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* General newbie help ideas:
* Refer the player to a more detailed manual (online or perhaps also
distributed with the client) for comprehensive information about
specific topics. The newbie player would probably have to read
more than he could while playing if we told him everything in-game.
* Add options:
* to select how many newbie help topics/lines to display
maximally.
* to set a time-out for newbie help topics. Should be quite
long as default so that non native english speakers and
slow-readers can read it comfortably. Keep in mind that
the player has more things to do than only read the newbie
help ... Time-out should be per line of text, so that a
topic with 2 lines times-out after twice the time.
* to set a key to acknowledge a newbie help topic, so that
it times out immediately making room for the next topic.
* Remember which help topics have already been shown in this session
and using a status file (e.g. "$HOME/.bloodspilot-newbiehelp") also
overall. Do not redisplay topics.
Add an option/button "restart newbie help", which erases the newbie-
help history, so that it restarts with the most basic topics.
* In the config menus add mouse-over (bubble) help or click help.
Display the help text that comes with each option.
* Reserve the upper area of the window exclusively for the newbie help
(e.g. 8 lines as default). If one topic uses more text than fits
into this area, use the newbie help acknowledge key to select the
next page.
The config help could also be displayed in this area and clicking
on the option name again would select the next page if one exists.
* Finish the key config mode (kps). Should be very useful.
* Display messages from the warn() and error() functions additionally
in the newbie help area. This will make them more noticeable than
their regular stdout location. Messages from fatal() shouldn't
make sense to redirect, because the client would quit before the
newbie would read it. The merely informative messages from
xpinfo(), should also not be redirected. They are not really
important and would only distract.
* General client advice:
* Describe elements of the client window:
* menus
* talk messages, game messages
* scorelist:
* names, status (waiting, playing, dead, robot, tank),
lives, score, teams
* HUD (i.e. head up display, i.e. information layed over
the game world)
* extended HUD values
* HUD radar, HUD wall radar
* visible area
* welcome window:
* local/internet buttons
* server selection, extended information, ping time
* extended configuration editing .xpilotrc
* Mention keys:
* to control the ship
* to use items (depending on availability, when picking up an item)
* to (de-)activate mouse steering
* to (team-)talk
* client commands (\help)
* server commands (/help)
* Give general map advice:
* race map?
* team play? team immunity?
* treasures? deadly? popping?
* targets? kills team?
* limited lives?
* max round time?
* Fuel warning when low:
* which key? To move close to a box.
* no fuel boxes available?
* self destruct key
* NG server?
* ship can still fly, but _very_ slowly
* fuel items
* fuel makes ship slower
P.S.: Is there a better way of posting a tab-indented text on this forum than
enclosing it in {code}{/code} bbcode? Here the result looks rather small.