"Full" Ingame options Menu

[Omega]

This is a longterm idea suggestion, and largely biased towards helping the new players. Firstly, the INI isn't always friendly to many players, particularly those who are so technologically inexperienced they don't even know how to open the file nor where to find it (the latter is justified, by the various locations on different operating systems). Thus, for professionalism, as well as to help new players, or even just a quick access to the options, I propose we revamp the options screen into a more complete set of options. While it doesn't need the control of the INI, it should have at least control over the commonly used settings. For example, the current options menu is missing one of the most important settings: screen resolution. It also has no way to control the day time, if auto return is enabled (not sure why this is disabled by default in the INI), their network name (this one would be important for multiplayer), etc. While not every option needs to be displayed, I think most of them, barring the almost useless INI settings, as well as the "memory" settings that are used to remember the last scenario, etc, should be available.

This would mean the options menu would probably also have to be over multiple screens, perhaps with tabs, in order to fit everything in. However, on the long run, this would make GAE more effective, give room for expansion, and more. I also consider the options important too, as I love customization in games, and whenever I start up a new game for the first time, I almost always check the options menu first, make sure the graphics are set to the highest and I have optimized things to my liking.

Pros:
-Easier to use
-"Standard" in most modern games

Cons:
-As always, besides the programming work, there is nothing bad that could come from this, as it is just an expansion on an existing thing.

I wouldn't consider this high priority at all, though, just as a sort of future "would-be-nice-to-have".

[Zoythrus]

agreed, this is needed. im tired of not being able to set my resolution or change stuff ingame. this would help out GAE players alot.

[ultifd]

Well, first of all I think people should be able to change their resolution and hertz in the options, like MG. Then people wouldn't ever have to worry too much if they had resolution problems, like me. Currently everytime I run GAE it runs it as 1024x768 60 Hertz. Then everytime I have to change it to 75 outside of GAE. (The glestadv.ini doesn't seem to help too.)

[Omega]

Well, first of all I think people should be able to change their resolution and hertz in the options, like MG. Then people wouldn't ever have to worry too much if they had resolution problems, like me. Currently everytime I run GAE it runs it as 1024x768 60 Hertz. Then everytime I have to change it to 75 outside of GAE. (The glestadv.ini doesn't seem to help too.)

Every time? That's odd... Are you windows? Make sure you're editing the INI in your config directory. Though, I still want a full options menu. The options menu is *always* the first thing I check when I have a new game. I make sure I'm maxing the graphics, that everything seems fine, and even take a gamble on some other settings.

[ultifd]

Well, first of all I think people should be able to change their resolution and hertz in the options, like MG. Then people wouldn't ever have to worry too much if they had resolution problems, like me. Currently everytime I run GAE it runs it as 1024x768 60 Hertz. Then everytime I have to change it to 75 outside of GAE. (The glestadv.ini doesn't seem to help too.)

Every time? That's odd... Are you windows? Make sure you're editing the INI in your config directory. Though, I still want a full options menu. The options menu is *always* the first thing I check when I have a new game. I make sure I'm maxing the graphics, that everything seems fine, and even take a gamble on some other settings.

Yes, and I checked my settings while compiling. So GAE 0.3.2 and GAE git master both have problems, and the glestadv.ini doesn't seem to affect them. Silnarm said he'll add more debugging around that area, so hopefully someday the problem will be fixed.

[-Archmage-]

Options I think we should have:

GRAPHICS
Resolution
--Drop down menu with available resolutions.

Screen Refresh Rate
--Menu with available options.

Texture Quality
--Low: Low mipmaping distance.
--Medium: Medium mipmapping distance.
--High: High mipmapping distance.(and I mean HIGH)
--MAX: No mipmapping.
(What's the difference between bilear and trilinear texture filters?)

Shader Quality
--Off: No shaders.
--Low: Gouraud shaders on up to a certain distance.
--Medium: Specular shaders on and higher distance for gouraud.
--High: Normal maps on at medium distance, specular at long range and gouraud at extra range.
--MAX: Normal maps on at high distance, specular and gouraud on at all times.

Shadow Quality
--Off: No shadows.
--Low: Shadows up to medium range, 256 resolution, projected shadow type.
--Medium: Shadows up to long range, 512 resolution, projected shadow type.
--High: Shadows up to long range, 1024 resolution, shadow mapping.
--MAX: Shadows up to long range, 2048 resolution, shadow mapping.

Particle Quality:
--Low: No unit particles, x0.5 particle count, medium render distance.
--High: Unit particles on at long rendering distance, x1.0 particle count, long rendering distance.
--MAX: Unit particles on at all times, x1.0 particle count max render distance(1024).

Lighting Quality:
--Low: 1 max lights, particle luminance off.
--Medium: 3 max lights.
--High: 6 max lights.
--MAX: 8 max lights.

I'll post my ideas for game and control options later.

[Omega]

Texture Quality
--Low: Low mipmaping distance.
--Medium: Medium mipmapping distance.
--High: High mipmapping distance.(and I mean HIGH)
--MAX: No mipmapping.

No mipmapping?! That's not possible. Even on great graphics cards, as it is, the game crawls when you zoom all the way out... If anything, we need better mipmapping, so as to prevent this crawling as you zoom out, say, to take a picture of the map.

[titi]

Look at what we did in MG. I think these are the most commonly needed options.
To have all options in the game is a bad idea, because I am shure there are some of them that are meant for developers only  .
Another thing I like in MG is the basic system ini-file which is not changed and a userspecific ini-file which overwrites the default ones.

[ChupaReaper]

I think all options should be in game, some of the more developer-based options should be under an Advanced Options submenu maybe?

[titi]

many other games do it the same way, just those settings meant for "normal" users are inside the game and I think its a very good idea to do this.

[ChupaReaper]

Loads of PC gamers like the heavy settings like choosing texture settings, shaders, shadows, resolutions.
Putting them in game but under an advanced section or maybe in a submenu is a good idea, much easier than having to wade through the config all the time.

[Omega]

Look at what we did in MG. I think these are the most commonly needed options.
To have all options in the game is a bad idea, because I am shure there are some of them that are meant for developers only  .
Another thing I like in MG is the basic system ini-file which is not changed and a userspecific ini-file which overwrites the default ones.

Disagree. You under-estimate the average PC gamer. Besides, just because they're in the options menu doesn't mean you have to use them. I say put as much as possible in the options menu.

many other games do it the same way, just those settings meant for "normal" users are inside the game and I think its a very good idea to do this.

And I have dozens of games that say the exact opposite.

[-Archmage-]

Titi: I've pretty much never seen a game without advanced settings, customizing settings is half the fun of a game.

Omega: Dude I'm talkin' max, that's why I put max there.