[SUGGESTION] [PLAYER] [ADDED] Display replaying/not replaying status

[Simon]

Status: As of V1.37n, a red R is displayed on the info panel (between the lemming info and unspawned lemmings count) if the game is in replay mode.

[Simon]

Has been bugging me to no end, causing endless rages. Ichotolot has not been amused.

Hackjob solution in IRC for upcoming release 1.37: During replay mode, display "REPLAY" where the lemming worker info would go otherwise, provided that no lem is under the cursor.

Permanent solution is to be cooked up.

-- Simon

[namida]

The solution that you describe in that post has already been implemented for the V1.37n update. I'll leave this topic open so that a more permanent solution can be discussed, although the exact nature of the revised info area may have to be determined before much suitable discussion can take place.

[namida]

Given that it looks like there's no need to expand this area, just to change a few things that are in it, does anyone feel this is not an adequate permanent solution?

[Simon]

I feel it's not suitable as the permanent solution.

This text is obscured whenever the cursor is on a lemming. But it's far too important to be obscured, because it's a program mode, making stuff behave differently.

-- Simon

[namida]

Hm.

In that case... thinking about the proposal for changes to the info bar, this might leave enough spare space to have a character or two (possibly in the form of an icon) dedicated to, when applicable, a replay marker. I'll look into this possibility in more depth a bit later on today (or possibly tomorrow), as I have IRL stuff to attend to now.

[Proxima]

Why not keep the "-REPLAY-" text up regardless of whether the cursor is on a lemming? You don't need to know the type of lemming under the cursor when replaying.

[Simon]

Lemming info during replay feeels too important to be hidden, also. (It's hidden in C++ Lix, which is a bug.) It is better to hide the lemming info than to hide the replay icon, but that's not enough to warrant it.

People often pause during replay to think, and need all info. I beileve I'm in replay mode about 50 % of my entire in-level time, most of it paused.

There are many other places where icons can be drawn: Near the mouse cursor, in a corner, anything. No need to cram everything into the status bar. For D Lix, I'm considering a little icon or animation next to the mouse cursor. Replaying/not replaying is important, and requires prominent exposure.

-- Simon

[ccexplore]

Can't we just display an "R" or similar at the top-left of the screen (ie. overlaid over the level area) like it has been done for Cheapo and Lix?  Seems like that's been works well?

There is no reason not to prefer a solution that always display the replay status.  That said, I do have a hard time imagining a user getting confused over the replay status specifically due to the mouse cursor temporarily being over a lemming.  After all, as far as I know it takes explicit user action to enter and exit the mode.  I would think it'd probably take a major distraction like maybe taking a lunch break for mode confusion to be realistic (and the mouse has to be left over a lemming to boot).

[namida]

Not nessecerially - if mouse is within play area, it simply takes a lemming walking into the spot where it is. Nonetheless, I do think it's a valid point that it's not something that would be easily overlooked, since user input is required to enter replaying mode.

Displaying an R in the corner is probably a possibility. Displaying it on info bar would be easier to implement, however, and the space for it would be there with the upcoming changes, without the need for it to share space with anything else.

[namida]

For the now-released V1.37n, instead of sharing an area with the lemming info, a red R is displayed inbetween the lemming info and the not-yet-spawned lemmings if the game is in replay mode. Thus, even when mouseovering a lemming, the replaying status is visible; and by being colored red, the R generally stands out from the rest of the toolbar text (which, where text is concerned, is usually green; although some packs (for example, Lemmings Plus Omega) make the text color change dependant on the graphic set; there are graphic sets (such as Psychedelic) which would result in all the text here being red).