SimpleClick GUI improvements #373

stickgrinder · 2025-01-01T13:36:06Z

Dependencies

This issue precedes #374

Benefit description

Papernoise suggested a different take for the SimpleClick GUI, which brings us further away from the original PowerHoof-inspired one and addresses some usability issues of that approach.

With these improvements, Popochiu will provide a fresh and personal take on this modern paradigm of interaction.

Solution description

Please take a look at Papernoise's proposal below.

In this design, the SimpleClick interface should only have one bar (which can be fixed or auto-hiding as in the current version).
This bar will hold the inventory, and the settings/tools bar will be moved to a popup triggered by a button.

The button can be held by the inventory bar or separated (to make more inventory components available for the SC GUI - think about the Deponia folding one, for example).

Once open, the popup will be organized more or less like this:

With actions and settings separated into two different columns.

This would make the UI feel and appear cleaner and more polished and avoid graphical weirdness in games with many inventory items.

Keeping the menu button and the inventory bar separate in terms of components will allow for more modularization (see TBD).

Exclusions

Despite the high-res mockups provided by PaperNoise, this issue is relative to the current available GUI.

Implications

Upgrading this template GUI will affect games currently under development.
We should map with great attention every possible change to the components API and functions, in case the components instances in the game folder call some engine-held code.

These components will replace the old InventoryBar and SettingsBar as part of the update for the SimpleClickGUI as proposed be Papernoise.

…ent. Now devs can set if the Sound Volumens component should show the Master bus only and if it should show the label with the name for each bus. - **upd** Add custom icons for radio buttons in PopupMenu for the base_gui_theme.tres.

Players can now open the save, load, history and quit popups. They can also change volumes, the text continue mode and the text speed.

…ent. Now devs can set if the Sound Volumens component should show the Master bus only and if it should show the label with the name for each bus. - **upd** Add custom icons for radio buttons in PopupMenu for the base_gui_theme.tres.

This component uses a CheckButton with two labels so players can have a better understanding of the current dialogue advancement mode.

This also updates the behavior of the cursor when hovering the settings button (to be improved).

These components will replace the old InventoryBar and SettingsBar as part of the update for the SimpleClickGUI as proposed be Papernoise.

Players can now open the save, load, history and quit popups. They can also change volumes, the text continue mode and the text speed.

…ent. Now devs can set if the Sound Volumens component should show the Master bus only and if it should show the label with the name for each bus. - **upd** Add custom icons for radio buttons in PopupMenu for the base_gui_theme.tres.

This component uses a CheckButton with two labels so players can have a better understanding of the current dialogue advancement mode.

This also updates the behavior of the cursor when hovering the settings button (to be improved).

The script is executed only if the project is using the SimpleClick template, and it removes the InventoryBar, SettingsBar, TextSettingsPopup and SoundSettingsPopup components.

…he SaveAndLoadPopup. The new Simple Click GUI uses the SimpleClickBar and the SimpleClickPopup components. Instead of adding a new migration step, the SaveAndLoadPopup is also removed in the first step and then added in the second one. - **upd** Remove the `@onready` vars in the Simple Click GUI to access the SaveAndLoadPopup, HistoryPopup, and QuitPopup since it is no longer used to open those popups.

These components will replace the old InventoryBar and SettingsBar as part of the update for the SimpleClickGUI as proposed be Papernoise.

Players can now open the save, load, history and quit popups. They can also change volumes, the text continue mode and the text speed.

…ent. Now devs can set if the Sound Volumens component should show the Master bus only and if it should show the label with the name for each bus. - **upd** Add custom icons for radio buttons in PopupMenu for the base_gui_theme.tres.

This component uses a CheckButton with two labels so players can have a better understanding of the current dialogue advancement mode.

This also updates the behavior of the cursor when hovering the settings button (to be improved).

The script is executed only if the project is using the SimpleClick template, and it removes the InventoryBar, SettingsBar, TextSettingsPopup and SoundSettingsPopup components.

…he SaveAndLoadPopup. The new Simple Click GUI uses the SimpleClickBar and the SimpleClickPopup components. Instead of adding a new migration step, the SaveAndLoadPopup is also removed in the first step and then added in the second one. - **upd** Remove the `@onready` vars in the Simple Click GUI to access the SaveAndLoadPopup, HistoryPopup, and QuitPopup since it is no longer used to open those popups.

Instead of this, the popup's main script is updated with the content of the one in the addons folder.

…ory. - **fix**: Assign unique names to the **Up** and **Down** icons in the base **InventoryGrid** component.

…ion. Co-authored-by: Paolo Pustorino <[email protected]>