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Cursor behaviour changes
#1
I was planning to start implementing this in the newest released version, but feedback was immediately negative. So, let's see if we can get a consensus.

I'm planning to modify some existing cursor behavior - e.g., select an infantry/vehicle and hover your mouse over a friendly occupied IFV. You get a NoEnter cursor that in my opinion is useless - I try to select things more often than enter them... I was planning to change it to a Select cursor. And other changes like that, so you get a generally more useful cursor under various circumstances. But the feedback shows that people actually enjoy the NoEnter thing...

So I'm wondering, should I spend some time and implement another Options configuration page to have a way to customize the cursor shown in cases like that? I'm fairly sure it won't interfere with multiplay in any way.

Worth playing: 1 | 2 | 3
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#2
Gave you some thoughts yesterday.

While I feel we shouldn't change game controls because there are hardcore gamers having studied them, this is, after giving it some thoughts, a pretty senseful change.

My example was a simple battle where you use Rhinos and Flak Tracks.
You have a tank selected, but want to select a Flak Track. While you can select other tanks by simply clicking on them (Select cursor is shown), to select the Flak Track you have to deselect the tank first, because the Flak Track is a transport and the NO ENTER would be shown instead, which could be fixed this way.
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#3
(04.10.2008, 05:35:03)pd Wrote: Gave you some thoughts yesterday.

While I feel we shouldn't change game controls because there are hardcore gamers having studied them, this is, after giving it some thoughts, a pretty senseful change.

My example was a simple battle where you use Rhinos and Flak Tracks.
You have a tank selected, but want to select a Flak Track. While you can select other tanks by simply clicking on them (Select cursor is shown), to select the Flak Track you have to deselect the tank first, because the Flak Track is a transport and the NO ENTER would be shown instead, which could be fixed this way.

Instead of a no occupy cursor you could have a switch cursor which can make the unit leave the E..G IFV and the new unit enter it.
Just an idea
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#4
The switch cursor idea is good, though D mention he mostly meant when you have a tank selected.

I am for making this optional, but against making it hardcoded or the default - because I think the lack of a no entry cursor would lead to confusion; if users select a Guardian GI and hover over the IFV, and they don't get an entry cursor (either a positive or negative one), their first reaction will be "wtf?", directly followed by manic unselecting/reselecting, and then screaming "BUUUUUUUUUUGGG!! CURSE YOU, PD!!".

I do understand the reasoning and logic behind it - I just think that the minor convenience it'd add is vastly outweighed by the confusion created by replacing a system that has been in place for almost eight years. Users are used to seeing the no entry cursor - taking it away will lead to confusion, unless they specifically and consciously see it as a new feature. The best option to make them be aware of the change is making it an option they themselves can activate - those who don't activate it won't get confused, those who do activate it will be aware of the change. (And no, you can't count on all users reading the release notes/change log/features list - especially not when Syringe/Ares is simply installed as a dependency for a mod, and not because they know what it is.)

On a side note, I'm pretty sure you can select the Flak Track in pd's example through simple box selection - while, yes, clicking and dragging does take a fraction of a second longer, I dare say the difference is so minuscule that it doesn't really matter. One could usually counter "but the user has to know that!", but that's my previous point - people have lived with this for eight years. They have adapted by now.
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#5
i agree with DCoder, why it would give a no enter curser when i was trying to sellect a full ifv just because i already had another IFV, or an infantry unit, or any other unit selected would bug the hell out of me.
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