Suggestion Planetoïd swap UI change

[qda]

When I am working on a computer, I have several windows/programs running at the same time, and switching between them is done with the very universal Alt+Tab, as most people do. I never truly thought about how much I'm using it, and how easy and flawless it makes this constant switching, until I played this DLC, more specifically until I had to often switch between worlds. When I have to switch for minor reasons (alerts, quick commands, or simple check-ups), the current UI can become a bit tiring.

And then I had a realization : I believe an Alt+Tab like UI would be great for managing worlds. Having a shortcut (and button) making snapshots of the colonized worlds appear on the screen and selecting one by clicking (or rotating through them by pressing the keybind multiple times) would be interesting, as well as being a constant reminder that you're quite a lot busier than when we had a single world. Hell, I would even have an option to make the shortcut the actual Alt-Tab key combination (overriding the OS config), that would be so great for most people's muscle memory, and would add even more to the busy feeling we have when playing now.

Plus, I generally don't colonize simultaneously multiple worlds, and I believe most people do the same. Once one is properly set up, I go onto the next one, etc. Basically, I'm doing what I was doing before the expansion, but multiple times, staggered in time, one after each other.
And realistically, I'm doing that because simultaneously managing expansion on different planetoïds is way too tedious with the current UI, and I've honestly tried hard. A UI change as the one suggested would open up, or at least make easier, a very different playstyle than the current one, where you could try to colonized the three starting asteroïds simultaneously, which I would embrace immediately.

Any thoughts regarding this change, or more generally about the world-switching UI ?

Cheers

[Yunru]

I'm unsure what tedium you refer to?

You click on the planet (or rocket) name from the list at the top right and boom, there you are?

Also I believe there's already shortcuts to switch worlds, although I have not personally used or confirmed them.

[sakura_sk]

2 hours ago, Yunru said:

Also I believe there's already shortcuts to switch worlds

" ` "[backquote] + 1-6 -Windows version (I didn't know what backquote refers to the first time I saw that )

[Sasza22]

15 minutes ago, sakura_sk said:

" ` "[backquote] + 1-6 -Windows version

This works nicely but maybe something like alt + " ` " for cycling to the next one would work as well. It`s right above tab as well which can cause missclicks.

Actually i need to hop into the game and try if it doesn`t work like that already.

[qda]

5 hours ago, Yunru said:

I'm unsure what tedium you refer to?

Mine, the one I explained. What is tedious to someone might be enjoyable to another. I can't really see any point to question this.

5 hours ago, Yunru said:

You click on the planet (or rocket) name from the list at the top right and boom, there you are?

Well, I'll be more clear : In order to switch world, which is a CORE action (and as such very common) induced by the most central mechanic of this new DLC, this UI currently request the player to find and click a name in a small (UI-size wise) and long list whose items' relative positions are ever changing because of the large number of rockets (the need of having many rockets being also a core mechanic introduced in this DLC). That means no muscle memory can be acquired, and thus everytime you need to do this very common action (again), you actually have to READ the list to find what you want in it. So yes, I find it tedious, questionnable in terms of UI design, and not a easy as your passive-aggressive answer might suggest.

5 hours ago, Yunru said:

Also I believe there's already shortcuts to switch worlds, although I have not personally used or confirmed them.

Yes, there are shortcuts. If you read my post again, you will easily see that I wasn't criticizing the lack of shortcuts, I was suggesting to use a very universal way of switching between windows (or here, worlds), which is the alt-tab way, because it would be immediately be acquired by muscle memory, it would make the player feel "busy", and the addition of a snapshot preview of the different worlds to chose from would make it less tedious and more enjoyable.

[JoeW]

Please keep posts constructive, polite and without personal attacks. Thanks. 

[arvenil]

Guys, this doesn't work for me. I have US version keyboard set and US keyboard. I'm playing on windows. In top right corner I have "~`" button. However this shortcut doesn't work. To be honest it's the first time I ever hear you can use backtick as modal key. I tried to press backtick + 1 and it doesn't work. I found configuration menu that has this:

As you can see I've tried to press `1 and I've got "Backquote + Backtick"

 

[sakura_sk]

14 minutes ago, arvenil said:

As you can see I've tried to press `1 and I've got "Backquote + Backtick"

Because you pressed only "backquote" (or "backtick"... the same thing if I'm not mistaken) . If you press them together (`+1) it will make the correct bind

[MachineryMan]

On 1/22/2021 at 7:30 PM, qda said:

Alt+Tab

As someone who used to play a lot of SC2, I strongly approve the introduction of as many hotkeys as possible. I believe that most players don't use hottkeys, but poke almoust everything with the mouse and see no need to change anything, though of course once you learn the hottkeys, you'll never use the mouse for it again. Because it's extremely inconvenient and eats up a ton of time.

I don't care what hottkeys they end up making to switch between worlds, it's a matter of adaptation.

Big bright shortcuts with a clear thumbnail or asteroid/rocket convention would be 100 times more convenient than a piece of text. In fact, Klei has someone who figured out to implement anchors for screen position quite recently. I mean, someone out there is thinking in a very right direction and maybe we just need to wait. Overall, the developer usually manages to make a user-friendly HUD, ONI has a pretty functional interface, but it will probably be finalized last. 

All in all, a great idea.