Updates & fixes

[SirEmi]

Mobile optimized top menu

+ A menu has been added optimized for tablets and mobiles.
    -> For tables with higher resolution and those that would like the upper menu better, there is a button on the upper left corner (a mobile device icon). It will switch to mobile menu.
    -> The mobile menu will also automatically appear in the upper area if the device resolution is lower, e.g. for phones.

+ All menu links area has been improved to make it work better when tapping from tablet & phones.
+ Further optimization for tables and mobile will be added in the future to support more responsive content area as well.

+ Adds have been removed for everyone, to provide a better user experience.


Mysterious encounters

+ Fixed issue with plotting Long Range course to event area. It will correctly plot an LR course now.

Project extended by 7 days again.
The delay is because we want to add archaeological sites on planets in the newly discovered star cluster.
Other mysterious sites and events will be added soon as well.

[raphael]

the menus/links look so fat. I have a big screen but I still have to scroll down to see all of them.

[SirEmi]

the menus/links look so fat. I have a big screen but I still have to scroll down to see all of them.

Ah, thank you.

The left menu is now same size, the tables will use the new menu on top.

Any device can also use the new menu if the mobile icon is clicked.

[raphael]

Thanks! I also noticed that while you were fixing it, there was a minute or two when the menus on the left didn't have the green text background, just black space with the white dots as stars. I personally liked that more. LOL Will you introduce new sets of user interface skins soon? I'm quite sure nobody or very few captains use the office/light version. Haha

[raphael]

The tables under cargo, manufacture, etc. are still fat.   

[Antilak]

The menu on the left for the pc/laptop doesn't show the color behind the text. There's just stars. Is that intended? I miss the colored background. Too much black now. It feels like everything is squished somehow.

The blackness is even more apparent when click on a planet in the system view. There's noting separating the navigation links from the rest of the interface. Makes my mind work harder to separate things.

Is there a way to make it so that the menu item areas are bigger? Right now I have to click on the text exactly in order to activate that menu item. For example, I have to click on the cargo text exactly in order to go to the cargo section. What I'm suggesting is make it so that the cargo text is inside a box (or button), so that you only have to click on the boxed area in order to activate the menu item. By giving the box a border or a color you can better communicate to hte player that it's clickable outside the text. This is how most menus work.

At least have more horizontal area for the menu item "buttons". They don't need to be vertically bigger. So like if I mouseover to the right of "Cargo" then it'll light up as though it's clickable. It should ahve a border at least.

EDIT: Just noticed now Pledge is the way I think the rest of hte menu items should be. Not only do you not have to click it exactly, but it has a border (background is unnecessary) to communicate its clickable area.

Also of note... I use a mouse wheel to scroll. Very fast to scroll.

EDIT: The green background is back! Much easier to click. Although it does add more vertical space. I can imagine people who don't have a mouse wheel might be bothered by more scrolling.

One idea is to break down further the number of navigation links on the left and have context menus popup when you mouseover on them. So if I mouseover on Ship then it'll show clickable stuff like:
Cargo
Weapons
Modules
Etc...

The menu items could be bigger too (making it easier to hit them with the mouse... which can be a problem with small UI in high resolutions and too-responsive interface items) because there're fewer items.

I'd make it so that the popup's are popups and not just a longer menu. I've seen websites that'll actually have hidden menus that'll increase the size of the original menu rather than having a true popup.

[raphael]

I prefer the black background over the green one that we now use. LOL

And BTW, welcome to AG.

[Antilak]

I prefer the black background over the green one that we now use. LOL

And BTW, welcome to AG.

I'm ok with it, with these caveats:
1) Add some borders to the navigation links for the menu on the left-side
2) Make the border-area clickable so that you don't have to click exactly on the text
3) Make the border area larger (vertically and/or horizontally) than the text

Note: The border area could just be a alpha-blended color that's a little brighter than black. So instead of seeing a bright green color, you'd see maybe a very dim green with some of hte black/stars showing through.

The border area would serve to:
1) Aid our eyes to know what we can click on
2) Increase the clickable area for each navigation link (especially horizontally)
3) Separate the menu from the rest of the interface (ex: click on a planet in system view)

BUT I have no problems with the green color. I do think however a menu popup system might be better than what we have now for people who don't have mouse wheels. It may even work for both desktops and tablets.

I've also noticed the clickable boxes for navigation links has increased across the entire interface. This is noted in the OP "All menu links area has been improved to make it work better when tapping from tablet & phones." One of the posters here says the table entries for the cargo section are bigger. Of course they're because it makes it easier to tap on a touch screen. Every clickable area is bigger.

I don't mind that. I would mind it if things got even larger. There comes a point where trying to serve both desktop and mobile device users with the same UI ends up stepping on someone. I know some people thinik there's a perfect one-size (or style)-fits-all where everybody can be satisfied, but I really haven't seen it yet. The key here is not to have one answer, but to allow for many different sizes or styles - depending on the characteristics of the device. So a user might select from a list of UI configs. On high resolution screens without touch they may select very concentrated configuration with less popups because: a) tapping-ability is not needed b) resolution is high c) they have good eyesight and hand-eye coordination with a mouse. I know that on my best days I can move the mouse very precisely. On some days not so much. With a customizable interface, it'd help.

[SirEmi]

Please hold shift and click on the Refresh button to make sure you reload the styles. Some browsers with cache the design file.

[JamJulLison]

Please hold shift and click on the Refresh button to make sure you reload the styles. Some browsers with cache the design file.

Thank you for telling me that.  I hated how it was looking with that new layout. lol

[sargas]

yes, that does help a lot, thank you.