Angband 4 object selection menu

[Nick]

It turns out that my plan for an object selection menu is basically impossible, because menu navigation conflicts with inscriptions. So I can think of four options as to how this menu could operate. I'd like some feedback on which is best, because object selection is something that happens a lot and I'm not trying to annoy people.

The choices are:

1. Don't bother with a scrollable menu, keep it as for 3.5.1 where a list appears and you have to type the appropriate letter (or inscription number)
2. Like 1, except have a scrollable menu appear if you hit '*'
3. Have no menu, and a scrollable menu appear if you hit '*'
4. Have an interface option for whether menus appear automatically; if the player sets that to no, then '*' brings up a scrollable menu

I am inclined to like having a scrollable menu available so I can be sure I've selected right, but I'm not married to it.

Any comments, variations, etc most welcome.

[debo]

I like how that qualification was "I'm not trying to annoy people" rather than "I'm trying not to annoy people"

[dos350]

if it aint broke~~~

[Gorbad]

I'm a bit unclear on what you exactly mean with 2 and 3, is it that in 2 you'd have a list of d-f pop up on the right of the screen, but in 3 you'd have absolutely nothing popup but the message like "(Inven: d-f, ESC) Read which scroll?".

In that case I'd go for option 3.

If I go to perform an action in a usage sub-selection, most of the time I already know what I am going to do, so typing the letter is faster and easier. For those few times I don't, I can look at the screen, or in my inventory (window), but I can see the appeal to some to have a scrollable selector (which is what I assume we are talking about).

The interface setting for option 4 is just clutter IMHO.

[Ingwe Ingweron]

I went with option 1, mostly because I'm not sure what you mean in options 2 and 3. Also because for me, pressing * means entering targeting mode. I don't want to have to retrain such an ingrained keypress.

[Tibarius]

selection

It works fine for me in 3.5.1. I think using the lowest number of keypresses is something which makes the gameplay move faster. Scrollable menues are just the opposite from that.

You do not see all options at once.
You need several keypresses to select an option.

=> My favorite: plain list with no scrollable menues

The only exception i can think of is: if the number of available options is larger than the window size and you cannot display all options at once. But rather than to introduce scroll menues i would vote for limitating the options in this case.

Edit: After thinking about how the game could look for others i changed my mind - Maybe some people play on devices with small display size (like tablets or smartphones). I guess a scroll menu on request (or display option) would be good in that case. But please not '*' - that symbol triggers target mode. Then maybe stick with the <Return> key, this opens the menu command in normal gameplay. It could also open the scroll-menu if required.

[Nomad]

Not sure I see the utility of scrollable menus - it just seems like it would be slower and require far more keypresses, which is going to add up fast for something you do so often in the game. I find navigating lists by the arrow keys in shops pretty cumbersome and slow. Plus the current menus already work with mouse clicks, which seems the superior option to scrolling if you want to make a careful manual selection rather than type the letter.

[Raajaton]

I also would vote for 1. With the potentially larger Home in mind, my suggestion would be to have the plain list must as we have now, and page up / down to "flip pages" assuming there are more objects than can be displayed at once.

Though I suppose if there was the option to scroll through the menu, and it did not interfere with my ability to simply press the appropriate key everyone would have what they want.

[MattB]

I'm a conservative - I went for 1.

And exactly what Raajaton said.

I also would vote for 1. With the potentially larger Home in mind, my suggestion would be to have the plain list must as we have now, and page up / down to "flip pages" assuming there are more objects than can be displayed at once.

However, with tablets and mobiles in mind for the future, maybe an opt-in scrollable idea (or, better, a default if you select 'mobile/tablet friendly' options) would make sense.

[Cold_Heart]

2.

Because there is nothing really wrong with having two option - one for conservative people and another for those who want to try something new.

[PowerWyrm]

#1 simply because the 3.5 menu is fine for me.