Option for consistent mouse operations

The mouse operations in this RTS are insane. We don't notice it for the most part because mouse operations in RTSs have been insane for about as long as I can remember, except in the original TA where I think they made sense.

Left mouse button is the DOING button, not right, left. Why every RTS feels the need to reverse that is something I've never understood.

PA takes this further by making it context sensitive. Got a unit selected? Right click to move and left click to cancel. But woah there, did you just select the move order? Make that left click to move and right click to cancel. Are you holding shift? Left click to do ****, unless that **** is a default move command which is right-click, unless you have selected an order in which case right-click is now cancel. Wheeeeeeeeeeee!!

It's so insane I actually had to go in-game to find out what I was doing through muscle memory. Can we get a "Consistent mouse behaviour" option? Left click is do, right-click is don't. Or the other way around. Just pick one! This system is natural only to people trained in RTS games.

When I first played TA, I couldn't understand why my units wouldn't move for like, 5 minutes.
I never knew that it used to be left-click for move.
Overall I haven't had much problems with the control scheme, but if it were made an option I wouldn't mind it.

But I'm used to it!!

Although I am actually used to this control scheme, there were quite a few situations in which i accidently cancelled my order instead of building an energy plant, for example. So I support this idea.
There is no functional need to have this inconsistency.

It didn't, I think TA is the only RTS to ever use that. Yet no other computer program works this way, right-click is never the button which does stuff.

Me too, but when you think about it you realise how mad and arbitrary it is. Occasionally my logical brain overrides my muscle memory and I go **** up

You have a logical brain?

what have you done... now I'm thinking about it xD *messes up and loses all the games*

And thus the topic serves its true purpose.

Hmm I never spent any real though on this. It works out without thinking, so better not change it.
Also I think these things are moddable. So go do your work

i think uber need to fix the current mouse control scheme...

Currently 3/4 of the game is played with these controls..
Left click - select units/buildings
Right click - issue orders

But moving the asterus between planets and unloading/loading is left click to issue order,
Selecting the annihilation location when annihilating planets is also left click to issue the order..

Why have right click to issue orders and then for only a few special things have left click issue orders, it's extremely awkward on the brain..

it doesn't matter to me, left or right i can manage

Yeah, this drives me crazy too. 100% agree, left does/selects stuff, right cancels plz.

yea me and @nightbasilisk actually (more or less) started to touch onto this subject over here : https://forums.uberent.com/threads/...-for-units-buildings.57748/page-2#post-895544 you're not the only one.

I definitely agree

right now thing are messy.

Exactly, this partly explains why noone was able to figure out the UI for moving planets.

But that's what we already have. Let me prodive some clarity:

You always do everything with the left mouse button.

You select units with your left mouse button. You activate every UI button ever in the game with your left mouse button. You place buildings with your left mouse button. You select orders in the UI with your left mouse button. You execute (with your left mouse button selected) orders (of with your left mouse button selected units) with your left mouse button.

And shift changes this in the most dramatic way ever, by changing it not at all.

So far, you wouldn't even need a second button on your mouse. You wouldn't notice that it was never there. You could be one of those Mac users from way back in the day, and live happily ever after with this control scheme.

There, simple. Done!

What was that? Cancelling an unintended left click on a UI button by pressing Escape on the keyboard is annoying? Left clicking the "Move" order button in the UI with your left mouse button every time is too much work?

Then let me introduce you to the best invention since sliced bread. Convenience.

Now, when you have a unit or factory selected, there is a contextual default action available for your convenience, right at your fingertips. Yes, really, literally at your finger tips. Of course you've figured it already out what I'm driving at... exactly, it's right there, at the so far completely unused right mouse button. And even the order cancellation fit's into this nicely. How? Well, recall earlier when I said that you're doing everything with your left mouse button? So you left clicked on a unit, then you left clicked a command and now - again and still - with your left mouse button, you can issue that command. No point in having the right mouse button do the same. Two mouse buttons doing the same thing, hah, get out! No, of course on the right mouse button is still a contextual action for your convenience: Cancel the command selection! (Since if you wanted to perform it, you would do it how? Exactly, with the left mouse button!)

With that request pretty much every contextual option besides move and attack is impossible. Or how is the game supposed to know e.g. whether you want the fabbers to assist something, or select that something? This would mean you either need a lot more use of the command buttons / hotkeys or (if contextual becomes the default when you have units already selected) a lot more use of the cancel button, to always first unselect whatever is currently selected, before you select something new. Neither of which I find very appealing, but different people, different opinions.

In my opinion then, select and contextual "do" should be on separate mouse buttons. And if at the same time you also want "one button to do them all", this would mean either that to select units you now have to click or drag the right mouse button (something I would find very unusual) or have all the UI buttons triggered by the right mouse button (something I would find even more unusual).

So there. "Leave as is" gets my vote.

man, almost every RTS that I played I used Right button to order my units... of course I don't play every RTS in the world

Damn, that guy is actually right.

Edit: Always these ninjas... I meant pownie.

Selecting with right mouse button would be way more counterintuitive

I've repeatedly considered asking for this as a mod.
Hotkey use isn't something I'm afraid of, and the only order I haven't bound to a key is 'Move'. I'm fond of area Attack orders, even though units often seem to charge into battle without firing a shot because of them.

The entire OP is detailing how this isn't true.

Also, did you intentionally write the most passive aggressive post on the board?

Coming from TA this was one of the hardest features for me to get used to. Also really difficult to switch between games now which isn't so much fun. I know there is a TA mod to rectify this but muscle memory kicks in whilst micro ing.