Feature request: better mouse UI

[bluddy]

Playing SMAC after Civ 4, there are some improvements they made to the interface that are really lacking:

1. SMAC is oriented around moving units with the numeric keypad, which laptops do not have. This is a very laptop-friendly game in other ways (e.g. system requirements).
2. Right clicking with a selected unit should cause a goto command, rather than opening the menu as it currently does. These 4x games become much more enjoyable in general when you're not moving every unit every turn, but can easily chart a path. Ideally, the planned path could be shown on the ground, as it is in Civ 4. The menu could be available with a modifier key + right click.
3. The details of each square (rainfall, rockiness, altitude) should not require an odd second 'cursor', but should rather appear immediately when hovering the mouse over a square, as is done in Civ 4.

[pianoslum]

I'm not sure if you already know, but goto can be initiated by dragging the mouse and releasing. The path is also shown on the ground. This could also help with problem 1 btw.

[bluddy]

I did NOT know that -- thank you! Well, an option to use the same mechanism with just a right click would be sweet (it's not easy to click and drag well on a touchpad).

[DrazharLn]

I think you can also type G or ctrl-g or something and click on a tile to issue a go to order, can't remember exactly.

On Fri, 5 Feb 2021, 20:45 Yotam Barnoy, notifications@github.com wrote:

I did NOT know that -- thank you! Well, an option to use the same mechanism with just a right click would be sweet (it's not easy to click and drag well on a touchpad).

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[DrazharLn]

For point 3, you might want to check out PRACX, it can draw resource icons on the map to show yields of all tiles.

On Fri, 5 Feb 2021, 21:54 DrazharLn, drazharln@gmail.com wrote:

I think you can also type G or ctrl-g or something and click on a tile to issue a go to order, can't remember exactly.

On Fri, 5 Feb 2021, 20:45 Yotam Barnoy, notifications@github.com wrote:

I did NOT know that -- thank you! Well, an option to use the same mechanism with just a right click would be sweet (it's not easy to click and drag well on a touchpad).

— You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub https://github.com/b-casey/OpenSMACX/issues/36#issuecomment-774279115, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AESXNWJAPIH3UXYU4FBAUN3S5RKG5ANCNFSM4XFLNRFA .

[pianoslum]

I think you can also type G or ctrl-g or something and click on a tile to issue a go to order, can't remember exactly. … On Fri, 5 Feb 2021, 20:45 Yotam Barnoy, @.***> wrote: I did NOT know that -- thank you! Well, an option to use the same mechanism with just a right click would be sweet (it's not easy to click and drag well on a touchpad). — You are receiving this because you are subscribed to this thread. Reply to this email directly, view it on GitHub <#36 (comment)>, or unsubscribe https://github.com/notifications/unsubscribe-auth/AESXNWJAPIH3UXYU4FBAUN3S5RKG5ANCNFSM4XFLNRFA .

g = goto city (choose with dialog) Ctrl + g = Toggle map grid ;) You can right click on a tile and select "Move unit here", but unfortunately, there seems to be no shortcut for this

[bluddy]

Yeah you can see how they were transitioning from the original Civ 1 model, where g was 'goto city' (and not very useful) and every unit had to be moved individually, and adding the first bit of long-range instructions, which are absolutely crucial if you don't want to get overwhelmed by the number of units in the late game.

The click-drag to plot out a move is a lifesaver, and is actually a sufficient solution (and even better than in Civ 4, since you can try different paths until you're happy with the result). I do wish I could easily examine every square more easily -- it's much harder to interpret what each square has than in civ. Civ 4 really perfected the UI.