I have successfully "solved" a few problems that occur when using the new Grid hotkeys, when it comes to transitioning from well established hotkey ideas and layouts in SC2/AoE2 to BAR. I'd like to present things that differ in those games compared to BAR, and how we can enable a smooth transition for players that want a consistent experience while gaming in BAR and other RTS titles at the same time.
Why?
The goal of grid was to step away from the legacy TA-like ways of doing things, so let's take it a step even further to make it more contemporary. There will be less need for new player to instantly change all the hotkeys around, which we know is a tedious and complicated process for a new player.
All mentioned hotkeys automatically include their CTRL/Shift/ALT variations.
------- Primary changes -------
Stop command (current hotkey - G)
Suggested hotkey: S
Stop on S is standard in every popular RTS. It's a very important, highly used hotkey
there is no good reason for it to be on G, as Clear Queue on G solves any potential conflicts with Factories, and Stop isn't synonymous with Clear Queue
Set Target command (current hotkey - S)
Suggested hotkey: G
no conflicts, as G only clears queue in factories, which don't shoot
Fight command (current hotkey - F)
Suggested hotkey: A
this is usually called "Attack move" in RTS games, and is bound to A. One of the most used hotkeys in such games
"Attack" is currently bound to A, which is a totally different command
Attack command (current hotkey - A)
Suggested hotkey: F
There is no clear standard for F in other games, so it's not problematic
Load command (current hotkey - U)
Suggested hotkey: W
no conflicts, brings it a lot closer, for easier use
Unload command (current hotkey - J)
Suggested hotkey: E
no conflicts, brings it a lot closer, for easier use
Select Commander (current hotkey - TAB)
OPTIONAL: Suggested hotkey: Tilde
this brings it in line with other control groups, as Tab is mostly used for cycling thru stuff in RTS games, e.g. when multiple cons or factories are selected
currently, pressing the Commander hotkey once always focuses camera on the commander. That's not always desired, and it's not flexible. Commander use should feel the same as a control group, and the two lines below imitate such behavior.
the current hotkey is so far away that nobody ever uses it
H for Hold Position makes sense, and this also switches between Hold Position with 1 tap, Roam with 2 and Maneuver with 3 taps.
Firestate Toggle (current hotkey - L)
Suggested hotkey: U
the current hotkey is so far away that nobody ever uses it
U is empty, so and this also switches between Hold Fire with 1 tap, Fire at will with 2 and Return fire with 3 taps.
Used more than one would expect -> incredibly important for Janus micro
Patrol command (current hotkey - H)
Suggested hotkey: J
Patrol is in a weird spot: it's a moderately used hotkey, but it's not standardized across games. In BAR, you can indeed make it work on one of the grid keys, but then you need a non-grid key for it too, if you want a Factory rally point as a Patrol
J is empty, it's only one slot to the right from the current implementation, and it's not on the main grid
What area of the game does this feature request pertain?
UI/UX, Settings, Controls or Hotkeys
Other (optional)
Camera rotation
moverotate and movetilt command interfere with certain modifier combinations
move these somewhere far, as rotating screen is really not that important for most people, especially for those coming from SC2/AoE
I could go more into detail, but I'd first like some feedback and then see if it's worth getting into it more.
Description
I have successfully "solved" a few problems that occur when using the new Grid hotkeys, when it comes to transitioning from well established hotkey ideas and layouts in SC2/AoE2 to BAR. I'd like to present things that differ in those games compared to BAR, and how we can enable a smooth transition for players that want a consistent experience while gaming in BAR and other RTS titles at the same time.
Why?
The goal of grid was to step away from the legacy TA-like ways of doing things, so let's take it a step even further to make it more contemporary. There will be less need for new player to instantly change all the hotkeys around, which we know is a tedious and complicated process for a new player.
All mentioned hotkeys automatically include their CTRL/Shift/ALT variations.
------- Primary changes -------
Stop command (current hotkey - G)
Set Target command (current hotkey - S)
Fight command (current hotkey - F)
Attack command (current hotkey - A)
Load command (current hotkey - U)
Unload command (current hotkey - J)
Select Commander (current hotkey - TAB)
Movestate Toggle (current hotkey - :)
Firestate Toggle (current hotkey - L)
Patrol command (current hotkey - H)
What area of the game does this feature request pertain?
UI/UX, Settings, Controls or Hotkeys
Other (optional)
Camera rotation
I could go more into detail, but I'd first like some feedback and then see if it's worth getting into it more.