Minor technical Improvements/features of value

Hi all :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: this is my first post and I hope I bring up some valid changes/additions that others would like to see implemented as well.

This is a somewhat technical post that gets into a bit of the nitty gritties. The language used to describe these features is, for me, occasionally difficult to describe and I have a habit of over explaining with a desire to provide context. As such I don’t believe this post will be everyone’s cup of tea.

This is a simple list of features and the reason(s) for its inclusion. I’m hoping these would be reasonable and simple to implement.

Format is as follows
-Feature
-Issue
-Potential solution
-Context/My ramblings

Click-drag scrolling (c-ds) without drag distance acceleration.
-The drag distance acceleration is unwieldly to use imo. I would get much, much more mileage out of this feature if it functioned as similar as possible to standard mouse scrolling, just without the need to go to the edge of the screen.

  • After utilizing this feature I believe the solution is in minimizing the dead zone (the amount of space the mouse moves from the origin point before the command is registered. Used to help ensure the correct direction for movement once the key is clicked(this is a common feature in controller thumb sticks)) as well as eliminating the acceleration experienced as you move your mouse further from the origin of click-drag scroll. With these changes It would respond quickly after moving a very small distance and determine the correct direction of movement which would happen at a speed set by the “scroll speed” option. Perhaps allow individuals to choose which version of the c-ds they prefer; this implementation or the original implementation. It may even be feasible and beneficial to have sliders that that determine things like dead zone size and distance acceleration modifier. My last thought is for an option that if you held the c-ds key and additionally went to the edge of the screen you would then scroll faster
  • I like that there is an option for utilizing click-drag scrolling with the ability to map it to your own hotkey. This can help slower players navigate game especially if they aren’t able to move their mouse quickly to and from the edge of the screen to get around and its just a single scroll command (which is an advantage over arrow key map movement). For more experienced players this also has the potential to speed up their play as they are able to keep their mouse in the center of their screen where the action is.

Clear currently selected unit/building hotkey
-The function of the escape key in terms of clearing selected in game entities/objects can not be mapped
-The function already exists I would just like to be able to map that function to another key within the the game commands hotkeys.
-One of the things I love about this game is the ability to customize key binds so that in game actions are executed as speedily and brainlessly (if I’m being honest there isn’t a whole going on up there so ill take all the help I can get) as possible. It would help immensely in both of these areas if I could press a map-able key to clear a selected thing. This key would function exactly as the esc key does currently when you have any in game object selected; clearing that box in the bottom left of the objects information. This returns your hotkeys to the way they would function without the thing selected. As an example once a villager is selected it gives a very different list of functions for key presses then a would a barracks or town center. Depending on a players key bindings what I would call the neutral state(where no in game objects are selected) also have a defined set of actions, as such returning to this neutral state quickly has value

Player colour UI/player colour accessibility
-I am colour blind/colour deficient and not everyone is colour blind in the same way and/or to the same degree. Not even people with the same type of colour blindness( eg: Protanopia, Deuteranopia). There can’t be a one size fits all approach here for the game to be properly accessible.
-Create a UI that allows players to customize the colour each player appears as on their screen/map. There are many options/solutions for this but I imagine one similar to the UI used in dawn of wars army painter would work well
-While messing around with the UI via the “widgetui” files I have seen the games code that allows for the colour attributed to players 1-8 to be changed. There just needs to be a UI for implementing this. Even with the colour blind mode enabled I have difficulty differentiating between some of the colours chosen for me in the colour blind package that fits my type of colour blindness. For example I can see bright yellow just fine but this colour is removed from the pool of player colours

  • No longer an accessibility issue but still somewhat related
 a UI or perhaps a detailed guide that allows for players to take advantage of the plethora of in game UI layouts made available by adjusting values in “widgetui” would be something the community may find helpful.

If you made it to the end cheers :beers:. I hope many other players would find these features as helpful as I would myself.