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Player Features and Ideas Discussion

 
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Downtime Notification Box - A useful change
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Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#1 - 2013-10-31 11:21:14 UTC
I have been playing eve for a while now and I would like to think that unless it is an unscheduled Downtime that I know when it it is by now.

I was thinking it about it as the dialogue box popped up for the 1000th time and actually this time I got really annoyed by its prescence and how it steals focus. I think a good idea would be to have it so that like other diaogue boxes it should able to be disabled. Except for in the case of an unscheduled DT.

Instead for those of us who have played long enough to know about downtime and its schedule, a simple session timer in a suitable color would be fantastic I think. This would maybe appear at either 1 hour before or half an hour before DT. this would be hoverable and wuld show the exact count down and a message about getting to a safe place.

Just to make it clear that in the case of an emergency/unscheduled shutdown the box would still appear. Also new players would be given the option to see the box or not.

I don't know if this has been suggested before, I couldn't find anything imediately when I did a search.
Karen Avioras
The Raging Raccoons
#2 - 2013-10-31 11:24:43 UTC
So instead of a box that you can close down immediatly you want a timer that displays it? I thought you didn't want it to steal focus...
Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#3 - 2013-10-31 11:27:18 UTC
Karen Avioras wrote:
So instead of a box that you can close down immediatly you want a timer that displays it? I thought you didn't want it to steal focus...

Precisely it would be like a session timer (you know like in the top left hand corner just above the location information), wouldn't affect you playing at all, wouldn't force you to look at it or click an ok button.
Sarah Stallman
Pen2 Logistics
#4 - 2013-10-31 11:27:33 UTC  |  Edited by: Sarah Stallman
I would have the ability to turn off scheduled and unscheduled boxes off separately, but have both be enabled by default on new accounts, like the tutorial popups are.

Those boxes completely override your inputs, and I imagine may be responsible for more than one killmail.

Also, he means a session timer, like the logout timers.
Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#5 - 2013-10-31 11:30:21 UTC
Sarah Stallman wrote:


Also, he means a session timer, like the logout timers.


or the switching system session timers
Maximus Aerelius
PROPHET OF ENIGMA
#6 - 2013-10-31 11:45:20 UTC
I like the idea of making it like an Aggression\Log-off\Limited Engagement Timer.

Good idea OP.

[b]Fast Character Switching "XP Stylee" Undocking - More Routes Out of Station[/b] Here's my tear jar > |_| < Fill 'er up!
Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#7 - 2013-10-31 11:50:09 UTC
Maximus Aerelius wrote:
I like the idea of making it like an Aggression\Log-off\Limited Engagement Timer.

Good idea OP.

I know its a small thing but it would just make things a bit better I feel.
Maximus Aerelius
PROPHET OF ENIGMA
#8 - 2013-10-31 12:06:06 UTC
Scharena wrote:
Maximus Aerelius wrote:
I like the idea of making it like an Aggression\Log-off\Limited Engagement Timer.

Good idea OP.

I know its a small thing but it would just make things a bit better I feel.


Completely agree...perhaps even the "countdown clock" that you get when you hover over one of those (Aggression\Log-off\Limited Engagement Timer) could be shown so you don't have to hover over it.

I'm of that age when it just used to shutdown on you but I agree, stealing focus has probably caused come ship losses. It could be classed as the "DT Exploit" a bit like the "Convo Exploit" whereby they used to spam the invite button to stop you clicking modules lol.

[b]Fast Character Switching "XP Stylee" Undocking - More Routes Out of Station[/b] Here's my tear jar > |_| < Fill 'er up!
Mascha Tzash
Ministry of War
Amarr Empire
#9 - 2013-10-31 12:07:23 UTC
When should it start? 1h before DT, 10 minutes?
How to notify the players that this timer has startet? Via a short dialog box that says: "Look at the (say) pink timer. When it goes to 0 the game goes into maintainance."? A notifiaction via Aura: "New Eden nap timer enganged. All pilots have to log out within the next hour or will be kicked."?
Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#10 - 2013-10-31 12:17:51 UTC
Mascha Tzash wrote:
When should it start? 1h before DT, 10 minutes?
How to notify the players that this timer has startet? Via a short dialog box that says: "Look at the (say) pink timer. When it goes to 0 the game goes into maintainance."? A notifiaction via Aura: "New Eden nap timer enganged. All pilots have to log out within the next hour or will be kicked."?


The timers are pretty obvious, hard to miss peices of UI, could even have DT in the middle of the circle, the whole idea is to do away with notification boxes that interupt your play. As I said it would probably start at the usuall hour before DT. It could blink t you at 15 mins and change color or something at 5 mins
Carniflex
StarHunt
Mordus Angels
#11 - 2013-10-31 12:25:45 UTC
I think this is a good idea.

With the current popup its pretty annoying that it steals focus.

A session change timer 1h before DT would be sufficient in a color which is suitable different from gray/yellow/red. Let's say it could be, for example, blue.

Here, sanity... niiiice sanity, come to daddy... okay, that's a good sanity... THWONK! GOT the bastard.
Maximus Aerelius
PROPHET OF ENIGMA
#12 - 2013-10-31 12:49:02 UTC  |  Edited by: Maximus Aerelius
OK, with Mascha Tzash comments taken into consideration what about another idea:

Have a D-Time clock...*drum roll* appear above the normal clock bottom left? It springs up 1 hours before down time as a countdown timer with a Downtime label above it?

A pop-out (when implemented for the first time) appears like the Tutorial Agents does notifying you that it's there.

Voila...

EDIT: It could flash RED with 10 or 5 minutes left so you can't miss it. It's descrete not to alarm you but visible enough to let you know and it's built into the Neocom so doesn't break immersion.

Once DT happens the clock disappears until 1 hour before the next DT.

[b]Fast Character Switching "XP Stylee" Undocking - More Routes Out of Station[/b] Here's my tear jar > |_| < Fill 'er up!
Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#13 - 2013-10-31 12:57:53 UTC
Maximus Aerelius wrote:
OK, with Mascha Tzash comments taken into consideration what about another idea:

Have a D-Time clock...*drum roll* appear above the normal clock bottom left? It springs up 1 hours before down time as a countdown timer with a Downtime label above it?

A pop-out (when implemented for the first time) appears like the Tutorial Agents does notifying you that it's there.

Voila...

EDIT: It could flash RED with 10 or 5 minutes left so you can't miss it. It's descrete not to alarm you but visible enough to let you know and it's built into the Neocom so doesn't break immersion.

Once DT happens the clock disappears until 1 hour before the next DT.


All of these ideas are great.
Maximus Aerelius
PROPHET OF ENIGMA
#14 - 2013-10-31 13:00:12 UTC
Scharena wrote:
Maximus Aerelius wrote:
OK, with Mascha Tzash comments taken into consideration what about another idea:

Have a D-Time clock...*drum roll* appear above the normal clock bottom left? It springs up 1 hours before down time as a countdown timer with a Downtime label above it?

A pop-out (when implemented for the first time) appears like the Tutorial Agents does notifying you that it's there.

Voila...

EDIT: It could flash RED with 10 or 5 minutes left so you can't miss it. It's descrete not to alarm you but visible enough to let you know and it's built into the Neocom so doesn't break immersion.

Once DT happens the clock disappears until 1 hour before the next DT.


All of these ideas are great.


Well you got my old "bittervet" brain running into optimal now :). Not all "bittervets" are bitter...spread the word Smile

[b]Fast Character Switching "XP Stylee" Undocking - More Routes Out of Station[/b] Here's my tear jar > |_| < Fill 'er up!
Omnathious Deninard
University of Caille
Gallente Federation
#15 - 2013-10-31 13:01:02 UTC
Anyone ever think there is a pop up for the sole purpose to steal focus? They are trying to let you know the servers are going down and should safe up if possible.

If you don't follow the rules, neither will I.
Sarah Stallman
Pen2 Logistics
#16 - 2013-10-31 13:04:08 UTC
Omnathious Deninard wrote:
Anyone ever think there is a pop up for the sole purpose to steal focus? They are trying to let you know the servers are going down and should safe up if possible.


After ten years, is it really necessary cram it down our throats every day?
Scharena
Caldari Provisions
Caldari State
#17 - 2013-10-31 13:06:36 UTC
Omnathious Deninard wrote:
Anyone ever think there is a pop up for the sole purpose to steal focus? They are trying to let you know the servers are going down and should safe up if possible.


Yeah but we know this...I certainly am not about to forget that at 11 o'clock every day that the servers go down to restart. I know well enough to get safe. I dont need to be reminded every time, though for the sake of having a notifier a session timer or countdown feels right.

And as has been stated it would have an option to be toggled or not.
Maximus Aerelius
PROPHET OF ENIGMA
#18 - 2013-10-31 13:10:07 UTC
Omnathious Deninard wrote:
Anyone ever think there is a pop up for the sole purpose to steal focus? They are trying to let you know the servers are going down and should safe up if possible.


But no one "Safes Up" one hour before DT...or 10 minutes before...and 5 minutes before...it's not just one "Steal Focus" box it's about 3 or 4 I think.

[b]Fast Character Switching "XP Stylee" Undocking - More Routes Out of Station[/b] Here's my tear jar > |_| < Fill 'er up!
Zan Shiro
Doomheim
#19 - 2013-11-01 07:06:35 UTC
the pop up is meant to be annoying. Most pops up are. they make you click okay so you know its coming.

For some users this is a yeah we know thing.

For other users they do no read the make sure you have your ship out of harms way when the dt hits even with the pop up.

So that when if John Q. Idiot rushes out to do high level stuff that gets his ship killed for whatever reason on the dc at dt if he petitions it the gm will basically reply back saying what part out of harms way did you not understand when you clicked ok.


Welcome to IT and programming, you have to factor in the lowest common denominator and account for it. Not all users are bad users....but its becuase of the bad ones you can't have nice things lol.
Maximus Aerelius
PROPHET OF ENIGMA
#20 - 2013-11-01 08:20:06 UTC
Zan Shiro wrote:
the pop up is meant to be annoying. Most pops up are. they make you click okay so you know its coming.

For some users this is a yeah we know thing.

For other users they do no read the make sure you have your ship out of harms way when the dt hits even with the pop up.

So that when if John Q. Idiot rushes out to do high level stuff that gets his ship killed for whatever reason on the dc at dt if he petitions it the gm will basically reply back saying what part out of harms way did you not understand when you clicked ok.


Welcome to IT and programming, you have to factor in the lowest common denominator and account for it. Not all users are bad users....but its becuase of the bad ones you can't have nice things lol.


I think the below negates your comment:

Maximus Aerelius wrote:
OK, with Mascha Tzash comments taken into consideration what about another idea:

Have a D-Time clock...*drum roll* appear above the normal clock bottom left? It springs up 1 hours before down time as a countdown timer with a Downtime label above it?

A pop-out (when implemented for the first time) appears like the Tutorial Agents does notifying you that it's there.

Voila...

EDIT: It could flash RED with 10 or 5 minutes left so you can't miss it. It's descrete not to alarm you but visible enough to let you know and it's built into the Neocom so doesn't break immersion.

Once DT happens the clock disappears until 1 hour before the next DT.


But if you have any ideas of how to make this less obtrusive and more in-line with the UI please feel free to add.

[b]Fast Character Switching "XP Stylee" Undocking - More Routes Out of Station[/b] Here's my tear jar > |_| < Fill 'er up!