On Fri, 26 Jul 2002, Mythran wrote:
> > HEALTH: ******::::::::::::::
> > MOVE: **********::::::::::
> > MANA: **::::::::::::::::::
> >
> >
> -- I have an idea, why not just use colors to differentiate? For non-color
> enabled players, you can just boldface white using a bold white :) For the
> rest, just use different colors (bold vs reg).
What about people who don't have a terminal emulator for ISO6429 ("ANSI"
and VT100) codes?
Anyway, color differentiation would undoubtedly work (for those who could
see it) and could very well be more attractive. It might even be
necessary if you have extensive use of color throughout your interface
(otherwise the monochrome bars would stick out like a sore thumb).
Optimally, any bars would be statically located on the interface, be
readable at a glance, but subtle enough in their design that they don't
distract the eye from the main focus of the game. Of course, you're
severely limited by the capabilities of terminal emulators, the
readability of ASCII visual aids (especially in the absence of fixed-width
fonts), and, of course, the constant question of whether what you're doing
really improves the game (or its playability) in an appreciable way.
Outside of that, I'm not convinced the bars, as pretty as they are, have
any real worth. Displaying 10 separate bars on the screen to report the
character's health or an event countdown would probably be more
distracting than useful; worse, it might even be terribly boring visual
clutter.
Of course, someone feel free to correct me if they have a working example
to point me towards. :)
-dak
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