Suggestion: Grouped units could be selected with the RMB

[Joe#]

Hi,

I discovered this game today and I'm looking forward to spending countless hours playing it. I would like to thank everyone who has contributed its development.

The RMB could be used to select a group of units by clicking on a group member instead of using their number key which could sometimes be more convenient and this new control functionality could also be used to select a group of units which have no number key assigned to them, allowing players to have more than 10 unit groups.

So military units of the same type could be permanently grouped together in regiments without using up keyboard group keys.

As an experienced hobbyist programmer I would be willing to implement the code for this change myself when I have time. If anyone starts working on this please post a comment here so that I will know not to spend any time working on this myself.

Edited March 30, 2015 by Joe#

[Joe#]

With this change allowing for units to be grouped and selected without having a group key assigned to them, players could also make new units of the same type automatically group up when they leave a unit production building by holding CTRL when they click/ shift + click on a unit's production button.

[niektb]

Though your suggestion sounds good in general, I'm not sure if the RMB is the right button as it is also associated with move commands. Think of maneuvering your army (which you divided in multiple selection groups). Now you have an archer group which you want to move but accidentally you right click on the melee infantry group meaning that you select a new group rather than carrying out the move command.

I think it could work though if you combine it with another button (Alt + RMB? You should check what bindings are not used).

Contributors are always welcome

[Joe#]

Though your suggestion sounds good in general, I'm not sure if the RMB is the right button as it is also associated with move commands. Think of maneuvering your army (which you divided in multiple selection groups). Now you have an archer group which you want to move but accidentally you right click on the melee infantry group meaning that you select a new group rather than carrying out the move command.

I think the only situation this could happen in is when a player clicks a point to order a group of units to move their formation to be centered right behind/in front of another group's formation.

So to avoid this problem in this situation a player could hold down a key to make the RMB response not select the other group when one of its units is RMB clicked but to instead order the selected moving group to center its formation as close as it can be to the other group's formation without overlapping it. Which side the moving group centers its formation at adjacent to the other group's formation could be determined by the position of the clicked unit from the other group within its group's formation

Edited March 30, 2015 by Joe#

[sanderd17]

You know you can also use double click to select all units of the same type in your screen, and triple click to select all units of that type and the same rank, and using Alt and one of those to select them in the world?

I agree with niektb on the right click issue. Right click is generally used for giving commands (with modifier keys to give alternative commands), while left click is used to select. So it would be best if you could stick with a left click, probably together with a modifier key.

[Loki1950]

RBM select must be a blenderhead find myself using RBM select in lots of apps and also prone to use use RMB context menus on he desk top but I agree with sanderd the select/cmd split is more intuitive and consistent with GUI design principles.

Enjoy the Choice

[Joe#]

I guess the select/cmd mouse button split is more intuitive and should therefore be kept.

I think using the CTRL key with the LMB to select a group of units would be more intuitive than using the ALT key and could be reached with a player's little finger on their left hand when its resting in a WASD position.

You know you can also use double click to select all units of the same type in your screen, and triple click to select all units of that type and the same rank, and using Alt and one of those to select them in the world?

I knew about the standard double clicking of units to select all units of their type on the screen but I didn't know about triple clicking.

I still think having the ability to organize soldiers into an infinite number of unnumbered selection groups would make micromanaging large armies easier like in Cossacks 1: players would produce individual soldiers from their barracks and could select individual soldiers to be grouped with a number key associated with them. But they could also make officers who had formation buttons associated with them which would organize nearby soldiers into a formation led by an officer and a drummer, grouping the soldiers together into an unnumbered LMB selection group/unit.

Edited March 31, 2015 by Joe#

[sanderd17]

Our formations are actually entities (like units or buildings), however, they have no model attached, and are thus invisible.

So making them visible for selection would be as simple as attaching a shifted model (currently the location of the formation is at the centre), and modifying some code so you don't select the formation itself, but its members instead.

[Joe#]

Our formations are actually entities (like units or buildings), however, they have no model attached, and are thus invisible.

So making them visible for selection would be as simple as attaching a shifted model (currently the location of the formation is at the centre), and modifying some code so you don't select the formation itself, but its members instead.

I see. I will make a patch for my suggestion next week if no one else starts working on this before then.

[KingAJ]

I always split my troops into groups, and have grown used to that by just hitting the number. The more you play, you'll start finding your own way to use the numbered groups, and it will become second nature when your in a game.

1 is usually a scout cav. I make this at the start, and use it to send my starting scout cav all over the map. If he dies, I make another and use it to search for enemy CC's being built. I keep him in stand ground mode.

2 is normally my barracks. I use it to train batches of troops.

3 is my cav. I use them for killing rams and catapults. Sometimes archers. Kept in no formation and defensive mode. I sometimes use them to protect siege equipment.

4 is my siege equipment plus guards. Normally 5-10 spearmen per catapult, ram, or elephant. I keep them in box formation with stand ground. The spearmen are there just to eat arrows and keep cav away from the siege.

5 is my main infantry. Usually a mix of ranged and melee infantry, with a few healers. I keep them in box formation and stand ground, but switch them to aggressive right before a fight.

If I need horses in a battle to kill some rams or something, I just hit 3 and click on the ram. If I need to train reinforcements, I hit 2 and shift Z,X,or Y, and right click a rally point where I need them. When I need to advance my main infantry, I just hit 5, and right click. If I need to kill a fort, I hit 4 and move them within catapult firing range. The point of the numbers is that you don't have to be looking at whatever your wanting to select, and it really saves time. If someone does the sneaky ram attack on my town while I'm attacking, I can quickly send my horses back to kill them without having to scroll over the map looking for them.

Pikes are the only unit that benefit from staying and fighting in formation. They can attack from 3 rows deep, and a 25 unit square in stand ground mode works well. Your probably only going to have 2-3 formations like that in a game though.

Edited April 3, 2015 by KingAJ

[Joe#]

@KingAJ Thanks for giving me some advice, I have a lot to learn.

I would still like the units in a formation to be selectable with CTRL + LMB so that I can divide my armies into multiple formations, with each formation being as easily selectable individually as troop formations are in Total War games.

Edited April 4, 2015 by Joe#