View Issue Details

IDProjectCategoryLast Update
0004756Valley 1Graphical BugJan 27, 2012 1:39 pm
Reportermartyn_van_buren Assigned Tokeith.lamothe  
Status resolvedResolutionopen 
Product Version0.521 
Summary0004756: Extra blue targeting cursor when descending ladders
DescriptionThis is a very odd one --- when I go down a ladder (as in the thing that seeds automatically in dungeons, not wood platforms), a blue ghost copy of the red targeting cursor appears a bit to the right of my character. It doesn't seem to have any effect on gameplay --- spells are still targeted at the ordinary red cursor --- but it's odd. The copy always appears in the same place on the screen, and it lasts until I cast a spell.
TagsNo tags attached.
Internal WeightFix Before Major Release

Activities

martyn_van_buren

Oct 9, 2011 2:52 pm

reporter   ~0016309

Correction: it's always the same distance behind my character. When I turn, it goes to the other side. So I think it has two positions on the screen.

martyn_van_buren

Oct 14, 2011 11:38 am

reporter   ~0016576

Don't know if this helps, but it seems like if you fire a spell by right-clicking on the icon it aims at the blue cursor.

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 17, 2011 4:41 pm

administrator   ~0016717

Is this still happening for you? I can't duplicate it.

martyn_van_buren

Oct 18, 2011 5:23 am

reporter   ~0016726

I'm on a slow connection and don't think I can update to .525, but definitely in .524. If I press down and fall through either a wood platform a ladder it appear right away and lasts until I cast a spell.

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 18, 2011 8:28 am

administrator   ~0016734

Have you changed any settings related to the gamepad reticule or similar in the game settings screen? Just as a point of reference for me.

martyn_van_buren

Oct 18, 2011 11:59 am

reporter   ~0016741

Oh, it's the keyboard/keypad aiming reticule! Actually, it appears whenever I press down. How is it supposed to work?

It seems like it could be useful for keyboard-only play, but it doesn't seem to work unless you fire a spell by right-clicking on the icon.

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 18, 2011 3:20 pm

administrator   ~0016742

Well, if you are playing with the keyboard, and actually are ignoring the mouse, then it would work whenever you hit a number key, too. If you play with your right hand using the arrow keys and your left using 1-0 number keys, then you can use up and down to aim.

If you've enabled the keyboard/gamepad aiming reticule in the settings, then this is actually working correctly. However, if it's not been enabled then that's what is peculiar.

It's fully possible also to play without this for the keyboard-only play, and to use tab-targeting instead. If you're using tab-targeting, that's also overriding this.

martyn_van_buren

Oct 18, 2011 5:14 pm

reporter   ~0016750

Okay, I think I understand it now. Probably not a bug, but odd functionality, which I think could stand a change --- if "aim keyboard-triggered spells at mouse reticule" is on, then the keyboard reticule appears but doesn't do anything, and while if it's off the mouse reticule appears and is likewise useless. So no bug, but I'd like to suggest a few changes in functionality. These are all aimed at the general problem of the keyboard reticule being hard to understand and (I think) harder to use, so I think I can leave them in one thread; apologies if you'd prefer them split up. Anyway, I think I'd use keyboard aiming quite a lot if it were refined a bit, but in its current form I think it's a bit too clumsy and has some significant drawbacks that make mouse aiming superior even on a trackpad.

Suggestions:

1. More explanation

Those modes could do with mouseover tooltips; I prefer keyboard-only and was trying to find a way to do keyboard aiming, but still found them baffling til you explained it here. It is probably most important to explain that the keyboard reticule only appears if you press up or down --- I turned on the mode and didn't see it, so I forgot about it until I happened to press down to go through a platform, and by that time I didn't remember I'd turned the option on and didn't connect the two.

2. Combined keyboard-mouse mode

I'd like to be able to switch between the keyboard and mouse quickly --- perhaps we could have a mode that aims spells at whichever reticule was most recently moved? I think it would be pretty intuitive, especially since the keyboard reticule only appears when you move it.

3. Platforms

This has been mantis'd quite a few times, but I don't think there's any way to set a platform in keyboard-only mode, since you can't specify distance with the keyboard. I think the best solution would probably be to have platforms follow the mouse whether you're using the keyboard or not, or something like what I suggested above in 0000002, rather than a keyboard-specific solution for platforms. But this does make using the keyboard reticule more difficult than it has to be, as currently you have to pause the game, go into the menu, and switch back to mouse mode to place a platform, then switch back if you want to use keyboard.

-----

(This one would be nice but seems less necessary)

4. Keyboard aiming "joystick"

The keyboard reticule is kinda slow, so you were going to use it for fighting a bat or something I don't think you'd be able to react quickly enough for it to be useful. I wonder if we could have something that works like an aiming joystick on a console game (as in, you press right on the movement joystick and left on the aiming one, and fire a spell behind you as you run) --- for instance, adding optional keybindings that would make the reticule leap to up, down, left, right positions. If I had these, I would probably use the arrow keys for movement and WASD for aiming. Numpad would be ideal, since it has diagonals, but I'm on a MacBook Pro and don't have one. Of course, tab targeting does the same thing in most situations.

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 18, 2011 6:22 pm

administrator   ~0016754

There's a bug there, sounds like, with the one aspect of the keyboard mode. Regarding:

1. Good point.

2. Already that's a feature, it's just that one bug you reported is messing with it.

3. There is no mouse mode or keyboard mode in the way you mean -- or, were it not for the bug, there should not be. The mouse works like the mouse, and the keyboard works based on if you last triggered spells from the keyboard or the mouse. The platforms thing is a distinct different issue, but something to look at.

4. Yeah, something like that would be interesting, but I think it's already partly implemented. I'm not sure -- check out "robotron type aiming" or something like that in mantis. Keith was working on that.

Passing this over to Keith, as he's been the keyboard-controls guy.

martyn_van_buren

Oct 18, 2011 6:51 pm

reporter   ~0016758

Brilliant! Sorry for the confusion, I've had trouble figuring out what the intended functionality is for this thing. It does seem from previous closed threads that you've decided against "Robotron" controls for the time being; I'd like them myself, but if I'm right to think it's a closed issue I won't reopen or start a new thread?

Chris_McElligottPark

Oct 18, 2011 6:53 pm

administrator   ~0016759

I'm not sure, that's something I've been leaving to Keith to manage. I've been managing the mouse and gamepads, he's the keyboard.

keith.lamothe

Oct 18, 2011 7:47 pm

administrator   ~0016762

The "Robotron" control toggle is labeled "movement directed aiming" or something like that in the settings menu.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
Oct 9, 2011 1:38 pm martyn_van_buren New Issue
Oct 9, 2011 2:52 pm martyn_van_buren Note Added: 0016309
Oct 10, 2011 10:44 am tigersfan Internal Weight => Fix Before Major Release
Oct 10, 2011 10:44 am tigersfan Assigned To => Chris_McElligottPark
Oct 10, 2011 10:44 am tigersfan Status new => assigned
Oct 14, 2011 11:38 am martyn_van_buren Note Added: 0016576
Oct 17, 2011 4:41 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0016717
Oct 18, 2011 5:23 am martyn_van_buren Note Added: 0016726
Oct 18, 2011 8:28 am Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0016734
Oct 18, 2011 11:59 am martyn_van_buren Note Added: 0016741
Oct 18, 2011 3:20 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0016742
Oct 18, 2011 5:14 pm martyn_van_buren Note Added: 0016750
Oct 18, 2011 6:22 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0016754
Oct 18, 2011 6:22 pm Chris_McElligottPark Assigned To Chris_McElligottPark => keith.lamothe
Oct 18, 2011 6:51 pm martyn_van_buren Note Added: 0016758
Oct 18, 2011 6:53 pm Chris_McElligottPark Note Added: 0016759
Oct 18, 2011 7:47 pm keith.lamothe Note Added: 0016762
Jan 27, 2012 1:39 pm tigersfan Status assigned => resolved
Apr 14, 2014 9:29 am Chris_McElligottPark Category Bug - Graphical Issue => Graphical Bug