[crossfire] GTK V2 client default layout and map size

[Kevin R. Bulgrien]

> I've been following the discussion on client layouts with great concern.
> What makes me concerned is the fact that most people seem to be fixed on
> the idea that a) the game window dimensions equal screen resolution and b)
> the window layout is (at least almost) fixed.

So how is it all of a sudden any different than it has been for years?
As I see it, the point is not that game window dimensions equal screen
resolution.  The point is, is it even possible to use a small size
screen.  I should think that is a positive thing and not something
to be negative about.

> For point a) please note that some people (at least me) never use full
> screen size windows for any purpose (except on my htpc, but that does not
> even have a keyboard and mouse so I won't be playing on it) and the current
> unability to let the window manager resize the window is simply absurd. If
> a user wants to resize crossfire window to 20x20 pixels, it's the user's
> problem when if becomes totally useless.

The idea is welcome, and will go in the hopper to be processed, but being
packaged with such criticism, it is hardly motivation to do anything.

Absurd?  Really.  Feel free to code up a non-absurd solution.  It kind of
bugs me to have such superlative griping all the time when someone takes
it upon themselves to try to do some improvement, and everyone rips all of
the ideas to shreds because it isn't perfect by some theoretical standard
or another.  I might like that too, but if you expect me to code that, you
are going to wait a long time.  I've never coded a GUI before, and I don't
know how to make Glade/GTK do that.

Again, the idea is great, as it helps one look at the tool for ideas on
what it might do that hasn't been discovered yet.

> Almost all programs scale their 
> internal window widget sizes according to the window size (or introduce
> scroll bars). Why would crossfire not do this? For the map-view-widget this
> would probably be pointless, but at least everything else could scale. Even
> the map widget could scale at least is tile-size steps: if 16x16 tiles no
> longer fit on whatever size the user adjusted the window to, then only draw
> 15x15 - and leave some blank if the actual size is 15.5x15.5 or resize the
> info widgets to fill that space.
>
> For point b) Raphaël already noted GIMP, my example would have been from
> gaming: FreeCiv. It has *exactly* the same situation as crossfire: a
> current map view based on tiles and some informative widgets displaying,
> for example, an overview of the whole world map etc. If you resize the
> window, the map view shrinks etc. No fixed map window sizes or anything.
> User can do whatever one likes, even float some of the widgets to separate
> windows (I would not like that feature myself in a real-time game like CF,
> but rearranging the widgets within the master window would be useful).
>
> Is there a reason for points a) and b) being as they are 1) now, 2) in the
> future? I hope there is no reason to keep them such in the future...

Neither a) nor b) are true.

a) is used as a point of reference.  In fact, if anything, a) was behind the
rework of the client in the first place.  The original GTK V2 layout was
not small screen/workspace friendly at all.  I refused to use it on low
resolution desktops.  What I did has started to explore layouts that are
more flexible and can be used on smaller desktops.  At no time has there
been an assumption that the player must have it full screen.  If anything,
I did assume it wasn't full screen as all the defaults for all the layouts,
except one, are smaller than any standard desktop size, to account at least
minimally for task bars, and such.

b) is not true unless you are talking about moving widgets around on docks.

Both the GTK clients are fully resizable, albeit with some issues.  I have
absolutely no clue how to do docking, so you probably won't see that for a
while unless someone else gets busy with the code, even if it is because
that's just not a problem for me when there are a number of layouts to
choose from.  I like working the client, but I also would like to do other
things in the project, so burning lots of time doing that isn't a big
priority.

I will custom design a glade layout for anyone that asks nicely.  Give me
a sketch, and we'll do it.  I did that for meflin, and I'll do it for anyone
else as long as I don't get flocks of requests.

As for map sizing, that did get brought up, and is a concern that someone may
be able to fix.  Presently, I do not know the code enough to do something
about it.  Over time?  Sure, its a possiblity, especially as there is no real
reason for me to be the one who has to do it, and one thing is sure, if I am
the only one working on it, I dislike the "fixed" settings, so have no reason
to leave them that way in the future.

I think the current changes are a huge improvement, not something to get all
concerned about, but then, I guess I would see it that way since I'm the one
that did them.  I guess it also is interesting that discussion on the client
hasn't born much in the way of results.  It's interesting now that someone
is doing something that all of a sudden ideas start popping.  I think that's
a good thing too.  As long as they are nicely put, even critical observations
help.

Kevin