Motor Skill Learning in User Interfaces via Discretized Pie Menus

Interesting to see this article! I'm a big fan of the whole concept, and I'd been planning to use it in the strategy game I'm working on. Now with the LOTR RTS using this, hopefully it'll become more popular. There were a few games before it as well IIRC, independence war being one of them, but nothing really mass-market that I know of.

In any case, I really hope these take off, at least for strategy games. Hopefully their gamepad-friendly nature might help us get some RTS action on a console.

I also am a big fan, made several versions in the past. "Recently" I made a dirty implementation as an exercise in porting DX to GL on a Mac using Xcode.... So, if anyone's after an implementation then click through to my broken website and download the, ehm, "code":

http://www.happymakinggames.com/code/index.html

You can do with it what you like (free! yes!), if you use it just tell me, I'm a curious fellow! :)
I was going to put a VC.NET project up as well, but haven't had the time (laziness? yes.)...

Have fun!

I remember my first encounter with something like this in Planescape: Torment. I only like these things if they are maximum 2 levels including the base. But there is one aspect that you didn't bring up.

The fact that you can minimize the number of options depending on where you clicked and/or what was done before you brought up the menu. As an RTS example.

1) click on tank, right click on ground - menu: move to, patrol, attack
2) nothing selected, right click on ground - menu: *list of buildings that can be created*
etc.

Cheers!
/JP

Hi,

I'd just like to underscore the importance of using buttons/keys instead of mouse movements when selecting options in a pie menu. By reducing pie-menu-selection actions into discrete actions (eg. pressing a button as opposed to moving the mouse), the player can execute actions faster than via mouse movements (if cleverly implemented, it could be like executing combos in streetfighter). The added bonus is that it works well for all traditional game controllers.

-j

Quote:

Original post by Queasy Hi, I'd just like to underscore the importance of using buttons/keys instead of mouse movements when selecting options in a pie menu. By reducing pie-menu-selection actions into discrete actions (eg. pressing a button as opposed to moving the mouse), the player can execute actions faster than via mouse movements (if cleverly implemented, it could be like executing combos in streetfighter). The added bonus is that it works well for all traditional game controllers. -j

Agreed, a quick press on the dpad or a quick flick of the stick would be much nicer!
Using a dpad specifically would also force a limit on the number of items you would put in a circle, 8 would be the largest really. Which is a good thing, will force people to think even harder about their menu structures.

(I guess I'll have to get my old Logitech gamepad out and see if it'll work on my Mac...)


Have fun!