Gird Hotkeys please!

[AbeAwesome]

Since the release of C&C 3, there is no excuse for a video game to not come with a Grid preset for hotkeys. The re-release of AoE 2 has a Grid configuration, and even the ever backwards Blizzard put it in their latest abomination.

Is there an actual reason why Grid keys were not implemented as a default config in Rise of Nation? Still a great game (and decent re-release), but it's hard to go back to arbitrary (or lexical) hotkeys after the past decade (and it's not all that easy to re-config the whole set by hand either).

I know there have been a few threads about this before - but a developer should answer for once! At least make up a good excuse. ^_-

[[AS]_Pimp-Masterflex]

Whats a grid hotkey? And how does it differ from the hotkeys that are laid out in RoN as default? (I researched it a bit just now, and I can't really see a difference between what you're saying and what's on RoN.... so I'm generally curious)

[AbeAwesome]

Grid hotkeys mirror the location of keys on the keyboard to their corresponding location in the GUI.

RoN has a contextual pane on the bottom arranged in a 5x4 grid — with a grid hotkey layout, the functions populating that pane would have hotkeys that correspond to their position in the pane rather then the current (largely arbitrary) bindings.


So in Rise of Nations for example, the hotkeys to Train a Citizen (when a city is selected), Move a Unit (when a unit is selected), Build a Barracks (when a citizen is selected and the military buildings pane is open), and Research Agriculture (when a mill is selected) would be the same key (probably Q in this case);


The default bindings in most RTS and RPG games are lexical (e.g. they correspond to the first letter or prominent sound of the function they are meant to activate); so 'M' is the hotkey for Move; 'A' is for Attack; and 'K' is for Barracks (which is starting to stretch it a tad);

In RPGs 'I' is often the default Inventory key, and 'W' is the key to Wield an item in many roguelikes.


The problems this sort of keybinding creates are (at least) twofold: first, players are forced to hunt for functions around the keyboard, battling the UI in addition to contending with game mechanics and opponents (in fighting games this is sometimes termed the "execution barrier"); the other problem is one that is more visible in games with the scale of RoN, where you simply run out of lexical hotkeys, and start assigning keys without an easily discernible reason (like RoNs 'V' for Citizens).


In the end, all that unordered hotkeys do is make games harder for new and returning players to get into.

GRID HOTKEYS!

[[AS]_Pimp-Masterflex]

Interesting, so the grid on the bottom left would have the same hotkey mapped to each cell regardless of what's selected, so (0,0) could always have "A", (0,1) would always have B, etc.

That's kinda neat.... I think that one way to go.... and I can see the advantages in that.

Although.... how would something like... selecting a Market work? Like when you don't have anything selected? Cuz when I need to get a market fast, I g2 press N, and there wouldnt be any "grid" to begin with.

Or maybe are you thinking that perhaps such a grid hotkey system could somehow be formed so that there's out-of-the-blue building hotkey selection.... and possibly overcomming overmapping hotkey values?

I think a system like that would be great for new players coming from other RTS games.... us old ♥♥♥♥♥ could NEVER get used to that (or at least.... not for a super long time trying).

Actually.... I wonder if there can actually be a mod that does that.... or something that can have a pre-mapped grid hotkey mod for players that want to download it. It wouldn't be a far-fetched idea.... but again, I'm still kinda confused on how over-mapping couldn't occur for hotkeys that don't pertain to something already being selected.

Also.... about getting a developer to answer, I'm on that same boat with you. I've been tryin' to get some contact about Scenarios having high crash rates, and nothing from their side. I mean I sorta get it, developers don't generally talk to clientele (usually left to support staff or sales), but still.... it gets kinda frustrating when there's certain modules that we both care about (you with hotkeys and myself with Scenarios) and we're kinda left in the dark.

[AbeAwesome]

There are a few config files on this board that attempt a grid layout, but I always like official support.


As far as building selection - that can be handled via a set of keys outside the grid - so let's say the grid is mapped to QWERT/ASDFG/ZXCVB; and the different buildings would be mapped to TYUIO/GHJKL or something along those lines.


The best implementation of Grid Hotkeys (at least in my mind) is in C&C 3: Tiberium Wars — which is also a great RTS (though it's much more focused on tactics then RoN or AoE, resource management isn't a big factor) — I would recommend you play it if you want to experience amazing interface design. Apparently the just released Grey Goo also makes use of grid keys (or at least some sort of GUI/Keyboard mirror), and some of the team has worked on C&C in the past — but I haven't played it yet, so can't recommend (same for StarCraft 2, it has grid keys, but I can't recommend it).

The recent games from Relic (Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II, and Company of Heroes 2) also have grid keys, but also have significantly fewer commands, so it's an easier fit.


And about the scenarios! I just had the Cold War campaign crash on me >_<

EDIT: Oh! and lest I forget! AoE II (the HD version that's on Steam) also has a great grid key layout — it's so good it's the default. So it's diffidently possible to have building selection properly mapped to grid keys.