Fixed spots and Build menus

ChromeAngelChromeAngel Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 14Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
in Ideas and Suggestions
If you can only build Res Towers and Command Stations in fixed spots do they need room in the build menu?

My suggestion is that a commander clicking on an empty node (res or tech) is prompted as to if they want to build there or not (with an indicator of cost) or simple "insuficent funds" cue if they dont have the res.

Since these structures cant be plopped down just anywhere and would be available where they can be built they dont really need a spot in the build menu.
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Comments

  • BacillusBacillus Join Date: 2006-11-02 Member: 58241Members
    I'd like to have them in hotkeys just like everything else. It allows a little smoother flow while commanding. Res nodes in present are quite similar. Pressing q-a and clicking nearby feels much more natural and fluent than some click'n'confirm routine.

    Of course both are fine, but I'd rather have them the same way as everything else that commander drops.
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  • ChromeAngelChromeAngel Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 14Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    edited April 2009
    I can see what your saying about consistency, that is important to minimize the depth of the learning curve. However these structures are UNLIKE the other commander built structures and spells in this very important respect that they cannot be dropped anywhere, they MUST be built at fixed locations. To even offer them for drag and drop (and have it fail) would be even worse for the learning curve IMHO.
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  • TrojanTrojan Join Date: 2002-11-02 Member: 4611Members
    I think having the ability to click on a free res node and hit 'build' is actually pretty good idea, it will help newer commanders out in speeding up the process. But, for experienced commanders who are used to hotkeys it will do nothing but slow them down. They cant just minimap jump to it, hit q-a, the resource tower autosnaps to the node (as in NS), and jump away.

    This way you get the best of both worlds, its intuitive enough for new people, but wont hamper experienced/competitive play an iota. Maybe have free nodes glow green in the commander view, or even on the minimap, to have them stand out too.


    The only problem regarding intuition with having to solely 'click' unbuilt nodes is that every other building in the game will be done using menus, and then one of them isnt? You'll need little tooltips to point this out to people. I think an icon would be sufficient, something that makes you think 'Hey, if I double click this I get to build a resource node!'. Goodluck designing that one easily <img src="style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/wink-fix.gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=";)" border="0" alt="wink-fix.gif" /> Aint HCI all sorts of fun!
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  • ChromeAngelChromeAngel Join Date: 2002-01-24 Member: 14Members, NS1 Playtester, Contributor
    edited April 2009
    Or just a have the "buy" options always visible (in a minimized state) next to open nodes?
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