Unit grouping

Grouping issues, bugs, and feature improvements

from AshesoftheSingularity Forums

As I have been playing more, specifically on large maps w/ lots of units, a few things about unit grouping have become very apparent, and I think that some fixes could be used here.

1) Numeral
First, the number above the units is a *great* thing that I love over Blizzard games. The numbers have a cool typefont. However, a few of the numbers can be a tad bit hard to distinguish from each other. So, at the cost of the cool typefont, the numbers need to appear more different from each other.

2) Single click/tap vs double
Currently, a single push of the group number will take me to to the group on the map (or the lead unit [aka first unit added], if spread apart). However, this can really suck to add units to this group. Ie, I have a group halfway across the map. I now want to add a few hades bombers to the group. Normally, I would just push "1", then add-select the new units, then add to the group. However, when I push "1", my screen jumps across the map, so I have to scroll back, and then select and add. This is annoying. Thus, if a single tap of "1" simply made group 1 the current group, and a double tap would center the view on group 1, then this would fix the problem.

3) Summary of units
It is nice to see the summary of groups on the left hand side of the screen. However, this becomes useless when I have 5 groups of 50 or so units each. Instead, I think it would be good to do the following:
a ) Keep a strict order -- Currently, it seems to order based upon the order that units are added. Let's not do that. Instead, list T3, then T2, then T1 units, and list all of a given unit next to eachother. That way, I can *much* more easily identify the current unit composition of a group, and know what units I need to add to keep the group balanced as some die off.
b ) Summary view of groups -- Like above, but have a number in front of each unit icon to show how many of that particular unit are in the group. Sure, it wouldn't show health that way, but you don't need to show the health for every single unit all the time - most of the time you want the groups to be able to manage themselves, and so if a single T1 unit is getting low on health, then, eh, oh well.
c ) may expand/contract the summary of groups -- A way to toggle between the explicit group unit view (a) and the summary view (b ). By default, perhaps it would summarize all non-currently selected groups, and then expand the current group. Also, a little +/- sign next to either each individual group or the whole list could toggle how to view them manually.

4) Lead unit
It seems that the lead unit is the one that was added chronologically first. This is often correct, but not always. So, when I tap the group #, the camera centers on the supposed "lead" unit, even if it is way way way far apart from the bulk of the group. Instead, the camera should be able to figure out where the bulk of the group is, and center there. This could be done by a group number/spatial density analysis, or perhaps a quick iterative method with the objective function being the max number of units within the screen. Perhaps a lead unit could also be manually designated; or maybe this is always the highest rank unit- just ideas.

5) Number display issues
a ) Number not always showing above numbers -- sometimes, especially for T3 units, when I add them to a big group the number will not appear above them. But they are in group "x"...the x number is not visually appearing.
b ) Numbers showing above units after removed from a group -- This happened in my last game (a few minutes before it crashed). I had a group "2." Then, I selected a new group of units and designated then as a new group 2 (not adding to the existing group 2). The number appeared above the new group 2 as expected, and pressing 2 then gave me control over only the new group 2 (as expected). However, the previous group 2 units still had the "2" numeral over them. Pressing 2 wouldn't select them, but they still showed a "2" above each unit.

6) Mini-map move/atack mode
I should be able to order a group of units to move/attack-move to an area of the map by using the mini-map. I can't do this right now. Sometimes I just want to get a group of units moving across the map, and then in 30 seconds I will give them more specific instructions. I don't want to have to go all the way on my main screen to that location, esp if I am in the middle of a battle or something.

7) Move as group
I am glad that grouping units no longer forces them to fall back to the slowest unit, and then proceed forward. However, esp when I have a T3 unit, once I have arrived at the locations to start doing war and then press forward to next targets, I would like for the T1 and T2 units to stay with my T3 units so that they don't get ahead into a big battle and fried. So, someway to allow units to not rally back to units still catching up, but to still move as a group. Naturally, you want to be able to break his in case you need to send your smaller and faster units ahead - so perhaps a toggle on each group.

8) Zoom limits
Not really related, but I would actually like to be able to make my max zoom even bigger - perhaps as big as the whole (tiny/small sized) map if I wanted. For my current screen res, this would not be practical, but on Black Friday I will upgrade to 1440p or 4K, and will increase the physical size of the screen, so this would be helpful and tactical.


If you want me to screenshot/save game when I see any of these issue, let me know and I can do that and provide those to you.

p.s. sorry for not spell/grammar checking this post -- I have to go!

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26,182 views 4 replies
Reply #1 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

thanks for bringing it up scotttaysom. whyyy would this be a good idea? in just about every other RTS i know it's first tap to select (this way you can bring them to where you're currently looking) and second tap to home in on them. NOTICE I SAID SECOND TAP. NOT DOUBLE TAP.

On second thought, I think you're right. Either would work just fine for me, and the second tap method would be great.

Reply #2 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

2. I think what you are asking for is already there. Or at least it was in 0.49 when I last paid attention to it. First tap selects, second moves camera. Adding units to the selected group is not in yet, but Frogboy says he wants it. In the meantime, select your units, then right-click the group in the empire tree. That will add them to the battle group.

7. They don't fall back? I have a video of a counter example. Fast T1 units fall back to the slower T2 unit After putting them in a battle group.

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Reply #3 from AshesoftheSingularity Forums Top

2) By looking into #2 further: Yes, the second tap to center on unit is implemented in AoS; the first tap only selects. However, I just booted into WC3 and SC2 (I have done a lot of the blizzard RTS) and for those games you have to double tap the group number to center; if you do a second or even a third tap spaced ~1sec apart, it will keep your screen where it is and not center on the units. I prefer the double tap over the second tap, but now that i am aware of it in AoS I can live with either. I believe that the reason I prefer double tap is in that case if I want to add a unit to group X, I don't have to check if group X is already selected, I simply press X and then add the unit. But with AoS, I need to check which unit group is currently selected. If it is X, then I specifically *don't* want to hit X again and add, whereas if group Y or Z is selected, then I tap X once, add, etc. But again, this is a preference.

7) I think when you form a battle group they do fall back, but if you just put them in a regular numbered group they don't fall back. Really, I would like to see it where you can form a battle group, and the units already "with" the group will stick together, but the group will not fall back to units approaching the group. Thus, if I have 40 units already in a battle group, I can add 10 newly produced units and the 10 will simple go towards the 40. Also, then, the main clump would move together as 1, ie T1 and T2 units will not race out ahead of the slower T3 units.