Key Mappings Ideas + Other small suggestions

[Serman]

Recently I was in a large Skirmish with the AI, and I needed to quickly select units to engage in some artillery barrages. However, I did not know the hotkeys for assigning units to groups and selecting those groups. The list of hotkeys should be accessible from in-game, rather than only through settings. This way, we can always refer to it in case we forget the keys, rather than having to print it out, or having an adjacent webpage open. Also, when you hover over an option like "Do-Or-Die!" it should also display the hotkey for it in the tool-tip.

Also, demolishing things has proven to be really really annoying. Rather than having 'Demolish' be a construction option, why not make a seperate button for it, with an assignable hot key? Not to mention, it's annoying when you have to re-select 'Demolish' each time you want to break a structure.

I don't know if what I'm saying makes much sense, and if it doesn't, i'll put together some screen-shots for you. But these are suggestions that I think would make gameplay easier in my opinion.

[BulletMagnet]

an extra button would require UI changes, and that might upset some people.

however, a hotkey for it would be absolutely awesome.

[Serman]

By extra button I meant just an extra icon for "Demolish" somewhere in the build menu, but not as a structure. Like this:

[Avestron]

Might I additionally suggest that this opens the way for categorizing structures?

Categories:

Destroy structure (red icon)

Main Base - Command Center, Factories, Power plants, Research Facilities(remove upgrade icons - trucks can upgrade automatically on click)

External Base - Command Relay Center, Repair Facility, Vtol rearm pads, Sensor towers, Walls, Tank Traps

Weapon Class Structures (with tiny images representing different weapon classes):

MG + Cannons

Rockets + Missiles

Flamer + Flashlight

Mortar + Howitzer

Anti-Air

(another category - Walls + Mines - is possible)

- - - - - - -

This would greatly reduce issues of construction list related clutter - possibly research list clutter too.

[psychopompos]

an extra button would require UI changes, and that might upset some people.

however, a hotkey for it would be absolutely awesome.

not so much that as the current code for the menu is gonna be scrapped soon in favour of 'beta-wiget'(spelling) because its old & annoying.
so modding the current code would be akin to cleaning bleach with disinfectant.

---------------

on a related note, can extra mouse keys be mapped?

[Zarel]

not so much that as the current code for the menu is gonna be scrapped soon in favour of 'beta-wiget'(spelling) because its old & annoying.

Well, it depends on what you mean by "soon". It could very well be another year or two, at the rate it's currently going...

But yeah, bad widget code is the reason the interface hasn't been changed much at all.

[Zarel]

Hmm, I'm thinking more like

- Demolish
- Base Structures
- Walls
- Hardpoints
- Towers
- Artillery
- Bunkers/emplacements
- Fortresses

Hmm, I think that covers everything.

[Avestron]

Your list can work well also. Its a bit like saying tomayto and tomahto ;cP

I'll base off of your list - and will go through the base structures and some of the defensive ones.
- - -

Base Structures:

page 1

Oil derrick
Command Center
Power Plant (remove the upgrade button)
Research Center (remove the upgrade button)
Vehicle Factory (remove the module button)
Cyborg Factory
VTOL Factory
Rearm Pads
Repair Center
Command Relay Center

page 2

Satalite Uplink Center
Laser Command Link

I would also include all the sensor towers in this section (with an height increase to see over walls)

- - -

Hardcrete defensive structures

page 1

Hardcrete
(hardened) Machinegun Tower (why not - and again, preferably height 3)
Mini Rocket Tower
Flashlight Tower
Nexus Link Tower
Light cannon Tower
HMG Hardpoint
Medium Cannon Hardpoint
Heavy Cannon Hardpoint

etc.

- - -

Bunker defensive structures

Tank Traps
Machinegun bunker
etc.

As such I'd shorten the list to: Demolish, Base Structures (2 pages), Hardcrete defense, Bunker Defense, Artillary and Anti-Aircraft, and Advanced Defensive Structures (Fortresses)

Thats 6 categories and allows for larger, easier to recognize buttons

Similar can be applied to vehicle design (Body - Project + New Paradigm + Collective + Nexus (I would suggest that Wyvern and Dragon get replaced by superheavy bodies for each of the factions (Drake, Hornet, Lion, Attrition) - allowing for exactly 2 factions for each page); Propulsion - (only 1 page - unless propulsion were to come first - before body, in which case you could design structures (doing away with the researches of the respective hardpoints and bunkers and emplacements - just modify the power needed to research the weapon); Weapon - Gunnery (MGs + Cannons), Energy (flame + energy), Artillary + Anti-Air, Utility and Sensors, Special (Command, EMP, Nexus (ok so there may be improvement in categorization here)).

[psychopompos]

quick & nasty MSpaint edit representing idea i had a while back.

its probably obvious from the icons, but just in case
fortifications/hardpoints
towers
bunkers/emplacments
base structures

with the normal tabs marking pages in those structures, future proof for the 'design structures' idea, if and when it shows up.

[Serman]

Don't forget, seperate button for destroy!

Also, if I hadn't mentioned it before (too lazy to check) Demolish option should stay on until it is toggled off, and you should be able to select multiple or a row of structures to demolish rather than one by one.