Add units to Control group - change proposal/discussion

r0b0v · Post by **r0b0v** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 12:39 pm

In current release you need to press Ctrl + Shift + 1 to add units to Control group 1. In some games it is simply Shift +1.
OpenRA supports Shift + 1 for little different purpose, what might be preferred, so not sure, but I think the proposed change (implementation easy and ready) might be little better.

What do you think?

SoScared · Post by **SoScared** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 2:31 pm

As you're required to include SHIFT by default anyway, I don't see the downside with it. One extra finger free.

*edit: Apparently has trade-offs.

eskimo · Post by **eskimo** » Fri Aug 18, 2017 8:18 pm

Never even knew openra had this. I seem to remember RA2 2 had this and was possibly shift only too. Though my memory is hazy of that.

noobmapmaker · Post by **noobmapmaker** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 9:16 am

Yep, sounds good and intuitive to me.

Post by **Sleipnir** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:11 am

In the current version of OpenRA and the original C&C games:

If you click on a unit or drag-select multiple units without the shift key then the game will select these and deselect whatever you had previously. Pressing a number key without the shift key behaves the same way.

If you click on a unit or drag-select multiple units with the shift key, the the game will add the new units to your selection. Pressing a number key with the shift key behaves the same way.

Your proposal changes this second case to:

If you click on a unit or drag-select multiple units with the shift key, the the game will add the new units to your selection. Pressing a number key with the shift key adds units to a control group.

This doesn't seem very intuitive to me...? Creating/updating control groups is a different thing to updating your current selection, and so it should have a different hotkey.

This proposal is suggesting to remove the ability to select multiple groups using hotkeys, for the sake of saving one keypress on another combo. I use that feature all the time (press 1, then shift + 2 to have both groups selected and issue orders), so think this is a poor tradeoff.

netnazgul · Post by **netnazgul** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 10:56 am

Proposed change breaks the possibility of selecting multiple control groups into a single select.

...what Sleipnir said

noobmapmaker · Post by **noobmapmaker** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:04 am

Ok, so if I understand correctly: ctrl is used to create groups, shift is used to create selections (which are 'lost' when deselected, since they're not saved as a group).

Hmm, that sounds reasonable as well. What I especially liked was making it easier to add units into a group, and if the group didn't exist then create a new group. Shift would've been a nice separate hotkey for that, but it would be a shame to lose functionality just to make something a little bit easier.

AoAGeneral1 · Post by **AoAGeneral1** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:32 am

Im a bit more leaning towards shift being a selection tool or group adding tool rather then used for creating groups tool.

Another shift method here: https://youtu.be/BjaMDtspi7g?t=3m53s

r0b0v · Post by **r0b0v** » Sat Aug 19, 2017 11:33 am

noobmapmaker wrote: ↑Hmm, that sounds reasonable as well. What I especially liked was making it easier to add units into a group, and if the group didn't exist then create a new group. Shift would've been a nice separate hotkey for that, but it would be a shame to lose functionality just to make something a little bit easier.

Thanks all for your feedback. I was aware of this issue as described also (less clearly) in my initial post.
noobmapmaker's comment summarizes it well. I wasn't sure players use this feature to combine selections/groups, but at least more players might try it after this discussion.