I noticed somewhere there's a hot key to the (new) "zero" time acceleration (pause, but can still use windows and issue orders etc) in the beta GEs. The hot key is alt ctrl P. In case you haven't noticed it it is very good for those hectic moments when you have been cruising along at high game speed but suddenly need the world to stop NOW.

I wonder if it could be twiddled to work from the assistants advise box, you know the sort where he says, something like "every known missile is headed towards you, would you like to turn on your radar?"

Don

...

I wonder if it could be twiddled to work from the assistants advise box, you know the sort where he says, something like "every known missile is headed towards you, would you like to turn on your radar?"

Don

 

I've also been lobbying for that "0 sec button" option on the Staff Assistant window for some time now. Either as a replacement for, or a companion to, the usual "1:1 Time" button... because sometimes even the 1:1 time button does not stop a flurry of Staff Assistant popups - which effectively preempt user interaction, yet allow nasty things to continue to happen in the game. Going to "0 sec" time compression in these situations often is the only way to get any commands in place - IF you can even get to click on the time compression buttons between Staff Assistant popups, which sometimes is not possible!

 

I don't know how the game is set up for this stuff, but it seems like the Staff Assistant messages get queued up in batches, such that bunches of them all come out at once every so often (as opposed to being more spread out along the timeline). This can be a problem when a whole lot of messages of secondary importance pop up and interfere with the user interaction needed to deal with a priority situation at hand. I've often had cases where I was trying to click a button on some command window, when a Staff Assistant popup appeared with one of its buttons right under the cursor, so when my mouse click occurred, the button on the overlaid Staff Assistant popup actually received the click - instead of the intended button on the command window - sometimes with disasterous consequences. I'm not sure what the best solution is for these situations, but it seems like there ought to be some way to put the Staff Assistant and related stuff "on hold" while user interaction is occuring, so as to avoid these overlaps, but at least a "0 time" button on each Staff Assistant popup would be a reasonable work-around to allow the user to "get a word in edgewise".

 

Joe

With the in-progress and upcoming changes to the GE for multi-sides play there is a very real possibility the Staff Assistant will be updated. With the potential for the player to control multiple sides the Staff Assistant will have to indicate what side each message is for. I think he'll be brought at least into the late 1990s UI land. The changes should allow things like the insta-pause button.

 

Don't get all excited for all of your Staff Assistant dreams to come true though. While the changes will contain the framework for much rejoicing I don't hate him as much as most people so the further refinement may take a very long time unless some more programmers with a thing against the Staff Assistant emerge.

 

My goal will be to replicate the existing behavior but expanded to multiple-sides. The pause button may be an easy capability to add at that point and if it is I'll probably throw it in.

With the in-progress and upcoming changes to the GE for multi-sides play there is a very real possibility the Staff Assistant will be updated. With the potential for the player to control multiple sides the Staff Assistant will have to indicate what side each message is for. I think he'll be brought at least into the late 1990s UI land. The changes should allow things like the insta-pause button.

 

Don't get all excited for all of your Staff Assistant dreams to come true though. While the changes will contain the framework for much rejoicing I don't hate him as much as most people so the further refinement may take a very long time unless some more programmers with a thing against the Staff Assistant emerge.

 

My goal will be to replicate the existing behavior but expanded to multiple-sides. The pause button may be an easy capability to add at that point and if it is I'll probably throw it in.

I guess we're just never satisfied

Staff assistant, even as he stands, is pretty good in at least you get a chance to look at what is what and plan how to go about a response. There is the 1:1 button and that does bring us back to reality, if in the real situation we've got all sorts of stuff coming at us we do only have real time to sort it out, make decisions and issue orders. However it would be nice to be able to make group selections, issue orders and alter window focus while being bombarded with assistant's messages and the zero time compression would do it. The 'zero time compression' is a very powerful tool, being able not only to pause the AI but allow selection of units/ groups, group windows and focus, and issue commands for course/ speed/ attack etc.

Don

Pause is for pansies.

Pause is for pansies.

 

While I did expect you to play bad cop to my good cop, that wasn't exactly what I imagined . Brad's argument against ease in pausing is supposed to be that pausing breaks both the real feel of pressure AND takes a big chunk out of one of the bigger tools a scenario designer has, overwhelming the player.

 

And I hear pause is for pansies, LOL

While I did expect you to play bad cop to my good cop, that wasn't exactly what I imagined . Brad's argument against ease in pausing is supposed to be that pausing breaks both the real feel of pressure AND takes a big chunk out of one of the bigger tools a scenario designer has, overwhelming the player. And I hear pause is for pansies, LOL

 

Heh. My saucy comment wasn't really intended to be an argument against a 'pause', but you're right, there is a part of me (perhaps a large part) that does believe in trying to simulate the pressures of combat and decision making under stress, which includes time constraints. That incoming sea skimmer now just 30 seconds from impact was never intended to provide a 'pause'. But this is a game too, so I can see where a 'pause' would be a useful feature too. Carry on.

I'm with Brad as far as realism goes, but I' be a liar if I said I wouldn't use the feature if it was available.

 

I guess there's a little Pansy in the best of us.

 

Buddha

While I did expect you to play bad cop to my good cop, that wasn't exactly what I imagined . Brad's argument against ease in pausing is supposed to be that pausing breaks both the real feel of pressure AND takes a big chunk out of one of the bigger tools a scenario designer has, overwhelming the player. And I hear pause is for pansies, LOL

 

Heh. My saucy comment wasn't really intended to be an argument against a 'pause', but you're right, there is a part of me (perhaps a large part) that does believe in trying to simulate the pressures of combat and decision making under stress, which includes time constraints. That incoming sea skimmer now just 30 seconds from impact was never intended to provide a 'pause'. But this is a game too, so I can see where a 'pause' would be a useful feature too. Carry on.

 

Just wanted to clarify a couple of my "positions", too:

 

First, I have no particular beef with the Staff Assistant, per se. The only real problem that I see with the current MO is that the mechanism often pre-empts the uer's ability to issue any orders - and effectively puts him out of control.

 

Second, I totally concur with the reality issue of having to deal with information overload in a real situation. But, because the current mechanism circumvents the equal reality of a commander's ability to issue timely orders, then it seems "fair" to have a "work-around" that will allow the user to regain control - even it if is a little outside the scope of reality - or at least purist "legitimacy". But, the game somehow needs to remain playable by the user in these situations, so lacking a good alternative, the zero time compression seems like a good compromise - assuming it was universally accessible when needed.

 

Now, regarding Tony's comment about programmers who are "agin" the Staff Assistant, I know of at least one who's in favor of the SA - or at least neutral.

 

BTW - Howcum I can't get notification of posts in this thread???

I VERY much like the idea of a zero time pause that allows one to look around and issue orders.

 

This is neither 'pansy' or unrealistic. You as the player are not just acting in the role of senior decision maker, you are also acting as your whole command staff plus the unit operators. You decide what to do and then you have to issue all the various orders to realize that decision. This is the job of several people and to have to perform all these functions in 1:1 time is both unrealistic and very irritating.

 

I'm hoping that I'm correctly understanding that in the newest version of HCE such a function exists.

I'm hoping that I'm correctly understanding that in the newest version of HCE such a function exists.

 

True, what does not exist is the ability to choose the frozen/paused time directly from the staff assistant dialog.

I VERY much like the idea of a zero time pause that allows one to look around and issue orders.

 

This is neither 'pansy' or unrealistic. You as the player are not just acting in the role of senior decision maker, you are also acting as your whole command staff plus the unit operators. You decide what to do and then you have to issue all the various orders to realize that decision. This is the job of several people and to have to perform all these functions in 1:1 time is both unrealistic and very irritating.

 

I'm hoping that I'm correctly understanding that in the newest version of HCE such a function exists.

Good point, thanks for "un-pansying me"

Don

LOL