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Improve Overload User Interface (CSM)

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Summary

Overloading modules is a crucial PVP game-mechanic, but the current UI is difficult to operate and error-prone.

  • Unless a keyboard shortcut is used, activating overload requires either clicking a tiny area at the top of a module button, or accessing a contextual menu. Both of these methods are error-prone and can easily result in the module becoming deactivated.
  • Once overload has been toggled (either on, or off), there is no visual indication that the command has been accepted until the start of the next cycle. Additionally, an erroneous command cannot be corrected until after the start of the next cycle.
  • The overload activation cue is just the change in the intensity of the color of the small overload activation area at the top of the module button. It is needlessly difficult to determine the state of the module.

In addition to the difficulties faced by all players in managing overloading, players who are color-blind face particular challenges in effectively using the module buttons, because they have difficulty distinguishing between red and green hues, which are used in the pulsing halos that surround activated modules.

Solution

The proposed solution has several parts, each of which can be independently implemented, and each of which represents a significant overload UI improvement. These are, in order of importance:

1) Button Click Modifier

Module overload should be toggleable by using a modified-click (such as shift-click or ctrl-click) anywhere in the module button. Note: this particular feature duplicates a previous CSM issue - Easy_overloading_toggle_(CSM)

2) Pulsing Halo Color & Tempo Modification

The current colors associated with module buttons are green and red.

According to information on Wikipedia, purple is visually distinguishable from green and red by all dichromatically color-blind individuals, although many of these persons will already have trouble distinguishing between green and red. However, since green and red are appropriate color cues for people with normal trichromatic color vision, these should not be changed.

The UI should therefore provide not only additional chromatic but also temporal cues as to the state of a module, as follows:

  • An activated module has a halo that pulses green (no change from present state).
  • An activated module that is currently overloaded has a halo that pulses purple. The color change of the current (tiny) overheat activation area from green to bright green should be changed to be from green to purple.
  • An activated module that will become deactivated at the end of the current cycle has a halo that pulses red, but pulses faster than the current rate.
  • An activated module that will become overloaded at the start of the next cycle has a halo that pulses purple, and pulses faster than the current rate.
  • An activated module this is currently overloaded, but which will become normally activated at the start of the next cycle pulses green, but pulses faster than the current rate.

Thus, a normal rate of halo pulsing means "this is the current state of the module, and it will not change in the next cycle", while a faster pulse rate means "the state of the module is changing to this new state at the start of the next cycle."

We recommend that CCP consult with color-blind EVE players to see if minor changes in the exact colors used in the red and green halos can significantly improve their ability to discriminate between the two colors.

3) Button Redesign

Module buttons should be redesigned to increase the size of the are that can be clicked to toggle overload. For example, instead of the current tiny green area at the top of the button, a module that can be overloaded might have a sub-button in one corner with a "flame" symbol, or the shape of the button might be altered in some way.

Finally, it is recommended that issue Allow_reactivation_of_accidentally_deactivated_modules_(CSM) also be implemented in conjunction with this change, and be expanded to permit mistaken overload activations and deactivations to be corrected without wasting a cycle.

Pros

  • Improved user interface for PVP.
  • Improved accessibility for color-blind players.

Cons

  • No obvious issues.

Relevant Forum Threads

Assembly Hall Issue Thread

Votes

Passes: 6-2

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