I keep instinctively reading the scale icons as "higher is better" and then thinking "Oh, scales. Lower is better".
This is true ... it's not obvious whether the icon with a raised human means "this OXP lifts the player" or "this OXP gives more weight to NPCs". The whole idea of scales/seesaw to refer to "balance" is a good one, but at the moment the icons probably need some sort of text explanation. Maybe it would be better to lose the scales/seesaw, and just to have a human figure or a computer icon with a + or a - (or an up arrow or a down arrow) next to it?
Even with the icons, though, I still think it's worth encouraging all OXP wiki pages to carry a short "Effects on Game Balance" section - even if all it says is "Effects on Game Balance: none".
Maybe: 1+2 are only showing that the balance gets altered in favour of xyz. E.g. for 1 it doesn't matter if the Players strength/powers/possibilities are increased or the NPCs decreased. 3+4 are showing that power/strength/difficulty gets raised/lowered for both. I doubt that more differentiation is suitable for icons, e.g. by using different icons for weight changes, power changes, etc.
The short hover text (see the example on the OXPIconSummary page) can be used to give some details about the meaning, although I don't think that a 'balance changing' icon would need more than a few words. The icons are not there to replace in-depth explanations and I agree that a short "Effects on Game Balance" section really makes sense.
Maybe: 1+2 are only showing that the balance gets altered in favour of xyz.
I'm just not sure whether the first icon - with the computer down and the player up - means "this OXP is tilted in favour of the player" or "this OXP is tilted in favour of the NPCs". Basically, it's not clear (to me, anyway!) whether being up or down on the balance is good or bad ... "up" could be good because it's higher, or "down" could be good because it's heavier. 1 and 2 might be easier to read if the one which means "this OXP is tilted in favour of the player" only had a player figure on it, and the one which means "this OXP is tilted in favour of the NPCs" only had a computer on it, e.g.:
(assuming "up" is good ... )
I'm just not sure whether the first icon - with the computer down and the player up - means "this OXP is tilted in favour of the player" or "this OXP is tilted in favour of the NPCs". Basically, it's not clear (to me, anyway!) whether being up or down on the balance is good or bad ... "up" could be good because it's higher, or "down" could be good because it's heavier.
Neither 'good', nor 'bad'. I'll try to explain what I had in mind (sorry - I'm really bad at this kind of stuff):
The icon does not show the change itself, it shows that the result of a change causes a shift. So it is not relevant if a weighting has been changed, the strength or other factors. There's also no 'good' or 'bad', only 'a shift happens in direction of xyz'. This way it stays neutral. So if the Player is lifted, the shift happens in direction of the Player.
Better? Or to abstract?
Disembodied wrote:
1 and 2 might be easier to read if the one which means "this OXP is tilted in favour of the player" only had a player figure on it, and the one which means "this OXP is tilted in favour of the NPCs" only had a computer on it, e.g.:
(assuming "up" is good ... )
I think you need both to get the relation right. The seesaw is just the vehicle, a helper, to show the difference.
Being a physicist my opinion of the scales (originally) and later, the seesaw, is that is an OXP "weights" the advantage towards the player (makes it easier for the player to trade/fight/refuel etc) then the seesaw (for example) should have the player closer to the "ground" because the OXP weighs more heavily in his/her favour...
Looks like the seesaw is the problem. It is perfect to relate things to each other, but it implies that it is a weight, not a direction. For a icon on the other side 'up' is usually the 'higher rated' value.
Yes, I tend to agree. The scales are more 'intuitive' than the see-saw.
Alternatively, why not just have a 'human' or 'computer' icon to indicate which is favoured? A human icon means the player is favoured, and vice-versa.
Commander Smivs, the friendliest Gourd this side of Riedquat.
Most games have some sort of paddling-pool-and-water-wings beginning to ease you in: Oolite takes the rather more Darwinian approach of heaving you straight into the ocean, often with a brick or two in your pockets for luck. ~ Disembodied
Given this is all entirely subjective and very much open to personal opinion (and that we're talking about a single player game) - is all of this actually worth it? Or are we just risking causing further confusion and upset/offence? It's along the same lines as scoring/ranking OXPs that was mooted at one point, and was thrown out for that very reason...
I can't say I'm that keen on having any of my OXPs linked to any of this at all. The spin-off thought about new player recommendations is much more valid (albeit still very much subjective as that discussion is now showing), but this whole thread seems to be going off in a direction I'm not very willing to have my OXPs follow.
I'm feeling similarly to Thargoid. All the icons don't seem to make things simpler. In the worst case they add a layer of confusion. And the OXPs that I'm concerned about, because they seem "cheaty" to me aren't covered anyway. And they seem to elicit the reaction that it's none of my business anyway to be concerned about other people's OXPs.
![[EliteWiki]](/images/elitewikismall.png){kind=small}
OXPIconSummary page) can be used to give some details about the meaning, although I don't think that a 'balance changing' icon would need more than a few words. The icons are not there to replace in-depth explanations and I agree that a short "Effects on Game Balance" section really makes sense.
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