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'Wait: Death, Gather, Squad, Timer' Hotkeys

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USrankApollyon
6 years ago
what does the 'wait: deah, gather, squad, timer' hot keys do? didn't find anything in the manual about them.
+1 / -0
USrankcathartes
6 years ago
I played with them a while ago in a test game (with inactive AI); this is what I recall:

Normal wait: wait until the wait command is cancelled.
Death: wait until the selected unit dies (e.g. you have some units waiting on an enemy turret's death-by-artillery before moving into the defended area).
Gather: wait until all units in the group arrive at their commanded locations (e.g. you give a line-move command and want units to sync up before proceeding).
Squad: wait until some chosen number of units are made (so your factory sends groups of units instead of a one-at-a-time stream).
Timer: wait for some number of seconds.
+2 / -0

USrankApollyon
6 years ago
cool, sounds like a great feature. however, how do i execute the commands. sandboxed it, but couldn't make it work.
+0 / -0

PLrankAdminSprung
6 years ago
Press the hotkey button and then:
  • normal: nothing, the command has successfully been given.
  • gather: nothing, the command has successfully been given, but keep it has to be queued after some other order or else it gets fulfilled immediately and is pointless.
  • death: click an enemy unit (like you'd do with, say, an attack command). Possibly it can be dragged for an area version, dunno.
  • squad: an UI to pick squad size should appear, move your mouse around to choose. This only really makes sense for factory waypoint queues.
  • timer: an UI should appear.

After that, queue some more orders (else the wait is pointless).
+0 / -0
USrankcathartes
6 years ago
First, actually bind the commands to some hotkeys.

The wait commands are best used with command-queuing on the wait command itself or on the commands that follow (press shift while issuing the command). If you do not queue the wait command, it is inserted in the front of your queue (except for gather-wait).

Gather-wait only makes sense on groups of units that already have a command; issuing a gather-wait command will queue a gather-wait at the end of the units' command queues. You can then queue up further commands. (e.g. line move some disorganized units to an intermediate location, queue a gather-wait, then another line-move to their intended destination).

Death wait will change your cursor to something that looks like an eye after you hit the hotkey. You click on the unit whose death you want to wait for (could be friendly or enemy), and then the death-wait command will be issued (hold shift while clicking on the target unit if you want to issue the death-wait command after existing commands).

Squad-wait and timer-wait have a UI slider bar for you to select the wait duration (units created or seconds) after you press the hotkey. Squad wait only works on the factory command queue, and is only useful if the command itself is queued (otherwise it makes the factory itself wait, which stops the factory). Press shift while clicking your slider bar selection to queue the wait command. Shift while pressing the hotkey will queue the wait command with a default setting without a slider bar appearing.
+1 / -0
USrankHun_Tzu
6 years ago
Seriously? ZK has programmable units? I've wanted this for 20 years. This is so cool. Like... next-next-gen. Are these commands actually fully functional? and bug-free?

I've needed a gather command like millions of times a game, that's so important. Seriously, if there's a gather move that's fully stable this should be a game-changer compared to not using it. For high DPS/health units, fractions of seconds in delays due to staggered units can make tens of percent or more in difference of cost-effectiveness.

Squad? wanted this forever, too. Such a simple-but-effective change.

Timed wait? thought about this so many times as well, but since I knew it was never gonna happen, I never really took the time to figure out all the tactics it could open up. Maybe you could use that to have a unit move to a caretaker for repairs and move back out in 15 seconds (although just a simple fix to the retreat command would make that finally usable [although maybe that's just "in my opinion"; I don't understand how others are able to get usefulness out of the current retreat command]).
+0 / -0


EErankAdminAnarchid
6 years ago
(edited 6 years ago)
Theoretically you could use a combination of DeathWait and TimeWait to automatically launch shield-penetrating tactical missile barrages:

1) Issue an immediate Fire command to an incomplete Eos.
2) Issue a DeathWait to two other Eos, then issue a TimeWait to end of command stack, then another Fire order.
3) First Eos completes and launches. This causes the unit that it was to die, becoming projectile.
4) The two other Eos clear their DeathWait and start counting down on TimeWait
5) TimeWait clears, the other Eos launch.

But in practice i think this is just too easy to do manually.

quote:
Seriously? ZK has programmable units? I've wanted this for 20 years. This is so cool. Like... next-next-gen. Are these commands actually fully functional? and bug-free?

The Spring Engine does. Probably did since 2008 or so.
They were mostly unused by literally anyone since then, which is also why they are not default-hotkeyed and not visible in the menus. They are probably unmaintained - but also fairly conservative. The regular Wait still works, so these should too. The UI is not going to be something pretty to look at.
+1 / -0

PLrankAdminSprung
6 years ago
quote:
First Eos completes and launches. This causes the unit that it was to die

That is not dead which can eternal lie
and with strage haxxes, even death may die
+1 / -0


EErankAdminAnarchid
6 years ago
(edited 6 years ago)
Oh wow, this is a living hack for a dead system (modstats).
Brutal.

Does this also work for puppies? Can i detect puppies which impact units and die vs ones that miss and reappear this way, for attrition counter?
+1 / -0

USrankApollyon
6 years ago
(edited 6 years ago)
OMG...Sandboxed the Wait Squad...love it now i can stream squads to a target without getting taken out so easily!
THANKS ALL!

How to form Squads:
1. Create Hot Key. ("k" for me)
2. Select Factory
TIP: queue up units before creating squads so you don't have to wait for a squad to form
3. Create way point
4. Press Squad hotkey
5. Hold shift and select squad size (I find small is best 3-6/squad), and release. 0/Number should appear at your first way point.
6. Queue up units and go blow up stuff!
TIP:
if your squad size is 5, queue up 5 of the same unit so they march at the same speed. However, I can see the potential of mixing it up too.
7. Hold shift to queue farther way points.

Caution: If you change the primary way point it deletes the squad and you'll have to repeat steps 4 & 5.

HINTS:
a. You can remove a unit from the squad to use, squad will not advance until it is filled.
b. You can queue up a series. Example: start with 20, queue next way point and create a new squad with 15 (five stay behind you can remove from the squad and use at location).
+1 / -0