Added option to control whether game titles are displayed

[pbone64]

Preview of a game card with the option disabled:

Partially fixes #196

[kra-mo]

Ugh, I somehow didn't notice #196, but the disabling of titles came up before in #176 as well as on Discord/Matrix in the past where I explained why I would be against it.

So sorry, but I will have to close this, as well as #196.

[pbone64]

I've read your concerns on #176 and the Discord server. I agree that sgdb is prone to serving incorrect titles and that titles are useful for search. I think that the option should still be present as I believe in giving the user control, but I have two alternative suggestions:

1. The hide title option could be per-game. This fixes the issues where a game's [official/sgdb] cover doesn't feature its title, as the user would be able to see the mismatch and fix the cover before going titleless.
2. The option could be hidden from the UI, and a documentation page could be written that gives the gsettings schema and key after explaining the downfalls of hidden titles. In short, the user would have to go out of their way and read about the possible issues before activating the mode.

[kra-mo]

These would go against the design principles of the app and the GNOME ecosystem in general. A lot of compromises have to be made when designing software and I'm afraid this is one of them. Making something that works for most people most of the time is more important than something that works for all people all at the cost of their time and effort.

[pbone64]

I can see why requiring a gsettings command to change the setting would go against the design principles, but how does the per-game title option violate them? I maintain that it fixes both the searching problem and title mismatch problem by:

1. Letting the user keep the titles on if they decide they prefer to have a consistent location to scan while searching. It would also let them keep it on for a specific game if its cover art doesn't promenentaly display the title.
2. Giving the user a chance to solve title/cover mismatches when automatically fetched from sgdb.

If you wish to avoid adding too many options: why does this qualify for being excluded? In my eyes it's a reasonable feature and one that multiple users have requested, not just an edge-case option that clutters the preferences menu. I understand wanting to keep the UI clean and consistent, but I do not see why that must come at the cost of oft-requested and simple features.

[kra-mo]

Because these users' needs are already fulfilled by the app. Configuring whether a title is shown per-game would take a lot of effort. And I would not compromise usability and simplicity for aesthetics.

If you think this is a reasonable feature, I want you to think about why it is not present in any other piece of software.

[kra-mo]

One could argue that hiding labels anywhere would make a UI cleaner or better-looking for those who do not need them at that moment. But it does not follow that designers should therefore allow those labels to be hidden.

A minimal mount of visual noise for seasoned or well-organized users is a good compromise for having an app be less overwhelming and noisy for everyone else.

[pbone64]

Responses

If you think this is a reasonable feature, I want you to think about why it is not present in any other piece of software.

Steam's card gallery doesn't display game titles separately either. I know that you've commented on this before - that it is different because Steam game cover images are set by the developer - but exposing this feature as an option allows users a choice. I do not think it should be enabled by default but it allows the option to users who have set up their library with this in mind (by ensuring their cover images feature the games title or are otherwise recognizable to them).

One could argue that hiding labels anywhere would make a UI cleaner or better-looking for those who do not need them at that moment. But it does not follow that designers should therefore allow those labels to be hidden.

I do not agree that hiding labels throughout the entire app is equivalent to hiding labels in a specific context where the labels are often duplicate information (because covers often feature the game's title). Labels in other contexts (such as the settings menu) describe information which isn't as obvious as in the context of a label for a game below a cover already feature the game's title.

My thoughts

I'm sorry, but I don't understand how the option to hide titles makes the app overwhelming and noisy. It seems to me much smaller than the entire page to configure sgdb - a feature which could be easily achieved by downloading images from sgdb and setting them manually. I'm not against the sgdb feature - I used it myself before moving to downloading images manually because I didn't like the default covers - but it is an example of an existing feature in Cartridges that isn't required to fulfill the simple goal of being a game launcher.

tl;dr The sgdb cover auto-downloading is an existing feature that isn't required for Cartridges to function as a game launcher but is included regardless. What makes this visual option different?

[kra-mo]

but exposing this feature as an option allows users a choice. I do not think it should be enabled by default but it allows the option to users who have set up their library with this in mind (by ensuring their cover images feature the games title or are otherwise recognizable to them).

My concern was never that this could not be useful. It's that the setting clutters up the UI.

I do not agree that hiding labels throughout the entire app is equivalent to hiding labels in a specific context where the labels are often duplicate information

Labels in many places contain duplicate information. Just under this comment box:

The icons and labels describe the same thing, the labels just do it in more detail. Both have a different purpose. Just like with game titles and covers, titles are meant to be easily glanceable and covers are meant to be aesthetic.

You don't even need a game's title at all if you can recognize it just from the cover, even if it does not feature the title.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand how the option to hide titles makes the app overwhelming and noisy

By itself it does not. But adding an option for every trivial thing is how you get cluttered UI over time. Why not add a feature to make game titles bigger? Some people might prefer that. How about you know, the other part of #196, resizing game covers? How about autostart? Some people might only use their computers for gaming!

I could think of thousands of potential features, but as a general rule, if either less than 10% of users would flick a switch or they would not be significantly impacted by flicking it, it is better not to add it, unless it makes it literally impossible for some people to use the software properly. I know that people have written extensively about the cost of settings in the past, you can probably find lots of testimonies and research if you are interested.

a feature which could be easily achieved by downloading images from sgdb and setting them manually

That's the keyword. A feature. Something that changes the app's actual behavior, as opposed to hiding titles, which does not. It's an aesthetic thing, meaning is is basically infinitely less useful than any actual feature no matter how trivial. It is not something that significantly effects anyone's use of the app.

[pbone64]

As much as I want to respond, I recognize that I will not be able to change your mind.

[kra-mo]

You can still respond.