Wolfpox Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 (edited) I was pondering the benefits of players being able to manually place "tactical markers" on the map during a fight, which would serve some different functions. Players would click the "Tactical Marker" icon on the HUD, click on the map, and then select from some options. The target would be some kind of visual icon - "Arrange units by proximity" > This would re-order your units by their proximity to the target, allowing players who're mouse wheeling to cycle their units to easily select the person closest to the target, then second closest, etc (or furthest, depending on which way you would roll the wheel). I think we all know of situations where this would be useful, as you pick some units to move towards an imaginary target, and have others "hang out" in the back. By rearranging the order of the units, you can efficiently think in terms of your targets, instead of the arbitrary ordering. (NOTE: This rearranging would be temporary, and only last for as long as the tactical marker was active. There would still be a "master order".) - "Center on turn start" > This would force the camera to focus on the tactical marker at the beginning of every player turn, eliminating the scrolling or searching that can happen in big maps. - You would also be able to reference the tactical marker like the alien icon on the side of the screen, quickly jumping to it whenever you wanted. Theoretically there could be multiple numbered (or color coded) markers, allowing players to think in terms of key points and change them on the fly. This isn't a "game changer", but would shave off time and create a new tool for planning and thinking about tactics. The main point for me, is to be able to rearrange the order, I think that would be cool and useful for many people who would otherwise be stuck thinking in terms of pre-set unit order. Edited November 6, 2011 by Wolfpox Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sathra Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Might be worth a look at, as part of the polishing phase (as part of the incredibly long series of would-likes already collected). I remember there being some discussion about the first part though (on-the-fly-grouping), but I can't remember if there was a final answer on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gazz Posted October 24, 2011 Share Posted October 24, 2011 Alternatively, there could be qualifier keys for mousewheel scrolling. In "dropship" order, next closest unit, next unit that hasn't taken any action, yet... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 I do intend to implement something where you can re-order the buttons on top of the GUI to put them in any order you like. It's been requested several times and I think it would be a useful feature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sathra Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Oh, just to re-check. The buttons are going to be replaced as well with mini-portraits as well? Could have currently equipped weapon on them too. Would be useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfpox Posted October 25, 2011 Author Share Posted October 25, 2011 If you don't want to bother with the Tactical Marker idea, may I suggest a simple "Ctrl + #" system for assigning? I love the idea of an automated system because it would do work without the slight hassle, especially when you want to suddenly change the ordering again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyC Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Oh, just to re-check. The buttons are going to be replaced as well with mini-portraits as well?Could have currently equipped weapon on them too. Would be useful. ooh that would be good, mini-portraits with an icon showing equipped weapon, that would be a really good help to quickly select a certain soldier without having to scroll or wheel around to find the right one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gauddlike Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 That would be a lot of info for a tiny little button. If you don't want to bother with the Tactical Marker idea, may I suggest a simple "Ctrl + #" system for assigning? I love the idea of an automated system because it would do work without the slight hassle, especially when you want to suddenly change the ordering again. Ctrl+# would need to move all of the other troopers along one place when you assigned a new number one, for example. That could really throw you off. I like the old suggestion of dragging the buttons to the position you want them in. That would make it easier to reorder. You could leave the actual number the same and just have the mouse wheel/GUI button order changed if you wanted to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 We need to finish concepting up the new ground combat GUI, I think... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoywolf Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I think with the proper UI and scroll mechanics you dont need to have this marker system, played X-com 1 and 2 and didnt really need a system like this to find the guy I need. I sure there will be better environment so we wont have the problems like farm 1 and farm 2 looking exactly the same on the map when trying to find the person you need. Maybe having a mini map like an RTS could work better? clicking on the mini map for finding the location you need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sathra Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Adding support for a tactical mini-map, either always on, or from a button press ala X-com. Its very useful to have. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anotherdevil Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I agree. Even if it is just in the bottom corner of the screen, really small. Click on it and it increases in size, or something like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MickeyC Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Adding support for a tactical mini-map, either always on, or from a button press ala X-com.Its very useful to have. I'm all for a tactical minimap of some sort, even if it doesn't see much use it can be such a valuable resource Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sathra Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 Oh yeah. Made great use of it in X-com for finding bodies and grenades. And just seeing the sheer devastation I've wreaked. And, y'know, getting an overview of the battlefield and my troop placement vs the map architecture. Best place for a sniper, good areas to flank from, stuff like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted November 2, 2011 Share Posted November 2, 2011 I'll think about it. It means a lot more artwork, most likely, but I can definitely see the appeal. It won't go in until the beta at the earliest though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfpox Posted November 6, 2011 Author Share Posted November 6, 2011 You could patch it in after release, I think there is all sorts you could do, release new stuff as "updates", people who bought the game will feel rewarded too, for post-release support. Really there's not much rush, there's no shelf life on Steam, and updating will actually help you get noticed there too. I hope whatever this re-arranging system is, allows for quick changes. I would want to re-arrange the order on every map, to maximize the speed of the situation. That's why I love the idea of a tactical marker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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