's how this can be fixed:

**Simplest solution: Revert the patch. Not the best, but it could buy time to work on a more visually functional UI. The original interfaces were functional and, more importantly, legible, even if looking at them for long periods of time would render you snowblind.**

-- The background color needs to change to light grey or white. Dark grey doesn't contrast well with...pretty much anything as a background. (don't even get me started on the black text)

-- Random coloring of items in interfaces needs to go. The QM interface is absolute hell because of this and now everything looks like the QM interface D: Color coordination is used to make an interface easier to navigate and differentiate items based on type or some other apparent classification. Randomly coloring the text just to make it so everything isn't the same color is an issue I've had with the interface for a long time and if people are pushing for a visual update, PLEASE color coordinate items. And if there's too much of one color, use alternating hues.

Example of alternating hues:



(side note, please don't use 255 blue, red, or green in your palette. save our eyes)

-- The windows are buggy af and this isn't a bug thread so I won't go into too much detail.

-- The font size is waaaaaaaay too small, which extrapolates all of the coloring issues already present.

I feel awful for leaving such a critical comment on someone's work, but this patch could reasonably be considered a game-breaking issue.
At the very least, this graphical change should be a player preference instead of being pushed as a forced update.

I also feel inspired by the thought of a new interface though, I'll post some concept images using things I've mentioned in this post in a later thread for more relevant examples. (I recently wiped my computer and my image editing software hasn't been reinstalled yet :P)

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255 blue isn't real. It can't hurt you.


255 blue:



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Alright, so I was going to post a concept of a better interface, but i cannot possibly do better than this:

Zamujasa's post: https://forum.ss13.co/showthread.php?tid=12058

This concept is F A N T A S T I C and solves every issue i have with the past and current interface as long as it can be implemented without strobe light rave windows happening.

[Spoodle]

A very much agree with everything said in this thread.

[Wisecrack34]

Sorry nice spritey mans <3

[Skornzy]

Thank you for putting to words most of what I have been thinking about and more regarding this update. Some areas don't need a change, and actually look quite nice, but these suggestions have the potential to fix a lot of visual problems. I had forgotten how out of place the plain white windows always looked, and this update has been a long time coming. It just needs some tweaking, and removal from out of place areas.

[KikiMofo]

Yeah the new windows are kinda eye bad.

[Superlagg]

To be honest, I kinda liked the Windows 95 aesthetic of the old windows, it really added to the jank-station 13 feel of the earlier builds. It really meshed with the game's inherent busted-ness, like how you could only move in one diagonal direction for no explained reason, or how combat consisted of lagging into people until they fell down and died.

Course, that was a long time ago, and the frankly amazing codermins have more or less rebuilt this junk-barge of a game into something that looks almost made on purpose. The transition to new this-game window styled UI elements is a step in the right direction, and this suggestion certainly oughta help make it as space-nice as this game space-deserves.

[Haprenti]

The entire window flashing white while reloading whenever you click something is a bit visually annoying too.

[Zamujasa]

sorry. i went on a "chui sucks, please let us just have default windows borders" mini rant in discord and literally the next day the "we made every window chui now" patch was pushed, so i definitely feel like this is at least partially my fault. i agree with everything in your post, op.



i would love to work on restyling some of this (see my thread) but from what i've seen chui is unfortunately here to stay


on a side note if you want me to try redesigning a particular interface let me know and i'll see what i can come up with

[Roomba]

sorry. i went on a "chui sucks, please let us just have default windows borders" mini rant in discord and literally the next day the "we made every window chui now" patch was pushed, so i definitely feel like this is at least partially my fault. i agree with everything in your post, op.

It is cool and good that updates are being pushed entirely out of spite at the playerbase now. Definitely a sign of a healthy community.

[Zafhset]

I'd like to add that the window changes are immediately painful to look at especially if you late join :


Dark colors (and even the mildly colored ones) can be difficult to look at, especially if you're playing in the dark.

[Dauntasa]

I've got eye problems and trying to read these is genuinely painful. At least make the old menus a character preference or something.

[AwkwardDryad]

Quick side thing: One of the primary issues I have with the windows is how sleek they look actually. They don't really fit with the retro-futuristic feel of the game. The space station 13 art style has always been reminiscent of 70s and 80s scifi where everything was boxy and analogue despite being set in the future. The dark grey irregular rectangular windows feel too modern in my opinion and they don't blend well with the background when the windows are open, making them a bit of an eyesore to have open.

[mbc]

i added a toggle to disable Chui (possibly remove at a later date when chui issues are resolved)

good ideaas in this thread too