Now where did i put that damned needle?

[Crosshair]

Its a simple suggestion, and probably one that will be shouted down in a hail of elitist comments, but still.

If when you want to start a project that needs tools, and you are not sure if you have them nor not, and dont want to look in your inventory cause your browser is slow, then perhaps could it be programmed to make the writing green if you have the tool, and red if you do not.

as in

Tools needed:
Needle
Bone fur scraper

[Agar]

This suggestion has both good and bad sides to it, but overall sounds like a good idea.

Now, the biggest argument against it I can think of is that your browser will be even slower if it checks your inventory every time you start a project. Some of those weapon projects need five tools or so, and things like this would be very very useful, but that also means it has to check your inventory five times when you start the project.

Another minor argument would be a different choice of colors, as green on green usually proves hard to read. Minor issue, but could just disslove the discussion to everyone shouting for thier favorite color or debating the theoretical psychological impact of certain colors.

On the plus side, this does provide an earlier layer of self correcting. "Oh wait, I shouldn't add this last scrap of iron that I posses to that saber blade before I build that peen hammer I don't seem to have." It's a great way to keep you from starting projects you might have the materials for, but not the tools.

I like it, it'd help in the long run, but it will slow down that bit of the game for including it.

[Sunni Daez]

Now, the biggest argument against it I can think of is that your browser will be even slower if it checks your inventory every time you start a project. Some of those weapon projects need five tools or so, and things like this would be very very useful, but that also means it has to check your inventory five times when you start the project.

Slower? Not good at all..

On the plus side, this does provide an earlier layer of self correcting. "Oh wait, I shouldn't add this last scrap of iron that I posses to that saber blade before I build that peen hammer I don't seem to have." It's a great way to keep you from starting projects you might have the materials for, but not the tools. .

Well...It would be a nice bonus..but as with any of lifes challenges..make sure you got what you need before you get started....I mean..you wouldn't start building a house IRL without making sure you had a hammer first

[Racetyme]

I don't see it as necessary, I think the new slowness would balance out any potential gain for those of you who don't want to load up new pages, so it wouldn't be any faster for you, and just make things slower for people who have good connections.

[kabl00ey]

I'd like a ProgD opinion on this "slowness" before everyone starts taking it as gospel. Personally I don't think it would add much time to page-loading: it's not like somewhere on the server it has to load the inventory page five times, like someone suggested - it's all stored in a database where the information shouldn't take much more time to access, and barely any more time to send.

[wichita]

I like it. Even though your inventory might be a bit crowded for your eyes to pick the tool out (especially having clicked back over from the activity page to hunt for it) it still shouldn't be that many entries to scan through. In the long run it should put less demand on the server than me clicking back and forth four to six times because I am too scatterbrained to remember a tool list between page A and page B.

[Sarah]

Maybe I misunderstand, but I thought the original suggestion was to show whether or not you have the tools needed while looking at the activity, not the inventory? That makes more sense to me than showing the different colors on the inventory page. . . . And I do like the suggestion.

[Chris Johnson]

Well, It's an additional overhead ..... ... but not a great one , as a guesstimate it would be about 10% more load/time per tool required ..may be a little more .

With the current background color and methods of highlighting information , it may be best to just use bold white and grey (similar to how active and your own active projects are displayed)

In that case I'd have thought it better to highlight the required tools you do have have in your inventory , as opposed to highlighting ones you don't have.

[wichita]

No you understand it, Sarah. I was referring to the fact that the server would have to scan your inventory in order to define which of the tools in the activity screen should be highlighted. Highlighting the tools in the inventory would just make it look like the technicolor dreamcoat or something.

And I think Chris is right about the White and Grey coloring theme. It is familiar to us all and gets the job done.

[Pie]

This is perfict

1300 1 you say "CRAP!!!"

1300 you do not have the tools to work on claymoor

[Chris Johnson]

This has now been implemented

[Nick]

I don't have an account to check out what this looks like, but am I the only one to pick this out?

Green writing on green background?

[Chris Johnson]

With the current background color and methods of highlighting information , it may be best to just use bold white and grey (similar to how active and your own active projects are displayed)

Octavio implemented it using the above method

[Marian]

This is really helpful, thanks! It seems like there's been lots of neat little changes lately.

[swymir]

Props to Program Department for implementing things no one can get angry about.