Enhancement for the reclaim, repair, rez functions (easy)

[Caydr]

Currently the only way to reclaim, repair (?), or rez in a large area is to click on the button on the interface, then drag a circle where you want it. You can also use a hotkey if you like, but same difference.

I'd like to suggest that since these are already context sensitive, why not expand on that. If you have a constructor or rezzer or whatever selected, and you hover over a unit/debris that needs to be (rezzed/reclaimed/repaired), you can then hold the mouse action button down and pull away from the target unit/corpse, drawing that circle. In most cases, you want to do a large area, not just one or two units, and this would expedite the process a lot.

[Pxtl]

Would like that for "attack" too. Area/group attack is an important tool for engaging a mobile force. Otherwise, you have to (a) pick a location near the targets to move to, or (b) pick a target in the target group to attack, which may or may not be there once your slowest troops arrive.

[Egarwaen]

Would like that for "attack" too. Area/group attack is an important tool for engaging a mobile force. Otherwise, you have to (a) pick a location near the targets to move to, or (b) pick a target in the target group to attack, which may or may not be there once your slowest troops arrive.

Yes, please! The Homeworld games had this and it was tremendously useful, especially since each unit would try to go after the targets it was most effective against.

While I was speccing a battle the other day that a bunch of XHC members were playing in, most of them seemed to attack by simply moving their units in the general vicinity of the enemy then (when necessary) microing around to try and get a good position while the units fired on their own. Having this be the only effective method of giving combat orders seems kind of silly.

[ILMTitan]

I just checked. Repair and reclaim context commands do allow you to draw the circle. Not sure about rez and attack, although I suspect they do as well.

Edit: Attack does not. Rez does.

[Pxtl]

I just checked. Repair and reclaim context commands do allow you to draw the circle. Not sure about rez and attack, although I suspect they do as well.

Edit: Attack does not.

THe problem is that Attack has two meanings, while the other have one. Attacking a location tells units to bombard it, while attacking a unit tells units to persue and destroy it.

Imho, the "bombard" function is badly done - it should be to fire a single shot at that position - if repeated firings are needed, the "repeat on" toggle can be used. It would make bombarding an enemy base more useful with bombers/berthas, since you could click multiple points and then order a "repeat" instead of blasting one point to kingdom come until the user remembers to change the target to another point. Currently queueing is kinda useless.

Really, with "repeat" the patrol command is technically redundant too, except for con units. For combat vehicles, "Patrol" is just "move + repeat".

[Soulless1]

not quite, its an attack-move and repeat - which would be nice to have separately

[ILMTitan]

THe problem is that Attack has two meanings, while the other have one. Attacking a location tells units to bombard it, while attacking a unit tells units to persue and destroy it.

Imho, the "bombard" function is badly done - it should be to fire a single shot at that position - if repeated firings are needed, the "repeat on" toggle can be used. It would make bombarding an enemy base more useful with bombers/berthas, since you could click multiple points and then order a "repeat" instead of blasting one point to kingdom come until the user remembers to change the target to another point. Currently queueing is kinda useless.

Really, with "repeat" the patrol command is technically redundant too, except for con units. For combat vehicles, "Patrol" is just "move + repeat".

Ok, I was wrong about attack, and I agree that I don't like the bombard function.

Patrol for combat vehicles is more than "move + repeat" because combat units on patrol will stop and fight units they see, while moving units will shoot at them but continue moving to their destination.

[SinbadEV]

Wait a minute... I thought that's how it worked... did they take it out?

[Pxtl]

Wait a minute... I thought that's how it worked... did they take it out?

Thought that's how what worked?

Patrol for combat vehicles is more than "move + repeat" because combat units on patrol will stop and fight units they see, while moving units will shoot at them but continue moving to their destination.

Yes, really when you think about it, patrol and move are both diversions from the "pure" commands.

The real commands you'd need to be able to construct the "patrol" and "move" commands would be more like this:

• Move (which would be like one-way-patrol).
  Queuable toggle changes (so you could set the unit to "hold position" when he leaves, and "manoever" when he arrives).
  Find Work toggle (for con-units to do their thing when on patrol)

With the new "naked" move command, queuable toggles, and the "find work" toggle, you then would be able to construct concepts similar to what you want. For example, the "manoever" command could be coupled with an attack to say "attack that guy, but hit anything you see along the way". To attack just him, set to "hold position" and then click attack, then queue in a change back to "manoever" for after the attack.

Unfortunately, while this is more expressive, it is also far more verbose.

Come to think of it, what does "manoever/roam" do on con-units? If nothing, that could be overridden to "find work" for them. Do factories build all units with the factory's orders though? Since then it woudl be annoying, since "hold position" is the sensible default for con-units, while "manoever" is sensible for combat units.

Warlords Battlecry had a fun additional command to "hold/manoever/roam" called "rampage" which was to wander in random directions.

[SinbadEV]

sorry... I was responding to the orriginal post because I didn't read all the other replies...

[Egarwaen]

I think that's too complex, Pxtl. Take baby steps, and see how users' habits change. For example, what happens if you remove the auto-repeat stuff from TA commands (attack ground, patrol) and replace it with more sensible bombard and attack-move commands?

The current move-state and fire-state stuff is very simple and easy to understand. Each tier simply gives your units a bit more autonomy to deviate from your orders. Adding more complex interactions between states and orders makes the system much harder to learn.

[Min3mat]

O.O
is it me or are none of those posts in context to the original???
i think that clicking on a unit then dragging it out should do a 'area' function. to have it do this with attack to would be awesome, i think thats how area attack for planes works

[smokingwreckage]

Bombard Area would be an awesome command for dedicated long range artillery, too.

[Caydr]

Yes - and they should randomly retarget. If you tell planes to bombard an area, they just attack the same spot in that circle over and over again.