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.
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.
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.