Camera controls

[BTAxis]

When playing a mission in UFO:AI I found the camera controls rather tedious. As it is you use the numpad keys for moving the camera, and WASD for rotation and level switching. This works, but it's not really very convenient.

What I propose is that - in due time - the camera controls are changed to be more similar to the camera controls in Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War. Here's a brief description of how it works:

- To scroll the view, use the cursor keys or move the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen.
- To rotate the camera, press down ALT and move the mouse left or right.
- To pan the camera, press down ALT and move the mouse up or down.
- To zoom, press down ALT and the LMB, and move the mouse up or down. Alternatively, use the mouse wheel.

When playing DoW, I found these camera controls very comfortable, so it'd be nice if something was used for UFO:AI as well. What do you all think?

[Hoehrer]

When you say 'pan' what do you mean in your third point? ... ALT + mouse-up/down has only one axis of movement, paning needs two. I suspect you meant 'zoom' or 'tilt'.

For the rest: I agree with this proposal (though i don't know DoW), but i have two additions:

• Use PgUp/PgDown to switch levels (and Ins/Del to turn/tilt the camera up/down ... like now)
• Use the MMB as an alternative to the ALT modifier key you mentioned above (prevents using two devices for one single action if it's available). More that one 'different' modifier key (like CTRL for paning) will be bad though (IMHO).

Werner

PS: some of the remapping is already possible now, but i thing the modifierd key (ALT/MMB) needs some code-change to work?

[BTAxis]

Sorry. I meant tilt, not pan.

As for the modifications, that's all fine with me. The point of these controls is that you don't have to take your hand off the mouse, and that you can still do all the camera actions easily.

[atomisirsi]

I think with Hoehrer's addition it should be fine!
And I agree to the opinion that using more than one key is a 'bad' solution.

With minimum 5 mousebuttons it would be great to use them all

[Hoehrer]

BTAxis added a feature request to the Tracker and i summarized the whole thing. Have a look:
http://sourceforge.net/tracker/index.php?func=detail&aid=1446464&group_id=157793&atid=805245

To quote myself:

A short summary that includes all the suggestions in the forum and some minor additions from me. The alternatives in the square-brackets [] are meant to be implemented as an alternative to the beforementioned method.

Current situation
- The current camera controls in UFO:AI are rather tedious. As it is you use the numpad keys for moving the camera, and WASD for rotation and level switching. This works, but it's not really very convenient.

Proposal - Camera controls in "Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War"
- Scroll/pan the camera -> Use the cursor keys or move the mouse cursor to the edge of the screen.
- Rotate the camera -> Press and hold ALT, then move the mouse left or right.  [Alternatively use the numpad cursors left/right]
- Tilt the camera up/down -> Press and hold ALT, then move the mouse up or down. [Alternatively use Ins/Del.]
- Zoom -> Press and hold ALT and the LMB, and move the mouse up or down. [Alternatively, use the mouse wheel or Home/End]
- Switch Levels -> Use PgUp/PgDown
- Use the MMB as an alternative to the ALT modifier key mentioned above (prevents using two devices for one single action if it's available).
- Use no more then one (ALT=MMB) key as a modifier key. (e.g. do not use CTRL in combination with the ALT modifier)

Werner

Werner

[PsyWarrior]

Just want to interrupt to note that MMB is currently assigned to 'turn soldier to look a specific direction', which works quite well. Also assigning the MMB as a modifier for mouse movement would cause no end of problems with troops turning the wrong way / losing TUs unnecessarily / facing in the wrong direction and getting shot.

-PsyW

[Hoehrer]

MMB: True, i didn't consider the "turn soldier" function :-/ So much for the 'use only the mouse to zoom/rotate/pan' feature

Werner

[BTAxis]

I don't even have a mouse, anyway, I have a trackball, which has neither a mouse wheel nor a middle button. I was going to map it to a keyboard button anyway.

[Hoehrer]

I don't even have a mouse, anyway, I have a trackball, which has neither a mouse wheel nor a middle button. I was going to map it to a keyboard button anyway.

Oh, i'm a trackball-user myself, though mine has the 'normal' layout of three buttons where the middle one is a scroll wheel.
I do not want to make camera control mouse-only, but rather make is useable with "only mouse" (3Button-device +wheel available) , "only keyboard" (minimal or missing mouse) and a combination of both .... whereas the "only mouse" is rather hard to acomplish if the MMB is already assigned to such a useful function like turn-soldier. I bet most of the people would hurt me bad if i change that

Werner

PS: "turn soldier" is already mapped to some keyboard-button i think .. dunno which one right now, i suspect it was SPACE or ENTER. Can't look this up right now.