Just had this isea:
When transport units are selected all unit types loaded by any of the transports is shown in the place of the build menu along with a number showing the units transported and the units queued for unloading. Dropping them is handled like giving a build order with the central build AI, each transporter finds the nearest spot that demands a unit it's carrying and unloads the corresponding unit there. That way it's easier to drop your units in a specific formation and you can control which units get unloaded.
Transport groups with "build" menu
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Warlord Zsinj
- Imperial Winter Developer
- Posts: 3742
- Joined: 24 Aug 2004, 08:59
Quite a clever little integrated system; I wonder how hard it would be to implement?
Might cause issues for mods intending to have transports/builders as a single unit, but that's a pretty minor qualm.
When a buildpic is selected, the unit should replace the cursor, just like if you are building something, though perhaps the unload cursor should be overlayed, or underneath.
Load/Unload buttons should still indicate the transport to dump all loaded units.
I wonder, if this were possible, would you have similar units grouped into a single buildpic, with a number (like how multiple nuclear missiles are shown), or would you show each individually in it's own buildpic. The former would allow players to use the drag keys to drop their units in a line (or use the other build commands to drop in other formations).
Might cause issues for mods intending to have transports/builders as a single unit, but that's a pretty minor qualm.
When a buildpic is selected, the unit should replace the cursor, just like if you are building something, though perhaps the unload cursor should be overlayed, or underneath.
Load/Unload buttons should still indicate the transport to dump all loaded units.
I wonder, if this were possible, would you have similar units grouped into a single buildpic, with a number (like how multiple nuclear missiles are shown), or would you show each individually in it's own buildpic. The former would allow players to use the drag keys to drop their units in a line (or use the other build commands to drop in other formations).
Warlord: Yes, block orders were my intention with this, allowing for changing spacing and positioning them in any way desirable.
For simplicity I'd say transports won't try to unload on a spot if it's blocked by anything, no matter if it's the right unit and they need to constantly reevaluate which positions can be filled. So if it's carrying a tank, there are four spots marked for unloading tanks but there's infantry in all of them the transport waits until one of the drop points clears and if multiple are clear the transport won't insist on one spot if it got blocked between selection and arrival.
For simplicity I'd say transports won't try to unload on a spot if it's blocked by anything, no matter if it's the right unit and they need to constantly reevaluate which positions can be filled. So if it's carrying a tank, there are four spots marked for unloading tanks but there's infantry in all of them the transport waits until one of the drop points clears and if multiple are clear the transport won't insist on one spot if it got blocked between selection and arrival.
