[geoschmo]

Originally posted by Baron Munchausen:
The first simple ideas I have are to ditch the stupid attempt at a 'kewl' looking interface. We don't need a special set of mouse cursors, the default is fine. It was (and is still) a waste of MM's time to code all those custom interface elements, like the file save and load dialogs, when Windows has standard ones which work better. Deh! Go back to Windows standard interface and let people play the game in the user interface they have customized for themselves.

I know the UI for SEIII was quite popular with SEIII fans, but it got knocked around quite severly everywhere else. I think the SEIV interface was an effort to shed the "Spreadsheet in Space" label that 4X games in general, and Space Empires in particular had been hung with. Yes, there are problems with it, but they are errors in execution I think, not in concept. I wouldn't say going backwards is the answer.

The UI set SEIV apart from it's predecesors, for good and bad. It gave it the look of a professional product. SEIV with the SEIII interface would have pleased many SEIII fans, but it would have given SEIV the same shareware look that SEIII had.

Of course function is more important than form, playability is more important than eye candy. But looks are important when you are trying to get reviews, and expand the user base.

Geoschmo

[ July 10, 2002, 16:04: Message edited by: geoschmo ]