Shannon V. OKeets
Posts: 22095
Joined: 5/19/2005
From: Honolulu, Hawaii
Status: offline
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quote:
ORIGINAL: Zorachus99
Perhaps the 'jump to next unit' function should select the 'next available unmoved unit on the current screen' (pretty fast routine even with sloppy programming),
Then a 'recenter map on unmoved unit offscreen' function if no unmoved units are on the screen (or marked as not moving)?
That would make the 'next unit' function much more useable... Yes I dislike the current method jumping between units by enumeration... as a result I consistantly forget to move units because I bypass the 'next unit' function altogether.
What I have created for the Setup Units Form, (used when placing units on the map at the start of a scenario), is a list of units and some buttons for selecting subsets. I think something similar might be useful (as an option) when moving units.
Say, you had all your units displayed as small counters in a column at the side of the screen, or as a row at the top or bottom of the screen. The units shown would only be those that could move during the phase. So, during air phases it would contain only air units, and so forth for other types of phases. Each unit could be marked as: fully moved, partially moved, "in sentry mode", "ignore for this phase", or yet to be moved. If there were a lot of units eligible for moving during the phase, the subset buttons could reduce the list to something that fits on the screen. For example, just armor, strategic bombers only, carriers only. That would let the player move all of one unit type and then go on to another type. I see this as especially helpful during phases involving tactical bombers, since they are often hard to locate on the map when playing.
We have also been considering having groups of naval units placed into task forces for ease of play. No changes or effect on the rules, just a convenient way to 'grab' a bunch of naval units and place them in the North Sea (for example). The compositions of the task forces would remain intact from impulse to impulse and turn to turn, unless the player decided to change them. Again, the whole idea would be convenience, it would be optional, and hopefully, players would find it a feature that helps them complete a turn in less time (always a bonus - when you are playing on the opposite side).
So, one of the ways to sort units would be by task group. I vaguely see possibilities for having this apply to air and land units too. This gets back to cycling through the units. If you have assigned some fighters to the defense of Germany from strategic bombing, then those fighters would be grouped together and cycled through in order. I am somewhat ambivalent about this, because the pain of bookkeeping might exceed the benefit that would be derived. However, ideas need to be explored, not stifled at birth.
Anyway, back to the list of units that are eligible to move during the turn. They could be dynamically sorted by the player - with one of the choices for how to sort them being such that those that haven't moved are listed first. My vision is the player first sorts the list in whatever form is best for placing the units. At the end of the turn, he sorts them so those that haven't moved are at the front of the list. Indeed, if some units haven't been moved, then the program could not only prompt the player to confirm the end of phase, but also do that sort automatically at the same time.
Drifting along, letting the mind create possible interface designs.
_____________________________
Steve
Perfection is an elusive goal.
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