[Suggestion] Overlay condensing and layout positioning

[Infinitay]

The new update looks great, thanks for the work. One concern I have with the new changes is the overlay. It's noticeably larger than before. I guess this is because of the extra information and text. I would like to list out a few ideas if you'd be open to hearing them out regarding the overlay:

1. Allow the overlay to be repositioned behind game widgets such as the chat box
   • This would allow for using the Overlay as is, but we can slide it down such that it would be behind our chatbox and we could cut off the excess
2. Allow us to hide "Latest possible"
   • I haven't yet seen if the new version has this behavior, but I liked the "Eligible in overestimate" that would appear after you reach the time threshold.
   • To be honest I don't know why this is needed to be displayed on the overlay. It's already on the panel, and it seems to always be +1 hour of the "Earliest possible"
3. Rewording the labels to be shorter and to fit all in one line
   • This would help prevent it from constantly shifting the overlay size due to the text overflow of the label combined with the different text lengths when the time changes (eg. 11:11 is probably shorter than 59:59
   • "Eligible check in" -> "Window"/"Current Window"/"Spawn Window"
   • "Earliest possible:" -> "Next"/"Next spawn"/"Potential Spawn"
   • "Latest possible:" -> "Latest"/"Latest spawn"/"Cap"/"Spawn cap"
   • With the longer suggestions, you'll have to kindly double check to to see if they still fit in one line - making sure the overlay width doesn't increase due to the labels being pushed down to two lines when the timer is large such as 59:59

EDIT: I'm not sure if this is possible, but what about something like this consisting of only times:

[zmanowar]

Great feedback! I hadn't exactly planned the Overlay rework, but due to the adjusted timing window tracking it ended up needing a small rework. I'd be happy to add config options that allow hiding of certain text / lines or modify it overall.

I could see an extremely minimal version consisting of just times, potentially with popovers on hover that describe what the times mean / pertain to.

After the panel changes I started to implement similar design references in the overlay:

Though the overlay in the screenshot is definitely larger than the previous iterations. There's some text padding and layout optimizations that could shrink it slightly but it'd still be a bit larger than the initial overlay. I'm not sure I like having the spawn window progress bar and would probably just show Waiting / Eligible / Overdue.

Curious to get your thoughts to a few questions:

1. Do you prefer a numeric countdown in the overlay or is there something that would be better represented in an "at a glance" way?
2. Which values in the overlay (or ones that exist in the panel) would be most useful?
3. Do you happen to have an example overlay / screenshot from another plugin that's about the size you're thinking of?
4. Would an infobox approach work for what you're thinking?
   a. An example from the NPC Aggression Timer:
   Note that this would share the same infobox grouping as all other plugins (including potions / boosts).

/e Added an example image of a "Waiting" spawn window with countdown.

[Infinitay]

After the panel changes I started to implement similar design references in the overlay:

To be honestly, I prefer that iteration more than the current just because it already looks more cleaner. The only suggestion I have for that new overlay style would be to avoid having "OVERDUE - Overdue (ext?)" and simply include the time instead since at the current state you'd have two text pieces telling you the same thing. Though I suppose the time would again result in pushing down to the next line... maybe if you get rid of the emojis it'll help?

Curious to get your thoughts to a few questions:

Yea sure, but just keep in mind these are only my thoughts and perhaps it's best to gauge the interest of others as well. Perhaps what I like isn't what everyone else likes.

1. Do you prefer a numeric countdown in the overlay or is there something that would be better represented in an "at a glance" way?

   When you say "at a glance" I am assuming you mean something similar to the new overlay you were working on with the more visual indicators such as the graphs. Honestly, both numerical and graphical is fine in this case. The reworked overlay seems straightforward and tells the player exactly what they need to know. Additionally there's parity with the panel. If you were to provide options, honestly your work in the current state would be fine. If the player wants the graphs, they could toggle it. Otherwise, they could just hide it and be left with the tick counter and the 'Spawn State' (Overdue/Waiting).

2. Which values in the overlay (or ones that exist in the panel) would be most useful?

   The ones I think that are most beneficial and should be there are showing the tick window and the earliest spawn. The tick window lets players know to be ready to leave an instance or go away from a bank to proc the random event. The earliest spawn tells the player when they should start paying attention to the tick window to spawn the events. Also, when I say the earliest spawn detail, you could also keep it simple and just have the overall status similar to what you have on your reworked overlay. That being said, refer to my initial thoughts on your reworked overlay if you'd like because it's perfect aside from a few nit-picks if you don't mind.

3. Do you happen to have an example overlay / screenshot from another plugin that's about the size you're thinking of?

   Not really. The previous overlay size was okay and not too much of a bother. I could raid and there wasn't much overlaps. However with the new overlay, at times it would overlap over another infobox.

   

   Something that could be condensed to the size of the agility overlay would be ideal. Though, with the times and padding, it'll probably be a little longer. Another thing I think that is crucial is to make sure the overlay's bounds doesn't keep shifting as the timer ticks down.

   1. Infoboxes

      I didn't consider using infoboxes at all. Honestly that could be the best of both worlds. Leave the overlay as it is in your reworked state but also add an infobox, and allow the user to choose which they want. You could then display the tick window on the infobox while having the display graphic being a mesh of the panel icon with a '❌' or '✔', or you could use the existing emojis you use for waiting/elligible/overdue - though my only concern is that it won't be as easily identifiable on first glance "oh, this it's for the Random Event Analytics plugin". But I digress, less work and after a day, you'll be accustomed to it.

[runescape010101010101]

Sorry if this was already addressed, but an option for an extremely condensed overlay would be nice.
Something like this:

5 minute - 0:00
Estimate - 0:00

Personally I don't think it needs to be any more than 2 lines. Any additional info is only relevant to people who don't know how random events work. By the way, I've really found the plugin very useful for the few years I've been using it!

[zmanowar]

Thank you both for the great feedback!

Here's a potential slim-rework of the overlay. The background color should be more "at a glance" to determine if you're eligible, though that functionality may be disabled in config.

Another thing I think that is crucial is to make sure the overlay's bounds doesn't keep shifting as the timer ticks down.

Totally agree. With this slim version the overlay no longer shifts as the time length changes.

If the player wants the graphs, they could toggle it.

I'll plan to rework the initial graph view. It should be possible to render the window graph as part of the background of the overlay, allowing the overlay to be more condensed while still representing that bar -- though I need to try a few ideas. For now I'll focus on the slim layout.

By the way, I've really found the plugin very useful for the few years I've been using it!

I appreciate that, very open to feedback!

[runescape010101010101]

Just to be clear, does the earliest start to read "overdue" 1 hour after your last random event? I think the timer should continue to be displayed at that point, because it's useful to know how much time remains until the 2-hour mark (for instance, you're considering logging off for the night, but if there are only 10 minutes remaining until your next guaranteed random, you might consider waiting).

[zmanowar]

"Overdue" would be after the 2 hour mark. The timer will display 00:01 - 59:59 (1-hour until the spawn window opens) and then "Now" until 1:59:59.

Instead of "Now" we could swap "Earliest" to "Latest" and show a countdown until 1:59:59.

/edit: Here's an example of what the overlay will look like while the window is open. "Latest" will count down until the +2 hour mark.

[runescape010101010101]

It could just be me, but I found the second line to be more useful at-a-glance when it was just basically a "time elapsed since last random event." We already know that we're eligible at an hour, and then when the timer reaches 2 hours we know that we're guaranteed a random unless we've done something to delay it. Is there any real reason why the time format has to switch from counting up to counting down? I suppose I would get used to it, but it's been the other way for so long that I don't see the reason for the change.

[Rooxe]

I have nothing of value to add, just that I noticed these changes already and I find it much better than before - thanks for this, I appreciate the effort!

[runescape010101010101]

I'm really liking the interface. Thanks so much for your hard work!