New feature: Redesigned Sidebar

Like previous features, redesigning the sidebar was inspired by the remastered C&C series.

This is the current sidebar in DEMO 4:

As you can see a classing one-icon-row with buttons (and scrolling), and at the left buttons to switch between ‘lists’ or ‘building types’. This was more than 10 years ago.

With the inspiration from C&C Remastered, and C&C 3 I made it like this:

Changes

1. The minimap went to the top
2. The sidebar is a bit wider
3. The sidebar has no list, but a grid of icons
4. The upgrade button is gone, it has been replaced by an ‘upgrades’ list (House of IX button, at the right)
5. Some lists are merged into one, ie Quads/Trikes can be built in the same tab as tanks and the like. Yet, you can still build them at the same time. (because, different structure types)
6. Credits at the top do not have the word “Credits” (its obvious enough)
7. The “order” button for Starport is gone (it is in the Starport tab)

Upgrades

At the most right tab you can select possible upgrades. These apply to certain structures. Ie the 4SLAB upgrade applies to the Construction Yard, the MCV upgrade applies to the Heavy Factory.

When choosing to build, the corresponding icons from the Structure being upgrade are blocked so that you cannot build them while the upgrade is in progress:

This is just like in Dune 2 where you can either upgrade OR you can build a unit.

Multiple unit types in one tab

The light factory, heavy factory and high-tech have been merged into a single list. This means trikes, quads, tanks and air units are built from the same tab. However, their types are taken into consideration when building so you can still build several unit types at the same time.

This also applies to upgrades, if you would initiate an upgrade for the MCV- this will upgrade the Heavy Factory and thus block all unit production from such structures. However, production from a light factory is still allowed, and thus showed as such:

Upgrades blocked by production of unit or structure

As seen, when upgrading it will block construction of the corresponding structure. Ie, Constyard upgrading means blocking Constyard not able to build structures.

However, this also is the other way around. Like, if you construct anything from a Heavy Factory you are unable to upgrade the Heavy Factory. Hence you see this:

Starport / Ordering units

The starport functionality remains the same as before, with as most noticable change that the Order button is moved inside the sidebar, cutting off 3 icons from the grid (the bottom row):

House Emblem when no Radar available

A small touch, but nonetheless cool to see is to have a house emblem rendered at the minimap when no Radar is built:

Other improvements

• when radar is low power, you will be able to see friendly units only (like Dune 2)

As you can see, it was quite a change. It required some rewriting because of a different paradigm with “building things” and “upgrading things”.