From The Mana World
Revision as of 19:05, 26 June 2005 by 83.116.142.185 (talk) (Made a start on this page. Includes player controls.)
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For now just one sub heading, to discuss the pop-up menu gotten with the middle or right mouse button. Feel free to add to this where you knowledge permits.

Interface element description

A description of the elements and possible variations that could exist for them.


The setup or options menu

The pop-up action menu

This is the menu that pops-up to give you a choice of actions for interacting with objects, npc, pc's and monsters.

The looks and usage of this menu could differ, here are several possibilities:

  • Textual List: Textual list of options.
  • Iconic List: Iconic list of options.
  • Iconic Surround: Iconic options that surround (or are around) the player character, where: left and right keys cycle through the options, or: clicking on a icon uses it.
  • Single Action: A click system where you cycle through the options, and where right+left mouse button executes the option currently active. (ie you only see one option at the time, which changes when you click, or press a certain key)
  • Maybe others looks?

Note all these options could exist side by side, where you would choose your prefered type from the options or setup menu. (these are all layer 1 tweaks (layer 1 as used in GUI development)


Interface element controls

This describes the controls for the specific elements.


The pop-up action menu

In general, several ways of calling the pop-up menu exist.

For the 3 first flavours (textual list, iconic list and iconic surrounds) a key , or key combination, is needed to activate the pop-up menu, and keep it shown.

You could have the pop-up menu stay until an option close is selected, but this is redundant, as keeping a key pressed to keep it up is faster in closing, and easier to get rid off if you start to panic.

Mouse controls:

  • choosable in options, or key bindings:
    • Hold down middle mouse button, or hold down right mouse button. (this allows single click right mouse button to perform a default action, regardless of the choice) For textual list, iconic list and iconic surround.
    • right click to cycle through and set interaction type. For Single action only.
    • right+left -click or double right click to use set interaction type. For Single action only.
  • While the menu is open:
    • Highlight an option with the mouse and left-click (while holding menu open). For textual list only.
    • Move the mouse over one of the icons and left-click (while holding menu open). For iconic list and optional for iconic surround.
    • Move mouse left/up or right/down to make the icons surrounding you turn, the top icon (optionally bottom) is always the choosen icon. For the alternate option of iconic surround only.
    • Click left mouse button anywhere on screen to active the 'active' icon in iconic surround. Only for the alternate option of iconic surround.

Keyboard controls:

EDIT: taking brake, more later.