Bugs in 0.6.1

[Proxima]

Edit Simon: This is a merge of 2 posts by Proxima, from 2016-06-18 and then 2016-06-19. If you have a github account, you can file bugs directly in the Lix bug tracker.

Needs an option to not display FPS. This is especially bad in the editor, when the flickering numbers are liable to break concentration.
#93

Options use abbreviations "sel.", "deco", "dir". Especially "dir" will likely be opaque to new players, unless they happen to be familiar with programming. Not sure what can be done here, as the full words would not fit in the space in windowed mode.
#90

In windowed mode, "lemforum" is too wide for the box in the level browser.
#95

"SI" is not clear enough to new players. Either use "Spawn" or an icon.
#94



At the top of the level browser is a bar saying "Single Player - single/lemforum/rank". This is completely redundant as the buttons below tell me where I am in the browser. Removing it would allow the menu to expand to show 20 levels at once, which I consider very important as it allows you to reach any level in a 40-level rank with a single click.
#96

Please make "unpause when a skill is assigned" an option; I find this change very annoying. Regardless of the option, double-clicking nuke should always unpause, since the player only does this when they want to immediately end.
#97

As mentioned in chat, I am having low FPS on large levels such as "Any Way You Want" and "The Road Goes Ever On". I don't have problems with small levels even when there are many lix.

Pause button doesn't display both hotkeys when two are assigned.

Auto-saved replays go into "solved/pack/rank". Better would be "auto/pack/rank" to distinguish from non-auto replays (which may also be solved).

Options again: "End of replay - turn off >>" is not clear; "FF" would be much better. "Prefer builder -> non-builder" is not clear; at first I took it to mean "prefer assigning to a builder over assigning to a non-builder" when it means the opposite.
#90

[Simon]

Awesome, thanks.

I've opened github issues from most of these, and have linked to the issues from the post above.

As mentioned in chat, I am having low FPS on large levels such as "Any Way You Want" and "The Road Goes Ever On". I don't have problems with small levels even when there are many lix.

Huge levels (geoo's playground, which 5 times as large as Any Way You Want) are a problem for me, too. The game saves both the entire physics-map and the map-image every second.

If this continues to bug you, we can run some tests on your machine, or I have to make smarter algorithms.

Pause button doesn't display both hotkeys when two are assigned.

I want to allow several keys per function. Pause got a hack solution, there are two functions that pause, and they take a hotkey each. This bug will vanish once I have UI for the better keybindings.

Auto-saved replays go into "solved/pack/rank". Better would be "auto/pack/rank" to distinguish from non-auto replays (which may also be solved).

Very difficult. "Auto" doesn't imply solved, but "solved" doesn't imply not-created-by-manual-save. Need further research about the best naming.

Options again: "End of replay - turn off >>" is not clear; "FF" would be much better. "Prefer builder -> non-builder" is not clear; at first I took it to mean "prefer assigning to a builder over assigning to a non-builder" when it means the opposite.

I'd like to remove the option (end fast-forward at end of replay), and instead allow to frame-backstep out of the end-of-game dialog, to get back into the level near the end. Such a more-powerful UI should make the option superflous.

This option is a relic from when we had no framestepping. It was common to restart a level, ffwd through 4 minutes of stuff, and get back into the action near the end.

-- Simon

[Nepster]

Some more issues:

1) Tile frames in editor too small
The rectangular frames around selected terrain pieces are currently inside the tile boundaries. This way they turn the outermost 1-pixel layer of the terrain piece invisible. For rectangular pieces this is not a problem, but for irregular pieces this hides information. If I want to erase or add a few pixels then this outermost layer of the piece is precisely the part I want to see. Currently I have to place it at approximately the correct position, then deselect the piece, see whether it's positioned correctly, select it again and move it another one or two pixels.
I would suggest to make the frame one (or perhaps even two) pixels larger on all sides.
#99

2) Disable saving replay of solved levels
Currently one can save replays for solved levels, even though they are saved automatically (if the corresponding option is enabled). I don't see a reason why this should be possible? Why not display the text "Replay auto-saved" instead of the button "Save replay"?
#100

3) Auto-save replay of solved levels when moving to post-view box
As far as I can tell, the replay is auto-saved after hitting "Exit" in the post-view box. I am currently not sure whether replays will be saved as well, if I restart the level or if I kill Lix by hitting the "x" in the top right corner? Anyway, doesn't it make more sense to save the replay directly after ending the level?
#100 too

4) Order replays first according to level position, then according to auto/manual
When I look for replays, I cannot remember whether a replay was auto-saved or manually saved, but I know the folder of the corresponding level. But the current basic distinction between auto/manual means, that I have to first have to go deep into the "auto" branch, search for my replay there, then go back all the way, select the "manual" branch, go again through all subfolder, ... Much better if I go once to the folder corresponding to the level folder and choose there between auto and manual (and perhaps go back one step if I chose the wrong option).
will reply here -- Simon

5) Right-click anywhere exits menus
Apart from being a hidden hotkey, this begs the question: What do you do, if someone reassigned right-click to some other function in the menu options?
#101

[Simon]

Excellent. These inconsistencies are blind spots after using the thing for many years.

Your 2), why allow manual save: Maybe you want the same file in both the auto dir, and in the manual dir, because the replay is extremely special? >_>; Ties in with your 4).

Your 4), how to manage replays: I have pondered often whether the program should interpret the replay tree as a database. Then you can sort by level, or by auto-manual.

I forgot whether we have discussed this: Put auto-replays and manual-replays into the same directory, maybe give them different names. I believe that some were afraid of clutter.

-- Simon

[Simon]

Please make "unpause when a skill is assigned" an option; I find this change very annoying. Regardless of the option, double-clicking nuke should always unpause, since the player only does this when they want to immediately end.
#97

Lix 0.6.3 unpauses on nuke. And we advance by 1 frame on assignment, even though we don't unpause. This extra feedback goes a long way -- try it for a day or two.

If you then still want the option to unpause on assignment, I'll make the option. Assignment is the most important thing in the game, it must be right, and it may not be annoying at all. The option should offer a) unpause, b) stay paused and advance 1 frame, c) stay paused and don't advance, allowing multiple assignments in one frame.

-- Simon