New Ideas to implement

[Shakalaka]

I really enjoy this game. Initially, I struggled with many aspects, but now I have a better grasp of it. My suggestions might be related to usability or nice-to-have features, and some might be more complex to implement (I assume), but I think they're worth considering:

Hint Messages and Menu: I dont like seeing hint messages when I hover over something. It would be more convenient if hint messages could be displayed on demand, perhaps by using a functionality like pressing ALT+click or CTRL+click to show the hint message. Additionally, when I press ESC to dismiss the hint, it immediately shows the main menu (Start, Load, Save, etc.), which feels a bit abrupt.

Cursor in the Game: I'm not fond of the cursor in the game. The indentation can be tricky to manage at some point. Additionally, pressing Shift + Tab opens the Steam chat instead of moving the cursor back to the left. (Personally, I use VS-Code, but I prefer writing code directly in the game because VS-Code detects many errors due to the numerous extensions I have installed, and I don't want to disable them.)

Variable Selection: When I double-click on a variable named something like "Carrot_goal," it only selects "Carrot," and I have to manually select the rest ("_goal") with my mouse to copy and paste it.

Copy and Paste Functionality: I find copy and paste operations to be cumbersome, and I wish they could be improved. like enhance indentation as mentioned above.

Tutorial or Missions: In my opinion, one of the most important things missing is a tutorial or mission to guide players. This would help them understand what needs to be done and how to do it effectively. For example, I was unaware of bones and dinosaurs, possibly because I'm not active on Discord.

Highlighted Code Line Visibility: When I run a code, it highlights the line where the code is currently running, which is great. However, if I open another window while the code is running, I can still see the highlighted line through the new window. This feels distracting.

"i" Button Navigation: The "i" button (short for information, I assume) is a great feature. and so i would like to navigate faster with my mouse buttons. For example, when I click on something like "Soil," it works well. However, it would be nice if I could use my mouse's back button (Mouse 4) to return to the main menu instead of navigating manually.

Testing Code During Drone Operation: Another idea is having a separate bench or environment where we can test code while a drone is working. It would allow for more flexibility without interrupting ongoing tasks.

Missing Classes: I believe adding support for creating classes would be a very important feature. Classes are a core part of Python as an object-oriented programming language, and they make it much easier to organize and store data. By using classes, players could store variables, manage data, and change values more efficiently, which would streamline running scripts within the game.

"i" Button Documentation:
Some entries in the documentation appear to be duplicated under both the "Programming" section and the "Unlocks" section. For example, items like "Functions," "Import," and "Dict" are listed in both places. These items should only be included under the "Programming" section, not under "Unlocks."


Thank you so much to the developers for creating this game. I truly appreciate the effort and dedication that goes into it. and I'm looking forward to seeing how the game evolves!

[umop-apisdn]

"Cursor in the Game" and "Variable Selection" I can really get behind. I find myself shouting "STOP HELPING ME" at the screen when the "helpful" thing the interface does is either wrong half the time, or doesn't act like I think it should... not just here, but in many other places, as well.

So many designers make things "different for the sake of being different" these days, I'd rather they just leave stuff alone and stop breaking everything.