Track selected group number(s) (UI)

[past-due]

Right now, when a group is selected we properly select all containing droids, but we don’t store / track the selected group number..

• Add a new optional<uint32_t> uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber (see EDIT below)
• When a group is explicitly selected (via either keybind or the groups UI), set uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber to the selected group number
• When selection changes, reset uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber if:
  • A member of the uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber group loses selection
  • An object that isn’t in the uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber group gains selection
  • (i.e. If the selected objects no longer encompass the entirety of the group + no others)
• Add public function optional<uint32_t> getUICurrentSelectedGroupNumber() to retrieve the value

Optional additional UI enhancements:

• Highlight the group button in the groups UI that is associated with the uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber

EDIT: Additional thoughts:

• We could actually track which groups are fully selected (which could be more than one) PLUS a bool for whether any objects not in a group are selected, which opens up more possibilities. (Since it is possible to select more than one group manually right now, with the selection rect. And I could see where it would be useful to augment the groups UI to allow selecting more than one group concurrently as well.)

[mirror176]

If marking that a group is fully selected, would it be helpful to be able to mark that a group is partially selected? Maybe a marker could also be made for representing ungrouped units selected. Marking multiple groups simultaneously would be more useful if all groups could be displayed at the same time instead of with a scrollbar.

Working with the new group features I still thought it would be useful to have it take less space and see all groups at once if only 1 vehicle is shown out of a mix of grouped vehicles (admittedly could be harder to tell what exact unit type with smaller models) and the color for damaged status brings up questions of if it is showing incoming damage instead or if it is 1 unit's health vs the whole group's health to cause the color to change.

Often if an RTS has a way to see a selected unit as a model on the HUD, they have a way to see multiple unit models there with each unit's health/damaged state visible at a glance.

[Chewbakka-Wakka]

On "Additional UI enhancements"

• Highlight the group button in the groups UI that is associated with the uiCurrentSelectedGroupNumber I'd like to be able hide / show the group UI with the full group listings, by default I prefer this hidden to see more of the map screen as it used to be. For me, I can recall everything that has been assigned to my groups but even if not I want it hidden or at least a simple key press to show / hide. Suggestion... Function keys? Like F7...

[mirror176]

F7 is already in use but I do get the idea; I'd debate that hotkeys could use review as there are many things that need default keys assigned and maybe reworked a bit. Tab does toggle hiding and showing this interface but with the rest of the UI; Options > Graphics Options > Groups Menu is where it is currently toggleable. The groups menu does not display during tutorial; I'd consider this a bug. An alternative would be multiple tutorials be introduced to teach other game aspects in pieces, like an assistant going over game aspects like a manual or strategy guide could have done.

Some other (mostly getting offtopic) ideas:

• Could have a single icon mode that puts a current selection only on screen, probably more to left or maybe the harder right (radar move+resize orders would need it to nudge around).
• Add a more customizable interface toggle for tab to take away/keep things in a cycleable and configurable layout so it could be multiple steps or tab & shift+tab or another key walk through its steps.
• shrink unit UI: the padding around the units is rather large. I don't know if it was to have blue/yellow/red coloring be more prominent per group but a smaller UI may make it all able to fit in a non-"tabbed" interface (until supporting a user configurable number of groups). The coloring being there but without a description/manual makes for some interesting trial+error to try to decipher: does it mean units are in battle, how bad one unit is injured (one that lost the most hitpoints, or percent of hitpoints lost, one that the icon represents, etc.), how bad units are injured as an average, does it represent units can/should be salvaged+upgraded?
• Have a UI that just gives unit count in the groups which the status bar across the top could basically do but this would be more permanently shown. Knowing what 1 of many unit types is within the selection is of minimal use. I haven't tested how to control which unit is displayed (unit cost, first/last added into a group, etc.)

Its a somewhat confusing new interface but already has some usefulness and further potential when documented or if expanded.

An example of a listing in StarCraft2 (chosen from my familiarity and starcraft is a gold standard of RTS UI polish, but by no means the only/best way everything should be done): https://i.imgur.com/wCO7l.jpeg

box on bottom center indicates units on a tabbed interface with groups just above it:

• the smaller boxes across the top of the big bottom center box represent hotkey groups. They only appear when a group contains units/buildings (yes, buildings can be a part of a group too in this game).
• The number in the hotkey group indicator shows how many units are in the group. The icon shows 1 of the things in the group.
• The number below the group represents the group number; unfortunately not the hotkey to select it like is done in other parts of this game's interface. I'd debate showing the group selection key on the ordered list is a more useful identifier but would be hard to fit if a group was awkward to describe like ctrl+shift+scroll_lock.

Now into the main box below, which is overall much more useful army group info with more detail so it goes more screen space:

• each box tab shows up to 24 units; the holes were killed units since group selection is last performed and will be rebuilt without them if the group hotkey is pressed again. Currently tab1 is selected with 2 tabs availalbe. If I recall, tabs are clickable and after tab 6, I think the game would navigate to the next set of tabs but maybe it cannot be shown; game maxes around 250 units-ish per selection if memory serves.
• colors on units represent their health.
• unit ordering is done by type of unit and not user configurable in this game. A subselection of units within the group is available and indicated by a brighter border around them; different units have different orders available (these tanks move in/out of siege mode, spellcasters need to cast their spells, etc.) with selection navigation within the group usually hotkeyed as tab & shift+tab. Units with same orders always select at once.
• I think when a selection key is pressed it indicated on the bar but don't recall. The group icon has a game setting on whether or not it is mouse clickable as a misclick onto it during battle can be annoying/devastating.

Anyways it seemed worth mentioning as I find knowing what units are selected is much more valuable than knowing what group number is selected. We currently can see what group number(/commander number?) selected units are assigned to by the display around the unit on the battlefield; though that only works once 1+ of those units is on screen and doesn't tell you if it was group selected vs present in a different selection (click+drag, modifier key + mouseclick, select units of a type hotkey, etc.)

Before focusing on marking a group as "I'm selected, plus a few more" it could be kept down to marking which groups are fully selected, maybe partially selected, and maybe an indicator of nongrouped units selected. All of this will be of more value if we can get an indicators of at least 10 groups on screen together at once.

My comments are not trying to discredit this work and think it will be nice to have. Thanks again for having implemented group indication.