[FEATURE REQUEST] Wigmen need hotkey commands

[Aron]

I know this has been asked before, but I want to bring it up again.

Assigning wingmen to your own ship and commanding them via the map is almost impossible to do in combat situations. The game is too reliant on the map and context menus to get things done. Hotkeys need to be added for wigman commands/drones. Or more generically, the ability to assign a group of ship to do a command upon a keypress and allow arbitrary groupings of ships and arbitrary commands (or a list of commands).

At the very least, ships in your command should be able to be commanded without having to constantly open up the menu and fumble through context menus. I'm playing with a joystick and have to constantly move between a mouse and a joystick to do combat with other ships.

[Techedge]

[BANTER MODE ON]
The problem is yours, X has always been made to be played with mouse and keyboard, you can't come here harassing the developers, and us, with your nonsense. Just throw away your joystick and play by the rules!

[BANTER MODE OFF]

Jokes aside, I support your request.

I feel that some sort of hotkey feature is really needed and should be added ASAP. And not only for wingmen.

[Buzz2005]

rebirth hooked me on my xbox controller, the fighting and just general flying is soo much better and smoother

and yes please have wingman commands on the main screen for 3.0 then i might actually use them

there should be better control of the UI with a controller down the line too

[Axeface]

Assigning wingmen to your own ship and commanding them via the map is almost impossible to do in combat situations. The game is too reliant on the map and context menus to get things done.

Definately.
I made a thread a while ago requesting a radial menu to replace the current left/right click popup box. I think it would add a LOT of convienience to the game and solve the issues you are pointing out (which are very important issues in my opinion). As for how these types of menus work, you hold down and button an the mouse is locked to the radial, you then move to mouse (or joystick/controller stick) around to select the options surrounding the menu, releasing the key selects/activates the highlighted option - you dont have to find a mouse pointer or anything (the one in rebirth unfortunately skips the locked-mouse feature, you have to find the pointer), they are very intuitive if done right.

[tomchk]

Assigning wingmen to your own ship and commanding them via the map is almost impossible to do in combat situations. The game is too reliant on the map and context menus to get things done.

Definately.
I made a thread a while ago requesting a radial menu to replace the current left/right click popup box. I think it would add a LOT of convienience to the game and solve the issues you are pointing out (which are very important issues in my opinion). As for how these types of menus work, you hold down and button an the mouse is locked to the radial, you then move to mouse (or joystick/controller stick) around to select the options surrounding the menu, releasing the key selects/activates the highlighted option - you dont have to find a mouse pointer or anything (the one in rebirth unfortunately skips the locked-mouse feature, you have to find the pointer), they are very intuitive if done right.

This would be so helpful!

[RodentofDoom]

yup the lack of variety in coiffure is an ongoing problem

[mr.WHO]

Yes, we need basic wingman commands for combat, that do not involve entering the map:
1) attack my target.
2) defend my target.
3) Form on my wing / defend me.
4) disarm & disable my target.
5) retreat.

[tomchk]

Yes, we need basic wingman commands for combat, that do not involve entering the map:
1) attack my target.
2) defend my target.
3) Form on my wing / defend me.
4) disarm & disable my target.
5) retreat.

I so hope this is coming in 3.0...

[Aron]

Yes, we need basic wingman commands for combat, that do not involve entering the map:
1) attack my target.
2) defend my target.
3) Form on my wing / defend me.
4) disarm & disable my target.
5) retreat.

Yes, this is the minimum.

Freespace 2 did this pretty well. Quick keyboard context menus are good here.

[tomchk]

Yes, this is the minimum.

Freespace 2 did this pretty well. Quick keyboard context menus are good here.

They already have radial menus for dialogs, so hopefully this would not take a ton of work. The pay-off would be huge, though.

[radcapricorn]

They already had radial menus is Rebirth, and not just for dialogs. But for some strange reason not only did they not build upon them for X4, but didn't bring them at all

[tomchk]

They already had radial menus is Rebirth, and not just for dialogs. But for some strange reason not only did they not build upon them for X4, but didn't bring them at all

I am also confused about all the things they didn't bring over from X:R. Clearly many of us are. I wonder if they took all the negative X:R reviews to heart even on the countless ways in which X:R was a masterpiece (especially after the patches).

[Felicitus Bigbeaver]

Yes do this. Egosoft I command you.

[Outliver]

yes, please

I, too, missed a feature like that before. Doesn't have to be a ring menu, though. I'd be happy with maybe another menu just like the target menu (when you hit the F key). The important thing, I guess, is having a hot key for wing commands.

Conceptually, that might become pretty hard, though. Because the menu would have to account for both single and multiple or even all ships in the squad. For that to work without the need to go to the map and select units from there, first, you'd have to have something like sub-squads or, alternatively, a really clever way to that from the quick menu itself. Turns out, things aren't always as easy as they seem at first glance.

A compromise solution would be to only implement a command menu for ALL members of the squad but then maybe have a ship-specific setting to exclude them from those commands.

[KingLetho]

Wig man!
(sorry, could not resist xD)

[KillZ0n3]

Seriously though, yes! It is a feature that we need implemented ASAP.
HOTAS users (like myself) will appreciate it the most since dropping the joystick to fetch for the Mouse/keyboard or even simply navigating to the map/interface for a simply attack my target or recalling subordinates is at least frustating or at most infuriating. And that's not even considering immersion

I expect to manage my fleet assests in the map, that does not bother me at all, but for my personal escort management it takes a tad too much interface interaction.

[Aron]

I'd like to bump my own feature request as it still isn't in 3.0b. Hotkeys for fleets or wigman controls are sorely needed.

[tomchk]

The lack of this feature is probably the main reason I play X4 so much less now. :/

[Max Bain]

I dont know if this is part of this suggestion, but if not I would demand fleet groups that you can call by pressing "ctr + Number" like in an RTS. This should work on the map and in space. Would make things a LOT more comfortable.

[dirtybeatfreak]

The lack of this feature is probably the main reason I play X4 so much less now. :/

Same here, it's one of the biggest issues I have with X4.

Pleeeease Egosoft, implement this feature!