[img=http://shallow.space/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Update6.jpg][/img] Context Buttons and Dialogue windows also added in this update We are pleased to announce that Update 6 is ready! This is the most significant patch released to date with literally hundreds of additions and tweaks so we're going to break from the normal tradition of listing them all because there are simply too many. If you haven't already we recommend you take a look at the previous article which will tell you what to expect from Update 6 but in addition to all that good stuff we have even more crammed in for good measure.

Context Menu

So we created a system called 'Context Targets' which allowed us to use abilities which targeted NPC ships such as 'Open Communications' or 'Subsystem Targeting.' Since implementing that the feedback coming back is that it's a little cumbersome so we've replaced Context Targets with a pop-up menu accessed simply by left-clicking on a NPC ship (with at least one Player ship selected.) The context menu intelligently lists all the applicable abilities from the selected ships as well as the various standard options like 'Move To,' 'Trade' and 'Open Communications' making life much easier.

Dialogue Window

Previously the dialogue panel was anchored to the ability bar, now it has it's own dedicated window. This means you can effectively have more than one conversation at a time, which will make more sense when we start to roll in additional mission types and widen the scope of play.

UX Improvements

We've streamlined and unified the actions taken on Left/Right click. So right clicking on a text link in the notification panel or mission objective is the same as right clicking on the thing itself for any Ship, Space Object or Zone. This makes things easier to control and much more fluid. Here's an example: [olist]

You select and group your fleet

You click on the ship with the exclamation mark to see what they want

You find they have a mission on offer - you accept

You tick the box on the Objective UI piece to track it and while over there you right click on the Zone link automatically sending your ships there. [/olist] Much simpler. Left clicking on items in play raises or lowers the tactical overlay to their level making them easier to navigate towards.

Notification Panel

There are far more notifications now confirming actions, telling you how many jumps away a target is and letting you know about Out of Zone activities such as your allies spotting an enemy vessel.

BETA Merge

We also have all the fixes and additions brought across from the BETA patches:

• Update 5.3 - Saving and Loading
• Update 5.3.1 - Big incremental patch!
• Update 5.3.2 - Unit XP & Tactical overlay markings

So this is a massive step forward and it's a lot more stable than Update 5 so we're making it live right away. Now that the UI is better look forward to Update 6.1 in which we'll be introducing the Tutorial and updating the in-game manual pages. Many thanks for the continued support!

[ 2016-12-16 18:12:01 CET ] [ Original post ]