14. User interface

We start full screen and expect at least 1024 x 768 (see base/constants.py)

14.1. Conventions

  • Style: Water color or pencil drawings
  • Standard graphics format is Portable Network Graphics (png) because of wide adoption, lossless compression and transparency
  • More editable files (PhotoShop, CorelDraw) including all layers can and should be saved too

14.2. Screens

14.2.1. Start Screen

Actions

  • Enter the Game lobby (start or continue single-, multiplayer game)
  • Change Preferences
  • Open help browser
  • Open the Editor
  • Exit

14.2.2. Main Map Screen

  • Default Tile size is 80 x 80 pixel (square tiles)
  • Terrain view as background (showing provinces, units, military movements)
  • One right side: mini-map
  • Selected unit function box
  • Menu toolbar (all the different dialogs and help)
  • Transport Dialog
  • All, the dialogs (Transport, Industry, Trade) run in one Frame with top toolbar for other dialogs and help
  • Listing for each commodity currently connected to transport network, slider bar representing the amount of each commodity to transport vs. total amount

14.3. Sound effects

  • Click on a button
  • …

14.4. Various things

  • There will be a real time clock in one corner of the screen, allowing even to set an alarm or a timer. But it also can be turned off if wished.
  • Do we want to have customized mouse cursors? Easy to implement, but is there any real benefit? Mouse cursors should indicate possible actions.
  • Save games should have a pre-view screen shown always.
  • Inbuilt functionality to make a screenshot.