Mouse Menu

QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
in Off-Topic
<div class="IPBDescription">Did NS start a revolution?</div> This is more of a question, than a statement.

The first game I played with the Mouse-Choosetodosomething menu(rclick in NS) was NS.

Oddly enough, I've seen 2 new games using a VERY similar interface: Battlefield 2, and Tribes: Vengeance(though, vengeance is based off of keyboard keys, it still FEELS and LOOKS very similar to the NS one, unlike the traditional list-type thats always been used).

Was there a game before this that had this mouse menu? Is Battlefield 2's mouse menu totally ripping off NS' mouse menu because of its genious(don't bash 'em, please)? Tell tell!
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Comments

  • WheeeeWheeee Join Date: 2003-02-18 Member: 13713Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    NWN wasn't necessarily before, but around that time.
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  • GeminosityGeminosity :3 Join Date: 2003-09-08 Member: 20667Members
    battlezone 2 kinda had it. I don't really remember much about it though because it was so long ago but the 'mouse menu' system's been used in a few things for a while now such as that 3D modelling package I've totally forgotten how to spell... mya or something =3
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  • BaconTheoryBaconTheory Join Date: 2003-09-06 Member: 20615Members
    Maybe so. But is it possible that that particular type of menu has been around for a while? I have never played either of those games so I would'nt know.
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  • MausMaus Join Date: 2002-11-03 Member: 5599Members
    Maya has it, 3dsmax has it, and there was a game I used to have (though I cannot for the life of me remember what it was) that had a cursor key driven one. Oh, and I've played a few flight sims that used a similar system with the joystick hat.
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  • TequilaTequila Join Date: 2003-08-13 Member: 19660Members
    Well, games like System Shock show that the idea has been around a while.
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  • GlissGliss Join Date: 2003-03-23 Member: 14800Members, Constellation, NS2 Map Tester
    Freedom Force? (No, not Fighters, you asshats!)
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  • Status_QuoStatus_Quo Join Date: 2004-01-30 Member: 25749Members
    Pop-up menus is hardly a new concept. I don't know about assigning them to mouse buttons, but what difference does it make what key you press?
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  • EEKEEK Join Date: 2004-02-25 Member: 26898Banned
    Homeworld 1 had right-click menus. And that's a freaking OLD OLD OLD game.
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  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--QuoteBegin-EEK+Aug 29 2004, 02:35 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (EEK @ Aug 29 2004, 02:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Homeworld 1 had right-click menus. And that's a freaking OLD OLD OLD game. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Nonono- I meant progressive menus. Homeworld is basically the windows system.
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  • RellixRellix Join Date: 2003-02-15 Member: 13572Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--QuoteBegin-EEK+Aug 29 2004, 09:35 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (EEK @ Aug 29 2004, 09:35 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> Homeworld 1 had right-click menus. And that's a freaking OLD OLD OLD game. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Its only 5 years old!


    And System Shock 1 had horrendus controls despite its coolness, SS2 also sort of had the same but the idea was more that your interacting with the code pannel or security terminal rather than just having it dont automaticaly.
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  • Umbraed_MonkeyUmbraed_Monkey Join Date: 2002-11-25 Member: 9922Members
    Guys, I dont think he just meant to say ns invented popup menus, I think hes specifically referring to radial menus in fps games. However, NS is the first place Ive seen it done like this, and I do find it convenient. Its easy to reach all commands, and easy to memorize the location...its nearly a mouse guesture (see Opera the browser).
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  • WindelkronWindelkron Join Date: 2002-04-11 Member: 419Members
    pong?
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  • Soylent_greenSoylent_green Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11220Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited August 2004
    ...windows has had right click menus since, win 3.11/ win 95? These have some progressive choices that lead to more choices. This is identical to the NS menu in behavior and but not appearance, the list ones are much better organized and less cluttery.
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  • WheeeeWheeee Join Date: 2003-02-18 Member: 13713Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    read his friggin post, he means radial, progressive menus - i.e. layered menus.
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  • QuaunautQuaunaut The longest seven days in history... Join Date: 2003-03-21 Member: 14759Members, Constellation, Reinforced - Shadow
    <!--QuoteBegin-Wheeee+Aug 29 2004, 03:43 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> (Wheeee @ Aug 29 2004, 03:43 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> read his friggin post, he means radial, progressive menus - i.e. layered menus. <!--QuoteEnd--> </td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'> <!--QuoteEEnd-->
    Yeah. I'm not friggin stupid. You can't even operate these boards for longer than 45 seconds without using rclick anyway.
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  • GeminosityGeminosity :3 Join Date: 2003-09-08 Member: 20667Members
    well I was talking about radial menus ~shrugs and smiles~
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  • Dr_ShaggyDr_Shaggy Join Date: 2002-09-26 Member: 1340Members, Constellation
    If you browse with firefox you can get this <a href='http://www.radialthinking.de/radialcontext/' target='_blank'>Radial Context Menus</a> extension. When you get used to using it, it makes for some speedy navigation. I believe there is another similar extension but this is the one I've used for awhile.
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  • iFireiFire Join Date: 2002-07-31 Member: 1038Members
    Nothing in computing is old, everything is a rehash of everything. That's why patnents are bad.
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  • ThansalThansal The New Scum Join Date: 2002-08-22 Member: 1215Members, Constellation
    yah, the radial menu (I got what you ment <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->) system has been around for a while.

    Though ussing it in a game is a fairly new concept (yes jemma, I know there are a few old ones <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif' /><!--endemo-->) that is spreading quickly.

    though NWN came out after NS (I Think) it was in dev at the same time...

    I think they recently started becoming very popular for 'nix bassed stuff, and I am guessing that is where the currecnt popularity comes from.
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  • venomusvenomus Join Date: 2002-11-16 Member: 8951Members
    Sacrifice.
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  • Soylent_greenSoylent_green Join Date: 2002-12-20 Member: 11220Members, Reinforced - Shadow
    edited August 2004
    <!--QuoteBegin--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td><b>QUOTE</b> </td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'><!--QuoteEBegin--> read his friggin post, he means radial, progressive menus - i.e. layered menus.<!--QuoteEnd--></td></tr></table><div class='postcolor'><!--QuoteEEnd-->

    But the windows menus are IDENTICAL in function, they do branch out progressively as much as they need and they appear when you right click. All you need to change is the drawing routine into one where branches are in a messy grid and there you are. NS menus aren't radial.

    edit: *mutters something about NS menus being like blue crystals in diswasher detergents* <!--emo&;)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html//emoticons/wink-fix.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='wink-fix.gif' /><!--endemo-->
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  • coilcoil Amateur pirate. Professional monkey. All pance. Join Date: 2002-04-12 Member: 424Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    Soylent, the difference between a traditional Windows right-click menu and a radial menu is that on average, you travel less distance to reach a given item. Take the Windows menu: every step you take is either right or down. So option #4, whatever it is, is four times farther from your starting point than option #1.

    By contrast, look at NS's four-point radial menu. The first four options are all equidistant from your starting point, and you can therefore reach #4 as quickly as you reach #1 (or #2, or #3). The entire menu is compressed without any added confusion.

    So while a radial menu may not be reinventing the wheel, it *is* putting a racing stripe on it to make it go faster. (;
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  • Firestorm2Firestorm2 Join Date: 2004-08-09 Member: 30473Members
    Many of you have misinterpreted his post

    List menus i beg to differ, are far inferior to radials

    One big list - WTH is that ? Ugly, inelegant - and how to organize ? i can pick words right out of a list immediately but even I hate them. in comparison to radials, that is. hahaha
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