Author Topic: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet  (Read 4840 times)

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Guys,

I'd like to propose an extension to CTRL+E shortcut - not only messagebox with names will show up, but also arrows, preferably of different than these from motion sensor and face direction indicator, will show up over heads of these mentioned soldiers till a soldier will be selected. What do you think? Currently it's a bit annoying to search the name among squad on the battlefield.

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2020, 06:03:19 pm »
How do you find the idea @Meridian?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 8974
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2020, 06:15:16 pm »
I'm indifferent about it.

Offline Rubber Cannonball

  • Colonel
  • ****
  • Posts: 195
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2020, 11:01:51 pm »
Well since ctrl E is all about supporting experience farming, why not just make it easier and have ctrl E just select the next soldier needing experience so that the farmer player doesn't have to manually select the soldier before making the unit do something.  If every experience gaining unit has gained experience, don't change which unit is selected and display message: "Experience farming complete!"   :P

PS I'm only half joking.

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #4 on: February 15, 2020, 02:05:46 pm »
Well Meridian, imagine in this situation:
https://youtu.be/CYXawgVeDyo?list=PLe0K-GUDQkNLczQ0axbqrpXuDuUYFRYOn&t=1271
after the messagebox disappear aquanauts without experience would have arrows above their head. You wouldn't say "it's hard".

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 8974
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #5 on: February 15, 2020, 02:07:39 pm »
Agreed.

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #6 on: February 15, 2020, 04:37:50 pm »
Now technical question - how hard would be to add another arrow type, with different color than yellow (selection/sensor indicator) and green (face indicator), and some kind of flag gotExperience, initialized to false, and set to true when the soldier got an experience?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 8974
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #7 on: February 15, 2020, 04:41:18 pm »
Not too hard.

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #8 on: January 01, 2021, 11:49:40 am »
Hey mates, any news about the feature?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 8974
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #9 on: January 01, 2021, 11:58:04 am »
Still indifferent about it.

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #10 on: January 01, 2021, 12:56:59 pm »
Pls correct me if I got it wrong Meridian - the feature (non-yellow, non-green arrows over heads) is not technically difficult to add, the flag who lacks experience is already in game (alt+e works after all) as well as code which displays arrows over heads, you had issues with finding listed in the info window soldiers on battlefield, yet you're indifferent about such big QoL improvement?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 8974
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #11 on: January 01, 2021, 01:12:35 pm »
Correct, I don't find it a big QoL improvement.
I find even the ctrl+E feature a marginal thing at best.

I have nothing against it, but I also don't have any reason to spend my time on it.

Offline MasterBLB

  • Sergeant
  • **
  • Posts: 33
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #12 on: January 01, 2021, 06:11:36 pm »
I see. Well, at least could you write some hints what source files/functions/etc. should be changed in case I'd like to implement the change mysefl?

Offline Meridian

  • Global Moderator
  • Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 8974
    • View Profile
Re: [Suggestion] Arrows indicating which soldier hasn't get experience yet
« Reply #13 on: January 01, 2021, 07:05:54 pm »
Ctrl+E functionality for inspiration can be found here: https://github.com/MeridianOXC/OpenXcom/blob/oxce-plus/src/Battlescape/BattlescapeState.cpp#L2431

Similar arrow drawing (used for motion scanner indicator) can be found here: https://github.com/MeridianOXC/OpenXcom/blob/oxce-plus/src/Battlescape/Map.cpp#L1557

For arrow recoloring, you can use blitNShade function directly, no need to create new sprites.