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So many buttons

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At this point, one of the buttons has already been pushed off the page. (Retreat zone)

Is this a problem?
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12 years ago
I actually don't think it's a huge problem since you only see most of those buttons when you select-all, and in that case you're probably only using the common ones. The important thing is that the unit-specific stuff get stuck at the end (load/unload, command-fire, etc.)

Although slightly-related - am I the only one who finds the disembark/embark behavior a bit confusing? I can't get "disembark" to do anything on a unit. If I pick a unit, select "embark" and then queue some move commands before the transport picks it up, it disembarks automatically when it arrives at the destination (heaven help me if I don't queue the moves until after the transport arrives). If I select a unit that's in a transport, the orders don't get relayed to the transport, so the disembark button does nothing.

I suppose I should create a new thread for that... the embark button is wonderful but seems warty.
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12 years ago
Note that I have 2 units selected in that image.
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12 years ago
To be fair, those are the two units with the most icons. The jumping commander is a builder, a d-gunner, and a jumper, and thus carries the jump/d-gun/builder UI. The transport adds the transport UI... so while it is "just two units", it's probably the single strongest combination of two units you could come up with.

But the point is still well-made.
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12 years ago
Yeah, you're right that it's a little bit of a niche situation, but not necessarily an uncommon one. There are other buttons that can come into play also; I am especially thinking of morph because units can have more than one morph option even.

I think some buttons can certainly be removed. Like MOVE for example, I don't think anyone needs a move button to figure out that they can move their units around in an RTS.

I have my own opinion on other ways to trim the buttons down but I wanted to hear other opinions because I feel like I too often strongly push my own, and that compromises my attempt at overall objectivity.
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12 years ago
Strongly disagree with removing move. It makes the move hotkey discoverable and likewise the concept that the move command is distinct from the fight command.

I'd kill morphs out of the game before taking the move button, but I'm a big fan of making gameplay follow UI... If a game feature doesn't fit the UI, kill it. Maybe move morphs to a new tab?
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12 years ago
Why we need a hotkey for move when we can use the right click?
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12 years ago
How many times have you used "m" to move units? I'm 100% for removal of the move command. It is redundant since the default right click command for every mobile unit is move.
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12 years ago
I've used it to line-move a constructor. That's niche, though.
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This is why we didn't add set/remove target buttons initially. I honestly still think they should be automatic with a manual attack order ('stop' to clear). 100% that morphs should be in the 'units' tab, except maybe comm.
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12 years ago
I never had an issue with buttons. They are easy to ignore but also easy to find when in need.
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Skasi
12 years ago
A year ago I used M for move very very often for builders. That's the time when I got all the my reclaim awards.

Anyway! What I want to say is that play styles, both strategy and control wise, differ a lot among players and that none should be at a disadvantage when it comes to the most basic things such as the move button.

If you really want to have more space for commands, then move "Wait" to unit states.
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12 years ago
Are unit states queueable?
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Skasi
12 years ago
I think so, but I'm not sure. Does it really matter if Wait's the only queue-able unit state? Nubs don't know how it works/never use it anyway and pros would know/find out anyway.
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12 years ago
... point. It would be nice if there was some way that begin/end actions like settarget/cleartarget and load/unload and embark/disembark could be coupled somehow, and hidden based on the status of the unit and its queue. But it would be messy if you had a heterogeneous group of units (IE a group of transports where some have stuff loaded and some don't), and you'd have to hide/show the redundant button depending on whether the player was holding "shift" or not.

You could split the button in half for two half-sized buttons and have the half-sized buttons merge in cases where the action is unambiguous, but that would be an assload of contextual checking.
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12 years ago
@luckywaldo's first post:
You have F for patrol, not P?
There are 5 transport buttons and 5 attack-buttons (with fight)? LOL, never noticed that OVERKILL!

@maakey:
I use m to move a Krow over a big factory or over a buildings when I have a repair-zone over these.

@ALL:
can we not add options to hide wer and asdfg buttons? they are so common.
[color=grey]* A good idea for my Chili_Border_Menu, once the bugs are fixed...[/color]

Can we not use shift for queuing, ignore CRTL for unit-commands and - especially - use ALT to toggle between Move/Fight, Load/Unload, Attack/SetTarget, Embark/Disembark, Repair/Reclaim?
* The indicator would be a half/half-ed button icon

If you have only 1 morph or only 1 thing that would open another tab, just keep it in the first one (AND the second one ofc)
* Pxtl> But that would be an assload of contextual checking.
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12 years ago
Yeah 'F' for both Fight and Patrol, because Patrol is just a fight command that automatically repeats, and its way easier to shift + double-tap F than shift+P. So it makes sense and it's easier to play with.

I've doubled some other commands in my effort to try to 'optimize' my hotkeys, like attack and then area attack both on 'A'. Unfortunately, there is an engine bug that prevents it from working perfectly: http://springrts.com/mantis/view.php?id=3074
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12 years ago
I prefer to use "ALT" for state-shifts in my key-layout - alt-F for firestate, alt-M for movestate, and so on. Personally, I use "CTRL" for the alternate forms of common actions... we already have that a bit - D and CTRL-D for d-gun and self-destruct, I use CTRL-R for resurrect, and T/CTRL-T for target and clear-target.
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maybe the size of button can be scaled down :D . For example, when we use smaller font size (springsetting.cfg: fontSize=XX) all the UI become smaller too! -maybe this could also fix stuff for people who are using low-resolution or wanted smaller UI. :D

I'm sure someone/someday could expand the menu's capability (to handle more buttons & also show weapon's cooldown) :D
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12 years ago
Or scale down the buttons when they overstep the page's space.
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