Group goal progress banner improved but....

SupremeFettucine

Just sent this message to support. They said they'd forward it along as feedback to dev team but I wanted to post it here too in case Dashing Mike (or anyone else from Glu who might be monitoring this thread) has other channels to nudge it through -- and also to ask you guys what you think of the new design

QUOTE:
Well, the new update DID address the obliterated timer issue! That was fast!

Problem is, that while the banner in newest update seems to display for a slightly shorter amount of time and no longer obstructs the timer at the top of the screen -- which is really fantastic, THANK YOU!! -- it now obstructs the area and ingredients at the bottom of the screen, making it quite difficult to know exactly where to tap to grab the correct item while the banner is present.

Might it, perhaps, be possible in a future update to have that information display simply as words (with an outline so clearly visible across all the multicolored venue graphics) rather than putting it in a banner/box which, by its very nature, will overlay whatever lies below?

Dropping the progress info to the bottom of the screen was a brilliant move, it's far less intrusive there yet still allows the player to keep track of goal status at a glance. Turns out, it's the banner/background rectangle which is the real culprit; it'll just block out all the relevant/active background game field no matter where it is located!

So, to recap more succinctly: Moving status info to bottom of screen was brilliant! Background rectangle of info box still blocks active game field though. Consider removing background banner/box for type-only status alerts (keeping them at bottom of screen)?
END QUOTE

Any opinions?

DashingMike

Hey there! If you tap on the popup, it should go away. Does this make it a bit easier to work with?

Asentinn

It was dismissable last time, yet it still affected the gameplay.

SupremeFettucine

Thanks DashingMike but no, actually. As Asentinn wrote, it still interferes with gameplay. My experience is that when my hands are full, tapping the places where, below the banner, lie the targets I'm trying to combine with my in-hand ingredients, the banner does not get dismissed.

Because it's been changed, I'll have to work with it more to see if there's just a learning curve or if it remains an issue. But my first impression is that a tap makes me nervous -- I associate taps with actions! The chance for unintended/unwanted results to occur from tapping to dismiss, esp with ingredients in-hand, seems quite high. After all, there is already the issue (I'm not sure if it has been resolved in the latest update but, either way, it illustrates my point) of the absolute opposite of what customers have ordered being ridiculously created when working two-handed (as per another thread). So, again, tapping in any active game area makes me nervous!

Not to mention, My natural inclination is to perform a flick/swipe gesture to dismiss a banner, not to tap...

Leebra

I loathe the new position of the banner with a passion, it has really spoiled the game for me.

Unless I'm missing something, i do not understand why it needed to be moved at all, something about obstructing the timer?

I'd rather it obstructed the timer for a few seconds than the ingredients, I certainly don't care about seeing the timer. The whole game is about preparing the dishes/serving as quickly as you can and seeing a timer does nothing to help that, just play the game fast!

I've tried tapping the banner to make it go away and the result is that i pick up ingredients from beneath it that i didn't want. If the banner is staying there from now on then that problem should at least be fixed.

DashingMike

Thanks for responding back with the feedback. I'll pass it along to the team and see if we can make the notification where it doesn't bother during gameplay.

SupremeFettucine

Leebra wrote: »

I've tried tapping the banner to make it go away and the result is that i pick up ingredients from beneath it that i didn't want. If the banner is staying there from now on then that problem should at least be fixed.

That's exactly what I feared would happen when tapping in the active game field!

Yes, DashingMike, please do encourage the dev team to come up with a solution which does not obstruct crucial game information and which doesn't cause unintended results (as in the tap to dismiss picking up ingredients from underneath).

Again, I'm all for a simple flick/swipe to dismiss the banner, wherever it might appear on screen, although a totally new graphic solution would really be appreciated. Knowing the progress made on GGs is nice but utterly secondary to the myriad things we are focused on accomplishing during episodes/duels. A much smaller graphic, a check mark or dot, even a unique aural ping or chime (maybe not a sound cue as not fair for deaf players), would do just fine for the purpose.

SupremeFettucine

OMG, the spam on this forum is getting outta control!

LadyinDenim

I don't want the banner at all while I'm cooking. Just tell me after the episode what progress was made.

Was dueling and it obliterated the ingredients on LL. No thanks.

Chefboirdee

Leebra wrote: »

I'd rather it obstructed the timer for a few seconds than the ingredients, I certainly don't care about seeing the timer.

I agree with this. Covering the timer was WAAAYYY better than covering ingredients. If you are that worried about the timer then you are playing the game wrong! Please change it back...

mommin16

I completely agree! I don't want the banner at all while I'm cooking. Just tell me after the episode what progress was made.

LadyinDenim

Thanks for putting it back on top!

SupremeFettucine

I don't know what I was thinking saying it was a brilliant move -- I couldn't possibly have dueled with this ridiculously obstructive configuration when I wrote that post! The banner at the bottom is a horrible "solution" -- it hides more active game area than when the banner appeared at the top!

There MUST be a better way (I can think of at least 5 just now off the top of my head) to configure this info without obstructing ANY live gameplay areas! One suggestion I mentioned previously is a very small button or checkmark, well out of the way of ANY text/info or food prep areas etc (i. e. any part of the active gameplay screen, which is most of what we see) that could blink when a GG contribution has been acknowledged. This could be followed up with a full tally at the end, on a separate screen, detailing what goal is active and what progress we have made on it. As many posters have said, if this type of final summary screen is all there is, that would be enough, in fact, would make a refreshing change to the already info-packed screens! It REALLY is not info we need during a duel anyway and ceratinly is not needed during a regular episode -- we can wait until the end for a final tally.

If these are the only alternatives GLU can think of -- a banner at the top obscuring the timer, a banner at the bottom obscuring a huge swath of ingredients/gameplay area, or, truly, a banner anywhere -- GLU needs to know that they are not viable contenders! More creative solutions must be designed...or just keep it simple and summarize progress after a duel/episode ends 

Whatever you do, please do SOMETHING asap. This current situation is just horrible!  

Thank you!