[UI Principle] Resource Warnings Done Right

SupCom had a very deep flaw in its Resource UI, which was aggravated later by the cap to "100%" for the efficiency display. I think it's one of the features that caused for instance the German press to conceive the game as slow and difficult to get going.

This is how it worked, simplified:

• If income is positive, numbers are green, else numbers are yellow.
• If stocks are low, numbers are red (or pulsing red).

The problem there was, it was the same for energy and mass, and it was actually the wrong type of message to convey to the player. The visual feedback was actually "best" for the player who wasted resources the entire game long, which is a recipe for disaster in flow based economies. Mass waste is a worst case scenario and should be communicated as such. The game also warned the player frantically about low stocks even if they had a dream economy of 1000 mass income and 1001 mass expenditure.


The important states in a flow based economy are:

• Your income is within 90~110% of your expenses. (green)
  
• Your income is higher than your expenses, but your stores are not full. (green)
• Your income is lower than your expenses, but your stores are not empty. (yellow)
  
• Your mass stores are (almost) full and income is positive. (flashing red + audio warning: "mass wasted", worst case scenario)
• Your energy stores are (almost) drained and income is negative. (flashing red + audio warning: "power failures", worst case scenario)
  
• Your mass stores are empty. (green to yellow to deep red depending on how much you are overspending, occasional audio hint "low mass")
• Your energy stores are full. (green to white depending on surplus)

Apart from the net income/expense UI, a percentage display that said "100%" if you are spending exactly as much as you are earning, "200%" if you are earning twice as much as you spend, and 50%" if you spend twice as much as you earn; all smoothed across several hundred game ticks so it doesn't jump too crazily. Have it show an infinity symbol if no resources are spent (all production + repairs halted).


To prevent players starting in a worst case scenario UI warning situation (I assume commanders etc. will have a little income of their own when they spawn), maybe leave some headroom in terms of empty storage, which might also offer up some new starting build order options ("reclaim first", "extra power", etc.)

Yes.

I agree with most of them, except with the over production ones, sure it is not good to over produce, but some people might be freaked out "what am I doing wrong?!" I would go for a neutral cool color for over production (white/gray/purple/blue) or add an icon behind it, so that when the player hovers over it, it says over production.

Also, I my self play RTS'es casually most of the time, in which over production is perfectly fine, more so than under production

Alongside this retain the usual information numbers. One that tells you your income and one that tells you how much you are trying to spend.

Oh yes, definitely! Sorry that wasn't obvious.

The "overproduction - wtf am I doing wrong?" issues is in the mindset of the people. Overproduction is TERRIBLE. If you waste 100 mass instead of putting that 100 mass into a tank, it's strategically the same as GIVING YOUR OPPONENT an extra tank.

There is no way the user shouldn't be taught that this is bad and wrong. This really helps your game play much smoother, even if you play casually. You can always ignore the hints, or give the user the option to turn it off (but on should be the default).

And if the message isn't brought across clearly enough, make a tutorial tool tip that comes back ever so often to keep the user in the know what their options are (it's not that people are always overproducing... stall is the other extreme, and that also needs some helpful hints)

/agree the warnings in SupCom were so pointless I even forgot that they are in the game.
I disabled them so many years ago xD

You should play with my UI mod, TigerUI (based on GAZ UI and ollo's UI mod) ;-)

Actually I think I contributed the enhanced economy stuff to GAZ UI as a module at some point.

It can completely save your *** when your indicators start flashing 3 to 5 seconds BEFORE your energy meter hits rock bottom or you already wasted half of that Salem wreck...

I have already like 6 UI-Mods. Thats enough.
Also when I am not half asleep I dont really need these warnings.

I'm always half asleep, so I'm glad to have them. And I wasn't serious, I know the level you play at, this is for gimps like me who have sensory issues with UI because they are so easily distracted by... ooooh cool shiny!

At the start you naturally waste some mass, you shouldn't get warning at that point.
Also, shouldn't it be underproduction instead of overproduction? You don't have too much mass, you aren't building enough.

That's what I said, just let the user spawn with 80% full storage.

And I meant production of mass. Changing my post now...

you wouldnt lose mass at the start, if your starting storage wouldnt be filled 100%

Even it is at 100%, that would disappear after like 1 sec.
In FA you waste 2 mass this way for 1 sec while the acu warps in.

Yeah but you need to think about first use experience. You get into the game as a total newbie, and you get a lot of warnings.

Also, like I said, some additional storage space upwards could allow for some interesting diversication in early build orders!

indeed, you could "walk" first before starting a building right away.

Yes. Or quickly reclaim a bit so a certain mex upgrade can be timed better with your 3rd bomber, etc.

Options options options.

I dont think working around before starting to build a factory would be feasible in Fa, even with a 80% filled storage.
Might be different in PA, though^^

But that's because the maps are build like they are (4 mexes right around your starting spot)

With procedural maps, you can do more than cookie cutter starting locations and still keep it interesting without making it as frustrating as, say Varga Pass.

The thing I like the most is that procedural maps won't have such super-symmetrical chokepoints like the ones on Isis. They can still be symmetrical, but they'll feel much more organic.

Still depends on how much resources you actually have at the start.
If you can easily pay for a factory and few units, it would be a good idea to build them before moving around too much.

But thats not a topic that needs to be discussed now, as such numbers can and will be easily changed later on.