AoD - Trading screen

Vault Dweller · Apr 28, 2005

Link

Hopefully Saint will add the screen later to the main gallery, but for now I put it into the concept art gallery to get some opinions.

Anyway, take a look and tell me what you think. I know that the screen can use some decorations, but then again, it's nice, simple, and functional. What more does your overly critical ass need?

The items are rather large, but I figured that since collecting and tinkering with items is an important part of every adventurer's life, we might as well give you big-ass itamz (tm) to give you something to look at. Beats the crap out of finding a sticky looking thing and learning that that's some famous sword. So, opinions?

Spazmo · Apr 28, 2005

Well, when the art for items is this nice, it's worth showing off anyways. Still, you have a lot of empty space. Why not have two columns of items to reduce scrolling? Otherwise, well, it's very sparse, but I don't know what you could do about that. I'd say cram as much information into every screen as you can (so long as it's relevant and doesn't lead to data overload), but you don't need that much on a trading screen.

Fez · Apr 28, 2005

The items are pretty, the screen is clear and easy to read. I'd like a filter perhaps for items, it could get tedious scrolling through one column. I notice shopkeepers have been given a limit on their funding - is there much chance of them running out of money?

I dislke the idea of rich shopkeepers stocking valuble items who run out of money after selling a few items to them, despite them having many equally high or higher value items in stock, along with numerous others.

Vault Dweller · Apr 28, 2005

Spazmo said:
Why not have two columns of items to reduce scrolling?

We've tried different concepts, including this one, but it didn't look right. I think the best idea would be to reduce the trading screen a bit as there is no need for all that space there anyway. We want to make everything functional first and then polish and tweak if we have time (I want to release the game this year)

Fez said:
I notice shopkeepers have been given a limit on their funding - is there much chance of them running out of money?

Depends on a store. It's unlikely that a small trader would be able to buy a truckload of loot worth a small fortune from you, but you can always deal with the merchant guild. The guild can easily take your entire inventory but at a lesser rate.

I dislke the idea of rich shopkeepers stocking valuble items who run out of money after selling a few items to them

Shopkeepers who specialize in rare/high-end items have plenty of money, but they won't buy any junk from you either.

Major_Blackhart · Apr 28, 2005

Very kickass system VD! I await your game eagerly.

Fez · Apr 28, 2005

Sounds fair enough, I think I'll be happy with that system.

Mefi · Apr 28, 2005

Not sure if the PC would need to know how much money the merchant has. But not knowing would probably piss some people off I guess.

It's clean and functional. I like the description of the armour being so clear. Maybe a different background colour, until you prettify it, because there is a lot of beige.

Walks with the Snails · Apr 28, 2005

I like functional. It's fine to me. Only thing I'd add if you don't have it already is the ability to easily sell/buy many items of the same type. I liked the BG/Fallout system where you'd get a pop-up numerical window that you could increase/decrease with tabs or type in the number you want.

Sol Invictus · Apr 28, 2005

I like the graphics depicting the armor, but as Spazmo said there's a lot of unused space. Perhaps you should fill it up with a pretty interface, like the trading screen in Baldur's Gate 2. There can be 6-8 small icons representing the items on each of the two columns presently there. Rightclicking the item itself could bring up an information sheet with a large picture of the item using the graphics that's currently on that page, and a description of the item.

I have to say that I'm not a big fan of the papyrus interface you use throughout the game, either. I would prefer a Roman concrete dealie, with Roman columns for borders and the like, and, Roman font for various inscriptions (e.g. BUY / SELL).

Fez · Apr 28, 2005

You could go for a Roman mosaic. Make it depict something historic from the game world.

Ismaul · Apr 29, 2005

The items' art is great and it's a good thing you show it off. For the interface, have you thought about character portraits in the trading screen? IMO, it would give some bit of life to the screen. Maybe put them on the top left and right sides or center left/right.

Everyone seems to say that the screen looks a bit flat. It's true. It's obviously not the final version, and you want to make sure everything works before polishing, like you said. The thing the screen is lacking is dynamism. Portaits will help. Lighthning and shadows makes it feel full. If you do not want to put accent on lightning, you (your artist) should adjust the background color and motif so it feels more real, more three-dimensional (not fancy 3d graphics, but some sense of depth). If you do like Fez said, make sure the background doesn't interfere with the foreground, which is what you want the player to give attention to. A good background complements the foreground.

Enough on graphics. How does trading work? Do you move your items and the merchant's to the center and proceed to trade like in fallout, or is it more like drag your items to the center and voila, instant sell and you get the value of the item in cash? Or something else?

Oh, and one thing that works well in the bottom interface and lacks in the trading screen is the slight shadow around the contour lines. It's gonna help a great deal to convey a sense of depth to the screen.

Vault Dweller · Apr 30, 2005

Mefi said:
Not sure if the PC would need to know how much money the merchant has. But not knowing would probably piss some people off I guess.

It's about redundancy. Clicking on an item, then clicking on Sell, only to be told "I don't have that much money" and then playing Guess with every item trying to figure out how much money the merchant does have is a waste of time that adds nothing to gameplay.

Walks said:
Only thing I'd add if you don't have it already is the ability to easily sell/buy many items of the same type. I liked the BG/Fallout system where you'd get a pop-up numerical window that you could increase/decrease with tabs or type in the number you want.

Hmm, don't have that yet. We'll add it.

Exitium said:
Perhaps you should fill it up with a pretty interface, like the trading screen in Baldur's Gate 2

Fez said:
You could go for a Roman mosaic. Make it depict something historic from the game world.

No arguing here, and the mosaic idea is great, but we don't have the resources for that. What we have now is simple (ok, maybe too simple), but it works and doesn't cause blindness.

Ismaul said:
For the interface, have you thought about character portraits in the trading screen?

We have, and we are considering the portraits, but I'm not sure if we'll have portraits for important people only or for all NPCs. Or at all. That will be decided later.

Everyone seems to say that the screen looks a bit flat. It's true

I know. I can live with that.

How does trading work? Do you move your items and the merchant's to the center and proceed to trade like in fallout, or is it more like drag your items to the center and voila, instant sell and you get the value of the item in cash? Or something else?

Click on an item, then click on the button. Simple as that. The item will be highlighted, obviously.

Fez · May 1, 2005

If you can't make it pretty, make it work well and you'll be forgiven, by me at least.

Vault Dweller · May 1, 2005

It's a deal then

Vault Dweller · May 1, 2005

Btw, Fez, I did change the HP/AP interface part according to your suggestion. Don't know if you noticed.

Fez · May 1, 2005

I did notice it right away when I first saw the screen shot. I like it. :D

EEVIAC · May 2, 2005

I thought the circles looked more sophisticated.

Vault Dweller · May 2, 2005

I'm not sure about sophisticated, but they kinda looked out of place to me.

Major_Blackhart · May 2, 2005

I like the way it looks now. I dunno, it looks better in some way. the circles, if it is what i remember, had some sort of out of place look to them.

Ismaul · May 2, 2005

I like it that way better. The circles interfered with the informative text. Plus, they where redundant: you already had a rectangle contour so having a circle inside it was overdoing it.

Now it feels a bit disbalanced, if you look at the right side, where there is the save icon and the i-don't-remember-what-it-is over it. You have a kind of symetrical design in the interface, and it looks a bit wierd to not have the same separators on the right. Don't know if I'm the only one feeling that, but anyways the interface is already better than the first shot you showed us.

edit: Ironically, the interface in the first screen you showed didin't have the asymetry there is now.

AoD - Trading screen

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