A few mods quickly jumped to make use of F7/8/9/left bracket/etc.
But button placement may overlap on the top left and already does depending on mods, or the e.g. "pillars mod" button placement on the bottom left is just overlaying the existing interface.
I think we need a better way to handle UI extensions. I propose that the most popular modders & CO rally to create a standard way to extend the UI, to avoid spaghettization/mazification of the UI.
For example, there are a bunch of visual enhancement mods which make use of the aforementioned F789+[ buttons.
But they all fall in a single category: visual enhancements. If the modders could just create a config panel and just attach() or append() to a visual adjustments menu, and have a scrollable interface/screen overlay, we'd need only a single button to bring all the visual tweaks at once, without all the fighting over competing hotkeys.
Likewise, there is the button placement for extra interactions. the existing interfaces should be appendable of prependable, and the top left is a favorite place for game data inspectors. The maps bar should be expansible and it should be possible for players to stack left-to-right their inspectors, after the maps button. Right now some mods overlap their inspector buttons on that region.
Maybe it's just a matter of creating a document with guidelines for UI modding, but maybe some additiona lcode is necessary to improve matters.
BRAINSTORM:
I am going to lay down my initial ideas, but will change the following section based on feedback in this thread.
WHAT DO MODDERS NEED?
INTERFACE
I think that stacking icons horizontally from the top left and top right are the preferred places for laying down icons.
SETTINGS
I am thinking right now on those mods which are less interactive, such as visual overhaul mods. Other mods might have in-game options on specialized interfaces.
The top-rightmost gear icon is for settings, I don't think it would be the best approach to have an overload of settings icons there.
Settings are not things which are changed really often, so we'd rather not have a swath of icons for the various mods here all the time.
Option 1: The gear icon could be a dynamic one. hovering on it could expand into a box with several icons for each mod settings. Each icon when clicked would open each settings page.
Auto-expand on hovering might interfere with gameplay though, so even though it's listed first, it might be the lousiest implementation.
Option 2: A second 'mod settings' button to the left of the gear icon. Could be a gear with a plus sign or something. Would open a large panel which would be home to all mod settings.
Proposed UI: A list of mod names to the right, clicking (or hovering) on the mod name would change the panel area to the left to the mod settings.
Each mods would only have to announce its name and panel to the ModSettingsFramework, and it would be registered to display here.
INSPECTORS
I am currently calling Inspectors those tools which usually end up as an icon to the top left. When displayed they usually open up a large floating window, or become a tool which can click on the map to display info.
There could be a ModToolbar thingie here, where each mod would register itself. This would prevent overlapping buttons.
MODDING EXISTING TOOLS
This is tricky. Depends entirely on the features available on the current way the tools are built. Maybe modders are already doing what can be done i.e.: finding a spare place and cramming a button over the UI. ; but maybe it's possible to append() something at the end of a toolbar, or insertBefore() | insertAfter() to add a button at a specific position.
The Wiki should then have guidelines for modders to take advantage of the existing framework.
Thoughts?
But button placement may overlap on the top left and already does depending on mods, or the e.g. "pillars mod" button placement on the bottom left is just overlaying the existing interface.
I think we need a better way to handle UI extensions. I propose that the most popular modders & CO rally to create a standard way to extend the UI, to avoid spaghettization/mazification of the UI.
For example, there are a bunch of visual enhancement mods which make use of the aforementioned F789+[ buttons.
But they all fall in a single category: visual enhancements. If the modders could just create a config panel and just attach() or append() to a visual adjustments menu, and have a scrollable interface/screen overlay, we'd need only a single button to bring all the visual tweaks at once, without all the fighting over competing hotkeys.
Likewise, there is the button placement for extra interactions. the existing interfaces should be appendable of prependable, and the top left is a favorite place for game data inspectors. The maps bar should be expansible and it should be possible for players to stack left-to-right their inspectors, after the maps button. Right now some mods overlap their inspector buttons on that region.
Maybe it's just a matter of creating a document with guidelines for UI modding, but maybe some additiona lcode is necessary to improve matters.
BRAINSTORM:
I am going to lay down my initial ideas, but will change the following section based on feedback in this thread.
WHAT DO MODDERS NEED?
INTERFACE
I think that stacking icons horizontally from the top left and top right are the preferred places for laying down icons.
SETTINGS
I am thinking right now on those mods which are less interactive, such as visual overhaul mods. Other mods might have in-game options on specialized interfaces.
The top-rightmost gear icon is for settings, I don't think it would be the best approach to have an overload of settings icons there.
Settings are not things which are changed really often, so we'd rather not have a swath of icons for the various mods here all the time.
Option 1: The gear icon could be a dynamic one. hovering on it could expand into a box with several icons for each mod settings. Each icon when clicked would open each settings page.
Auto-expand on hovering might interfere with gameplay though, so even though it's listed first, it might be the lousiest implementation.
Option 2: A second 'mod settings' button to the left of the gear icon. Could be a gear with a plus sign or something. Would open a large panel which would be home to all mod settings.
Proposed UI: A list of mod names to the right, clicking (or hovering) on the mod name would change the panel area to the left to the mod settings.
Each mods would only have to announce its name and panel to the ModSettingsFramework, and it would be registered to display here.
INSPECTORS
I am currently calling Inspectors those tools which usually end up as an icon to the top left. When displayed they usually open up a large floating window, or become a tool which can click on the map to display info.
There could be a ModToolbar thingie here, where each mod would register itself. This would prevent overlapping buttons.
MODDING EXISTING TOOLS
This is tricky. Depends entirely on the features available on the current way the tools are built. Maybe modders are already doing what can be done i.e.: finding a spare place and cramming a button over the UI. ; but maybe it's possible to append() something at the end of a toolbar, or insertBefore() | insertAfter() to add a button at a specific position.
The Wiki should then have guidelines for modders to take advantage of the existing framework.
Thoughts?
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