[crossfire] Improved/redone client.

[Kevin R. Bulgrien]

On Monday 09 October 2006 06:28 am, Kevin R. Bulgrien wrote:
> > - Improved help - I don't think the help in the client has much useful content - 
> > I think a lot of the information currently in various places could make it to 
> > the client so it has a real help system.
> 
> Would be great, especially in the area of keybinding.  Gameplay help could be
> improved by in client improvement for spells pane content.  Pickup could use
> some coverage too.

Add to that magic map interpretation/use.   I never have figured out how to use
them.
  
> > ===
> > 
> > Thoughts/comments?
> 
> Strong suggestion to add "background music" like the Windows DX client had.  In
> my opinion, this adds far more to the ambiance of game play than anything else
> one might do.  The Daimonin client seems to have done a good job with sound
> improvement, and it has background music.
> 
> Sound setup is a royal pain...  I have done without sound for ages.  Somehow on
> my x86_64 system it all of a sudden started working... I still don't know why.  I'd
> rank sound improvements high if I were setting priorities.
> 
> Kevin

Also, strongly suggest key-binding "profiles", possibly for keyboard regions.  When
playing multiple characters with unique skill-sets, it is difficult to create one single
key-binding profile that fits all of them.  I can see that a profile for the function
keys would add value.  I could slide in a new function key set while keeping the
alpha keys common since they are often bound in ways that help you memorize
what they do better.  I tend to keep the numeric/punctuation key binding constant
too,  but that might be another area that would benefit from being able to be
profiled depending on the tastes of various players.  The reason for profiling regions
would be to reduce rework of bindings that a player keeps constant across various
characters played.

Additionally, without knowing the underlying infrastructure, it is hard to know if the
following is practical or not.  I think all clients suffer from buffer flooding.  I think it
would be exceptionally profitable to have an ability to flush the command buffer
or to escalate the priority of certain "emergency" bindings.  I don't know how many
times I have helplessly watched as my character died because the buffer was
flooded and there was nothing to be done except stop and hope you don't die
before it emptied.

Kevin