Information Unreadable

[sIg3b]

I tried the free version, but will now deinstall after first tutorial. Text and numbers in the interface and text boxes are unreadably small. Was simply painful to play. Sorry.

Text.jpg (683.39 KiB) Viewed 3193 times

[sIg3b]

For a comparison: This is how information should be presented (from XCom).
Notice that you can easily read the text and numbers even in the downsized picture, because of the large font size and high contrast.

Status.jpg (210.55 KiB) Viewed 3194 times

[zakblood]

with spec and resolution / O/S used, it's hard to say if it's an issue or not tbh

none myself with the game in windows 10 on a none standard high end DPI

User DPI Setting: 120 DPI (125 percent)
System DPI Setting: 144 DPI (150 percent)
Current Mode: 1920 x 1080 (32 bit) (60Hz)

[sIg3b]

I am also using 1920x1080, but tried to use a lower resolution which didn´t help.

But if you compare the two pics, you see it´s actually a design decision in OOB to make text/numbers font and interface/message boxes as small as possible. Worst thing to do imo and my #1 reason to deinstall a game. Comfort is everything and that starts with readability.

[zakblood]

using the mouse wheel to zoom in, i get this on the same size

1.jpg (735.75 KiB) Viewed 3181 times

[zakblood]

in windows 10 if i wish to zoom past the game set ones, i use the built in windows keys to zoom in more, yes i can blue some games, but not all

1.jpg (577.91 KiB) Viewed 3177 times

[sIg3b]

1.jpg (740.71 KiB) Viewed 3157 times

using the mouse wheel to zoom in, i get this on the same size

1.jpg

You got me wrong. I was talkin about THIS:
(And popup boxes which are equally small.)

[zakblood]

yep, there's a lot of info in the game and boxes, only way is to make it smaller to fit it all in tbh

which is a shame, but add's to the enjoyment, but feel for you all the same as your missing out on a great game, but if you can't see it so well, fully understand your point and post as well

just not a lot else to try and do tbh either

[sIg3b]

I think it´s sloppy, tbh.

There is a lot of info in so many games, but it´s usually accessible. This feels more like OOB not really caring about the numbers and detail.

[GabeKnight]

I think it´s sloppy, tbh.

There is a lot of info in so many games, but it´s usually accessible. This feels more like OOB not really caring about the numbers and detail.

What? .... what?

You're lucky you didn't drop in a few versions ago. You shoud've seen the UI then. The game's great. But this is not X-Com for sure, my friend. Give it a another chance. And get a bigger monitor!

[sIg3b]

Hardly. I´d rather play Kampfgruppe.

The graphics may be a bit dated; but the information is readable.

kampfgruppe_4.jpg (133.6 KiB) Viewed 3051 times

[GabeKnight]

Sorry then, I must have misunderstood your posts obviously.
My knowledge of some Atari games with 4-bit graphics is outdated by now...

[sIg3b]

Not only atari, also C64 and amiga/early IBM PC.
It´s a classic in fact, one of the best Gary Grigsby games.
And it has large, friendly letters, which is sorta no-brainer.

[terminator]

Not only atari, also C64 and amiga/early IBM PC.
It´s a classic in fact, one of the best Gary Grigsby games.
And it has large, friendly letters, which is sorta no-brainer.

I don’t know if GabeKnight really knows who Gary Grigsby is?

Kampfgruppe_Cover.jpg (165.96 KiB) Viewed 2971 times

[GabeKnight]

I don’t know if GabeKnight really knows who Gary Grigsby is?

Nope, some game developer/series, I guess.

My fist contact with turn-based wargames was History Line, and I loved the Schienengeschütz there. Played it countless times, had almost all stats memorized ( ). Then Battle Isle and Jagged Alliance. I was more interested in the latter type derivates, continuing with UFO Enemy Unknown and the countless sequels, at some point renamed to X-Com and so on.
I'm pretty sure that OoB was my first, real wargame after HL - that's 25-ish years!

[Erik2]

Gary Grigsby is still going strong. Ref the mammoth games War In the East/West (and others) on the Matrix forum.

[bru888]

I support the original point that sIg3b made: "Comfort is everything and that starts with readability." All due respect to Gabe and Erik with their large monitors but I advise TA to not neglect the laptop users like me in a rush to make this game look great for mega-resolution screens.

I am no expert, but I gather that this latest UI upgrade was solely in this interest. The issue is, I also gather that such enhancements come at an expense for lower resolutions.

At 1920 x 1080 resolution, which is rather big for a laptop (my lap will not accommodate a larger laptop), I seem to be on the cusp. The control panel and popup message text boxes were never all that great in terms of legibility, but I was comfortable in 8.3.0. Now, with 8.4.1, it has crossed the line and I am shading over into feeling uncomfortable.

I have two laptops, same screen size. One is unsuitable for playing OOB but I use it for exactly what I did recently: Load 8.4.1 and review it. Unfortunately, it does not make the grade (bugs aside; those will be fixed someday).

So, I have stayed with 8.3.0 with my working laptop. Where it goes from here, who knows? I keep an open mind about OOB these days and take it as it comes. In 8.3.0 I will always have a game that I like and my designing, while it may not include the latest units and specialisations, I trust will always be usable in OOB versions to come.

[Shards]

Hi,

On the size Vs resolution point, a larger res won't increase readability. Most apps are designed to fill a certain amount of the screen with their ui, which is generally fixed as there's infinite resolutions and the time it would take to manually layout all of them isn't realistic.

The reasons why text was so readable back in the day (yes, I also started on the c64, with Microprose's Red Storm Rising I think), is because the resolutions put out by those machines was Tiny. Many games used a font that was close to the minimum possible (7 pixels by 5), but it was readable as the pixels on your TVs then we're Huge.

(Sidebar, my first games job was making games for Nokia 3310's where we used a font that was 5x3. Genuinely impossible to make a standard English alphabet any smaller)

Now, I understand the concerns above, but you have to understand that oob is many years old now, and whilst we have been able to improve the underlying code, redesigning all the UI is probably a bridge too far! I'll have a think about whether there's any reasonable ways to help out though.

[terminator]

I made a test with two computers, one with version 8.3.0 and the other with version 8.4.1. Both computers are connected to the same screen using a switcher and work with the same resolution 1920 x 1080.
Why the stats of the units are slightly shifted down in version 8.4.1. thus making some stats more difficult to read (the figure 9 in particular)
This is especially true for the numbers at the bottom of the screen.

Capture d’écran (8.4.1).jpg (231.53 KiB) Viewed 2887 times

Capture d’écran (v8.3.0).jpg (258.72 KiB) Viewed 2884 times

[CoolDTA]

I don’t know if GabeKnight really knows who Gary Grigsby is?

Nope, some game developer/series, I guess.

Your only appropriate line now is 'I'll get my coat'.

yes, I also started on the c64, with Microprose's Red Storm Rising I think

Such a good game though my first sub game with C-64 was Silent Service. Both provided many exciting moments. As did Kampfgruppe, which looks better in C-64 than PC.