1) Layout:

The main screen to be broadly similar to Civ2 - ie. a BIG main map screen bordered by data panels & optional bells and whistles.

2) Elements onscreen:

Small map: right-clickable for menu: overview of known map (ala prev versions of civ); Pop overlay; Resource overlay; Mil overlay.

Main data panel: Overview of what's going on in the game:

-overall income and expenditures (and allow you to up tax rate...)
-internal political status (Upper Class happy, peasants on the verge of revolt...)
-army size (mobilized / demobilized / mercenary)
-economic status (growth rate shown in icons)
-technological status
-diplomatic state (w/ most important neighbors and is relation getting better or worse)
-type of culture and any directions its moving

Secondary panel: showing contextual data, ie. highlight or click on a TF etc. to see info on the units that make it up along with some pretty pictures.

3) Presentation of data:

Numbers are obviously the main area of contention. The favorite solution at present is to have some overview stat bars as default onscreen, they can be clicked to bring up more detailed information. Some suggestions made:

- Your civilizations happiness could be a bar that goes from black on one end (rebellion) through red, yellow, green, gold (celebration), then if the user wanted to know the exact percentage or the exact number in each category, just click on the bar and pop up a subwindow giving the exact values.

- 'Bars' themselves can be made more visually appealing and informative than either straight bar-graphs or digits. Happy faces for happiness; use of unit badges etc.

- it seems that everyone is in favor of dropping actual numbers as long as the potential complexity of data is retained.

- This also allows for realistic partially-blinkered leadership, ie. it does away with the situation of a player knowing, to the second decimal place, exactly the percentage of food/whatever produced and therefore
micro-managing for hours to max the values.

4) Customization:

Most people seem to like the idea of displays looking appropriate for the Civ using TIF overlays.

What about, ala Netscape/IE web browsers, drag-and-drop/rippable elements - the user chooses what data he wants onscreen at one time alongside the main map/data panel?

B) Interface levels

1) The high-level interface:
Should provide the player with a snapshot of what's going on, and how it compares to that of the main rivals (selected by player).

2) Civ-wide detailed interface:
Here you can pick civ-wide levels of eg. state of economy & top-three to-do picks
of your advisor. There will also be icons leading to micro-management screens.

It would also have a province map leading to...

3) Provincial detailed interface:
Would show most of the stuff in 2, but at the provincial level.

C) General points

Interaction: Mostly mouse based for the beginners, but teaches the player how to use the interface better; uses the mouse and keyboard equally at advanced levels.

Use of right-click context menus similar to SMAC.
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Comments/criticism welcome.

Have I missed anything obvious? Is there anything dreadfully wrong about the way the Interface seems to be heading? Any suggestions for a radically different approach?

As we all know, a bad interface can kill a game, so if you feel strongly about something now would be a pretty good time to voice your concerns

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