Idea: "Custom Shape Drag" for Selecting Units

It'd be really cool if I had the option to draw my own shape and select all units inside that shape.

Since we're playing on a sphere, sometimes a rectangle doesn't quite work, especially if I'm trying to get groups of units to do two or three different things. So I click/drag a group of units, and then hold shift to grab an additional group of units.

But it'd be really cool if I could (for example) hold down control and then draw a shape with my cursor and then it'll select all units within that area.

It'd make combat a lot easier when I'm trying to split up my forces.

Also, as I mentioned, since we're fighting on a sphere, not a square, being able to draw custom shapes will make it easier to select units.

And once more, it'll be awesome for army game types – so I don't accidentally select the units my teammate is controlling.

Thoughts?

Yeah a whiteboard esk selection system would be great for pa.

how about, to make it simple, a couple of basic shapes to choose from?

Why not both?

Basic shapes may not cut it in certain instances.

Custom shapes so I can grab units in a "U" like shape. Or so I can grab certain slices of units and send them in two or three directions when steamrolling through a base.

I don't think that letting me choose between square, circle and triangle is really going to change the simplicity of the selection that much. In short I wouldn't mind the option but I wouldn't use it.

Being able to draw the selecting shape would make selecting the group you want much faster and easier. The only problem I can think of is that what would happen if the player manages to mess the shape up? Lines not connecting, multiple intersections etc. Those are legitimate problems that will happen often when you are at the heat of battle and the game needs to be able to read what you actually had in mind if this techinque is to become useful and the standard of PA.

The drawing would definitely have to auto complete.

For example, if I draw a "U" line, the top part of the "U" drawing would be automatically closed off.

That's how Photoshop handles it with the Marquee Tool.

But what if someone makes an 8? How will the game respond? Will it accept the first circle or the second? How will it show the player that the second circle will not select anything?

They have a color field currently.

Anyway, it should probably select the "smallest area", by which I mean everything inside the 8 and not everything outside it. So if one selects half the planet, it should assume they mean whatever half is smallest.

As far as details, they should keep the current area selects, but just add later down the line a held-key to draw instead of drag. Then you can use that feature for unit formations, placement of structures, selection of units, ect.

They have a lot of work on their hands not including this, so I don't have my hopes up for soon, but the day will be sunny something like this comes.

Yes and that's exactly why we need to talk about things early on. To help the developers form their vision of the game long before they start actually making said stuff so that they save time and money.

Why not both circles? Again, that's how the Marquee tool works in Photoshop.

The issues aren't that complicated. You're right, they do need to be addressed, but they're not that complicated.

I agree they are not complicated, I'm just trying to lay all the decisions that have to be made on the table beforehand in case a dev reads this thread.

To continue with your suggestion, should the game auto correct the second circle of the 8 if it is not drawn to the end, if the gap in between is really small? How small is the maximum gap? I like the idea otherwise but it feels too easy to fumble when you do it fast.

I think (feel free to take this with a mountain of salt) that it would depend on how you draw the 8? For example, I can think of three ways to draw a figure-eight-like figure right now:

-Two "mirrored threes" that meet at the top and bottom
-Two stacked circles on top of or beside one another, drawn so that they touch or very slightly overlap
-Two teardrop shapes, drawn continuously so that the "middle" of the figure-eight makes a kind of flattened X shape.

Sorry for lack of images--don't quite have time to sketch out all that I'm thinking, but hopefully you get the idea. I know everyone draws their 8's differently, but perhaps if only the lower two options were "valid" shapes, as it were, that could eliminate the problem of overlap entirely? Basically creating two separate circle-like shapes with one mouse motion.

This is actually how I wanted it to work and we may see some stuff like this in the future. We're going to add some more free form type stuff, patience

^&*#$% yeah!

You guys rock.

Yes, this is a very good idea