Tool Bar Buttons?

[berto]

[echoing a post at the Matrix Forum:]

It's time to begin work on the Tool Bar revamp.

We want to add some things, remove some things, and probably make the buttons smaller so that we can fit more of them into that limited space.

Here are the current Tool Bar functions:

---

ON_MOVEMODE

ON_ARTDIALOG
ON_LOAD
ON_DIGGINGIN
ON_DOUBLETIME
ON_BUYBULLET
ON_BUYWHEEL
ON_RESOLVE
ON_AIRATTACK
ON_ACTIVATE_AI

ON_ZOOMIN
ON_DISPLAYBASES
ON_DISPLAYJUMP
ON_DISPLAYVISIBLE
ON_HIGHLIGHTORG
ON_NEXTSTACK
ON_HIGHLIGHTHQ
ON_DISPLAYRANGE
ON_ARRIVED
ON_REMOVE
ON_DISPLAYMOVABLE

ON_TURNNEXT

---

• What would you like to see added to the Tool Bar?
  

An obvious choice, I think, would be buttons for firing starshells and smoke (the key combinations for those functions being so convoluted and obscure that they are too easy to forget).

Remember: Many game functions are (a) available in the game Menu and (b) hotkeyed (many newly so). This mitigates against adding to the Tool Bar some of the more obscure and infrequently used game functions.

• If we were to remove some of the Tool Bar buttons (in order to save space, make room for worthier additions), which might those be?
  

Again, remember: All of the current Tool Bar buttons have game Menu and hot key equivalents. So removing some of the more obscure and infrequently used buttons would be a small loss.

Especially if we shrink the Tool Bar buttons, we are likely to redo most or all of the current button icons. (A simple AI instead of the current computer icon, for instance.)

Your thoughts?

[Big Ivan]

Berto,

I never use ON_ACTIVATE AI and ON_NEXTSTACK so if they were gone in favor of something else it's OK by me.

Thanks
Ivan the Big

[Otto von Blotto]

I hardly ever use

ON_ACTIVATE_AI
ON_ZOOMIN
ON_DISPLAYJUMP
ON_NEXTSTACK

so they would be my potential candidates to lose.

[Herr Straße Laufer]

These can be removed for me:

ON_DOUBLETIME
ON_ACTIVATE_AI
ON_ZOOMIN
ON_DISPLAYJUMP
ON_ARRIVED
ON_REMOVE
ON_DISPLAYMOVABLE

Please do not remove:

ON_NEXTSTACK

I use it, especially in larger scenarios, to make sure that I have moved and fired every unit. I would think the game diminished if it were to be removed.



HSL

[Nort]

The only one I don't use is ON_ACTIVATE_AI. I use all of the other buttons regularly.

[Pax25]

I also say don't remove ON_NEXTSTACK. I use it at the end of every turn.

One thing I'd like to see, related to the toolbars, is that once you activate certain bars that they remain on for the duration of PBEM play. At the beginning of every turn you have to reset them. Major pain.

[Tiger 88]

Please DO NOT take away:

ON_DOUBLETIME

In fact - I think all of us want some update to this - to see how far you can go - and then clicking off it so that your not automatically stuck with doubletime - either a yes or no decision point

For me - you can remove:

ON_ACTIVATE_AI
ON_NEXTSTACK

[berto]

Please DO NOT take away:

ON_DOUBLETIME

In future, you will have the Ctrl-Q(uick) hot key for this.

But that one's not a candidate for removal anyway.

A reminder to all: We have hot keyed every current (and many future) Tool Bar button. (See the Hot Keys! thread at the Matrix Forum.)

So if we remove anything, having a ready hot key alternative will mitigate the loss.

[Scud]

I'm so used to programs (like Microsoft's) rearranging stuff with every new version the setup really doesn't matter to me, as long as I can find what I like somewhere. So hotkeys are fine.

Better, though, would be a user customizable toolbar, like one has in PowerPoint. (You can start laughing now ).

Dave

[Tiger 88]

I actually thought of that idea as well.... how cool would it be to "customize" your own tool bar?

Is that even possible?